Useful Information about Hair Extensions

Hair extensions have nowadays proven to be of great help to those who want their hair to look long and dense. As all must know, they are of two types, viz. natural and synthetic....

Hair Extensions have nowadays proven to be of great help to those who want their hair to look long and dense. As all must know, they are of two types, viz. natural and synthetic. In some ways the natural extensions are good, while in some other ways, the synthetic ones score over them. The synthetic extensions, though are cheap and available in hoards of colors and textures, cannot tolerate heat and so cannot undergo processes, like straightening or curling. Whereas the natural extensions, can undergo processing, though they cost high. These natural extensions have different ethnic origins, such as India, China, Eastern Europe and Russia. There are two ways in which you can lengthen and thicken your hair with artificial extensions, viz. permanent and temporary.

The permanent type of extensions can last up to six months if they are applied skillfully and taken care of well. There are in turn various techniques to apply these extensions. There is a technique called hot fusion bonding, in which heat is used to warm up the extensions and then they are attached to the hair just near the scalp. Same way, there is cold fusion bonding method too, which is less damaging, because a glue fuses the extensions with hair in it and not heat. These techniques are the most high-priced ones and cost somewhere around $300 to $2000 according to the time taken for the application and its quantity and standard. Amongst both, cold fusion is more expensive. Another method is weaves and braided hair extensions in which wefts of the extensions are sewn to the braids formed of your natural hair. These braids are formed in horizontal line near the middle of the scalp and after they are finished, wefts are sewn and the natural hair is combed over them so as to make them invisible. Its price is nearly $150 for each seating and it needs to maintain quarterly. Another technique is called micro-looping. Here real or synthetic hair is attached to small plastic loops. Your natural hair is passed through these loops. The loops are then taken toward the scalp and are tied there. The price for these ranges from $150 to $1500. You can carry on fine with them even for six months, but they are even re-used. However, in spite of their natural appearance and longer duration, the permanent extensions bring in some difficulties too. First of all, they require a lot of maintenance and the cost of application and maintenance is very high. The methods like heat, glue, chemicals etc. can damage the hair, especially if they are improperly applied or maintained. Micro-looping causes less damage, albeit it has its own disadvantages. Firstly, the loops can slip down and secondly, they are absolutely unadvisable for fine hair, because they can uproot the hair easily.

Due to the disadvantage of permanent extensions, clip-ins has become more preferable. These temporary extensions cost nothing compared to the permanent ones and offer a wide variety to choose from. In these, the extensions are strands of hair attached to clip or row of clips, which can be snapped below the natural hair in such a way that the clips are not visible. These have become today’s trend because of the ease and comfort they offer of self-application, added with low cost, which allows you to collect a lot of them and use a different one for every occasion. Again you have a wide choice of synthetic extensions amongst them. The best quality among the synthetic extensions is monofiber or monofilament; their price is $20 to $40 for each packet. They show a striking similarity to human hair and are available in enormous range of colors. They can be formed into permanent extensions also. One more category is silky straight Kanekalon which cost $5 to $10 for each packet. They are extremely silky, straight and glossy, but they are good only for straight or braided styles. Another variety, called silky braid Kanekalon, is perfect for dreadlocks, braids and straight styles. They cost $2 to $4 per packet. They have a coarse texture and come in limited range of colors, but give a good look to the wearer. One more category is Jumbo braid Kanekalon, which is as cheap as $1 to $2 per packet, moreover offering various colors. But they are a bit difficult to manage and are good if you want a quick disposable hairpiece. You can get readymade braids and dreads too; the price of braids is $5 maximum and that of dreads may be a little higher.

Clip-in Hair Extensions are more advisable to use because they cause less damage to your own hair and you can try a number of experiments with them and have fun!