The Extension Question

About a quarter of my clients either have extensions or want extensions. If your considering getting them, know that there are several options available to you. Most women fantasize about long, thick, flowing hair and why shouldn't they? Here's the low-down on the locks you crave.

To understand the different methods of applying the hair, we first need to know what kind of hair can be put in. In general, there's two different kinds of hair used: Weft and Individual.

A weft (or track) is a sheet of hair all bonded together at the top. It's can be used in sewing, beaded, clip-in, or glued methods.


Individual hair is hair bundles that have been gathered in individual strands and bonded together into an I shape at the top. This is used for beaded or fusion methods.


You typically will only see the weft hair being used, because the time and cost involved with individuals is somethings most women don't want to commit to. So, for all intents and purposes, we are going to talk about the weft.

Clip In Extensions:


These are the best idea if you only want them for one day but think you could use them again in the future. Easy in, easy out, add fullness, and not to hard on the wallet. You can find these just about anywhere, but make sure you get real hair! If it's synthetic, you can kiss curling it good-bye.

Beaded on Weft:
Not really a technical term, it's just the method.


These are a personal favorite. They take about an hour to put in, blend well, and are easy on the hair. A weft of hair is clipped to the roots, then individual beads are threaded onto both the weft hair and the clients hair, then the metal bead is clamped down to secure the two together. They last about two weeks before a touch up is needed, and can last more than a month if they are maintained properly.

Sewn in Weft:

Hair is braided in horizontal rows, then a needle and thread is used to sew the weft onto the braid. The original and still most common use of weft hair.

Bonded/Glued Weft:


The hair is sectioned off and the weft is glued in panels. A quick way to get extensions in, but not the most popular. Very temporary, but not as temporary as clip-ins.

So, what extensions are right for you? Depends on what kind of investment you want to make. I find that clip in's are usually the best choice, but I also have worn other methods. Day to day you'll want something more permanent, that's for sure. There's a ton of other hair pieces on the market, too. Bands with tufts of hair, hair on these weird wire comb thingy's... most of it's synthetic. That's cool if you don't need to change the texture of the hair, just make sure you that you are happy with it exactly as it is before you buy it. As for the real hair extensions, those can be colored, curled, flattened, just like your own. Hope I answered your extensions questions!!