The Individual method involves taking small amounts (maybe 20-50 strands) of extension hair (natural or synthetic, but we'll get to that later) and applying to small sections of your own hair by either weaving in, heat fusing, gluing, clamping with metal rods or using waxes and polymers. All of these methods (except for the clamping which is self explanatory) involve coating your own hair with a chemical or foreign substance.
These extensions usually only last a few months before they have to be taken out and completely re-done. The main problem with this method is taking the Hair Extensions out without damaging your own hair.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Hair Extensions Good and Bad News
Good News:
* Extensions don't only to add length. You can choose to add volume instead (or in addition to length), which is perfect for fine, limp or thinning hair.
* Turn that bob into a mane! If your existing hair is at little as 3 inches long, you can get extensions, although the extent of your transformation may be limited if your hair is very short.
* Extensions can be braided in, glued in, woven in, or -- if you only need a follicular boost for a special event -- clipped in.
* You can also add highlights or color -- with shades ranging from mild to wild -- to your hair with the use of extensions.
* The process isn't painful, so it shouldn't hurt a bit.
Bad News:
Hair extensions aren't cheap. Depending on how much you get, how you get them attached and the type/grade of hair you use, the cost can range from the hundreds to the thousands of dollars -- and that's not including maintenance every six to eight weeks. You will also need to make an investment of time, usually four to six hours, for the initial setup.
* Extensions don't only to add length. You can choose to add volume instead (or in addition to length), which is perfect for fine, limp or thinning hair.
* Turn that bob into a mane! If your existing hair is at little as 3 inches long, you can get extensions, although the extent of your transformation may be limited if your hair is very short.
* Extensions can be braided in, glued in, woven in, or -- if you only need a follicular boost for a special event -- clipped in.
* You can also add highlights or color -- with shades ranging from mild to wild -- to your hair with the use of extensions.
* The process isn't painful, so it shouldn't hurt a bit.
Bad News:
Hair extensions aren't cheap. Depending on how much you get, how you get them attached and the type/grade of hair you use, the cost can range from the hundreds to the thousands of dollars -- and that's not including maintenance every six to eight weeks. You will also need to make an investment of time, usually four to six hours, for the initial setup.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Hair care for human hair extensions
* Do not sleep on wet hair. Hair should be dried thoroughly
* Tie hair up in a pony tail or braid it when sleeping
* Avoid prolonged exposure to chlorine. Wear a cap if possible
* Wash and condition your hair immediately after going swimming. Do not allow chemicals to remain in your hair for any length of time.
* Always dry hair, do not leave it wet. Some stylists recommend using a diffuser attachment
to your hair dryer to avoid direct heat at the point of attachment.
* Hair should be shampooed and conditioned regularly. The extensions do not receive natural scalp oils and need to be conditioned every wash.
* Do not apply conditioner to the roots or directly on the area of attachment. Be very gentle with shampooing. There are recommendations from several extension companies to squeeze the shampoo thru the hair, instead of rubbing.
* Rinse hair thoroughly— especially important for braided/sewn in hair extensions. If shampoo is left in the hair, it will cause buildup.
* Do not rub hair with towel after shampooing Gently detangle the hair using a wide tooth comb.
* Detangle before shampooing.
* Avoid using any hot appliances, blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons directly at the point of attachment
* Avoid 2-in1 hair products
* Avoid products with wax, alcohol and silicone or sulfur
* Avoid cheap shampoos and conditioners
* Avoid scrubbing or rubbing the hair
* Use a spray-on conditioner between shampoos
* Gradually wet the hair with mixture of conditioner and water before washing
* Avoid coloring, tinting, perming or any other chemical processes as it will weaken the hair
* Make sure you keep your scalp clean Use shampoo and conditioner for dry hair, color treated hair
* Tie hair up in a pony tail or braid it when sleeping
* Avoid prolonged exposure to chlorine. Wear a cap if possible
* Wash and condition your hair immediately after going swimming. Do not allow chemicals to remain in your hair for any length of time.
* Always dry hair, do not leave it wet. Some stylists recommend using a diffuser attachment
to your hair dryer to avoid direct heat at the point of attachment.
* Hair should be shampooed and conditioned regularly. The extensions do not receive natural scalp oils and need to be conditioned every wash.
