Information about Hair Extension

Function

Hair extensions can be used to subtly and radically alter the appearance of hair. They can supply additional volume as well as highlights or lowlights to approximate the same look for which one might otherwise visit a professional stylist.

Types

Strand by strand extensions: Small strands of extension hair are attached to individual sections of one’s own hair. They are most commonly held in place by weaving, gluing or heat fusing them into existing hair. This method is most often used to add volume and/or length.

Weft extensions: Wefts are several inches of hair attached at the top on a woven track. They are then applied with the same methods as used above, but in larger sections.

Clip-in extensions: Like wefts, these extensions are also attached to a common track, but the track is itself attached to a small, comb-like piece of metal or plastic that slides easily into place wherever needed. These are typically the least expensive extensions because they don’t require professional application by gluing or weaving.

Human Hair

Human hair is divided into two categories for use in extensions: Remi and Non-Remi. Remi hair is hair cut from a donor’s head and kept exactly as it was cut, meaning that all cuticles go in the same direction. Non-Remi hair refers to that collected from hairbrushes or the floor after a haircut and reassembled. Remi hair is higher quality and therefore much more expensive. Non-Remi hair will mat and fray after several washes.

Synthetic Hair

Synthetic hair is a fiber manufactured to look like real hair, and is much less expensive than Remi and non-Remi hair. However, in most cases the hair doesn’t behave like real human hair and cannot be dyed or styled with heat, as normal hair and 100 percent human hair pieces can.

Care

Human and synthetic hair extensions require much more delicate handling than one’s own hair, and both should only be washed when they begin to dull or smell unpleasant. They should be washed with mild shampoo, followed by a leave-in conditioner, finger-combed for any tangles, and blotted dry with a towel.

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