Hair Extensions: Your Questions Answered

It’s a beauty craze that many people are dubious of.

Hair extensions can be tricky, and we’ve seen enough evidence of famous people with dodgy dos to put us off.

But are they really all bad? TLL spoke to Leigh Snider, lead educator at Hair Rehab London, to decipher the truth from the fiction.

Will hair extensions ruin my hair?

 You’ve heard the horror stories but are hair extensions really going to rip out your natural locks? Not if applied correctly. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – correct and professional application, maintenance and after care can even improve the condition of your natural hair. How? With extensions, you tend to focus your styling efforts on them rather than your own hair leaving it time to repair and regrow.

Will people be able to tell I have hair extensions?

 Spot on application and perfect colour matching comes into play here. With a precise colour match that blends well, most on-lookers won’t notice that your hair isn’t your own. If your shade isn’t readily available, human hair extensions can be custom dyed too. The correct number of strands should be applied too, to suit you, as this varies from person to person. Some people might need a full head of hair extensions, whilst others just a half head.

Will they be a nightmare to maintain?

 A nightmare, no, but they do require a bit more love and attention than perhaps your natural hair. Ultimately, you do have to look after them and if it sounds too much like hard work, they might not be for you. As long as you’re prepared to dedicate a bit of TLC to them, you’re good to go.

Will they cost me a fortune?

Think of them as an investment – if you buy poor quality hair, you’re likely to have to replace it quickly so it’ll be a false economy.  Good quality hair extensions will last a lot longer as they’re designed to last. Maintenance appointments are often a lot cheaper than initial application too.

What about clip-in hair extensions? I’ll be hopeless at applying them correctly

Practice makes perfect with clip-ins – that’s what YouTube tutorials are for!