The Beauty Thesis : hair extensions

Showing posts with label hair extensions. Show all posts

Wouldn't it be nice if we all had hair like Rapunzel? I don't know that I would have some man using it to climb up a tower, but yeah. We don't and neither did she. Granted, there are those people who are genetically gifted with thick, long and strong hair. The rest of us? Duh! We buy it! There used to be a lot of shame and embarrassment surrounding "fake hair" but we got over it, and now, like false nails, hair is no exception. Sure, there are many, many naysayers, but that's their opinion and sure their entitled but likewise you don't have to listen to them.
Many people don't really know what their doing when they buy hair from what I've observed. I'd like to give some suggestions and then follow up with some advice on caring for the hair.
First, make sure you have researched the type of hair you want to purchase. Synthetic? Cheap, but looks like doll hair. It's made from synthetic fibers, and isn't heat resistant *unless specified* Synthetic hair holds its shape well, but there aren't many options, and don't expect to get months of wear from them, even with the best of care you will eventually have a tumbleweed. It will matt, tangle and frizz up no matter how expensive the products you use are. This leads me to the next point. Do not waste money on expensive products if you have synthetic hair! There was a lady bragging about how much she spent on her "synthetic wefts." Sometimes you just have to let people feel they are all knowing. I've been there so, I didn't fault her. Too bad that Pureology had no chance of doing anything to that synthetic fiber. She would have been better if she had washed her "purse dog" with that ~~shit~~ stuff.
Now, when you get to the human hair, you become a small fish in a huge pond. There are so many types of hair but the most common are: Indian Remi, Yaki, Virgin and Virgin Cuticle. Depending on your own hair's texture it will determine what's most natural in terms of blending. The good thing about human hair, is that you can customize it. It can be permed, colored, relaxed, and flat ironed. The best hair, in my opinion, is virgin cuticle. This is hair that has not been treated at all. You know when you donate hair and they don't want processed hair. That's an example of virgin hair. The cuticle intact helps to prevent frizz. The unattached hair is good, but because it isn't aligned (same direction) it's more susceptible to tangling, which means shedding.
How you care for your extensions should mirror how you take care of ~~your~~ healthy hair. You will wash, condition, deep condition (microwave+plastic bag+deep conditioner+essential oil) and seal the hair shaft.

(you too can have this hair)

Tips and Tricks:

Detangle the hair with a large tooth comb prior to washing.
Wash the hair ONLY when necessary (product buildup, dirt, sweat).
Don't manipulate the hair when you wash it. Use a basin and swish the hair around.
Baking soda is a good method of cleaning extensions due to product buildup.
Never put the hair in the microwave longer than 30 second intervals. Check before adding more time, and don't leave unattended (uh-oh!)
Use cold water to rinse your "hair" and let the water run in the same direction of the hair. If possible, don't use hard water.
Moisture, Moisture, Moisture! The hair is not attached to a scalp, so it won't get any oils, so whatever products you use, make sure there is adequate moisture or you will see the demarcation where your hair and the dry hot mess attached separates. Not a pretty look, but it happens.
Air dry whenever possible. Use a hanger, some clips or a hanger for slips/skirts and let the hair air dry. If you plan to curl or straighten, this will be beneficial in ensuring less damage and split ends.
Don't buy hair just because the store clerk said "Everyone in Hollywood..." Secret? It all from China, India, etc. Some hair isn't even what it's sold as. Try going to this forum. This is grad school for extensions. There isn't a trick, technique, brand of hair that they don't know about. *Warning* Civilians must have thick skin here. Lurk, learn, log off.

Remember, it's just hair, it doesn't define you, you wear the hair not the other way around. Life is too short to think your hair is all you have. Sure it sucks having alopecia, baby fine hair or just stagnant growth, but there's help and alternatives. Confidence is always beautiful!
xoxo

Caring for your Extensions

by The Beauty Thesis on 3:36 PM

Wouldn't it be nice if we all had hair like Rapunzel? I don't know that I would have some man using it to climb up a tower, but yea...

OMG! LOL! GTFOWTBS! Really? RLY? Yes, this is how many people communicate nowadays. Can't blame them, you can only fit so many characters into a text or tweet. It's only frustrating when you are trying to research something and cannot understand what is being said, what it means, and are too embarrassed to post questions.

Someone was kind enough to ask about some acronyms used on many hair boards. I have been using them, hearing them for so long, I forgot they were still used. By now, I reckoned there would be a new category of short cuts. I must admit, I haven't been on too many hair forums since I found my holy grail products. I am too vulnerable to relapse. I still buy things to try and review, but it's nothing like it used to be.

So, let's sort a few out and I'll attempt to explain each one:

Pre-poo: Pre-shampoo, is the step you take prior to shampooing your hair. In the past, a hot oil treatment would be the epitome of "pre-poo" but this can be anything. People are doing a lot more "in depth" things to their hair than V05 could even fathom.
Poo: Shampoo, is pretty self explanatory. I guess the sham is a bit too much. That would take two syllables.
Con: Two definitions for this one. It's either short for conditioner, or in some cases, it stands for Cream of Nature, a brand of hair products.
DC: Deep Condition, and this is usually done with a moisturising or protein infused reconstructive agent. There may be a bit of each but usually a "DC" is done no more than once a week.
BC: Big Chop took a while for me to understand why everyone was doing a BC. It's when you cut your hair to the root or shorter. Some people vary, but the goal it to get rid of the damaged, chemically treated, split hair and start over.
TWA: Elmer Fudd must have created this. Tiny whittle Afro is the result of a BC. Yep, the big chop. Many women going from relaxed to natural choose to BC creating the TWA rather than transition.

