Hair extension

Hair extension with real hair

Hair extension is a term for various methods of making one's own hair on the head appear stronger and longer with strands of real or synthetic hair. The English technical term is hair extensions . In Germany, this service is mainly offered by hairdressers due to the regulations of the Chamber of Crafts . In some federal states, however, chambers of crafts also grant non-professional persons “exemption permits restricted to hair extensions”.

Hair types

Premium hair

Real hair

Untreated, European cut hair is best suited. Because this is available in insufficient quantity and quality, cut hair from India is often used, the color of which is matched to European hair by pretreatment. First the hair is bleached so that it loses its original color, then it is dyed with ordinary textile dye - so the color is not washed out. Indian hair is most similar to the consistency of European hair due to its genetic relationship. The reason for this is the elliptical cross-section, which is very similar to that of European hair. Large amounts of hair come from India, as traditional Hindu pilgrims there offer their hair as an offering. This hair is often also called " temple hair ", as this ritual sacrifice of the hair mostly takes place in temples.

The requirements for human hair are high if it is to be of high quality: On the one hand, the alignment should be maintained so that all hair ends and all hair roots are together. With the right alignment, the cuticle of the hair is also preserved, which naturally protects the hair and makes it last longer. On the other hand, the natural hair color should be retained as far as possible so that hair does not have too many layers of color and the hair is generally of higher quality. Such high quality hair is also called Remi hair (or Remy hair ). In the hair industry, even the last hair is processed: even hair that is inferior or that has been combed out in the production of high-quality second hair is reused. This is then of inferior quality and is marked accordingly. The cuticle of this hair is peeled off in an acid bath so that the hair does not become matted or look like teased after brushing. Indian women do not color their hair with the hair colors known to us, which contain oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide, but mostly use henna dyes, which consist of vegetable colors. Although these do not attack the hair so much, they are difficult to lighten, which is why hair colored this way is also classified as inferior.

Synthetic hair

Synthetically produced hair is less expensive to manufacture and is therefore used for cheaper work. When it comes to synthetic hair, a distinction is made between two types of hair: synthetic hair and kanekalon fiber hair. Both types are made completely synthetically, but differ in their characteristics. While Kanekalon Fiber hair is very high quality and can be washed, blow-dried, curled and straightened without scorching, this is not possible with synthetic hair. This cannot even be washed with water - a dry shampoo is required for this. In addition, synthetic hair matted very quickly. Synthetic hair can generally not be colored.

Working method

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Foreign hair attachment (film)

With a hair extension, foreign hair (synthetic or real hair) is integrated into your own hair using various methods. There are warm methods that use some form of heat and cold methods (including mechanical). With the cold methods, the fastening is carried out using plastic connections, metal connections, clips, adhesive strips or by braiding or sewing in. Another possibility is the incorporation of wefts, in which one works in rows. The fastening takes place mainly on the back of the head so that enough of your own hair falls from the top of the head over the connection points. When modeling with heat, heat tongs, hot pods, hot guns, shrinkies (shrink tubes), wax, thermoplastic or a silicone base at around 190–200 ° C are used; with ultrasound, bonds are briefly heated at the molecular level. Air pressure or laser treatments are also warm methods of hair extensions. One often hears the term " keratin " in connection with hair extensions and bondings. However, the term is not really correct, because the adhesive connection in bondings is a thermoplastic, not keratin. The term is used to suggest to customers that the adhesive is a substance that is also found in human hair.

