Hollywood celebrities always surprise us with wide variety of styles, colors and lengths of their hair. For a couple of days, they drastically change into a new persona. When you think of it, you ask yourself, is it possible?
The answer: Yes, it is possible with the help of hair extensions along with the creative hands of a pro hairstylist.
Hair extensions: Extending hair’s volume and fullness
What is the buzz about hair extensions? Well, this hair changer piece does not only add length to your locks but also add volume to it, giving life to fine, limp or thinning hair. You can transform your bob hair to a long mane. If your existing hair is at little as 3 inches long, you can get extensions; however, the extent of your transformation may be limited due to short hair.
To attach these strand extensions to your tresses, you can opt for braid, glue or woven. If you only need a hair boost for a special affair, choose clipped in extensions.
Do you want a different hair color? No need to worry, you can add highlights or color to your valued locks with several shades to choose from mild to wild.
However, the process of getting hair extension consumes time as well as money. The cost of it hurts your pocket. The price depends on the type of hair used for the extension and the way it is attached to your locks. This does not include the maintenance, which should be done every six to eight weeks. It takes four to six hours in putting them on.
Since the cost is expensive, you should get your money’s worth by having it done by a professional hairstylist or hairdresser. Check their portfolio by looking on their previous projects that they have done. Understand how extensions are placed and how are they removed. Not knowing how they should be removed properly will create damage to your natural tresses.
Finding the right extension
Professional hairstylist reiterates that hairstyle can make or break your look. Hence, you have to be cautious in choosing your extensions. There are three factors to consider when you are finding the right hair extension: composition, attachment and detachment of the extension as well as its weight. Considering these three is vital because it will affect your current lifestyle.
Hair extensions are made either from synthetic or 100 percent natural human hair. Human hair is costlier than synthetic counterparts as this kind of hair extensions provides many benefits to your hair such as styling and coloring, among others.
There are methods in attaching and removing your extensions. Older methods include glue-in, keratin bond, pre-bonded, sew-in or a weave. Meanwhile, Thermo Plastique, a method of extension that involves a relatively gentle process that can be removed without damaging your hair.
To achieve a customized, more natural look, go for individual strands. With this, you can play with the color and length as well as fill in spots that need to be enhanced.
Furthermore, ensure that your natural hair is matched to your extension. Look for extension that offer variety of weights or thickness that match to your true hair. Unmatched hair can ruin your looks and give you a hard time to maintain it.
Avoid extensions and pieces that are heavier than your own hair. Too heavy extension may bring damage to your tresses. Therefore, your hair needs to be long and healthy to withstand pressure.
Your main objective of getting hair extensions is to have your hair look naturally at its best. That is why many prefer getting extensions made from human hair as synthetic hair limits styling options. Human hair extension makes a practical choice if you wanted to be beautiful as well as get your money’s worth.
Simple tips in caring for your hair extensions
Caring for your extension is indeed important to keep your hairdo more beautiful and more natural in the end. Here are some simple reminders to maintain your hair extensions.
- Keep an eye on your extensions. Allot an hour every six weeks for salon extension maintenance.
- Treat your extended locks with care to prevent hair loss. Human hair extensions should be treated like real hair but with extra TLC.
- Use a special brush made for your extension. Use loop brush to prevent damaging your new hair or its bond.
- Use gentle shampoo and cool water to help minimize tangles.
- Opt for light hair conditioner to keep your locks from tangling and retains supple hair.
- Sleep with your hair in a ponytail or braid to prevent bed head and knots.
Doctors warn about hair extensions’ health hazards
In the attempt to have natural looking, longer and fuller hair, many women succumb to this hair-changing accessory.
The sad fact is that thousands of young women who had hair extensions complained about its side effects such as redding and bleeding scalp, hair loss, and blinding headache.
Dr. Orly Avitzur, a neurologist of Terrytown, New York revealed the possible dangers of wearing hair extensions to one’s health. He said that women who had hair extensions are at risk of baldness. Others suffered from blinding headache, patchy scalp and permanent damage to hair.
A beauty queen had suffered from redding and bleeding scalp after she had her hair extension for a beauty contest.
Another woman experienced permanent damage known as traction alopecia. Due to weight and tension hair extension do on the wearer’s hair follicles, it caused permanent damage to her hair that prevented hair regrowth. She also complained of headaches after the synthetic locks were tangled. Because of that, she has to remove the extensions, leaving her bald patches on her scalp.
Dr. Avitzur’s patient complained of blinding headache. After she had her MRI scan of the brain and other blood tests, the results turned out normal. They could not determine the real cause of sudden pounding in the patient’s head. Not until he examined the patient, touched her scalp and found out hundreds of tightly braided hair underneath. When he discovered it, the patient did not need a work-up but she needed to remove her extensions.
Too tight extensions may bring serious scalp problems. That is why cosmetologist Grace Santiler-Nowik reminded women to return to the salon regularly to remove and replace extensions. Likewise, she emphasized that one needs to take a break from the hair pieces if it causing damage to a person’s tresses.
