Let’s talk hair extensions.
I shared a post on everything you need to know about tape-in hair extensions, and to this day it’s one of my most-read posts. We all love reading tips on how to achieve the perfect blow out or the best products to add more volume and shine, but hair extensions are often the best way to give your hair that extra oomph you’re looking for!
I have been wearing extensions for nearly 10 years, and after years of tape-in extensions, it feels great having less hair to maintain since I removed them during quarantine- but I’m starting to miss them already!
My hair was always super healthy and natural in college. I got it cut about once or twice a year (yes, cutting it more would have been smarter), I had never colored my hair, and it was naturally pretty thick and long! However, I discovered clip-in extensions at SMU, and I was hooked!
After I found my first gray at 24 (not ashamed of this!), I started experimenting more with my hair by coloring it, tried tape-in extensions for a stint while I worked for a beauty start-up, went back to clip-ins, then the halo, then back to tape-ins. I started with a brunette gloss at a salon, fell in love with box dye (current shade: Dark Brown) from brunette to purple and more (still my preferred way of coloring), to a year of highlights going blonde at an amazing salon.
From this experience, I’ve learned A LOT about hair extensions and I want to share how to find the best type for your hair – whether you’re looking for everyday wear, a special occasion, or the ones that cause the least amount of damage.
The main reason I got tape-in extensions was to repair all the damage I did to my hair going blonde. I could tell my hair was getting thinner and breaking towards the last 12 months of my monthly coloring, but it wasn’t until my stylist turned my chair around and said “sorry, you need to go brunette again or you won’t have any hair left to color.” YIKES!
You can see a photo of my hair before I went brunette and after (this was not a hair cut, it was breakage), so I was relieved to put an end to my coloring streak and go back to my roots :)
One more thing to note about extensions and coloring – Since I color my hair at home from a box, I have colored my clip-ins, halo, and tape-ins (while they’re taped in) and it was so easy and didn’t damage or cause the extensions to fall out! Since all of these extensions are human hair, you can color treat them as you wish – though it’s best to start with a shade that matches your hair from the get-go to make it easiest!
No matter which extensions you use, it’s important to keep your natural hair healthy. A serum like FullyVital Hair Serum can help by strengthening your hair and improving its overall vitality, so it stays in good condition whether or not you’re using extensions.
Keep reading to learn how to find the best hair extensions for your lifestyle!
OCCASIONAL EXTENSIONS
CLIP-IN HAIR EXTENSIONS
Price: $143 for 18-inch (red hair photo below) or $114 for 14-inch (blonde photo below)
The most affordable hair extensions would definitely be clip-ins, and I swear by these. I wore them daily for years, convinced so many of my friends to wear them too, and have boxes and boxes of these in every shade in my cabinet. What I love about clip-ins is that they aren’t permanent, so you can wear them solely for special occasions, a night out, or daily.
I swear by these 18-inch extensions from Sally Beauty, and they look and feel so natural. If you wear them daily, a set will last for around a year. If you wear them occasionally, they’ll last for years.
Tips For Styling: Since you’re clipping them in yourself, they always look more natural curled so they blend better with your hair. When I first started wearing these and kept my hair straight, they were pretty noticeable (oops), but with practice and waves or curls, they blend SO well. Anytime you buy new extensions, they are so silky soft – almost too perfect – so they blend better after more washes and a LITTLE bit of heat damage.
These are super easy to style, because you can curl them before putting them in – a great way to pass time watching Netflix ;) I usually curl the extensions, then curl my “real hair”, split my hair into two sections with a clip, and clip these in after. They blend so well and I love them!
All of the extensions from this brand have streaks of varying colors, so surprisingly color matching is really easy! Sally’s has a sample of each color to help as well.
HALO EXTENSIONS
Price: ~$650
Another non-permanent option for hair extensions is The Halo. The biggest hair mistake I made in my 20s was aggressively coloring my hair to quickly go platinum blonde from black boxed dye. Not only did I spend a fortune on this, but I was severely damaging and breaking my hair with a year of chemicals.
My clip-in extensions were great at the beginning, but once my hair started getting weaker and thinning out a bit from the constant highlighting, the weight of the clip-ins was too much and was pulling out my hair – which was why I made a switch to the Halo. I never had a problem with this before, but if you have thin or heavily color-treated hair, this is something to consider when weighing the options between clip-ins or the Halo, according to Sara Millecam, a beauty expert at Beautiful Brows and Lashes.