(Solange with TWA) photosources

Co-wash: Conditioner Wash. This is something along the line of Wen or At One hair but was years ahead. Rather than shampoo your hair with the your regular ... well, shampoo, you use a conditioner instead. The rationale is that the shampoo will dry or strip your hair, therefore, this is a better alternative for those with dry, coarse, thick hair and in order to clean the hair, say they work out and sweat a lot, a co-wash is an alternative. Scary spice was the first person I heard of who did this. Mel B had an article in Black Hair and she claimed to have stopped using shampoo. To each their own *shrug*
Baggy method/Baggying: This is a protective style where you wash, condition, etc. your hair and pull it all back into a pony tail, then apply massive moisturizer and wrap with cling wrap or a sandwich wrap, and make it into a bun. Then you can place a fake bun on top. Hard to explain, but it's really simple and can be easy to do if you are on a strict hair regimen.
Stretching: This is the process of "stretching" the time between relaxer or BKT (Brazilian Keratin Treatment) processes. If you normally touch up the new growth every six weeks, you "stretch" the time and either continue the process or you cut that hair off and keep the "virgin" hair to add length to your BC.

I hope this has helped to clarify a lot of the jargon people are reading online. I know it's overwhelming when you find all these acronyms whilst looking for how to save your hair as it's going doing the drain, "literally." Relax, it's hair, it grows, and there are a lot of products that will help you get where you need to go. Smile, it's not so bad. I don't judge. ♥

Speak English for Crying Out Loud!

by The Beauty Thesis on 1:51 PM

OMG ! LOL ! GTFOWTBS ! Really? RLY ? Yes, this is how many people communicate nowadays. Can't blame them, you can only fit so many ch...

Apparently, many people were upset with Cheryl Cole and L'Oreal over her commercial for their shampoo as told by NY Daily News. Whatever! People really think those adverts on telly are 100% authentic? If so, they should have no access to any advertising at all. We are influenced, no matter how we hate it, by the things stimulated by one of our senses. I don't get the hype about who's hair is real, fake, natural, etc. Whatever makes people feel good radiates through there personality. Salty people are usually unhappy somewhere, and take it out on others as self reflection is painful.

So, lately everyone is doing the clip in extensions. I don't know why but I'll outline three of many types of extensions/weaves for you.

Clip Ins: Most popular in certain circles.
Sew Ins: Popular in ethnic hair predominantly.
Fusions....

So first we start with the clip ins. I defy you to turn on YouTube and not find a video about clip in hair extensions. They are like the answer to world peace right now. I don't think there's enough Remy or synthetic produced in the world to meet the demand for these wefts. These are easiest to apply, requires a intermediate level of skill and can be done within minutes. All that is required is your hair must match the wefts, unless you're going for a different style, clips (Sally's has them) and thread. You attach the clips to the ends of the wefts, and center across the nape, occipital (mid brain) temples, etc. You can do a full head, half, or just clip in for added color (Nicki Minaj).

Clip ins are fun! There's more flexibility and, if done properly, minimal damage to the hair.
I would not recommend clips for anything other than DAILY wear. Unless you have very thick hair, over time the weight of the clips will wear your hair down. In addition, if you aren't patient enough with them, in an attempt to remove them you may take some of your own strands with you. I understand the point is to make thin hair appear thicker, but it's not a good method as thin hair, being less dense, doesn't leave much for the clips to adhere to.

(clip ins)

Sew ins are really popular in the Afro textured community. You can attach partial or a full head of hair with this technique. You begin by braiding your hair, in cornrows, around your head at the places you will attach the weft. Then you take a needle (Sally's or any beauty supply store who sells hair) and thread and attach the weft to the hair. This is a tricky technique if you are new to extensions. Most hair dressers are familiar, but there are people who are weave specialists who can make you do a double take.

I like sew ins, because they don't slide down, become unhinged, feel uncomfortable, and, (if done properly) don't harm or manipulate your own hair. You can design the cornrows in ways to blend your own hair so that you have a natural part, thus making it less obvious you have extensions. Or, you can do a full head and attach a closure, it all depends on what you are trying to achieve. I have heard horror stories of people getting their hair and the thread confused which wound up in the person's hair getting cut instead of the thread. Choose your beautician wisely. You can wear this style a lot longer than clip ins, depending on the rate of your own hair's growth. As your hair grows, the extensions will need to be redone.

(sew ins)

FUSIONS!!!!! oh my goodness...I feel myself getting ill writing about this technique. I've used the red to emphasize the threat level for this particular method. It requires a HIGHLY SKILLED stylist. Do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions. How do I care for this? How do you remove them? Will this cause damage to my own hair? How long have you been doing this? Would this be sufficient for my length, texture, etc.? Hell, ask them if they would do this process to their mother, sister, daughter. Whatever you need to feel comfort because I have yet to see a person's own hair benefit from this process. There are several ways to infuse the hair to your own. Some do it strand by strand (Hollywood or high rolling) or there are the "pinching" which is shown below. You take tiny sections of your own hair, which are clamped together with the extensions throughout the head. This style looks the best, it's the Rolls Royce, but the maintenance is a bitch. You really have to follow instructions on the care and maintenance. It is also important to have a patient, highly skilled stylist remove these from your hair. As your hair grows, these will need to be re done, but it's very aesthetically pleasing. It's similar to comparing lash extensions and false eyelashes, one looks natural and requires gentle treatment AT ALL TIMES, while the other is more forgiving and less natural.

(fusions)

Again, I've been there and done it all, and had it done for me. I love to experiment and try new and innovative things with my appearance. I don't really take myself too serious, there is no paparazzi following me, I'm not being ambushed for a makeover by anyone, and nothing I've done has been permanent. If I totally ~~fuck~~ mess up, I can shave it off and start over. I don't advise doing so, but heck, Britney made it look fun!