Hair Extensions 101
Lets talk about hair extensions-hand-tied wefts, machine wefts, beaded wefts and tape ins.
At one point or another most of us have craved that Instagram worthy, jealousy inducing, thick. long beautiful hair. But hey, let’s face, we were not all born with thick, luscious locks that we can grow to our knees. In fact, more often than not we were blessed with rather fine hair that despite all the new roots we see, never seems to actually grow! We try shampoos, pills, masks, potions, and sometimes even some really odd advice from our great aunt Frannie because she swears by some crazy remedy.
Unfortunately, when it comes down to it, many of us will not suddenly develop long, thick hair overnight. And although special shampoos and vitamins help, they can only do so much. If you’ve tried everything and still feel like your hair is lacking, there is probably one solution you’ve yet to try!
Hair Extensions!! Not only do extensions provide immediate gratification, but did you know that they can actually protect your hair and help it to grow longer as well? I know…it’s hard to believe, but I promise that if you are attending all of your regular maintenance appointments and following all of the at home care you WILL SEE GROWTH! Extensions act as a barrier between your hair and protect it from breakage. I know I know, your mind is blown!! Now of course there are lots of folks out there that will disagree with me and say that they actually cause damage, but I’ve seen with my own eyes new growth that comes in thicker and healthier than ever before.
Of course, like everything else there are different extension types that will work better for different types of hair.
Hand-tied wefts- these are single wefts (or rows) of hair that are very thin and light and work best for people with fine, fragile hair. They can be sewn in or attached with tiny beads that are almost invisible. Both methods work well and if done correctly should last anywhere from 6-10 weeks. The difference between the 6-10 week maintenance is based on how quickly your hair grows. These extensions work very well for both length and volume.
Machine-tied wefts - these are 3 single wefts pre sewn together and are best used on people with fine or thick hair. The fine haired people that can usually wear these are those people that have often been told that they have fine hair, but lots of it. Thick haired folks would definitely need these to achieve a natural look. Again, these can be sewn in or beaded and will need a maintenance appointment every 6-10 weeks depending on the rate of growth of your natural hair.
Tape-ins - Tape ins are exactly what they sound like. These are typically my least favorite because of the sticky residue and the disadvantage of not being able to pull your hair up into a tight or high ponytail…and you can definitely forget about a top knot! Tape ins are placed in your hair by sandwiching a slice of your hair in between two tape in extensions. Maintenance is between 6-10 weeks and requires an alcohol base to remove the residue from your hair.
All of the above methods will give you immediate results and you can choose the length that you would like, generally between 14-24 inches. The longer the hair, the more it will cost. You can get matched with your natural color, choose a balayaged or ombre look, or even go wild with some vivid colors! After purchasing the hair, you simply have it moved up at every maintenance appointment and are typically able to reuse the hair for up to a year as long as you take very good care of it and follow your at home care instructions.
If you’ve attempted the pills, shampoos, potions and everything you’ve seen on reddit, and you still aren’t loving your hair it may be time to come in and have a free consultation to discuss an extension option. We would be happy to show you all of your options and help you choose what is best for you!