Hair extensions might seem like a new invention but in reality hair additions have been around as far back as the Egyptian times when both men and women work wigs. Since then hair pieces have been in and out of fashion ever since.
In 1800 fake hair was frowned upon and women left their hair to be natural until the Romantic era was in full swing when women wore elaborate Apollo knots. Come the mid Victorian era and hair pieces were used a lot more extensively. Then strangely in the early 20th century Edwardian women wore false hair additions to create the pompadour hairstyle which looked like a woman was wearing a teapot on her head. How that became fashionable I don’t really know!
Around the 1920’s less hair was the big thing so hair pieces took a dive around that time and it wasn’t until the 1940s when long hair came back into fashion and women starting indulging again. Then in the 1960’s big hair was back with a vengeance. Coils were the in thing or the updo as better known to us were seen of many women, this was created by very extravagant human hair pieces. Wigs made from real or fake hair were commonly worn around this time too and carried on into the early 70’s. Come the 80’s and big hair was in but only natural hair. Famous singers wore wigs but that was about it.
In the 1990’s hair pieces or wigs became a lot more affordable to everyone, not just the rich and famous. The famous spice girl Victoria Beckham has been credited for the latest fashion of human hair extensions. When she first got together with her now husband David Beckham it was a time when public interest in the couple was at a all time high and they were both photographed all the time and would be found on the cover or most newspapers and magazines. With this sort of publicity everything about the couple was scrutinised. At that time pictures of Victoria were on the front of every paper or magazine with many different hair styles on view. Some days she had short hair, the next she had long and it was obviously these styles were created thanks to hair extensions. She even spoke about them and explained they were created with natural human hair which caused slight controversy as to where the hair came from.
Since then the trend has become much more widespread with lots of different people using them for different reasons. Teenagers looking for long hair have extensions as do older women trying to replace thinning hair. And many women use them just for special occasions. There are many different materials they are made from including a whole range of fake synthetics ones to gorgeous natural European hair.
Permanent hair extensions can cost a few hundred pounds for each application and they only last up to around 4 months. There are lots of different methods of attaching the hair some safer than others. With permanent hair extensions usually a small group of hair strands are collected which the hair is attached to. There are different types of adhesive including wax, glue, or heat all of which are not that great for your hair. When it comes to removing the extensions chemicals are needed and these can often leave hair damaged. Another option is to have the hair weaved on. It is known as ‘wafting’ and is a much safer option as no chemicals are needed.
The clip-on hair extensions come in a variety of different colours and lengths are the best option for non permanent extensions. They are very easy to use and as long as you get the right hair colour and texture of hair, no one will know your hair is fake. In fact I have sat next to a work colleague for months not realising that her long hair was in fact clip on hair extensions. It was only whilst getting ready for our Christmas works do that she pulled her hair off! I was shocked to say the least as her natural hair was just shoulder length and I had no idea.
Most women at some point in their lives dreams of having long flawless hair. And the women that have painstakingly grown their hair will agree that it takes quite a bit of time and effort to keep their hair in top condition. Most of us have tried to grow our hair but often fall at the first hurdle. It gets to that awkward stage where it’s longer than normal but not long enough, it’s hard to style and most of us give up and get it cut.
In this day and age we don’t have to wait for anything. The instant way to getting the long hair we want is by buying either long haired wigs or long pieces of hair extensions. Hair extensions have been around for a number of years now and many movie and music stars have all adorned them at some point. They are the perfect way to create an instant long haired look.
Like anything new it’s not long before variations come out and the same can be said about hair extensions. However wearing wigs is not a new thing as it goes back a long way. As far back as the Egyptian times both men and women wore wigs or hair pieces. During the late 1800’s human hair pieces were used for the first time but not until recently were human hair extensions available.
In the beginning extensions were only worn by either the very rich or celebrities. I think the main celebrity that made hair extensions very main stream was Victoria Beckham who had dozens of hair styles based around extensions. One day she would have short cropped hair, the next she had longer hair. Being one of the most photographed women in the world, her image was on the cover of every magazine and newspaper. With this type of publicity and her and her husband’s popularity it wasn’t long before people saw the true potential of hair extensions.
There are many different types of hair extensions some are more permanent than others. If your after a non or semi permanent option you should think about clip in hair extensions. These extensions are really very easy to apply and come in all different colours and lengths. You can get them to completely match your own hair to give you longer hair, lowlights, highlights or just added volume. Clip in hair extensions come in one or multiple pieces of varying widths with a strong practically invisible clip. These clips make attaching them to your own hair very quick and simple and are virtually undetectable.
Permanent hair extensions are the ones that are fused to the hair. With this fusion method about 20 to 50 strands of human extension hair have a warm protein glue applied all around it. Then they use a clear plastic template to isolate the portion of natural hair from the rest of the scalp, the glued extension hair is then attached to a small portion of the natural hair which is pulled through a hole in the template. Then the two lots of hair are rolled together in the fingers until a smooth protein bond is made. All of this needs to get done for each extension which is why it is a long and tedious procedure. The extensions last for between 3 and 6 months before they will need either removing or redoing.
Another method is by using pre tipped strands which is where the extension strands are pre tipped with protein glue. This glue then melts and bonds to the natural hair when using a heated hair connector tool. It is thought this method uses’ less glue as it is premeasured so it leaves the hair better bonded and less likely to chip away.
If you choose to have the permanent hair extensions make sure you use a salon or hair dresser that has experience in applying them. There are plenty of scare stories where people have lost their real hair because the hairdresser want experienced enough and burnt the hair or used too much glue. Getting a realistic affect will only happen when an experience hair dressers applies them. It makes sense to try and use the clip on ones until you’re really sure you want the permanent ones. Clip on hair extensions are just if not more realistic than the fused on method, but the real bonus is that you are not messing with your natural hair, you are just adding more hair via clip which can be removed when and wherever you want. And each clip is only a few pounds out and they last for years.
