Do Hair Extensions Damage Your Hair?

Do hair extensions damage your natural hair? it’s a fair question especially if you are considering getting hair extensions. The answer to that should be simple but it isn’t. Let’s talk about it:

Question #1: Do you hair extensions damage your natural hair?

That is a yes and no answer. Any type of hair extension: Tape-In, I Tip, K Tip or Sew In Weft extension will cause damage if not done by a professional who knows what they are doing. That might sound like an easy ask but trust us, it isn’t. In order to become a Master Specialist which is what our extensionists are, it takes close to a decade of ongoing education, trouble shooting and perfecting the techniques over and over again to ensure the extension is applied properly. Too many people are taking a weekend course, learning online or winging it then applying extensions on their clients.

Questions #2: What type of hair extension never causes damage if done correctly?

Sew In Weft….simple put it Sew In is the only type of hair extension that will not cause damage when initially done correctly and when the client sticks to an every 8 week maintenance schedule. When the hair extension is installed the extensionist is ensuring they are balancing the weight of the new hair evenly along the row they have created. Making sure it’s even won’t allow for the natural hair to pull out due to the weight. All sew in weft clients MUST stick to an every 8 week maintenance schedule. Because we are really good at what we do, our installation will last longer then 8 weeks before it starts to come apart. Waiting until the row comes apart or until it has holes is not the goal. When that begins to happen you are starting to damage the natural hair. The weight of the hair extension is not longer being anchored securely and the weight will pull at the root of the natural hair.

Question #3: What type of extensions cause the most amount of damage?

Again as we mentioned all type of hair extensions will cause damage if not done correctly. The most damaging types are Tape In and K Tip, tape in uses a sticky backing like the name suggests and K Tips are bonded using heat with keratin. Both are damaging due to user error, meaning clients love picking away at them when they start to grow out. They also think they can remove tape in’s themselves, how hard can it be to pull apart the 2 sticky pieces? they should NEVER be pulled apart, we do not pull them apart, we use a remover to kill the stickiness them gently remove the extension leaving the natural hair intact. K Tips get crunchy after they have been in for a time and clients will play with them. K Tips use a teeny tiny amount of your natural hair making it very fragile. Playing with it, twisting it about, pressing it in between your fingers is causing pulling at the root of your natural hair. We almost never use Tape In extensions unless the client insists or the natural hair is not suitable for any other kind of extension - Tape In extensions are always a last resort for us.