* Do not apply conditioner to the roots or directly on the area of attachment. Be very gentle with shampooing. There are recommendations from several extension companies to squeeze the shampoo thru the hair, instead of rubbing.
* Rinse hair thoroughly— especially important for braided/sewn in hair extensions. If shampoo is left in the hair, it will cause buildup.
* Do not rub hair with towel after shampooing Gently detangle the hair using a wide tooth comb.
* Detangle before shampooing.
* Avoid using any hot appliances, blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons directly at the point of attachment
* Avoid 2-in1 hair products
* Avoid products with wax, alcohol and silicone or sulfur
* Avoid cheap shampoos and conditioners
* Avoid scrubbing or rubbing the hair
* Use a spray-on conditioner between shampoos
* Gradually wet the hair with mixture of conditioner and water before washing
* Avoid coloring, tinting, perming or any other chemical processes as it will weaken the hair
* Make sure you keep your scalp clean Use shampoo and conditioner for dry hair, color treated hair
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Hair care for synthetic fiber hair extensions
In addition to the care instructions for human hair extensions, there are several tips for taking care of synthetic fiber hair extensions. These hair care tips may not apply to some synthetic fiber hair. Always consult with your stylist for more specific instructions.
* Style only when hair is completely dry
* Low quality synthetic fiber hair-do not blow dry or apply heat.
* Shampoo in cool to lukewarm water
* Swimming and sun do not affect synthetic fiber hair-no special precautions needed
* Higher quality synthetic fiber hair--can use blow dryers, hot rollers to style the hair
* Style only when hair is completely dry
* Low quality synthetic fiber hair-do not blow dry or apply heat.
* Shampoo in cool to lukewarm water
* Swimming and sun do not affect synthetic fiber hair-no special precautions needed
* Higher quality synthetic fiber hair--can use blow dryers, hot rollers to style the hair
Monday, July 21, 2008
Advantages of Hair Extensions
1. Get good hair!!! If bad hair is ruining your self-esteem, you can fix it immediately in a few hours.
2. You got your hair cut short and you absolutely hate it! Again, you can fix it in a few hours.
3. There has been some research that certain methods of hair extensions can actually improve the condition of your natural hair. Over-processed and damaged hair is actually ‘cocooned’ inside the extension hair, thus protecting it.
4. It is the quickest way to get long hair. Growing out your hair— at the rate of 1/2-in. per month would take several years of patience.
5. Get a beautiful flowing hair style for a special event such as weddings, proms, dances, etc.
6. Transform hair thinning and alopecia issues instantly. Some extension companies have developed their methods specifically for hair thinning and alopecia patients.
7. In some cases, the condition of your natural hair may improve after wearing hair extensions.
2. You got your hair cut short and you absolutely hate it! Again, you can fix it in a few hours.
3. There has been some research that certain methods of hair extensions can actually improve the condition of your natural hair. Over-processed and damaged hair is actually ‘cocooned’ inside the extension hair, thus protecting it.
4. It is the quickest way to get long hair. Growing out your hair— at the rate of 1/2-in. per month would take several years of patience.
5. Get a beautiful flowing hair style for a special event such as weddings, proms, dances, etc.
6. Transform hair thinning and alopecia issues instantly. Some extension companies have developed their methods specifically for hair thinning and alopecia patients.
7. In some cases, the condition of your natural hair may improve after wearing hair extensions.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Disadvantages of Hair Extensions
1. Application method can damage your hair. All hair extension companies claim that their method and materials do not damage the natural hair. Giving these companies the benefit of the doubt, one can only assume that some stylists are not properly trained and are attaching and/or removing the hair extensions in a way that damages the hair. There are some professionals in the industry that say any application of adhesive or glue type products to the hair will cause damage.
2. You will spend money—and probably lots of it. Hair extensions are not cheap. If you skimp on the quality of the hair or the method, you eventually get what you pay
for—cheap extensions. Although spending a ton of money will not guarantee quality extensions, it is a fact that more expensive human hair is a higher quality and
will last longer.
3. You will spend more time fixing your hair every day. Many companies claim that you treat your extension hair the same as you would treat your own hair. That is absolutely true!!!! Talk to anyone who has long hair and ask them how they take care of it! You will need to condition it on a regular basis and maybe use more hair care products than you normally would. Also, consider that it will take longer to dry, longer to style and longer to brush or comb out tangles. Long hair requires extra work. Be prepared to maintain the hair.
