The Ultimate Guide to Hair Extensions
In recent years the popularity of hair extensions has only gone up - but from the consumer perspective, it’s not so noticeable. What people aren’t saying, is that hair extensions are now everywhere - customers are using hair extensions for length, colour and thickening, and the effect is more natural than ever. Modern methods means that customers coming in for a full head, or for just 10/20 bonds will rock their hair extensions with their friends and family being none the wiser - the effect? Someone who knows them will probably say “Your hair looks really good today”.
With so many brands and options to choose from, we’ve sat down with industry experts to deep dive the topic and share our favourite places in London for hair extensions.
Let’s break down different hair extensions and application methods for every hair type.
Jay Birmingham, celebrity hairdresser and hair extension specialist behind known and loved stars such as Maura Higgins, guides us through the different hair types and applications processes.
“When it comes to extensions, you have lots of different options depending on hair type, texture and desired look. It is important to ensure you fit the correct type of extensions for your client depending on their hair type” So how should you match according to Jay Brimingham?
If your clients has fine hair
For clients with fine hair I always recommend tape extensions. This is due to the seam of the tape extensions being ‘scalp effect’ meaning if the client's hair is finer in certain areas, the extensions won’t be visible. Rooted colours also work really well for clients with fine hair as there is no visible join.
If your client has bespoke colour
Beautyworks offer a wide range of rooted and mixed shades which make this process very smooth. From dark to light shades they have over 45 colour options they have something to suit everyone. To ensure you can match the clients colour expectations I recommend a colour consultation prior to the appointment to allow you time to order the correct colour for them and discuss their bespoke colour.
If your client wears their hair up a lot
For clients that like to wear their hair up a lot I like to suggest my signature ‘Pick n Mix’ method. This includes a mixture of tapes at the front of the head and some Fusion Bonds towards the back of the head. This ensure the extensions will be as discreet as possible when tying their hair up and they will get that seamless effect every time.
If your client wants low commitment
For those looking for low maintenance extensions I recommend fusion bonds as they are very small and discreet. This low commitment method has to match the client's lifestyle. For example, if a client has a bob I wouldn’t recommend 20 inch fusion bond extensions as this would be very difficult for them to manage. I advise working with what the client has, maybe add some thickness with a few bonds or add colour splashes with tapes. Clip In Extensions are also great for a low commitment style as they can be applied and removed at the client’s own convenience.
Is applying hair extensions to textured hair a different journey altogether?
Afope Atoyebi, R&D Specialist, Extensions Expert and qualified trichologist (one of few Black trichologists in the UK) explains to us the history behind hair extensions for textured hair. “Wearing extensions isn’t anything new to black women. It is something our mothers did, as did their mothers, and theirs before them. So we’re not new to this. The problem, however, is that black women have always known that wearing hair extensions meant that we would have to either (a) alter our natural hair texture in order to blend it with the extensions or (b) have to hide our natural textures entirely under a wig. Achieving the former usually required methods that would damage the hair, for a less than perfect blend at best. The latter, though a wonderful option when used properly, has done irreparable damage to countless hairlines from improper use”. The solution? Hair extensions that are specifically created for textured hair (read more about the RUKA brand below).
A lot of clients have experienced hair thinning post Covid, can hair extensions step in to help?
“Hair thinning is very common and can happen for many reasons, it can happen due to more tangible reasons and is something that can be overcome” shares with us Sarah McKenna, director of hair extension specialist salon Vixen & Blush. They offer a Grow Your Own program “designed to help clients’ own hair improve and grow stronger while wearing hair extensions at the same time to regain confidence. Having hair extensions allows you to vastly reduce heat styling pressure on your own hair. This helps the ends of the hair from eroding so that any growth at the root translates into longer, thicker hair.”
How should you care for your hair extensions?
The maintenance behind hair extensions is not as tricky as you might first believe, when using Virgin Hair - the hair will require almost very identical care as your natural hair. Extensions specialist Stevie Holland from Salon64 has shared her golden rules for maintaining hair extensions:
Golden Rules
Always brush your hair before shampooing your hair extensions.
Use a wide-tooth comb to comb out any tangles or knots remembering to avoid the bonds
Be gentle when shampooing, imagine your cleaning your head rather than the hair itself.
Even the best hair needs to be well nourished, so let the conditioner sit and soak into the midlenghtns to ends of your extentions. Try to use a treatment once a month to keep hair extensions soft and shiny.
Plait your hair into 2 braids before bed to prevent tangling and matting at the root area.
