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Hair Extensions Allow A Quick Style Update

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One of the best hair accessories in recent years, there are about as many hair extension methods as there are reasons for wanting longer and thicker hair! To make everything a bit easier to understand, we’ve discussed how to attach hair extensions properly and provided an in-depth look at the most important methods that are available. Get longer hair quickly and easily!

Woman with long blonde hair

Don't have years to wait for your locks to grow? Hair extensions are the answer

These days, it’s not uncommon to see a star on the red carpet with a shorter hairstyle like a short bob, only to appear on a chat show the next evening with long, beautiful locks that go way past their shoulders. How exactly did they get hair that long overnight? Magic, perhaps? Unlikely—celebrities are often simply using hair extensions to give their hairstyle more length instantly. If you’re already using hair mousse and other thickening products like Schwarzkopf göt2b® Volumaniac™ bodifying spray powder, but simply wish your hair to be longer, thicker and more glamorous, then why not try various hair extension methods? Luckily, extensions also help you make it through awkward transition phases while your hair grows to a new length. Now you don’t have to be frustrated while waiting for your hair to grow faster!

What are hair extensions exactly?

There are basically three types of extensions: clip-in hair, bonded hair and glued-in hair strands. These methods differ by the time they take to attach and your budget, and keep in mind that the results change regarding how long they’ll last in your hair. The trickiest part about how to wear hair extensions is finding the most suitable method! On the bright side, everybody can benefit from extensions as long as your current hair is at least 4 inches long. On the practical side, you should first decide how long you would like to wear the extensions and whether you want flexibility in your daily styling choices.

Clip-in hair extensions

Do you like to experiment with your hair and make hairstyle choices spontaneously every day? Are you determined to save time and money? If so, then clip-in extensions are perfect for you. You can simply fix the clip-ins into your hair with slides and barrettes. Using clip-ins is a gentle hair extension method without spending a lot of time or money in the process. Best of all, this option requires no professional help because you can do it at home! Clip-ins allow you to experiment with different styles to your heart's content. They are terrific choices for people who are not quite sure whether extensions are the way to go and wish to try them out. The clip-in extensions can be removed as quickly as they can be fixed into the hair!

Bonded hair extensions

Woman with long thick blonde hair, touching her chin

With so many different kinds of hair extensions, you'll find the one that suits you best

Hair bonding is a great solution for anyone who wants a longer-lasting change in their hairstyle and for those who wish to transform to a longer hairstyle. In this method, individual strands of hair are bonded to the natural hair via plastic or keratin bases. This can take a while and has to be repeated about once every four months, depending on the quality of the hair extensions, the growth of the natural hair and basic hair care routines. This hair extension method is therefore quite expensive but does provide beautiful, long-lasting results.

Keep in mind that there are warm and cold bonding procedures. Hair bonding using ultrasound, compressed air, or laser treatment is a commonly used high-quality technique to give hair more volume and length. In a related method, the hair strands are attached to metal or plastic sleeves. With the help of special pincers, these sleeves are then crimped to the natural hair. Weaving is another cold-bonding technique, and in this very time-consuming classical extension technique, small or larger individual strands of hair are woven or sewn into the natural hair.

Glued-in hair strands

It is faster to glue-in several hair strands at a time rather than bonding individual strands to the natural hair. In this method, several hair strands are glued or sewn to a band or strip. This provides a larger addition of hair in one single step. The flip side is that these extensions are not quite as secure as the bonded variety. You should have enough natural hair to cover the artificial strips of hair. Of course, an entire missing strip of hair is far more noticeable than individual missing hair strands. The hair strips are glued to the natural hair using silicone glue. This is a quick procedure but solvents are used when the hair strips have to be removed.

Hair extensions made from natural or artificial hair?

If you want to know more about how to attach hair extensions, then one of the things to consider is using natural or artificial hair. Of course, extensions should closely match the natural hair color, but nowadays it’s easy to find extensions that resemble your own hair color. Well-tended natural hair can definitely be reused, and while it is more costly, natural hair has its advantages. It can, for example, be color-treated and it is not quite as heat-sensitive as artificial hair, and natural hair definitely looks better because it is real hair taken from donors.

Artificial hair has the advantage of being cheaper and it is quite suitable for short-term use. Trained stylists can still use high-quality artificial hair extensions and achieve amazingly natural looking results while increasing the hair's length and volume. Remember that artificial hair cannot be dyed, but you can purchase artificial hair in many different shades. The shimmery coloring lends artificial hair the quality of changing with the light and environment, thus making it easy to match artificial hair with natural hair.

How to wear hair extensions and applying the right care

In general, follow these tips when caring for your extensions:

  • Allow 24 hours of no shampoo, hair care, or styling after the extensions are applied to your hair.
  • Do not stress the splicing between natural hair and extensions by washing your hair in the upside-down position.
  • Brush or comb hair two or three times daily from the roots to the hair ends. Be sure to use a special brush for hair with extensions. In these brushes, neighboring bristles are of different lengths.
  • Do not go to bed with damp or wet hair. This could lead to matted hair, so braiding your hair before bedtime works well.
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