4. Your natural hair may fall out. If your hair is weak or damaged in any way, it may not be able to support the weight of human hair. This in turn causes your hair to fall out along with the extensions.
5. You may get headaches or neck strain. The extra weight of the human hair extensions may cause you to have headaches initially. Also, if your stylist is using any sort of braiding for the sewn-in extensions, there could be extra tension to the scalp if the braids are done too tightly.
6. Certain hair extension methods may impose limitations on styling your hair. If the bonds are applied too close to the hair line, they may be very visible when pulling your hair back in a pony tail. Also, because of the way some extensions are designed, your hair will look great when it is lying flat. But when the wind blows it exposes thinner hair underneath.
7. You may become addicted to hair extensions. After wearing hair extensions for several months, you may feel that your natural hair is even thinner after having the
extensions removed. In reality, you have become accustomed to seeing yourself with full long hair. Many people wear hair extensions continuously for years at a time.
2. You will spend money—and probably lots of it. Hair extensions are not cheap. If you skimp on the quality of the hair or the method, you eventually get what you pay
for—cheap extensions. Although spending a ton of money will not guarantee quality extensions, it is a fact that more expensive human hair is a higher quality and
will last longer.
3. You will spend more time fixing your hair every day. Many companies claim that you treat your extension hair the same as you would treat your own hair. That is absolutely true!!!! Talk to anyone who has long hair and ask them how they take care of it! You will need to condition it on a regular basis and maybe use more hair care products than you normally would. Also, consider that it will take longer to dry, longer to style and longer to brush or comb out tangles. Long hair requires extra work. Be prepared to maintain the hair.
4. Your natural hair may fall out. If your hair is weak or damaged in any way, it may not be able to support the weight of human hair. This in turn causes your hair to fall out along with the extensions.
5. You may get headaches or neck strain. The extra weight of the human hair extensions may cause you to have headaches initially. Also, if your stylist is using any sort of braiding for the sewn-in extensions, there could be extra tension to the scalp if the braids are done too tightly.
6. Certain hair extension methods may impose limitations on styling your hair. If the bonds are applied too close to the hair line, they may be very visible when pulling your hair back in a pony tail. Also, because of the way some extensions are designed, your hair will look great when it is lying flat. But when the wind blows it exposes thinner hair underneath.
7. You may become addicted to hair extensions. After wearing hair extensions for several months, you may feel that your natural hair is even thinner after having the
extensions removed. In reality, you have become accustomed to seeing yourself with full long hair. Many people wear hair extensions continuously for years at a time.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Split ends - Hair
Split ends are caused by overuse of heated appliances and over exposure to the sun which results in extremely dry and damaged hair. Once you get split ends there are no solutions to repair it except trimming the ends. However there are lots of preventive cares you can take to avoid split ends.
Things you can do to avoid split ends –
- Don’t brush hair when it’s wet, because that’s when it’s most delicate and susceptible to damage.
- Cut down on hair dryers, crimpers, curling irons, straightening irons and hot curlers.
- Use only natural-bristle hairbrushes.
- Use covered or coated rubber bands
- Wear hat or scarf to minimize sun damage when outdoors and wear a cap while swimming to avoid the harmful effect of chlorine.
- Condition your hair after every shampoo and deep condition at least once a month.
- Use shampoos that have sunscreen and moisturizers.
- Split repair products cannot remove split ends but just minimize the frizzy look
- Get a trim every six weeks.
Things you can do to avoid split ends –
- Don’t brush hair when it’s wet, because that’s when it’s most delicate and susceptible to damage.
- Cut down on hair dryers, crimpers, curling irons, straightening irons and hot curlers.
- Use only natural-bristle hairbrushes.
- Use covered or coated rubber bands
- Wear hat or scarf to minimize sun damage when outdoors and wear a cap while swimming to avoid the harmful effect of chlorine.
- Condition your hair after every shampoo and deep condition at least once a month.
- Use shampoos that have sunscreen and moisturizers.
- Split repair products cannot remove split ends but just minimize the frizzy look
- Get a trim every six weeks.
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