Hair Extensions

The two most important aspects of quality extensions are the talent and experience of the person putting them in and the quality of the hair. Extension work is both art and science. A great extension artist will be great at designing the look, achieving a solid attachment, perfect color matching, accurate placement and blending the extensions into your hair.

Ask how long the stylist has been doing extensions and look at their work online. There should be most than just a few examples. There should be a guarantee of some sort too, in writing so you can see what the salon is willing to do if you start having issues with your extensions.

There isn’t a “best” brand but some are better than others. With 20+ years in business, and experience with lot of brands, we’ve found the general rule of thumb is the more expensive brands are usually better.

There are a lot of hair extension brands, but there aren’t many companies that provide the raw hair. Most brands buy hair from just a few providers, then process it, color it, “package” it with an attachment method and put a “certification” process in place that stylists/salons are required to complete before being allowed to buy hair.

How extension companies process and color the hair is what affects the quality. Blonde extensions and red/vibrant shades are often made from dark hair that has been lightened. Cheaper brands sometimes overprocess the hair so the color takes quicker at the factory, but this can strip the cuticle layer and make the hair feel coarse. The term 100% REMY hair means the cuticle layer is intact all the way down the hair shaft for a more natural feel that styles and feels better.

High quality reputable extension companies don’t sell their hair at wig/hair shops

If you see a salon or stylist offering their own branded line of extensions, you can be sure it’s the same hair everyone else is using. They’re buying the product and rebranding it.

All attachment methods work when done by an experienced technician, and when you follow the home care routine, but each feels different on your head. Attachment methods break down into three main categories; individually bonded, tape-in and hand-tied.

Individually bonded extensions are small bundles of hair (20-25 hairs) bound together at the top and attached to your real hair. There are numerous attachment methods available, including “beaded” which uses small crimped metal beads, loop tied which uses a filament line and glue bonded. We have used all three and they all work. Some people prefer a heat activated bond and others prefer a metal crimp or crimped bead. Be aware that crimped attachments can be affected by oils and hair products that contain silicone because those products make the hair slick which can cause some crimps to gradually slide down and loosen.

Tape-ins are wefts of hair that attach to your real hair using thin transparent tape to “sandwich” extension wefts on both sides of your real hair (done in flat sections). The tape comes in colors to match your hair and in clear and is invisible unless you let the extensions grow out too much. An advantage of tape-in extensions is they can be re-used and moved up your hair as it grows out as long as they aren’t damaged.

Hand Tied extensions are attached by tying wefts of extension hair to your hair using thread that matches your hair color. Some hand tied also use beaded attachments too. An advantage of hand-tied extensions is that a large amount of hair can be used.

We strongly advise you not to remove extensions on your own so you don’t damage your hair.

Tape-ins are the easiest to remove but can still result in minor torn hair and strange areas in your cut.

Mechanically bonded extensions (crimp bead or ring) are difficult to remove without a bond breaking tool and it’s really tedious. Doing so will result in some breakage, losing a little length and a very ragged looking “cut”.

Removing heat activated glue-in bonds on your own is the worst of all worlds. These take an experienced practitioner and a special removal solution and. Removing these yourself is basically tearing the extensions off, which results in a ragged look and quite a bit of hair loss.

We offer a removal service for tape-ins that is comparable in price to a hair cut. The price to remove bonded extensions is typically comparable to a full highlight, although in some cases where the extensions have not been cared for as recommended, it can be higher because it takes longer.

Consultations take an hour during which time stylists can schedule a highlight, so we feel the charge is reasonable. Another reason extension consultations are not free is that this service attracts a lot of “window shopping”. We started out doing free consultations and found that a high percentage of people weren’t serious about it and never came back.

Once the hair is purchased and shipped from the hair extension company, it is non-refundable, because we can’t return it. Due to health and safety concerns, hair manufacturer’s treat extension hair like medical products or prescriptions. Since they cannot be sure the hair hasn’t touched someone’s scalp, hands, etc, they will not do refunds.

Tape-ins are designed to be re-used and need to be moved up every six weeks or so as your hair grows. Old tape is removed and new tape is put on in the salon. This can continue until the extensions don’t look good. All extensions wear out and lose hair due to styling over time.

Hand tied extensions can also be moved up as your hair grows out as long as they look good. Be aware that lots of lightening or other processing will shorten the time the extensions look good.

We do not re-use bonded extensions. Some high end bonded brands offer a “re-bonding” service to allow re-use of extension hair, but we don’t use rebonded extensions. Re-bonding means removing the extensions from your hair and sending them back to the factory for re-conditioning and new attachment bonds. Re-bonded extensions don’t look nearly as good as new extensions. After months of brushing and shedding of individual hairs, as well as sanitation of the re-bonded hair at the factory, there is a significant visual difference in re-bonded and new hair. Another downside to re-using bonded extensions is that you have to go 3-4 weeks without your extensions or purchase two sets and rotate them during re-attachment.

The longevity of your extensions is a result of how fast your hair grows and how well you maintain them. Extension bonds will move down your head as your hair gets longer.

Four to six months is the range on bonded, depending on growth rate and how well you maintain them. IF your hair grows extremely fast it could be a bit less time.

The wearing period for tape-ins and hand-tied can be six to eight months, because they can be moved up your hair and reattached as it grows. Our move up service is called, wait for it, a “Move-Up”. Move ups are priced at the same hourly rate as the initial application but you don’t incur the cost of the hair.

No, but they can take more brushing than you may be used to. Additionally, the brush must be of a certain type so as not to damage the hair. You must avoid certain types of shampoos and conditioners too. In addition to the special brush and care in choice of shampoos, a regular follow-up blending cut is a crucial requirement for the longevity of your extensions.tem description

Extensions may not work for you for several reasons. If you are allergic to nylon, many brands will not work for you. For instance, Hairdreams® bonded extensions have nylon in the bonding tip. If you have a large patch of scalp showing due to thinning hair or medical treatment you may not be a good candidate for extensions. Additionally if your hair is severely damaged due to over processing with chemicals/lightener, it may not be strong enough to support the weight of extensions without breaking. If your individual hairs are extremely fine, they may not take the weight of extensions.

If any of these conditions describe you, you can send us a few photos and we might be able to make a determination without a prepaid consult.

A final reason you may not be a good candidate is if you are not willing to follow the home care program, because the extensions won’t last as long or look as good as they should.

Tape-in extensions are paid for in a single payment at check-out if you select in stock hair. If you want a length or color we don’t have in stock, we split the payment into two payments, one for hair, paid prior to ordering, and one for the application, aid the day of your appointment (payment 2).

The cost for bonded and hand-tied extensions is always split into two payments.

Please note that once your extension hair is shipped it is not refundable because the extensions companies will not take it back.