Duration

The durability of a hair extension varies greatly and depends on the method used, the quality of the hair and the hair growth of the wearer. On average, human hair grows about an inch per month. While inexpensive replacement hair can usually only be worn once, it is possible to reprocess high-quality hair - regardless of the method - and wear it again. Hair extensions done with warm methods or the microring method can be worn for about three months. With good quality and depending on your hairdressing habits, the extensions can stay in the hair for up to six months. It is only important that the bondings hold and the connection points can be covered well. With many methods of hair extension, such as wefts and wefts, this is done by "raising" the extensions. After about four to six weeks, the hair has grown so long that the connection points are visible again, so the extensions are removed and reinserted further up into the scalp hair. Depending on the hair type, so much of your own hair usually falls out after about six months due to normal hair loss (up to 100 hairs per day) that the strand of your own hair has become so thin in relation to the second strand of hair that it can no longer be held and falls off. It doesn't just fall out here, but usually combs its way out by getting caught on the bristles of the comb and then simply pulling it out. The durability of the extensions can also be drastically reduced if the hair is not properly cared for. Ingredients of many care products are not suitable for the connections of the hair extensions. These are, for example, alcohol and oils. Alcohol and oil attack the connection points of the bonds and make them brittle or sticky. It is therefore advisable to completely avoid care products that contain oil or alcohol or only use the product in lengths and tips, so that the bondings are left out during care. Many hairdressers and manufacturers advertise that they can be worn for more than six months before the hair extension has to be removed or replaced. This number is unrealistic as the bonds would then be almost at chin level and could no longer be covered. Provided that it is well cared for, the matting of the second hair is not to be expected, it just has to be kept from drying out. For brushing hair with extensions, special brushes are used that have flexible bristles and thus avoid bonding. The incorporation of the strands or tresses takes different lengths of time depending on the method used and the amount of hair used. On average, you can expect a training period of two to four hours.

Methods

Braided strands of color

Basically, the many different hair extension methods can be divided into two groups, the warm and cold or mechanical methods. With the warm method, heat - in some form - is used to connect the own hair with the hair strands to be incorporated. With laser or ultrasound methods, for example, no direct heat is used, but the methods are still warm methods. A thermoplastic material is usually used as the connecting material. The connection is released by means of yellowed alcohol, which dissolves the adhesive points again. With the cold method, the own hair is mechanically connected to the hair strands using metal or plastic sleeves. The connection is established quickly and holds very firmly. Loosening the connection is often very easy, since only the sleeves have to be removed and no adhesive residue remains on the hair. However, in contrast to thermoplastic adhesives, these sleeves are hard and can be perceived as annoying, especially when lying down. Another special feature of the sleeves is that they are equipped with a rubber coating or silicone on the inside so that your own hair is not pushed off by the bare metal and could break at this point. With both methods - warm and cold - there are again practices in which individual strands with a few millimeters in diameter are processed and methods that process entire strands of hair several centimeters wide.

Single strands

The following methods only use individual strands of hair that are roughly the same in width and fullness. Cold and warm methods are mixed here.

Tape Extensions System

With this method, two tapes, each with one strand, are attached to a strand of your own hair. One tape is placed below the strand of your own hair, the other is stuck precisely above the strand of your own hair onto the lower tape. The term sandwich method is derived from this procedure, as the own hair lies between the two tapes and the extensions attached to them. Compared to other methods, the tape extension system is particularly gentle on your own hair and does not cause hair breakage when inserting the extensions, removing the hair extension or thickening the hair. A cleaning cut is also not necessary. With the Tape Extensions System, full hair extensions and hair thickening can be done in under an hour. Günter Alex , founder and one of two managing directors of the German hairtalk GmbH, who developed and established the method in 2005, is considered to be the inventor of the tape extension system .

