The natural hair movement and protective styling phenomenon for African-American women have boosted the use of hair extensions. There has been also been a noticeable increase in hair loss in the use of hair extensions with many asking the question, is it hair loss or something bigger? Hair extensions have been incorporated into the regular styling routine of women for various reasons. They are primarily used to allow women to rest their natural hair from everyday styling and shield hair from excessive heat and straightening. Wearing hair extensions not only saves time but also allows women to invest in long-term styles which saves them time, money and offers convenience of styling.
Women lose hair for various and we also wear hair extensions for various reasons, but we must stop to think how the two are related. Has the hair industry misrepresented the benefits of wearing hair extensions or is it simply a case of user error on the part of beauty professionals?
Hair extensions are used in many forms such as weft tracks, wigs, braiding hair, clip ins, glue and tape in extensions and more! If you look at just about any magazine, television or social media post, you’ll see many women from every age group and ethnicity wearing some form of hair extensions. Truth is, many of us wouldn’t know life without wearing some sort of protective styling requiring hair extensions.
Like never before, we’ve seen ads offering products, services and procedures to help with hair loss and hair thinning. You’ve seen the commercials with expensive procedures and products that supposedly help women with the symptoms and condition of hair loss. Traction Alopecia is a totally preventable form of alopecia which causes hair loss due to pulling force being applied to hair. This typically happens with the use of hair extensions being applied too tight and causing the hair follicle to be pulled from the scalp. Although hair extensions are just one form of products used to help women maintain a level of confidence while dealing with hair loss, there are quite a bit of complications stemming from the application and care of hair extensions.
There are also a lot of misconceptions in information relayed to women about wearing hair extensions. One of the biggest misconceptions I’ve heard from women is that once they have extensions installed there’s no need to care for their natural hair. FALSE! If you wear hair extensions you must up the anti and pay very special attention to the hair underneath!
Ask these three questions before your next hair extension service and you just may save your hair from damaging results!
“Which method will be used to install the hair extensions.” Asking this question will be based on things such as the desired style you would like to achieve, how long you plan to wear the style and your ability to maintain the extensions.
Next you should ask your hair care professional “How long should I wear the hair extensions before removing them?” This information is important because many times, hair extension related hair loss is caused by wearing them way beyond the amount of time they should be worn.”
Lastly, ask your hair care professional “How should I care for my natural hair once the hair extensions are removed and before more extensions are added?” Over use of hair extensions over a period of time is also one of the contributing factors to hair loss. Your hair and scalp should have a break between applications in order to be cleaned, breathe and be strengthened!
Asking these questions will help you have an idea of what to expect from hair extension services and of course, save the hair from damage and hair loss!
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