HAIR EXTENSIONS
Maintenance for your hair extensions is crucial. If taken care of properly, human hair extensions can last for up to a year (though usually not for much longer than five months), whereas synthetic hair extensions typically last for about one to three months. During maintenance visits, a salon professional will either replace any extensions that may have fallen out or completely remove the extensions to accomodate for new hair growth, depending on what is necessary. You may also need a hair cut to help more realistically blend in your extensions with your current style.
The hair care professional who applies your extensions will inform you about what products are best for optimum maintenance of your hair extensions. Many salons use human hair extensions, which should be safe for most heating hair appliances. Your stylist will advise you in how to use curling irons, etc. so as not to damage or displace your extensions.
After your hair extension is complete, your stylist will let you know the standard protocol for optimum maintenance of your extensions. Generally, this includes wearing a cap while swimming and blow-drying your hair after showering or otherwise getting it wet. Also, braiding your hair before going to bed may help you to keep your extensions detangled.
There are two basic types of human hair used by salons: Remi (or Cuticle) Hair and Non-Remi Hair. Remi Hair is hair that has been cut off a donor's head and collected together in the exact way that it was cut off, allowing for all of the hair cuticles to be running in the same direction. Non-Remi Hair is typically collected from hair brushes, or hair that has been cut off a donor's head and has fallen to the floor. Remi Hair is thought to be of much higher quality and because of that it tends to be quite a bit more expensive than Non-Remi Hair.
Most hair extensions come from Europe and Asia, where women less frequently color their hair, making it more suitable for use as extensions. The "biggest" human hair donor countries are India, China, and Russia.
This largely depends on how long you want to keep your extensions attached and how you plan to style them. If you are looking for long-term extensions that you can style more or less freely with heated appliances, human hair is the choice for you. If you are only planning to keep your extensions in for a short amount of time, such as for a wedding or other celebration, then synthetic hair may be a better option due to its dramatically lower cost.