Bonding method: With the bonding method, the hair is processed in individual strands and shrink-wrapped using the keratin platelets. The individual hair bundles hold several hundred hairs, depending on the method. The individual hairs of a strand are connected to one another at the top. These connection points are called bondings. They are used to connect with your own hair and consist of a thermoplastic polymer that is heated using heat tongs. The material of the connection becomes viscous (like honey) and can be twisted around the own hair. The bonding material then hardens again immediately. The resulting joints are round. It is a warm method.
Air Pressure Superbond: With this processing method, the strands are not processed individually, but in sets of up to ten pieces. The strands are applied to a film that is pressed onto your own hair using air pressure. The resulting connection points are flat. The Airpressure method is only offered by Great Lengths .
High Speed Selector (Dual Power): With this method, all strands are worked in individually by hand. The connection points on the strands of hair (bondings) consist of a thermoelastic polymer that is heated with the help of heat tongs. The material of the joint becomes viscous and can be twisted around your own hair. The bonding material then hardens again immediately. The resulting joints are round.
Laser projector XP: With the fully automatic device, up to eight individual strands are worked in at the same time. The connection points made of a thermoplastic polymer are heated one after the other in one operation, connected to the own hair and cooled down for rapid hardening. The resulting joints are flat and very narrow. The Laserbeamer XP method is only available from the manufacturer Hairdreams . This is also a warm method.
Easyhair: Double plastic-coated metal sleeves made of pure copper (diameter 1.5 mm, 8 mm long) in different colors are folded twice in a patented process, making them extremely small and thin-walled. This cold method is one of those with the smallest joints. Thanks to the special coating, this process is very gentle on the hair and durable. The system was developed by the Austrian company Blond & Braun and is sold worldwide. The corresponding real hair (Euromix hair) is also manufactured and supplied by the company itself. In the USA the product is sold under the label eurolocs .
Micro ring: Small metal rings (approx. 3 mm wide, 2–4 mm in diameter) coated with a plastic layer that matches the color of the hair. The round bonds at the end of the extensions are inserted into these rings at the hairline with the help of a needle, then the rings are briefly pressed firmly together with pliers and thus hold for several months. Microrings are used for mechanical or cold methods.
Loop extensions: The loop extensions method works similarly to the microring method. In this case, however, no needle is necessary, as there is a loop on the second strand of hair through which half the amount of strand to be attached is pulled through. Then the ring is pressed together firmly with special flat zip & go pliers.
Eurolocks: Method as with microring, only the Eurolocks are up to 1 cm long and, due to the larger surface, also somewhat more durable than the microrings, but can also be used e.g. B. be perceived as annoying when lying down due to the size.
Shrinkies: Here, the round bonds at the end of the extensions at the hairline are put in around 1 cm long transparent shrink tubes (shrinkies). These are heated at 80–120 ° C with the connector until the shrinkies have contracted enough that they hold for several months. This method is one of the warm methods.
Ultrasonic: Although the ultrasound does not use direct heat, it is a warm method. The ultrasonic waves change the molecules of the thermoplastic material and thus the consistency of it. In this way, the second hair is firmly connected to your own hair. With renewed ultrasound treatment, the connecting pieces that hold your own hair and real hair together can be loosened again.
Brazilian method

Weft

In the following methods, whole hair tresses are processed that are significantly wider than the individual strands of hair. Cold and warm methods are also mixed here.

Clip extensions: The so-called clip-in extensions are a particularly quick way of lengthening hair. They are simply wedged in the hair. The clips are each color-matched to the hair color so that they are not noticeable. Professionals tease the roots of their own hair before attaching the extensions so that the hair extension lasts better and longer. They are either made from real or synthetic hair. They are available in many color variations, can be dyed (as real hair), cut, teased and curled and are gentle on your own hair.
Skin Weft: (Gluing method) Here, hair that is sewn onto a fine PU tape is attached to the head using adhesive strips (tapes). This method can be installed independently and does not damage the hair. It is especially advantageous for people who have light or thin top hair, as the skin wefts on the top of the head cannot be seen when installed correctly.
Weft: These are similar to Skin Wefts, but have a machine-torn edge that is slightly thicker than the Skin Wefts. However, they are ideal for achieving more volume on the head. However, they are easier to recognize on the top of the head with light outer hair if the installation has not gone ideally. You can even put together your own tailor-made clip-in sets from braids, which can then be attached like micro-rings. To do this, they just have to be cut to the desired length and sewn onto a clip.
Weaving: With this method, real hair tresses are permanently attached to your own hair. Usually a braid that is tightly braided to the scalp is used as the basis and the braids are then sewn onto the braided braid, the so-called cornrow, with a special thread. This then happens in several sections, depending on the amount of hair you have.

