What are hair extensions?

What Are Hair Extensions?

With hair extensions becoming more and more mainstream, you may find yourself wondering, “What is all this hair extension craze about?” You may have a vague understanding – that hair extensions are designed to help women have thick, lush, or long hairstyles without having to sport a traditional wig.

But just what are hair extensions and what do they do? Hair extensions help women leverage their existing hair to create the styles they’ve always wanted, yet lacked the hair to achieve.

(Suddenly Hollywood’s secret is out, and you realize you can have celebrity locks, if you can just figure out where to start!)

See, many women already have hair they love (or tolerate), and they are looking to add a little oomph and pizzaz to their hair, instead of covering it up completely. Maybe they want to be able to add a fun fashion color on the weekend, and then have to return to their professional job on Monday that won’t allow for every color of the rainbow in employee’s hair.

Choosing the right hair extension will give these women the hair opportunities that they want to achieve, from subtle, natural looks to instagram scroll stoppers. Understanding your long-term goals for your hair will be critical for understanding which extension you should be using.

WHERE TO START WITH HAIR EXTENSIONS

With endless phrases like Remy, Synthetic, microbead, secret tiara, tape-in and halo, it can be an overwhelming process. You turn to your stylist to direct you on what to do, and don’t know the right questions to ask to be sure that extensions are the right choice for your hair goals.

There are so many types of hair extensions, so we’re going to start with the basics of what are hair extensions. Hair extensions are exactly what they sound like: They extend the length, thickness and sometimes the health of your hair.

(Mind-blowing, we know!)

Extensions are made from Remy hair or synthetic hair.

Remy hair is real human hair with the cuticle left intact, with the grain of the cuticles running the same direction, making the extensions easier to keep tangle-free than the synthetic hair alternatives that don’t have cuticles at all!

Because Remy hair is human hair, it has cuticles, giving it a huge advantage for stylists: It can be colored the same way human hair is colored, instead of requiring fabric dye that may be a hit-or-miss experience like with synthetic hair! (Oh, and fun little side note: Synthetic hair can only be dyed darker, not lightened!)

TRANSLATION: Remy hair is human hair that looks and behaves naturally! And since you’ve likely had a lifetime of experience with human hair, you’ll be able to work with it so much better than with synthetic hair!

PLUS, Remy hair doesn’t suffer the damage that synthetic hair does from styling tools & products – meaning it last longer & is lower maintenance than synthetic hair.

Whether you are interested in extensions for fun & fashion or practical beauty, there is a hair extension right for your needs!

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU ARE CHOOSING HAIR EXTENSIONS

While there are questions you should ask your stylist when choosing your hair extensions, you really need to begin by asking yourself some questions. Having the best experience possible with your hair extensions depends on a level of self-awareness of your hair habits and preferences.

Start by asking yourself these questions:

-Do you want to wear hair extensions every day?

-Do you see yourself sleeping in your hair extensions, or taking them off at night?

-Where are you looking to achieve thickness or length?

-Do you prefer to  have the same hairstyle for long period of time?

-How frequently do you want to see your stylist to address your extensions?

-Are you matching your extensions to your natural hair color, or matching your hair color to extensions?

-Would you prefer to style your extensions on an extension hanger or mannequin in front of you, or on your head?

-How much time and money are you willing to invest to get extensions?

And now it’s time to decide which type of hair extension is best for you!

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF HAIR EXTENSIONS?