Avoid
Avoid salt water and chlorine water as it is very drying and can discolour the hair extensions.
Try not to use heated tools such as hair dryers, straighteners and curling tongs on a regular basis and certainly not daily.
Avoid using styling products that contain wax, oil, silicone and excessive alcohol around the bonds as these products weaken the extensions and encourage them to slip out the hair.
Our 5 Favourite London Hair Salons for Hair Extensions
Gielly Green
About the salon: For a salon experience like no other, visit the flagship salon in Marylebone. The indulgent luxury salon founded by Shai Greenberg boasts a highly experienced team of stylists, colourists and beauty experts, many who have worked on the international stage, to create an outstanding experience and exceptional level of service to clients, whatever client requirements may be.
Why we love it: An award-winning London hair and beauty salon, Gielly Green is the perfect place for a set of hair extensions. The salon uses high-quality hair from Great Lengths which stocks over 40 colours for the perfect colour match. They’re also uniquely one of the only London salons which uses the cold fusion method which means that instead of using hot glue on the hair, which can damage fine hair, hi tech ultrasonic waves softened the bonds into a seal around sections of hair. These seals can be rolled into a shape similar to a grain of rice or rolled flat to keep the extensions discreet.
Visit Gielly Green here.
Live True London
About the salon: Live True London began as a single hair salon in Clapham under a railway arch. They’ve since expanded to four locations in London – Clapham, Vauxhall and Brixton - and their newest location in Soho. Live True is a family business run by two sisters in law, Kirsten and Valerie.
Why we love it: Live True is best known for its gorgeous balayages - being experts in the technique, they are the salon to visit if you’re looking for a colour change without colouring your hair as thanks to their skill, they know how to create beautiful baleyages with hair extensions. Live True offers a full hair extension service to their clients including cutting, styling and colouring with a range of hair extensions from leading industry experts; Beauty Works, Zen Hair and Hairdreams.
Visit Live True here.
Andy’s Salon Wimbledon
About the salon: Named as one of the best hair salons in Wimbledon Village, their colourists and stylists pride themselves on listening to and satisfying the needs of their clients by creating effortless and wearable hair, with an artistic and creative flair that never goes out of style.
Why we love it: Andy’s Salon has exceptional standards and offers great care and attention to each of its clients - as such, they use multi-tonal, carefully sourced hair selected for its fine strands from The London Hair Lab and Great Lengths in both keratin bonds and micro rings. The salon is family-run, so it’s no surprise clients quickly become part of that family.
Visit Andy’s Salon here.
Inanch London
About the salon: Inanch London is a multi-award winning boutique salon in the heart of Fitzrovia London known as a haven for hair with an exceptional service. The salon’s USP is about focusing on “quality over quantity” giving ample space, comfort and privacy for every client. The salon is led by Inanch Emir, who has been an influential hairdresser for over 25 years and has made her mark in the British Hairdressing industry in the specialised field of hair extensions.
Why we love it: Inanch London prides itself on its team of professionals, who take care of every detail so that their clientele leave with healthy, glamorous hair as well as a memorable experience. The salon is world renowned for their expertise in hair extensions (current celebrity clients include Maya Jama, Rochelle Humes and Alex Scott) so you can be confident you’re in safe hands with their own brand Gold Class hair and a hair extension range to keep extensions in a great condition every day.
Visit Inanch London here.
Vixen & Blush
About the salon: Renowned as the home of natural-looking Hair Extensions, Vixen & Blush was founded in 2011 by Sarah McKenna. The salon leads the way in natural-looking hair extensions while caring for clients own hair.
Why we love it: Vixen & Blush has built its reputation based on using only the highest grade of human hair available anywhere in the world. In their flagship they have their very own in-house London Hair Lab which means no client ever has to wait for hair! They offer same day consultations and fittings and clients can have a look at all the shades available. To help clients achieve hair goals without breaking the bank, they offer Klarna pay in 3 in salons and online.
Visit Vixen & Blush here.
