Extensions... In Her Own Words

With all the choices available, where do you start when contemplating if extensions are right for you? Suzette just may be able to offer the information you have been looking for.

I researched hair extensions a great deal before deciding to get the kind that I got.

There are several types of ways of doing hair extensions:
a) the bonding or fusion with glue strand by strand (VERY EXPENSIVE - $500 to $2000 - because of the time it takes for each strand, also VERY damaging).

b) the bonding with the entire hair weft, which is uncomfortable and comes off easily and extremely damaging to your hair,

c) fusion with keratin protein strand by strand and hair comes pre-bonded (better than the glue as far as health goes, but still VERY pricey), and

d) the weave which there are no chemicals added and it is simply a braid and the weave of the extension is sewn with thread into the braid and also the least expensive ($25 to $30 per track from what I found).

I chose the safest kind for my hair which was "d", the weave. I personally have very fine soft blonde hair, so I wanted to make sure that I got the kind that would be the safest for my own hair for when or if I decided to take them out. The weave is the safest as long as the person doing them doesn't rip or tug or isn't rough with your hair. It is simply a track that goes horizontally across your head. I have three tracks and the more your own hair is layered, the more tracks you get to match the look of your own hair. Also, depending on how thick you want your hair to be is also the amount of tracks you will get. The weave is what most African American women get for their own hair. I went to an African American woman to do my hair, as opposed to a caucasion, since most caucasion women do not have that much experience in doing weaves.

I also bought my own hair from hair stores that specialize in them. One of them is called "His and Hair Goods". I looked up on several sites to see what they do and the products they offer. This particular site offers a great deal of information about hair extensions and how they are applied...human hair wigs and hair extensions faq They also sell good quality hair to apply the extensions which will save the client a great deal of money when going to someone to do their hair.

The amount of time it took for my extensions was about 3 hours tops. The girl I go to also charges $25 per track, which ran me a total of $100 because I added an extra track for thickness.

Depending on the quality of hair and length, that is where your price will be expensive and vary greatly. I personally think that it is worth getting the highest quality hair which is 100% HUMAN CUTICLE HAIR and will last longer than all the other hair and will not give you problems in the long run either (frizziness, color fading, etc.).

I also wanted hair that fell at least to my rib cage, and knew that she would have to cut it to match my own hair cut, so I bought a little longer than I wanted 22" to 24" so that after being cut, it would end up being 18" to 20". There is a great deal more information that one needs to know before getting hair extensions. I learned so much by researching the hair and so forth.

Anyway, I hope that I have helped you and informed you more about hair extensions. I absolutely love them and feel now, after having them over a month now, that they are a part of me already. Very comfortable, but in the beginning it took me about 2 weeks to adjust to it all.