5 Hair Extension Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Finding amazing quality, long-lasting hair extensions doesn’t have to be a struggle… not when you know all the right things to look for. Today, we thought we’d go through a few of the most common mistakes made by hair extension wearers when buying their product, so you know how to avoid them!
1. Not Doing Your Research
We’ve spoken a lot about the mislabelling that often occurs with hair extensions, which is why it’s important to do your research and know exactly what you’re buying before you buy it! You should never buy extensions simply because they are advertised using all the right words. ‘Virgin’, ‘remy’, ‘Caucasian’ – these are all words that refer to the highest quality hair on the market, but to make sure you’re getting the best of the best you need to know what this hair looks like. This includes…
Colour: Virgin hair has never been chemically altered in any way, which means it only comes in a range of naturally grown colours. If hair extensions are labelled as ‘virgin’ but are balayage, bleach or ‘platinum’ blonde in colour, it means they are not truly virgin as chemicals are needed to get these looks.
Pony tails: It’s uncommon for authentically Virgin, remy hair to come pre-made in a packet. You should be able to see the hair in its originally pony tail form before it is made into extensions. If something is packaged and ready to install on your head right away, it is more than likely a factory-made product that has been treated with a range of chemicals.
2. Choosing Factory-Made Extensions
Chemically altered: Factory extensions are usually made from Chinese or Indian hair. While this is not inherently a bad thing, the reality is that this hair is usually black in colour. So, to make these extensions available in a wide range of colours, a lot of chemicals are required. Throughout the process of bleaching and dying the hair, it becomes incredibly damaged and weak, so factories then coat their extensions in a silicone product to make it appear smooth and silky when it’s first bought and installed. Unfortunately, this will only last one or two washes before the true nature of the hair is revealed, leaving you with dry, matted, incredibly unnatural looking locks.
Sourced from different donors: Factory made extensions are often not created from the same set of donor hair. Why is this a problem? Because hair has cuticles that stop each strand from getting caught on one another, so when you combine two different sets of hair these cuticles get caught on one another. To avoid this problem, factories chemically strip the hair of its cuticles and, as mentioned earlier, coat it in silicone. Once the silicone wears off, the hair becomes tangled and matted as there aren’t any cuticles to ensure each strand can glide past one another.
Chemically styled: Everyone has different hair; some people have dead straight locks while others have a little bit of a wave or perhaps a full head of curls. Of course, you’ll want to find extensions that match your hair type so it always blends in with your natural locks. Unfortunately, however, factories often artificially style their hair to make it look curly, wavy or straight at first. What happens after a few washes is that the style will begin to fall out and your extensions won’t match your natural hair at all!
3. Failing To Properly Maintain Them
Authentic Virgin, Caucasian hair extensions like the ones we offer here at LDL don’t take a lot of effort to maintain. However, just like your natural hair, it is important that you take good care of them in order to get your maximum wear time out of them. This means showing up for your regular reinstallation appointments, using good quality hair care products to wash and treat your hair, and not over-using heated styling tools. Just like anything you buy, your hair extensions require some love and attention in order to be kept in their best state, so be sure to know exactly how to maintain them so you can enjoy them for years to come!
4. Choosing The Wrong Extensionist
We can’t stress this enough – you need to LOVE going to your extensionist. This might sound silly at first, but the truth is that you will be going to their salon semi-regularly to get your extensions re-installed so they’re always looking fresh and flawless. If you’re dreading your re-installations every 6-weeks, it’s going to put a damper on how much you love your extensions – or, even worse, influence you to skip the re-installation appointments altogether!
Remember, your regular appointments are simply a non-negotiable if you want to ensure your extensions look and feel great. So, if you feel that you don’t mesh well with your extensionist or simply don’t like the work they’re doing, it’s perhaps time to change salons.
5. Using A Damaging Installation Method
The installation method used for your extensions is incredibly important to the overall experience you’re going to have. There are many methods that damage your natural locks or make your extensions look unnatural. Here at LDL, we use the beaded tracking method, which doesn’t use any chemicals, glues or bonds and is incredibly gentle on your natural hair. Be sure to enquire about the type of method a salon uses before you buy your extensions, as this can seriously impact the experience you have wearing them!
At the end of the day, you want your hair extensions to look and feel beautiful not for weeks or months, but for years. While there are a wide range of options available, it’s important to know what it is that truly provides the best hair extension experience.
Here at LDL we only use the finest Virgin, Caucasian hair when hand-making our wefts. Each one is custom-designed to your measurements and we provide an end-to-end service to ensure you LOVE your locks day in, day out.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT LDL’S CUSTOM-MADE VIRGIN, CAUCASIAN EXTENSIONS – OR IF YOU WANT TO BOOK YOUR INITIAL CONSULTATION – DON’T HESITATE TO GIVE US A CALL ON 0413 785 399