Ethnic methods

The following methods are also suitable for the hair of African-born wearers and are e.g. B. Popular with African American women who want not only longer, but also smoother, more manageable hair. Colored foreign hair is also often used. All of the following methods are based on manual labor rather than modern industrial fastening techniques. When the foreign hair is braided through, the ends are often sealed with boiling water.

Invisible braids and micro braids: With this technique, a very fine strand of synthetic or real hair is braided by hand in three strands with an extremely thin strand of your own hair. The strand added to your own hair is then knotted. In the case of Invisible Braids, the braid section is only about 2½ cm long. With micro braids it is significantly longer.
Tree braids: With this method, foreign hair is woven into fine cornrows without any further fasteners . Commonly these braids are also known as Rasta braids.
Senegalese twists: With these techniques, the foreign hair is twisted together with the own hair in two strands (with the same direction of rotation) so that the two strands twist around each other like a cord. If the strands are only very thin, they are called micro twists . These fall more naturally and have a longer shelf life, but require a lot more work than Senegalese twists. Both techniques are often only performed with your own hair.

Other methods

Clip in ponytail: These are several strands of hair that are tied in a braid on a rubber band. This type of hair extension is used by women with medium-length hair to be able to wear a braid.
Loose strands: These are often intensely colored and are braided into braids with your own hair as accents.
Dread locks: With dread locks, your own hair is deliberately matted from the roots to the tip. Often, real or synthetic hair is also incorporated here so that the dreads become even thicker. There are several methods and options for general processing.

literature

Brigitte Baumgartner: Design for hairdressers, planning and design of hairstyles . Stam, Cologne a. a. 2006, ISBN 3823701444

Individual evidence

↑ hair extension? Who pays can. In: HairWeb. Juan Lopez, Maria Gehring, December 11, 2012, accessed December 29, 2012 .

↑ various authors: skin and hair, hairdressing specialist knowledge , European teaching aids, Nourney Vollmer GmbH & Co. KG; 4th edition 2008, ISBN 978-3-8085-6584-1 , page 115 f.

↑ Where does the real hair for hair extensions come from

↑ Expert opinion for the ultrasonic hair extension system. Great Lengths Haarvertriebs GmbH, accessed on December 30, 2012 (report by the Testing and Certification Body for Medical Technology, Graz University of Technology , from November 20, 2000, also as PDF).

↑ Hair Extension - Fixation & Care

↑ Dream Mane . In: Madame.de . ( madame.de [accessed on October 23, 2018]).

↑ Brazilian hair extension method. Retrieved October 23, 2013 .

↑ What are invisible braids? ; Invisible Braids Youtube Video; Invisible Braids Youtube Video

↑ What are Micro Braids? ; Invisible Braids ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (about the difference between Invisible Braids and Micro Braids); Micro Braids Youtube Video @1@ 2

↑ What is Tree Braiding?

↑ Senegalese Twists Tutorial Youtube-Video

Web links

Adrian Geiges, Christine Mortag, Antje Wewer: The Rapunzel Principle. In: Stern. stern.de, April 11, 2006, accessed December 30, 2012 .

[1] hair extension? Who pays can. In: HairWeb. Juan Lopez, Maria Gehring, December 11, 2012, accessed December 29, 2012 .

[2] various authors: skin and hair, hairdressing specialist knowledge , European teaching aids, Nourney Vollmer GmbH & Co. KG; 4th edition 2008, ISBN 978-3-8085-6584-1 , page 115 f.

[3] Where does the real hair for hair extensions come from

[4] Expert opinion for the ultrasonic hair extension system. Great Lengths Haarvertriebs GmbH, accessed on December 30, 2012 (report by the Testing and Certification Body for Medical Technology, Graz University of Technology , from November 20, 2000, also as PDF).

[5] Hair Extension - Fixation & Care

[6] Dream Mane . In: Madame.de . ( madame.de [accessed on October 23, 2018]).

[7] Brazilian hair extension method. Retrieved October 23, 2013 .

[8] What are invisible braids? ; Invisible Braids Youtube Video; Invisible Braids Youtube Video