Having had my share of run-ins with not-so-gentle systems and low quality hair, I can assure you the hair and the method, as well as the maintenance makes all the difference in the world. Now, each system isn’t going to damage every hair texture, but if your hair is already thin and chemically-treated, you can bet your hairbrush that extensions will create more damage than you already have, thereby thinning your hair even more. Ergo necessitating hair extensions, or *gasp* the need for a full wig until you can grow your hair out from scratch again.
Why does one usually get extensions? Well, more often than not it is to supplement hair that has been broken off from the environmental effects, bad-habits, chemical treatments, a combo of all three or other hair tragedies.
Why did I first look into extensions? Upon moving to Las Vegas, my locks were accosted by these very damaging factors: extreme dryness (after all we did live in a desert), high mineral (magnesium and calcium) concentrations in our overly-chlorinated water. I watched my hair get thinner and thinner, not at the scalp but further down the shaft where I was most chemically processed. Next thing I knew I was searching for a good hair extension method and a good technician to save me!
Clip-In Extensions
My first tinkering with hair extensions was with the clip in variety. I ordered some human hair which returned out to be an over-processed, exceptionally poor quality product. I had used Proclaim Super Bond hair glue to attach two 1 ¼ inch sections of wefted hair together and then sewed that to a wig/hairpiece comb snap-clip. I made about 5 of these and they held up pretty well after setting and curling with a large barrel hot iron. Easy to remove, they were believable, but only if they did not slip out, which on occasion they did!
· Cost: $22 for ¼ lb of human hair (with plenty left over), a few dollars for some clips and adhesive.
· Lesson Learned: They work great if you don’t want anything permanent. Braiding paste can help keep the clip from slipping out. Be careful with long-term use in the same areas, as users have been known to experience hair loss.
Bonding
My next experiment occurred directly before a New Year’s party—and as we all know experimentation before an important event is usually a mistake. I had my clip-ins on standby but I wanted something less apt to fly out of my head while dancing at the party. I had a friend attach one 5-inch weft to the back of my head on a horizontal part with Proclaim Super Bond hair glue. The problem? In my haste, I grabbed the Dark hair glue at the beauty supply store instead of the White. Fortunately, this wasn’t too apparent unless I lifted the weft. The good news? It looked pretty darn fabulous for the night! However, as time wore on, oh let’s say no more than two weeks, it became knotty, ratty and atrocious. In fact, it became downright intolerable. I looked like I had a bad eighties-style teased mullet. It had to come out. I set out to do it myself but had to call for reinforcements. It was extremely time-consuming, and I must admit painful, to remove all of the gummy, black adhesive with bond remover oil.
· Cost: $22 human hair, $3 for adhesive (still using the leftover hair and adhesive from the clip-ins project) and adhesive remover.
· Lesson learned: Never again.
Metal Links, Tubes, Locks, etc.
Having had enough with clips and bonding mistakes I chose to look into other systems. I have used two systems using malleable aluminum, copper or nickel tubes to cramp hair onto your own. You may have heard them called locks, linkies, microlinks, microrings, microlocks, extendtubes, flaretubes, dinky links and other terms.
First Experience: Hairlocs
This system utilizes small metal tubes (see photograph) “the Finest Quality “Full Cuticle” Spanish, Russian, or Italian human hair” that has been pre-tipped with an adhesive. It is very similar if not almost identical to Eurolocs. Once the metal tube is threaded onto your own hair, a lock of pre-tipped hair is inserted into the tube and then it was clamped, so to speak, thereby adhering the extension hair to your own without the use of hot or cold adhesive. Sounds great in theory doesn’t it? Not if you have chemically-treated, fine textured hair it doesn’t. I lost a considerable amount of hair with this system over a period of about 7 months. My fine hair broke right at where the thin metal rim of the tube rubbed up against my hair. I initially had 200 locks installed and it was very heavy. Granted, back then I had the hair to attach it to, but no more. I also had a lot of slippage. I must have lost about 30 extensions in the first 3 weeks, even with gentle care.
