Everything you want to know about Hair Extension

Hair loss is quite a common problem for many. Though properly maintained, due to health conditions, stress, water and climatic variations too, you may lose your hair. But now there is an easy and ultimate solution to get thick and lengthy hair, though through artificial methods – Hair Extension. Now it’s possible to present hair in any texture, colour, shape or length. Though everyone loves to have beautiful lengthy hair in desirable colour shades, most of us are not familiar with this new hair treatment. So, let me clear some of the common ‘Hair Extension’ doubts for you.

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What is Hair Extension?

One may loss natural hair for so many reasons. Hair Extension is the method to use special hair threads to compensate hair loss and length. It’s also possible to extend hair at specific areas as patches. Hair fringes and Closure are some of the common Hair Extensions used nowadays.

How is Hair Extension done?

Clip-On Hair Extensions are most common in use. They are very convenient as you can take them off from hair whenever desired. They are most commonly available as patches or layers. Clips seen at the base part known as Weft can be fitted 1 cm below hair root whenever you want.

If you want a permanent hair extension, then you need to seek the help of a specialist. Glue tip, micro ring and sew-in are the most common types of permanent hair extensions. Glue tip is very common among these three. Special keratin glue is used to stick hair in this method. Gum never touches hair scalp. Similar to temporary hair extensions, hair is fixed just below the natural hair root.

Micro ring method uses a small metal ring to fix hair extensions to the natural hair by slowly pressing it. In sew-in method, extension is carefully stitched to the natural hair.

How long will hair extensions last?

It depends on the quality of hair used for extensions. How you care it later can also determine its life span. Synthetic hair extensions won’t last too long. You can also never experiment with styling in synthetic hair. But hair extensions made using natural care last long. Also you can do any type of hair style experiments like straightening, curling etc with real hair, and can be recycled too.

Clip-on hair extensions can last up to 10 years. If you fix hair extensions, you should use it minimum 3-6 months continuously. After that you need to some do service and maintenance (refitting) processes in hair extensions before you use it further.

How many textures are available in hair extensions?

Texture, colour, length and thickness depend on the type of hair you choose. If you are fixing hair extensions (patches) for baldness for a particular area, correct measurement is taken before the process. Fringes should also well suit the hair and hair type. Synthetic extensions are made using nylon threads. They are available in different styles.

How can we ensure the quality of hair extensions while purchasing?

Remy hair is used to make the top quality hair extensions. Cuticle parts of the hair stand in the same direction in Remy hair. In short, hair head follows uniformity and a good pattern. Hair available from Thirupathy (where complete hair is removed) is used for Remy hair and of top quality. They won’t tangle easily and is the best choice for hair extensions. Hair head after removing cuticle, or tail and tailed mixed finger knots are also available. But they tangle easily.

How to take care of hair extensions?

Oil massage, shampoo wash – treatments given to normal hair should be given to hair extensions too. High protein conditioner should be used. Clip-on hair extensions should be washed well, dried, combed and cleaned also. While combing permanent hair extensions, never give extra pressure to hair roots. After three months, along with normal hair growth, these extensions also become loose. You should visit the practitioner and re-fit it.

Do hair extensions have any side effects?

Side effects are very rare. Skin pigmentation, extra weight to head and pain are some of the common problems. As hair extensions are fixed in hair, and not at root, you may feel a little irritated during early usage. But slowly you will get adjusted to it. If hair is not properly maintained, it may get tangled easily and get damaged too. They may also result in infection.

Gum used to fix hair can cause allergy in a few cases. You can seek the service of a dermatologist to do a patch test in this case. In a condition known as allergic contact dermatitis, you may not notice the allergic changes very soon. Reaction may slow start in such cases and get visible only after a few days of usage.

How can we remove permanent hair extensions?

Glue tip or connecter is broken using an instrument and it should be done only by a practitioner. If not done taking enough care, it can damage your natural hair.

What’s the average cost of fixing hair extensions?

Nylon hair extensions are readily available in market and its price starts from around 500 Indian rupees. But Remy hair cost varies from 10,000 to 80,000 Indian rupees. Prices vary according to the weight of hair. Using depigmentation, it’s possible to alter the colour of hair too. But if natural black hair is altered to brown shade, it’s not possible to restore the original black colour.

Why should we use hair extensions?

When hair fall is frequent, first seek an expert’s advice and try to find its real reason. Stress, usage of certain medicines, certain disease conditions, reactions to medicines or treatments, climate, malnutrition, hereditary etc are some of the common reasons for hair fall. So first attempt is to find the reason and find a solution. When it’s 100% sure there is no other option left for natural hair growth, you can choose hair extensions.

Which type of hair extension is best?

Nylon hair extensions are cheap, but they increase heat of scalp and head. Natural hair is always the best choice. But they are costly. It’s up to you to choose which one.

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Read a few more articles on hair care & beauty. Here is the page link. Click on the images in the gallery to read.