We look at the doctor’s credentials, how long has he been practicing,  in what field does he specialize and so on.  The interior decorator- we look at their portfolio, meet with 2 or 3 before we make a choice, talk to them, ask them questions, see if we fit.

Not so with our hair.  We mostly don’t bother to do any research and then are angry and disappointed when we’ve spent thousands of dollars getting our hair ripped out and years growing it back.  

    I am always amazed by how little I am                  interviewed by new prospective clients.  

I am almost never asked how long I’ve been doing extensions in the initial meetings, or do I do more than one method, a sure sign of a lack of experience.  

Yes, ladies, no wonder so many of you are walking around with such damaged hair.  The colorist must be interviewed in the same way if you are to protect your hair.  I often hear concerns about the damage of extensions but the number one reason women need extensions is to camouflage the ravages of bleach, I don’t hear anyone interviewing colorist either.

It doesn’t have to be that way.  Like with anything, from buying a camera to investing your money, you must do your research if you hope to even the odds of a good outcome.  Your hair is too important to hand over to the novice who needs someone to learn on.

The difference, like with any field,  is the level of experience of the professional you are working with.

Hair extensions, bleach, perms and  hair straighteners, don’t have to be damaging and aren’t when done properly.  It is all up to the person doing them.  I have grown back countless client’s hair with the very extensions that often times broke their hair in the first place.  The difference, like with any field,  is the level of experience.  The photographer that is just starting out will not take the same beautiful pictureshe will once he has a lot of experience.  

Now, I will admit here that there is some hair that is so fragile and weak that it is sure the extensions will do some damage no matter who does it, but the experienced professional will let you know ahead of time so that the choice is yours and you are not disappointed later.  Often those clients choose to go ahead anyway because their hair just doesn’t look good without help.  

Point is, your hairdresser or extensionist should be someone who is informed and can guide you to make the best decisions for yourself. Someone you can trust to have the health of your hair as a first priority.  And most importantly, don’t be fooled by a hairdresser’s claims of how good they are (which can often be heard by the worst of them), look for the proof.

Next read "How To Take Care of Your Hair Extensions"

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Corinne Asch

Extensionbydani.com