· Cost: $1,000 for the install fee, $460 for 250 locks of pre-tipped, supposed ‘Remy European hair’ (200 for install, 50 for replacement) and $30 for the copper tubes.
· Lesson Learned: Not unless I want to go bald will I use this system again. My hair is too fine to begin with, on top of being lightened. It is bad news for me. My very good friend, however, uses this system with much luck. She has thick, dark hair and although she loses a few every now and again, she doesn’t have much breakage that I can see.
Second Experience: Dr. Locks Linkies
I started looking around online and located a website which sold thicker-rimmed, yet shorter length locks for a very fair price. They were larger in general compared to the Hairlocs and Eurolocs, but I felt that it was necessary in preventing damage due to rubbing. Common sense would tell you that if hair rubs against metal, the hair is going to be the one to give. I bought some18 inch wefted human hair which I cut into very small sections, cut off the weft, combed out the stray, folded over strands and then used a waterproof fabric glue to pre-tip for easy insertion into the locks. My present stylist refused to change over to the Dr. Locks so of I went to find another stylist. (To be continued)
· Cost: $179 for a ¼ lb of 18” of human hair; $24.95 for a jar of XS microrings (Linkies); $2.95 for the microneedle; and $5.95 for the microclamp. Now, however, there is a great starter kit with all that you need including a grooved removal clamp I could have really used back then.
· Lesson Learned: Use a smooth pair of pliers to install and grooved ones to remove. I occasionally used these up until I got introduced to my present system. I still use them to add red or pink highlights if I am in the mood.
Fusion (hot or cold)
Two weeks later I found another technician in my area that does Hairlocs and agreed to replace my Hairlocs with Dr Locks microrings. However, it was a ruse to get me into the salon where he talked me into fusion instead. Honestly, I did not know much about it. He said it was less damaging than Hairlocs and any other microrings and that if done by the right person it would help me grow out my hair. Again, I learn a lesson the hard way. After about 11 months of fusion and several take downs later. I notice more and more breakage and less and less hair. Not good. Apparently acetone is used to remove the bonds along with a fine tooth comb. If your hair is chemically treated, or if it is fine, I wouldn’t use this method.
· Cost: $300 per install plus $179 per ¼ lb of 18-inch human hair.
· Lesson Learned: If I cannot handle Hairlocs, I can’t handle fusion. During my last fusion take down I barely had any hair left, but enough to install pinchbraids…
Pinchbraids
So, I call my colorist and tell her I simply cannot get fusion anymore and ask her if she knows anyone who does pinchbraids or if she would be willing to learn. She referred me to a girl who was in the very same salon as my last technician. How convenient, and my original [fusion] technician was also very understanding.
The install took about 3 hours and was “okay.” The braids were visibly huge, the tying string was white and did not blend with my blond hair and she didn’t blend or cut my hair very well either. I had pinchbraids for three months only. After take down I noticed the hair that was within the braid seemed undamaged. However, I was ready to move on to bigger and better salons.
· Cost: $300 per install plus $179. per ¼ lb of 18 inch human hair.
· Lesson Learned: A good method as far as damage goes but choose someone who can give you smaller braids and also who uses the proper tying string for your hair color. Be sure if you lighten your hair that your stylist rinses your hair out extremely well! Bleach or other chemicals can get trapped in your braid and reactivate. Along with heat and long-term exposure, this can truly weaken your hair. Get regular trims in-between installs.
ProHair System
Prohair Fiber Extensions by ProStyles Unlimited, Inc. of Atlanta (actually ProStyles is the distributor for Dome extensions from the UK) is my present system and I have had it for over almost two and a half years at the time of this article. This system uses monofibre (synthetic) hair! This synthetic hair is installed using a braiding method similar to pinchbraids but they are secured with a heat seal, not string. The heat seal is made by wrapping the stand of ProHair around near base of the braid, it is then heated with a special tool from ProHair. The synthetic hair then melts around the braid, thereby securing it. It does not melt or damage your own hair as much as many systems do. When you are ready for ‘take down’ (removal) the seal is removed with a sort of rough twist and snap of the seal, and possibly oil, and the braid is loosened and the extension hair slides out. If this step us done incorrectly or your hair is damaged and weak, it CAN break your hair at this point.
