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Hair Extension Dos and Don'ts
• DO wash them regularly
• DO wash from the weft going down in order to prevent product build-up at the root
• DO treat them as your own hair when heat styling (as in have fun, but know that too much of a good thing can lead to fried hair cuticles)
• DON'T chemically process your extensions. It's better to buy them curly or straight instead of using chemicals to alter the texture.
• DON'T use too many styling products. Hair extensions are best when styled naturally. A little (very little) shine serum or hairspray every now and then should be sufficient to spruce up any dullness. This along with moisturizers, sea salt sprays and strong-hold hairsprays is cause for overkill.
• DON'T use synthetic hair. It looks too much like a cheap Halloween costume.
Dominique, stylist/extensionist says, "The most common mistake people make is not following the guidelines given to them by their stylist. After a proper consultation, make sure you understand how to care for and maintain your style with each type of extension."
It was something my mom said during an argument when I was just eight years old that affected how I would wear my hair for the next 15 years of my life.
While fighting over why I couldn't get a weave, she told me that I had "good hair," and that any treatment would ruin it.
For some reason, those words stayed with me. Even though I pined for thick, lustrous, straight long hair, I held off. In high school, when all my friends embraced their inner vixens with experimental weaves, I stuck with the same, boring (but good!) hair. Until my junior year of college, when I finally realized (duh) that even good hair had room for improvement.
Instead of dipping my toe in, I went for a full weave. The results were so drastic, I hardly recognized myself for two weeks. The dozen Brazilian hair extension pieces looked so good, and made my eyes so slanted (from my hair being pulled so tightly) that everywhere I went I was mistaken for having Asian or Latin blood. It gave me instant exotic appeal. And when I finally took the extensions out, my hair had grown exponentially -- no awkward grow-out phase! Needless to say, I'm hooked to this day.
Whether you're regretting going for the big chop or just want to add a little (or a lot) of extra length or volume to your hair, long hair extensions can change up your look radically and immediately. How do you think celebrities are able to change their looks so often? After reaching out to the stylists at Just Extensions, we got the deets on all the popular techniques. If you're considering taking the plunge like I did, use this hair extensions guide as your cheat sheet for the most popular methods, their pros and cons, and what type of hair each works best on.
While fighting over why I couldn't get a weave, she told me that I had "good hair," and that any treatment would ruin it.
For some reason, those words stayed with me. Even though I pined for thick, lustrous, straight long hair, I held off. In high school, when all my friends embraced their inner vixens with experimental weaves, I stuck with the same, boring (but good!) hair. Until my junior year of college, when I finally realized (duh) that even good hair had room for improvement.
Instead of dipping my toe in, I went for a full weave. The results were so drastic, I hardly recognized myself for two weeks. The dozen Brazilian hair extension pieces looked so good, and made my eyes so slanted (from my hair being pulled so tightly) that everywhere I went I was mistaken for having Asian or Latin blood. It gave me instant exotic appeal. And when I finally took the extensions out, my hair had grown exponentially -- no awkward grow-out phase! Needless to say, I'm hooked to this day.
Whether you're regretting going for the big chop or just want to add a little (or a lot) of extra length or volume to your hair, long hair extensions can change up your look radically and immediately. How do you think celebrities are able to change their looks so often? After reaching out to the stylists at Just Extensions, we got the deets on all the popular techniques. If you're considering taking the plunge like I did, use this hair extensions guide as your cheat sheet for the most popular methods, their pros and cons, and what type of hair each works best on.
