Do Hair Extensions Harm Your Hair? What You Need to Know
Do Hair Extensions Harm Your Hair? What You Need to Know
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Do Hair Extensions Harm Your Hair? What You Need to Know
Hair extensions are a popular method of getting that long and thicker hair quickly, without having to wait for months. Be it one special occasion or as an integral part of your beauty treatment, extensions are sure to change your look. However, an age-old question most people ask is: do extensions damage the hair? After all, hair extensions could be just that great boost to your style, but with risks that you should consider before committing.
In this post, we'll talk about the risks of hair extension, how to reduce the damage, and what's important to remember as you decide whether to get extensions.
Hair Extensions: Types
Before you delve into the question of whether extensions harm your hair, it will be a good idea to get an idea of the various extension options. Not all extensions are created equal, and so that style which best suits your needs will play an important factor in how well your own hair withstands.
Clip-in Extensions: It is a temporary one, not permanent, clipped into a natural hair. As no chemical bonding or heat is required for fixing, it causes less damage when used responsibly.
Tape-in hair extensions: These extensions are stuck onto your own hair with adhesive tape. The procedure, thereby becomes semi-permanent and lasts for weeks. If the application and removal procedure is not done correctly, this could lead to a disastrous loss of hair through breakage and breakage or thinning.
Sew-In Extensions: These involve sewing extensions to braids into one's natural hair. If the braids are too tight, it would damage and cause traction alopecia, which is hair loss due to tension on the hair.
Fusion (Keratin) Extensions: These are bundles of hair bonded with keratin glue using a hot comb. Despite being very good alternatives because they can last longer, they may damage your hair in the long run due to burning from the processes of installation and removal.
Micro Bead (I-Tip) Extensions: These extensions are attached to your hair with the use of little beads or rings without glue and heat. When applied improperly, they cause stress on the hair follicles and may result in hair breakage or thinning.
How Do Extensions Damage Your Hair?
Now that we know the different types of extensions, let's get down to the bottom line: Do extensions really harm your hair? The answer is yes—they have the capability of harming your natural hair, but for the most part, it depends on the type of extensions one decides to use, the method of application, and proper care.
These are some of the ways that can cause damage by hair extensions:
1. Traction Alopecia
This is one of the main reasons extensions will damage your hair: traction alopecia. Traction alopecia is what occurs when there is excessive pulling force exerted on the hair follicle, causing hair loss. This can happen when it becomes too tight or from a long time period while wearing extensions. Using sew-in and tape-in extensions: if installed improperly, it will give pressure on the scalp, weakening the roots and gradually thinning or producing bald spots.
2. Breakage and Split Ends
Extensions can be pulling on your own hair, causing breakage mainly when they are too heavy for your hair type or if wrongly done.
Over time, this constant pulling causes split ends or weak points in your natural hair.
3. Damage from Improper Removal
Damage Prevention- Proper removal of hair extensions can be the primary contributing factor. For instance, one cannot pull out or cut off tape-in extensions themselves; this has to be done by a professional because improper technique can damage your hair shaft.
When one is wearing extensions, the damages may also extend to scalp irritation or allergic reactions.
There could be an allergic reaction or irritation on the scalp due to some adhesives or chemicals used in some kinds of extension; this may cause redness and itching and even hair loss if not treated instantly.
5. Damaged Hair Follicles
Constant usage of extensions, particularly the heavier types like fusion or sew-in extensions, can put stress on the hair follicles. This dampens the cycle of growth of the hair and causes thinning and even hair loss if worn too frequently or over an extended period.
How to Prevent Damage Caused by Extensions
It's true that hair extensions can cause significant damage to your natural locks, but there are ways to prevent the bad from outweighing the good. Here's how you can do it:
1. Select the Right Kind of Extensions
For a lighter type of extension, it causes much stress on the natural hair. If you want something temporary with not so much damage, clip-in is a good choice. If you are opting for semi-permanent ones that are tape-in or sew-in, have them done professionally by someone who knows the balance of your hair type and needs.
2. Avoid Tight Styles
Whether you're rocking clip-ins or sewing your extensions in, do not pull your hair too tight. Tightly braided hair and tension from the extensions cause breakage and lead to a form of hair loss called traction alopecia. Ensure that the extensions don't stress your scalp too much.
3. Give Your Hair a Break
Healthy hair needs a break from extensions. Wearing extensions all the time may starve your natural hair from getting proper care. Time in between applications would give the natural locks a chance to rejuvenate.
4. Care of Extensions
Do not forget that proper care and maintenance involve both the lifespan of the extensions and your healthy hair. Do not forget to gently detangle them; avoid excessive heat; and wash and condition them properly. Take care to always have a professional remove the extensions when the time comes so you don't cause unnecessary damage to them and your natural hair.
5. Choose Good Quality Extensions
High-quality hair extensions made from natural hair is always the smart thing to do. While synthetic ones are cheaper, they rarely blend seamlessly with your natural hair. In many cases, it was found out that synthetic hair extensions have generated more tangling or breakage than human hair.
Conclusion: Worth the Risk, Hair Extensions?
So, do extensions damage your hair? The short answer would be: it depends. Extensions as a product themselves don't harm your hair, but how you apply them, their treatment, or the kind that does not fit well with your hair results in breakage and thinning and even permanent loss of hair.
This way, extensions can be worn with all their benefits without causing any major damage while in place, provided you follow the proper guidelines, get professionals for installation and removal, and provide your hair with regular breaks. Healthy hair begins with good care, and so your natural hair should always have priority over hair extensions.
Being informed and taking steps to protect one's natural hair can lead to beautiful, voluminous extensions without any harm to the hair. Report this page