Five years ago I decide to get hair extensions. I always wanted more and longer hair. But my hair is super thin and I don’t have a lot either. I had a lot of questions regarding hair extensions. Like will they show? Can you tell you have extensions in? How is the maintenance?

After having a consultation meeting I decided I’ll try it out. I started with tape extension, after 2 years we moved on to beaded extensions and then I got NBR and after that I had the Invisible bead extensions. I’m going to talk about the 4 different type of extension I had. But lets start with a picture of how my hair looked when I started the process of extensions. 

Tape extensions

The tape in extensions where super easy to instal it only took an hour. I liked the look of them and I had instant more and longer hair. I was so happy. It is recommended to come back every 6-8 weeks to move the extensions up. I always came back after 8 weeks. My hairstylist told me the hair would last for up to one year and then I would need new hair. This was true after one year I got me new hair.

I had the tape in extension for 2 years. Once in a while I had that the tape got loose and I could pull the extesnions out but you couldn’t tell that I had lost some extensions. Because the tape extension where all in small section placed throughout your head. At the beginning they were tight and it felt weird on your head but after a day or so it was ok. All in all I liked having those extensions in. I didn’t knew any other ones. I do think that the tape damaged my hair a bit. I mean your hair is taped in between 2 extensions pieces.

Link weft minis (Perfectress)

After two year my hairstylist told me about some new extension. They were beaded one. Were similar to the tape ones just that they were secured different in your hair. I was ok lets try it. I’m always open for new things. The process was mostly the same. The hair was on small link wefts. The good thing was that there was no more tape. The application took the same time then tape extensions. I do have to say the hair was softer and just felt better. The recommended length until next move up was 6-8 weeks as well. But with those hair extensions I could go up to 10 weeks. This saved me some money in the long run.

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The first night of those extensions was hard. Somehow every time I moved my head it kinda hurt. But this was only the first night. The extensions lasted for more then a year. I was really happy with them. I did had its well that some came loose and I could slide them out. But they held up really well. I loved those extensions.

NBR (Natural beaded rows)

After the mini weft we went to the NBR extensions. I have to say it was weird. They are completely different then the tape or mini weft. The installation took longer and the extensions getting literally sewn into your hair. They getting sewn in on a string of beads who are tighten on your hair. With those extensions we also changed my hair color. So everything took longer.

These extensions sitting close to your scalp and are on one long string around your head. They come in thin strands and then you just add as many strands as you want to get the thickness/ fullness you desire.

I did like those extensions. But I also had problems wit them. If you think you have a string hanging around your head, there are only two pressure points and this is at the front over your ear. Yes they are sewn on the whole string but it has to start and end somewhere. I always had the problems on those pressure points. My skin is very sensitive and I was in quit some pain more then one time. Sometimes it really felt good for two weeks before it starts to hurt. I also have the problem that if a hair got sewn in the string that didn’t belong there I can feel it and it hurt as well. I would say after three weeks I was always going through my hair to pull out all the tiny hairs. I do have to get them over up between 6-8 weeks. In between of using my hair shampoo I had to use a clarifying shampoo, if I wouldn’t have done it the hair was hard to brush. I did love the feel of the hair and that it was on two strings and not all over your head.

Invisible bead extensions

My hair stylist told me about a new method for hand tied extensions, the invisible bead extensions. They got similar installation methods just that you can’t see any beads in your hair. This would be amazing when you wear your hair in a top knot, because you won’t see anything. I was super exited.

They felt the same way on my head then the NBR extensions. I had the same problems as well. On the from of my head and the little hairs that starting to hurt. These one where little worse for me actually. I did had one of the front pull my hair out completely. The strain was too much. When I tried to do a top knot, I couldn’t do it. Yes you didn’t see the beads but you could see the line of the extensions. I think this has something to do with that my hair is so thin and fine that I did not have enough hair to cover the extensions. Because on some places on my head you were not able to see the extensions when I had a top knot. I also had to brush my hair almost every hour or they would clump up like crazy. Think about a birds nest that is how it would look like. I did have to go in between 6-8 weeks for a move up. My hair shampoo I always used didn’t go well with those extensions. I tried so many different shampoos but nothing worked. I did love the thickness/fullness of the extensions thought.

Which do I like best?

So from all the extensions. It is hard because each had positive and negative attributes. But all in all I think the Perfectress link weft minis are my favorites. They lasted the longest, I didn’t need a move up as often and they were easy to take care of.

I do have to say I’m not using a lot of heat on my extensions. If I can I air dry my hair, I don’t use a curling iron. If I want my hair curly I braid it in the evening or after I washed them.

As of right now I don’t have any extensions in. My husband helped me take out my old ones because I couldn’t get them done. One thing I notice is that I my hair got thinner. It feels like I don’t have any hair on my head. But I also have to say the last time I had nothing in my hair was 5 years ago. I took a picture how the hair oks right now and it does look the same then 5 years ago. So I can’t believe I really don’t have a lot of hair.

Are extensions something for you? Well you have to make the decision for yourself. I can say that I’m more confident if I have extensions in. I just feel better. It gives me a confident boost. Also you can do so much more with your hair.

I would say if you decide to get extensions, do your research. Find a salon that is established and get a consultation. If you feel comfortable with that person and the price is ok for you then go for it. If something is off, go somewhere else. Asked friends or Bloggers who live in your area where they go to. I’m super happy with my hair stylist and I followed her from salon to salon in the past 5 years. You just have to have a good feeling with the person.

Until the next time…