What I loved about The Halo was that it rests on your head with a clear string. I was really concerned the string would be noticeable, but it disappeared and you could never tell! The string held the weight of the extensions, which kept it in place but also prevented damage. The only downsides to The Halo: 1.) It’s a lot more expensive than clip-in extensions and 2.) It’s not as secure.
Tips For Styling: Similar to the clip-in extensions, I curled my halo before putting it on – and curled my hair separately as well. You lift a section of your hair, place the halo on, drop your hair, then adjust the roots of your hair naturally to hide the string. It is SO easy to wear, easier to put on than clip-ins, and I loved mine!
It did fall off a couple times, so I sewed two little clips into the back of the halo for extra support to feel more confident, but it stayed in place without it! This is a great option for a night out or a special occasion, but really isn’t practical if you have an active lifestyle or plan to swim on vacation.
PERMANENT EXTENSIONS
TAPE-IN EXTENSIONS
Price: varies. The extensions were around $600ish, $150 for the first install, then $300 for moving them up every 3 months. Very fair pricing & highly recommend Reid James in Dallas!
If you read my post here, you will know I LOVE tape-in extensions. Since I was traveling all the time, I wanted extensions that I didn’t have to take on and off everyday, and these were a dream.
I had never had short hair, so I was pretty insecure about my chin-length hairstyle I was left with after my year of coloring and wore my Halo religiously. My hair looked so thin and fried when it was off, that I decided to invest in tape-ins again and it was the best decision I ever made!
I chose tape-ins because they were low-maintenance, I only had to get them moved up once every 3 months, my hair looked great everyday, the price was fair, and the tape was so light on my hair that it actually allowed my hair to grow back healthier since I wasn’t needing as many heat tools to style it.
I know a lot of people worry extensions can cause more damage, but for me, they saved my hair and I will recommend them to anyone needing a little TLC!
But be sure to use quality hair extensions from a reputable brand. For example, if you consider wearing Perfect Locks tape-in hair extensions, which are made from Remy human hair, they blend seamlessly with your natural hair and can be styled as you want.
Tips For Styling: Style these just like your normal hair. I limited my wash days to 2-3x a week and use dry shampoo, since it took longer to dry – but the added hair made my hair fuller and much easier to maintain.
To prevent tangles, I would either sleep in braids or use a silk pillowcase, and only brush with a Wet Brush for the most gentle styling. It’s super important to brush your hair when it’s wet (whether it’s post shower or an intense workout) to prevent tangles forming between the wefts. Aside from this, they are easy to maintain as my regular hair!
I can’t rave enough about tape-ins, and I have a feeling I will get them again soon :) To read more about tips, application, how long they last, why I trust Reid James in Dallas for the best extensions, pricing, care, and more, click here.
Woven Hair Extensions
Average price: $100-$600
If you’ve never heard of woven extensions, these are extensions that are basically braided into your hair. These work best for ultra-thick hair or curly hair. Even in my healthiest hair chapters, these would be too heavy on my hair and would cause a lot of damage. I personally don’t recommend these unless you have a very specific type of hair.
Micro Bead Extensions
Average price: $1,000+
Another type of permanent extensions known to cause less damage than others is micro bead extensions. A stylist will take a very thin amount of hair and attach it to yours with a bead, and clamp to seal the bead. Since there isn’t any fusion or glue, it’s a safer method – but I personally prefer tape-ins over these for price, maintenance, and overall hair health.
Bonded Extensions
Average price: $1500-$3000
The last type of extensions to mention are bonded extensions. These are one of the most common types of extensions, but do have a risk of damage. A stylist will use a thin weft of hair (similar to beaded extensions) and apply it to your hair with a hot bonding glue. While these tend to look ultra-natural, I have had friends who have had a lot of damage through this. I’m not saying they’re bad, because TONS of people love them, but personally I would prefer to stick with tape-ins because I trust them + they are a better price.
If you’re interested in trying extensions for a special occasion, you can’t go wrong with these clip-ins or the Halo. If you’re looking for an everyday style, the tape-ins are a game changer. Hope these tips help you find the perfect extensions! If you have any additional questions, let me know in the comments below!