Top Hair Extensions Brands
Great Lengths
Great Lengths is a family business with over 25 years heritage. Creating ethical, superior quality hair extensions, enhancing everybody’s own natural beauty and confidence. All Great Lengths hair is sourced from Indian temples where the hair is voluntarily donated as part of a ritual process called tonsuring. The hair is then cleansed and purified ensuring the cuticle seals in moisture and protects the hair from environmental damage, guaranteeing that the hair is matt and tangle free. Great Lengths have a dedicated team of master colourists who do every process by hand. From checking the osmosis baths, colouring, hand blending from 8 base shades to create the full colour range, to the brushing of the hair, whilst ensuring the cuticle remains in the same direction throughout. Great Lengths' de-pigmentation process sees colour molecules gently removed by osmosis and then replaced. The hair is then hand blended to create over 90 shades including 28 blondes, rooted, flowstrand and fashion colour effects. The brand offers the unique Ultrasonic Touch Cold Application Technology.
The London Hair Lab
The London Hair Lab is a salon-exclusive brand offering the highest quality hair extensions for high end hairdressers. Alongside the very best quality, The London Hair Lab hair shades are more true-to-life. The hair extensions are made to reflect current colour trends with lots of dimension and rooted shades ensuring better blending. The brand offers extensive Habia-approved education and training through an individualised approach of a “Master Class”, bringing experienced stylists from different salons who can discuss their approach and share their knowledge. Thanks to the fact that hair is available in pack sizes starting at just five strands, stylists are able to use a variety of shades of an individual client to create a natural finish.
RUKA
RUKA hair products are designed with textured hair in mind. Celebrating black women, RUKA create curls and coils in extensions, perfected to accurately match curl type, using a steam method that accurately shapes extensions. It was important at RUKA to divorce the ideas that wearing extensions should be synonymous with either having to damage or hide textured hair. In creating a range of extensions that accurately match the breathtaking range of curly, coily, and kinky textures, black women finally get to wear extensions as just that - extensions of their own hair. Offering these textures in a range of attachment styles (clip ins, ponytails, bundles, and wigs) also now gives them the freedom to explore the full versatility of whatever hairstyles they desire to wear. Easily, and without having to sacrifice the health of our hair, or cover its beauty.
Beauty Works
Beauty Works hair extensions are designed with professionals in mind. With over ten years of supplying the highest quality hair extensions, Beauty Works offer a wide variation of world-leading fast and effective, damage free hair extension methods. With an award-winning collection of products, Beauty Works supply the world's most respected and trusted salons. Their diverse collection of hair extensions offers a portfolio of stunning colours and lengths from 14” to 28”. Beauty Works partners with salon professionals that specialise in hair extension methods including micro ring, i-tip application, pre-bonded Keratin extensions, weft-in weave extensions and tape in extension application.
Gold Class
Uniting the worlds of hair extensions and trichology, Inanch Emir launched premium quality hair extensions Gold Class, which she is now offering to very selective salons across the UK backed with an accredited training program covering application, maintenance, aftercare and basic principles of trichology - one of her other passions. Gold Class’s aftercare range ensures clients’ tresses remain in beautiful and healthy condition further enhancing the Gold Class extensions experience. Getting into a good hair care routine with the right products will prolong the life of the hair extensions as well as maintaining the integrity and optimum health of the client’s own hair. The key to the Gold Class hair care range is the “moisturising” aspect of each product rehydrating the extensions and preventing dry ends and hair breakage. This is in two stages; firstly hydrating the hair to allow it to function and maintain it’s elasticity allowing styling of the hair. The second stage is to lock the moisture in to enhance the brilliance and lustre of the hair.
Showpony
Showpony Professional is a premium Hair Extension company built on an extensive family history of over 35 years of combined experience in premium hair extensions and wig manufacturing, now distributed in the UK by Sweetsquared. Founder and CEO, Stephanie Mason was exposed to the creative world of wig and accessories importing which was her family’s business, therefore developing an interest in the fashion and beauty industry at a young age. At the forefront of hair trends and fashion, Showpony Professional Hair Extensions are seen as the go-to hair extension brand that exudes luxury in every way. Known and trusted for its outstanding quality, innovative range of products, excellence in education and consultation techniques, safe application methods, leading customer service and marketing support, clients can be blissfully immersed in the premium world that is Showpony.
Hairdreams is the leading international luxury brand in professional hair lengthening and thickening systems headquartered in Graz, Austria. Hairdreams only uses refined, hand-selected 100% real human hair, that is characterized by the extraordinary healthy, natural-looking appearance and feel of the hair, resulting in a natural bounce and elasticity. The hair is purchased around the world based on strict ethical principles. It is tested with extensive Hairdreams quality control standards and patented with the most gentle processing method. With such strict guidelines, Hairdreams is recognized for its unparalleled hair quality attracting international top stylists as exclusive partners working solely with Hairdreams lengthening and thickening systems.