Human Hair Extensions

Are Hair Extensions Safe?

Hair extensions will not damage a person's natural hair as long as they are added correctly. To ensure this, it's a good idea to have a professional and experienced hair stylist put in the extensions. However, once they're in, they can actually help a person's hair follicles become stronger. Also, hair extensions do not impair a person's ability to wash or condition their hair on a daily basis.

Normally, hair extensions are not added directly to a person's scalp. The normal distance from the scalp is about a quarter of an inch, which reassures that the application is safe and will not cause any damage to a person's naturally growing hair.

Hair Extensions Last for Several Months

Normally, hair extensions will look good for at least three months, and sometimes up to five months. Factors affecting how long a person's hair extensions will remain looking good include how fast the person's natural hair grows and how well the person takes care of their hair.

Human Hair Extensions vs. Synthetic Hair Extensions

For anyone who wants their hair extensions to look natural and undetectable, most hair stylists will agree that using human hair extensions is the way to go. Permanent synthetic hair extensions often look fake and are usually only used to add colors like pink or purple to a person's natural head of hair.

Human hair extensions last longer than synthetic and they may also be blown dry, curled with an iron, and styled like natural hair. Human hair extensions are also stronger than synthetic hair, won't tangle as easily, and won't look dry. They can even be colored or permed!

Methods for Attaching Hair Extensions

Hair extensions can be added to a person's natural hair by one of many methods. Two of the most popular are fusion and weaving.

• Fusion: This process is sometimes referred to as, "Strand by Strand," and it consists of a hair stylist using a type of glue made for hair, or a special adhesive to attach the extension to existing hair.
• Weaving: When the weaving method is used, a hair stylist braids a small corn row around a person's head and then adds the extensions to the braid by sewing them.

Disadvantages to Human Hair Extensions

Normally, hair extensions are correctly and successfully added to a person's natural head of hair. However, there are always going to be instances when an inexperienced hair stylist was used to attach the extensions and they do not stay in place correctly. If not done properly, some or all of the extensions can simply fall right off or in the worst case scenario, they can cause damage to a person's natural hair.

Another disadvantage of hair extensions, that can occur regardless if they were added correctly or not, is that they can cause a person's natural hair to become thin and possibly even fall out. While these side effects are not common, they should be considered and discussed with a hair stylist prior to the hair extensions being added.