WHY YOUR HAIR EXTENSIONS LOOK AWFUL

Do you ever wonder why some girl's extensions look so real and some......well, not so great? Although hair extensions can perform some impressive transformations, it cannot perform the impossible. There are do's and dont's. Awful looking extensions mostly happen when hairdressers don't follow the do's and don'ts of hair extensions.

Individual hair extensions, like Great Lengths, were the first to hit big in the hair extension world. When they were all we had, they were wonderful, but as with all things, we've evolved (black & white T.V. was once amazing). Although individual hair extensions are still a powerful tool in hair extensions, they are no longer the only solution, nor are they the right extension for every situation. Here are some of the shortcomings of individual hair extensions.

1. The 'worm' effect makes them easy to spot and, therefore, less then ideal for adding length.

2. They take up almost all of the available hair and is difficult to get enough hair onto one head.

3. It can be stressful on each strand of hair if not kept up regularly.

I find that most hairdressers believe whatever technique they are using as the 'best' and only technique and therefore will advise their client to do that technique. But there is no one technique that is best for everyone, that's why it's important to learn and know a variety of methods.

You will be better able to give your client what will look best if you know as many methods as you can. Only then can you call yourself an expert.

Don't get me wrong, I will still use individual extensions for certain cases, but never on it's own if I am adding length.

The point is to have the right options available for the right problems instead of a one size fits all mentality.

So, what are some other methods?

The right kind of Tape in extensions are amazing for the top and sides of hair.

Once the roots of these tape extensions are dyed to match her roots, these tapes will become virtually invisible even when looking directly at them.

These tapes must be hand ventilated. They cannot be made by machines (not yet, anyway)

They lay very flat and are virtually undetectable

What is the wrong type of tape extensions? The type that show

These extensions are made this way because it is cheaper to produce. The tab at the top is applied by machines. The tapes stay white so that when the hair splits they act like flashlights that draw the eye directly to them.

Another method that is one of my favorites is the weft.

The weft can be attached in many ways.

The braid method which I don't recommend.

1. It is very damaging to the edges of the hair.

2. Repeated use can cause permanent baldness over time.

3. Too bulky

4. Hair in the braid almost never dries causing mildew

This weft was attached by using beads to make what is called a track (the braid above also makes a track). By using beads we create evenly distributed weight that supports the hair with no stress and hence, no damage and no bulk. The weft is then sewn to the track for a seamless look. The whole process takes 30 minutes and is able to support a lot of hair effortlessly.

Sometimes the weft will be attached by beads in this way. This is just as stressful to the hair as individuals.

Each bead is holding up hair on its own which is causing stress on each individual piece of hair (as opposed to working in tandem). And, one of my pet peeves; it is highly visible. Look at the difference between how this looks and how clean the finished look is of the picture above.

There are many more methods of attaching hair extensions but these are the most popular and are able to resolve most hair problems.

The way to beautiful hair extensions is to find someone who either specializes in hair extensions, which means they offers a wide variety so you can be sure to get the one that's right for you.

Oh, and before I forget, the most common mistake I see in hair extensions is leaving them too long. As a rule of thumb, you should go no more than 30% longer than your own hair length.

It is impossible to camouflage a short top to long hair unless you are willing to put a hair piece on the top of your head.

I know you love the long hair but to the rest of the world you look desperate for long hair and it looks ridiculously obvious.

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Next read: Are Extensions Damaging Your Hair?

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