Bobbielynn from Tune-ups Salon in Las Vegas advises “for the last ten years out of all of the methods I have worn myself and installed on my own clients, ProHair or Dome Monofibre Extensions systems are by far the most superior.” She believes these two systems are the least damaging of all systems because no metal clamps, glue or other adhesive is used to hold them in, therefore no acetone or other chemical is used to remove them. “I prefer synthetic hair over human hair due to less tangling, durability, plus the attachment is very gentle on your hair. I want my clients’ hair to be healthy, not be a slave to their hair additions.” Although Bobbilynn exclaimed, “It doesn’t mean they won’t come back for more! I just don’t want it to be a necessity for them.”
My Own ProHair Experience
I called the company, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia and asked for a referral. I was given two technicians’ contact numbers in Las Vegas and chose to go to Bobbilynn. She had been installing extensions for over 10 years, ProHair for 3 of those and was a ProHair user herself so this got my attention. She also had chemically-lightened hair like my own and I felt she was honest, empathetic to my plight, reasonably priced and very experienced. I was sold. She even came in on her day off because she said my hair looked so bad. Um, thanks Bobbi J
She first had to get rid of my horrendous root outgrowth. My roots had gone untouched up for about 2 months because I was trying to find a new stylist. She used bleach with 20 volume with no heat. All this time my other stylists were using high lift color with 40 volume overlapping with bleach with 20 volume on the crown for highlights, plus heat, every 4 weeks. I am told that the overlapping and over-processed hair on top of the fusion, which was a deadly combination, essentially ruined my hair. I also was not given proper trims in-between take-downs (extension removals) and extension installations so this on top of the over-processing had me near bald!
After she lightened my hair, she trimmed a lot of the damaged length (which was a lot) and also layered my hair. In the end my hair was thin from the damage, and the length a little above my shoulders, but it looked a hundred times better. Then she set to transform my hair…
It felt as though my color took longer than the installation of my new extensions. Before I knew it I was a blond, glossy-tressed woman! Monofiber hair looks a little glossier than standard human hair if it isn’t healthy, however, believe it or not my hair is still shiny after all of my ‘lessons learned.’ The shininess of the monofibre hair does lessen a bit after a few washings. You can use a silicone serum or a temporary translucent hair treatment, such as Colourshines by Cellophane, to make your own hair look healthier if it has lost its luster. This also seals in color.
Washing synthetic hair is a bit different that washing human hair. You must use warm to cool, or even better if-you-can-stand-it, cold water, to wash and rinse. An easy way is to step in the shower, warm up with regular hot water (but keep your hair out of it!) then switch it to cold, get your hair well saturated, then remove your hair from the stream and return to hot so you don’t freeze to death. However, I have used normally warm water to wash mine this past year and they have been fine. Apply shampoo to your scalp only and gently massage, letting the suds run down the length of your extensions. Switch to cold again and rinse, letting the suds again run down the length of your extensions. Repeat process with conditioner, although be careful about putting conditioner on your braids (or any extensions bonds for that matter) as this can cause slippage. Washing and rinsing in cold, or at least very tepid water, will extend the life and luster of your synthetic hair. Using hot curling irons or flatirons will essentially fry your synthetic hair. Stay away from them. I do, however, use steam or flocked rollers to curl my hair and it is fabulous!
