gemz wrote:Yeh that helps alot thanks, my hair is actually dead straight itself but I would absolutly love it to be curly so perhaps extensions could help with that too. I'm seeing someone for a consultation this week, we're gonna go through the different methods which may be good for my hair, as you seem to have some expererience of wearing hair extensions which way do you think is the best?
Hi, well I'm glad to have been of some help!
Since you have STRAIGHT hair, you have a SLIGHT advantage, in that you CAN wear hair that has been slightly more PROCESSED, as the processing (treatment the hair has before it gets to you) causes it to lose most of its natural 'curly hair like behaviour'
This is assuming it was curly or wavy hair in the FIRST place, which HUGE amounts of extension hair will be. I've mostly come across (what I now know to be) Indian, or sometimes European, both are thick and wavy, so, as far as waving and curling are concerned, unless you have the cheaper hair permed, I just don't think it can be done without the same kind of damage you'd get from heavily bleaching and then perming of normal hair! Plus, what people DON'T tell you, is that once the hair is REMOVED from the head, the natural oils from the head are no longer 'protecting it' so it will need treating. THAT means you have to be careful which method you chose as LOTS of 'bonds' (all are some form of wax, glue, or glue/keratin/polymer mixture ALL of them...without the glue, bonded hair won't last at ALL, but the concentration of the glue is what makes the difference between soggy weak bonds and super hard ones that crack and spike you in the back of the head!)
ANY method that uses no 'bond', that uses tubes with loose hair, will shed more than bonded hair. This is not propaganda, it is fact. There ARE some new 'innovations' that coil as the hair sheds so that the extension hair will not ALL fall out, but again, I know insufficient to advise, I'm sure you'll get LOTS more advise on this board, there may even be people offering to do it!!
DON'T be tempted to go for the stick on to the skin, they'll fall OFF the skin, and they don't move the same way as tiny bonded pieces of hair.
FUSION (the brand, not the 'generalisation' of the word....is super pricey) haven't had it, but the idea is EXCELLENT, but you need a 2nd mortgage and 3 days, as they apply hairs literally sometimes as few as 1 at a time! There are methods of fusion that do larger amounts, but then, you're back to 'small bonds' and may as well go with normal 'bonded' hair!
BUT, if you want natural looking curls, (and I don't know HOW that would really work with your own straight hair unless its very short, like three inches long or so....unless you have a perm too?!...but there may be hairdressers on here who can tell you that?!).... the only hair I KNOW that curls very naturally, is hair by Great Lengths.
Having said that, IF there is someone here, who knows where to get UNSTRIPPED, naturally curly/wavy GENUINE remi hair, with a keratin polymer....I'd give my right arm to find them!!! Then all I need is an extensionist as mine is booked UP for 8 weeks and I can't wear these that long without loosing hair!
I'm sure there MUST be other makes of hair THAN Great Lengths using Remy/Remi hair (french word, comes from their 'wig making' culture, where the BEST wigs had human hair, taken from, preferably, only one or two heads, and made without turning any of the hair upside down, so all the hair was still in its natural direction....that's what REAL Remy/Remi hair means....lots of people will claim to have REMI hair but it may not be, there is no way to tell, unless you've got access to the manufacturers info and most hair is imported and much now bought on the internet, again, its down to the honesty of the extensionist and their prices. You WON'T get long (over 18") remi hair on 3/4 of your head for less than £350 unless someone REALLY loves you!!!!)
Then, there is the colouring method. Blonde hair is bleached HEAVILY (even GL hair has the colour removed. They claim to 'soak it out' and then 'soak it in' and it stayed COLOURFAST for 6 months for me, but I don't know if other hair brands would do this too, I've never worn any extension hair that long, EXCEPT for GL, but people on here can give you a better opinion on how long the colour lasts on other brands)
I'm not going to slate them, but some 'Racoon' (NEW 100% human, not the old mix) DOES fade and matt as its quality isn't the same. I also think its applied with glue and not pre bonded, which can mean uneven bonds and uneven hair!
Most companies 'colour treat' the hair. This is where the hair manufacturer literally bleaches out the colour using fairly strong chemicals) then colours it as required...in varying shades of blonde etc.! You can imagine how much BLEACHING is required to make indian hair blonde!!!?!
The reason its not good to have bleached hair or hair without cuticle (where the colour is stripped SO heavily, that the top layer of the hair is removed....which they then coat in some 'shiny' stuff, usually silicone, which washes off after two or three washes and looks AWFUL!) or non remi hair (remi hair means the cuticle of the hair all goes in one direction as in the wig making I mentioned, sorry to repeat myself!) .... but if its NOT remi hair, when you brush it, the hair is literally back combed and this damages it VERY fast!)
I personally HAVEN'T tried the 'springs' (little coils, or shrinking bonds that are applied with OR without glue to the top of the bond on the hair) but ANYTHING sharp that's TIGHT on your hair WILL cut into your own hair. The metal rings have SHAWN right through some peoples hair, so if you bleach, which weakens the hair, that's a NO GO too...sorry!!! But, better to know NOW than to have hair sliced off at the roots (trust me!)
So, again, VERY best of luck with your new hair........DON'T be bullied.......ask the hairdresser HOW long they've done THIS method and ask to see a portfolio....don't be embarrassed to ask for details of a couple of current clients (if the extensionist is good, they'll have LOTS of clients only too willing to tell you....word of mouth is the BEST way to find a good extensionist, but STILL be wary....I have AWFUL extensions, as my 'European friend' with her thick blonde hair had SUPERB cheaper than GL extensions, so I tried them and they're WAY too heavy for my hair and need to come out......18 inches of BEAUTIFUL human REMI hair and its pulling out my own.......
BORING rule of thumb......measure from the top of the bottom layer of hair to the ends, and unless your hair is THICK and strong, don't go more than double the length of your own........that's what the hairdressers say!!!!
I've waffled on enough to bore the PANTS off those still reading!!
I know its disorganised, but I hope some of the info here helps....its accumulated through experience and SERIOUS study over 20 years......(well 19, when I had the first 'Caucasian' style extensions put in, in Sutton, by a 'goth'......JET black........and plastic.......melted over a plait and then 'cracked' to remove it........PHEW, we've come a long way at least!!!
BEST of luck to all........anyone can help ME.......looking for a mobile, OR London based extensionist who already KNOWS everything I've just written (no learning it and reading it back to me.....grin...I'll KNOW!!!) I REALLY need replacement REMI CUTICLE hair........BLONDE, unbleached if poss..........14, 16 and 18 inches (I have a layer cut, works better with curls or waves.....) for an ex redhead/strawberry blonde........
THANKS!!!!
Lovelorn_angel
....search for me on Google and you'll eventually find my pic ....probably wearing extensions in it........somewhere!!!! HONEST!!!
