The number one thing we get asked about in the salon are hair extensions. How they work, how they stay in, maintenance, etc. Even people who will never in their life need or want extensions, want to know how they work.
So we're here to break down all the types of extensions and help you understand what would best suit you.
The main thing that differentiates the extensions are how they are attached;
Clip
Flip-In
Tape
Bond
Braid
Bead
Thread
Clip in or Temporary extensions are a great option if you think you want extensions but aren't sure, or if you only want them for special occasions. The key is to have enough hair to actually blend and look natural. Often if you purchase a standard clip in set it isn't enough hair, so people often need two sets. You rarely need to wash clip in extensions and when stored correctly they will maintain their style. The downside is that they don't provide a lot of style versatility because you have many clips throughout your hair.
We don't claim ownership of the pictures, it is for educational purposes only.
Flip In Hair Extensions use a band to securely and comfortably hold extensions. This has a better placement than clip in extensions and often has more hair which means they blend better with your natural hair. These provide more styling versatility because there aren't clips throughout your hair. You'll rarely need to wash Flip-in hair and they will hold their style well when stored correctly.
Tape in extensions are a great way to dip your toe in the water of permanent extensions. They are typically 1-2 inch long strips that sandwich small slivers of hair using medical grade tape. They are awesome because you can just add a few pieces for fullness at the sides. The down side is tape is very sticky and can leave behind sticky residue and they don't provide much styling versatility especially when you have a full head of extensions because of the tape throughout the hair. If you heat style your hair the tape will break down with continued heat exposure and your extensions will fall out leaving behind super sticky residue. Even as a stylist with the proper tools it can be hard to remove the sticky residue when maintaining the extensions in the salon. Tape extensions need to be maintained in the salon every 6-8 weeks and the hair can last up to 9 months with proper care.
We don't claim ownership of the pictures, it is for educational purposes only.
Bond extensions typically use a keratin glue that is melted using a hot extension iron. There are hundreds of bonds created off the hairline and partline. This is a great way to blend if there is a lot of length desired. The down side is having hundreds of bonds all over the head can be very uncomfortable and hard to hide so there isn't a lot of styling versatility. Maintenance at home means separating the individual bonds so they don't mat together and getting tidy cuts occasionally in the salon where the shed hairs are trimmed to prevent matting. They can stay in your hair for up to 6 months but the hair often can't be reused so you will need new hair every time.
We don't claim ownership of the pictures, it is for educational purposes only.
Braid Extensions. There are many ways to braid in extensions. One method you braid across the head from ear to ear and extension hair is sewn to the braids. This is great because it removes hair into the braid that could make it hard to blend and it doesn't use anything sticky. Sometimes braids can cause traction alopecia where the constant pulling on the hair eventually leads to hair loss. These can last a long time. Maintenance is required every 8 weeks or so, and the hair can typically be reused for up to one year. Another braided option is small braids all over with extension hair worked in. This has similar problems to bonded in hair because you have small attachments all over the head.
Beads. Beads can be used in a few ways to attach extensions. One way is using small pieces of hair and attaching it with a bead. This has similar issues to bond extensions because you have hundreds of little beads throughout your hair.
Our preferred method that is comfortable and safe for most hair types is beaded rows. This is where the beads are used to create rows across the head and extension hair is sewn to it with a needle and thread. This provides a lot of versatility because the hair lives with the placement of natural hair and the hair should be colored to perfectly blend.
Thread can be used with other methods like braids and beads and also by itself. It can be used to make small bonds throughout the hair, but has similar problems to the bonded in option where you have hundreds of individual bonds throughout the hair.
Our Proprietary Signature Beadless extensions combines the best of beaded rows, with the gentleness of thread to give extreme comfort and versatility, along with a perfect blend. Visit the Extensions page of our website for more info on our Beaded and Beadless extensions.
Comments