I need to emphasize just how great good-quality synthetic “hair” really is. It is beautiful, healthy-looking and after extended normal wear still looks and acts so much better than any human extension hair I have ever felt or seen. It behaves, it doesn’t frizz up, doesn’t really knot up with your own hair as much as human hair, it curls with the use of velvet flocked hot rollers or steamrollers, you can blow-dry it straight using low heat as well. The best part? The style lasts for days without the need for hairspray! Synthetic hair is also far less expensive. Another plus to using synthetic hair is that you are no longer contributing to the human hair trade. I honestly feel human hair is going to fall out of favor as newer, improved synthetic versions come out on the market.
· Cost: Originally it was $75 for color; $375 for a half head of extensions (although she went over that amount and I will name my first born after her for her kindness! Her price included the hair and she even gave me a bottle of ProHair leave-in conditioner. However, she now charges me about $600 for the color, low lights and the extensions. She’s like a dealer, she gets me hooked and raised her prices.
· Lesson Learned: The method absolutely makes a difference, as does the skill and experience of the technician. Color matching is essential, proper hair care, coloring and maintenance on your own natural hair is imperative and there is hope for those of us who have been damaged by other systems. I have been wearing this hair now for several weeks and it looks as pretty as the day I first got it. The low-maintenance is utterly refreshing and no one knows it isn’t my own hair unless they run their fingers at my scalp.
What Do Extensions Feel Like?
Before signing off I want to describe what extensions feel like. At first it can be uncomfortable, your head may be a little sore, you may have feelings of regret but I assure you, you get used to it in a few days. This does depend upon the method but if you adhere to my advice the transition will be a lot smoother and the benefits more plentiful. It isn’t going to feel like your own the first few days but pretty soon they become part of you.
Your boyfriend and others WILL feel it if they run their fingers through your hair. If you are self conscious, still let them know. If you try to keep it a secret, they’re going to find out.
What Next?
Well hopefully I will one day be able to grow my own hair out, thereby eliminating the need or extensions. However, after speaking with so many other hair addition enthusiasts I have been told that one gets spoiled and rather addicted to having extensions. While the need for them can hopefully be eliminated, the desire for them may never be.
I have thought recently about removing my extensions as it keeps breaking off once it gets to a certain length. I believe this to be caused from the lightning and the brushing of my hair roughly when it is knotted. Not to mention skydiving in the desert really ruins it no matter what I do. The synthetic hair is stronger than your own hair, when it is knotted, the natural hair will give far faster than the synthetic hair. Take caution. I truly recommend a Denman brush.
New Methods
There are a few new methods out there, little adhesive attachments that attach directly to your scalp being one of them. This is for clients who have balding areas, scars which cannot grow hair, or a thin hair follicle line-up. It takes quite a while to install and can be pretty expensive.
Another method involves tying the extension hair with a sort of Windsor knot to about 30 of your own natural hairs. They claim you do not need touch ups or maintenance for up to a year. I somehow find this truly hard to believe. Once your own hair grows out it is going to be quit obvious that you have thicker hair halfway down your head. It makes no sense whatsoever, but who am I to judge without ever having had it. The price tag is also insanely steep (about 6 grand) and the install takes several days, and I mean all day, for several days. But, if you truly don’t need a fill for a year, then it MAY be worth it for those of us who have money to burn. Which “ain’t” me.
DreamCatchers by Paris Hilton, is simply another metal attachment system. If you ask me, she copied Hairlocs. And we all know I dislike metal attachment systems. I don’t care if it has a silicone liner inside the “microcylinder” or not. And at 10 bucks a “strand” I’d rather not.
5 Tips For Great Extensions
Choose a stylist who cares about you and your hair and not just his or her pocket book.
Choose someone with experience and knowledge with many extension systems, not just ONE. Also, non-braided loose hair systems aren’t for everyone. If you lighten your hair, or if it is fine and thin, you very well may get more damage than you hoped for.
Good quality hair, either human or synthetic, is a must! You only look as good as the quality of your additions.
Proper maintenance is essential. This means using the correct styling tools like synthetic non-ball tipped brushes (a good one is Denman), quality shampoos, conditioners and leave-ins. If you can’t take care of it, don’t expect it to look great for long.