There’s more to hair extensions than instant sex appeal and a dent in your wallet. Hair extensions are a premium method of self-defense.

"Say what?", you ask incredulously. It's true, claims Yahoo News. We recently heard the miraculous tale of a young woman whose life was saved by a weave. Her ex-boyfriend, less than thrilled about their breakup, decided to stick it to his ladylove with a bullet in the head. Luckily, the bullet tangled up in her extensions, landing millimeters away from the scalp.

I've been a believer long before this news broke. In fact, dearest ChickAdvisor readers, I have been sporting a weave for the last five months and I f-ing love it. After a series of hair cuts left my hair short and shorter, I finally committed to getting a little help in the length department. Countless hours of research, consultations and tears (mainly due to outrageous price quotes), I was a bona fide expert. Here’s what I learned:

Clip In Hair Extensions

What they are: Pieces of hair that clip into your own as close to the scalp as you can get

Pros: Fantastic temporary solution for an event or night of debauchery.

Cons: Difficult to put in properly on one’s own.

Verdict: Ideal for a chick who already has the length she desires and is namely looking for volume.

My Tip: Go to any beauty wholesaler (I go to Cosmetic World ~ 623 Yonge St in Toronto) and get yourself a bag or two of hair and some clips. Sew clips into hair yourself (using standard thread) and have your stylist cut the hair for you. You may be left with a bunch of pieces depending on your cut (I had 9 in total), so I suggest bringing a few different colours of nail polish to dab on the inside to mark their placement on your head.


My hair before the extensions.


Fusion Hair Extensions

What they are: There are two main fusion methods. (a) Hot Fusion – uses a glue to attach extensions to hair; (b) Cold Fusion – uses a keratin-based polymer to bond extensions to root. This method is gentler and better suited for thinner hair.

Pros: Very natural look as bunches of hair are tiny and attachment site is virtually invisible; fusion hair extensions last up to 6 months.

Cons: Prone to falling out when under pressure - i.e. pulling caused by hair straightener. This method can also get quite pricey and leave hair broken at attachment site.

Verdict: While the look is very natural it’s just too expensive, especially in our current economic climate.

My Tip: Don't try to cut costs by going to somebody who advertises on sketchy message boards and has no portfolio to back up his/her work. A careless extensions technician will use low-grade hot glue which will irreversibly damage your hair. That being said, for the best cold fusion extensions, I recommend the Eurolocks system at Continental Hair.


My hair mid extensions.


Weft Extensions

What they are: Several inches-long tracks that are sewn into one’s hair at the root.

Pros: Takes a short time (1 – 2 hours) to put in and last for a month or two, so hair doesn’t get a chance to dread as can happen with longer-term systems.

Cons: Hard to get used to as unexpected pulling can cause headaches for some.

Verdict: A fairly good short-term solution because damage to existing hair is minimal.

My Tip: Pop a few painkillers the first night you get them done or you won’t be able to sleep on your back. For the best weft extensions in Toronto Caffery Van Horne is the place to be.


Ta da!  The finished product.


Godiva Hair Extensions

What they are: Individual bunches of hair sewn in as close to the root as possible.

Pros: This system lasts for 6 months and looks incredibly natural. Also, there’s very little pressure on one’s own hair so breakage is minimal.

Cons: It's important to condition the ends properly with a long-term system like this. Since the extensions are essentially dead hair, they tend to dry out rather quickly and need a bit of extra TLC; leave-in conditioner is a must!

Verdict: The most well rounded hair extensions system, in my opinion; it looks very natural but is still among the most affordable options.  My hair tech, Liz created this technique.  Read my review here.

My Tip: Go a little bit longer at first since you’ll want to get regular trims (over the 6 months) to insure that ends look nice and clean. Before booking a cut with your stylist, make sure he/she knows how to cut extensions.

*Please note I only looked into methods that use real human hair. 

Have you tried extensions?  What advice would you give to others looking to get them?

by Olga Barsky