EDMONTON- Hair extensions have become increasingly popular over the past several years, but they can cause serious damage to your own hair if you’re not careful.
Hair extensions are used for a variety of reasons, from adding length to increasing the fullness of your hair.
“It’s always been a little bit more about having the volume, for me. I like to wear my hair curly and I find that extensions, they just make that a little bit more full,” said Amy Ward, who recently had tape-in extensions put in her hair for an upcoming wedding.
You can get hair extensions in a variety of colours and lengths, and they’re attached with beads, sewn in, glued in, or taped in.
“I like the tape-ins because it’s very fast. I can put them in in half an hour. They look sleeker, they look close to your head, whereas the other ones you’ve got all these little tiny bumps on your head. These lay flat to your scalp so they look more natural,” hair stylist Jenny Tuckey of Est-elle Academy of Hair Design explained.
Tape-in hair extensions are laid on top of a section of hair and bonded with heat.
“All you need to do is touch your flat iron to the top of the bond and it reseals it,” Tuckey explained.
Or, for a less permanent option, there are clip-in hair extensions.
“Clip-ins are fairly popular just because it’s easier to do for the person at home, for maintenance, because sometimes a lot of people don’t want to commit to permanent extensions,” said hair stylist Mary Valdez of I-Salon. “Usually (clients) start with the clip-ins and they move to the more permanent extensions.”
However, it’s an unregulated industry and if the extensions- temporary or permanent- aren’t put in and cared for properly, it can cause hair thinning and even baldness.
Tuckey says she’s witnessed some of the damage that can occur when extensions aren’t put in properly.
“(One client) got a deal on Kijiji and that’s why she went and it ended up costing her,” Tuckey said. “We had to cut her hair like an inch short all around because it was a foreign glue that we tried three different removers on and nothing took it out.”
With any type of hair extension, stylists say maintenance is extremely important.
“Extensions- period- are very high maintenance,” said Juliana Rosario, a hair stylist at I-Salon.
Stylists recommend only wearing extensions for two months before having them removed and put back in; any longer can cause permanent follicle damage, even a condition called traction alopecia. Traction alopecia is a form of gradual hair loss that is caused by tension, stress, and pulling on the scalp and hair fibers.
“All that weight of the hair is pulling at the hair follicle and if you’re swimming, shampooing, blowdrying or even sleeping, those pressure points will be tugged at and that will cause follicle damage,” said Rosario, referring to clip-in extensions.
When it comes to maintenance, it depends on the type of extension and quality of the hair. Tuckey says tape-in extensions shouldn’t be washed more than twice a week, clients should never go to bed with wet hair, and the extensions should be brushed very carefully.
“You baby (them) with oils and you do have to be a lot more gentler,” she said. “If you don’t care for them they’ll last you two weeks.”
When it comes to clip-in extensions, the biggest thing to remember is they’re temporary.
“They’re not meant to be used in swimming, not meant to be in your hair when you’re shampooing and blowdrying and sleeping,” Rosario explained. “I’ve seen a little bit of damage and it’s always the same answer- ‘I sleep in my clip-ins.'”
“You don’t want to sleep in wet hair because that’s going to mess up the cuticle. You want to style it, you want to braid your hair when you go to bed, you’re going to want some satin or silk pillow cases.”
Stylists say the key is to have hair extensions installed by a professional, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
“What they need to ask and what they need to know is quality of hair, how to take care of the hair, what the different methods are and how long they can wear those methods,” said Rosario.
“Go to somebody who knows what they are doing and don’t think just because you buy something online and it’s cheaper, that it’s going to be just as good,” Ward added.
Hair extensions can be a beautiful accessory if worn properly, and many stylists say once you wear them, you can be addicted.
“They’re ecstatic, they don’t want to take it off,” said Valdez.
Hair extensions can cost anywhere from $60 to $300 depending on the quality and brand. The price of putting them in can cost anywhere from $300 to $1,000 on top of the cost of the hair.
With files from Julie Matthews, Global News.
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