I had always wanted that long, thick hair that celebrities and bloggers have. Then I realized it could all be mine if I just got hair extensions like they do! Seriously though, there’s about 5% of the population that has the kind of locks I’m talking about without the aid of extensions. So, for the last five years I’ve had hair extensions on and off. Whether you want professional hair extensions or hair extensions for thinning hair, there’s a lot to choose from.
The first style of extensions I experimented with were clip-ins. I bought them in Arizona and had a stylist at a blow out bar put them in for the three nights I was there. I loved the look of them but could never get the hang of putting them in myself and having them stay put. Clip-in hair extensions were great, but a bit complicated. With so many types of hair extensions, you definitely want to balance hair extension cost vs. convenience.
After those I decided to bite the bullet and invest in something more permanent. I decided on beaded hair extensions. They are clamped to your real hair with pliers, near the root with no heat. These were great, but the beads could be seen when my hair was pulled up and they could look “stringy” at times. The appointments were time consuming as well. I bleach my hair blonde, so some appointments were taking 7-8 hours. Maintenance was every six weeks. Alternating between just bumping them up (just moving the bead up the hair shaft) and needing to remove the hair extensions entirely and put them back onto “fresh” hair to prevent damage.
Then, I removed my hair extensions for almost a whole year. I cried when I took them out that first time. I had gotten so used to having so much hair that I felt almost bald after removing them. This is a drawback of extensions. Even if you have long hair, it feels thin after adding all that hair to your head and then removing it. This can be a downside if you’re looking for hair extensions for thinning hair.
When I decided to put hair extensions back in I went with tape-in hair extensions. I loved the maintenance on these. I had to schedule professional hair extension appointments every six weeks, but I was in and out in three hours, even with bleaching my hair! I could still see these when I pulled my hair up, and since I bleach my hair you could really see the blonde tape strips at the root on my head. I decided to take these hair extensions out just after the first of this year. I just wanted a break from them, and I had a bunch of vacations planned that would have made it difficult to schedule professional hair extension appointments.
Curious what hair extensions cost? Good, quality hair (which is what you want!) that is going to last you 6-12 months is going to run you around $500-$800. Although I think these hair extension costs are coming down as extensions become more in demand and accessible to more people. Then you pay for the install. Some hair stylists charge per hour, some per row and some just “per install”. Most stylists require a consult to match your hair and give you an estimate of what your hair extensions will cost. Which is a good thing. You do not want to be surprised by the hair extension cost the day of an install, and your stylist doesn’t want you to have sticker shock either.
Professional hair extensions are an investment. You do not want to do them on the cheap. And you always want to find an experienced stylist whose work you’ve seen and loved. Whether you go with clip-in hair extensions, tape-in hair extensions or another method, the important thing is you’re pleased with the result.
Check back for my post tomorrow all about my hand tied extensions I just had put in a month ago!
