We can talk about all the trends we see on the runways at fashion week, but some of these highly curated looks are not practical for the streets, no matter how much we love them. It really depends on your style. From avant-garde to throwbacks, everything is in style – it’s just how you decide to interpret them.
Let’s look at what’s been reimagined – hair extensions. New new brands, technology, and techniques are miles beyond hair extension brands of the past. They’re more realistic, easier to manage, and longer-lasting. I can recall 2007 as a pinnacle for extensions in the media a la Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, and Brittany Spears – an amazing era! These girls were photographed everyday, in every way, and many of these times their hair looked like a plate of spaghetti had been dropped on their heads. The hair extensions were stringy and fake; the hair didn’t blend and you could tell it was not real.
Fast forward, 15 years later, and these extension brands took time to figure it all out. We have more sophisticated methods and are less aggressive on our hair. Two of my personal favorites are Volume Wefts and Hand-Tied Wefts. ManeEvent, a fairly new hair extension line that has hit the market, makes high quality wefted hair. Any length, any color, they have it!
While both of these methods are gorgeous, they have a different appearance. Volume wefts are easily described as ‘hair on a string’. There are three of these single wefts sewn together to make one thicker weft, which we call “volume wefts”. This method is applied by using copper or aluminum beads with a silicone lining to protect your natural hair inside. The bead is clamped down with hair extension pliers all the way around the shape of the head. You then measure out your volume weft from the front of the first bead to the front of the last bead. Lastly, the weft is cut to measure and you begin the final phase of your install by clipping the weft on top of the beads and sewing onto the given track to the left and right of the beads. You can double up the wefts for extra volume if you’d like or add multiple rows depending on the final look.
The second favorite is called “hand-tied wefts”. This is exactly what it sounds like. Wefts that have been hand-tied and are much finer and more pliable than a volume weft. You can get a very full look out of this type of extension method, but not as full as a volume weft. That’s ok. Again, it’s all about giving the client what they discussed with the extensionist during the consultation.
The method is similar but you will use more beads in this service and requires string in between the beads to add security and less tension on the hair base. The string gets threaded through the beads and from one bead to the other creating a strong web-like base for the wefts to get sewn to. The wefts are placed on top of the beaded base, then sewn to it. You can sew up to 6 wefts to one row. Typically, two rows will suffice but you can do more.
There are many great options for men and women these days. If you’re someone who is looking for a change, or maybe a confidence boost, look in your area for someone who is experienced in these various methods and specializes in it.
Volume wefts are better for thicker hair than hand-tied wefts, but normal to thicker hair can also use hand-tied wefts if that’s what you prefer. Bottom line; consultations are key and an eye-opening way to find out if these options are for you. So tell me, what are your hair dreams?
