Hair Extension Application
What is a hair extension application?
A hair extension application attaches strands of real hair to your own hair, section by section, close to the root. The bond is made with keratin, a small bead, an adhesive tape or stitching. With the right method, the right strand weight and regular care, extensions live with your own hair for months: they are washed, brushed and styled together.
This page does two jobs. Before you have extensions fitted, you learn the difference between the methods, how long they take, how they are removed and the care rules. It is also a short reference for your stylist, so share the link. For choosing the product, shade and quantity advice is free.
What to know before the application
Fitting hair extensions is a job for a stylist, and three things decide the result: the right product, the right method and the experience of the hands doing the work. You buy the product from our site and have it fitted by your own stylist. The headings below explain what to decide before you go and what happens on the day.
Choosing a stylist
Not every stylist works with every method. Before booking, ask which methods they use and whether they have the equipment, such as a keratin fusion tool and bead pliers. Ask to see photos of applications they have done. Agree the fee in advance by piece count and method, and ask about the cost of removal and of moving the bonds up. If your stylist finds it hard to decide on a tip type, share this page and our shade advice.
Before you go to the salon
- Arrive with washed, dry, product-free hair. Gel, spray and oil make it harder for the bonds to hold.
- If you plan to colour or lighten your hair, do it before the application. Once the extensions are in, colour must not touch the bonds.
- Think about your goal. Describing the length and volume you want and your everyday hairstyle tells the stylist where the bonds must stay hidden.
- Your own hair should be at least 8 to 10 cm. On shorter hair the bonds show and do not hold.
What happens on the day
- Hair analysis. Density, strand thickness and the shade at the ends are checked; the piece count and strand weight are settled.
- Sectioning. The hair is divided into sections, working from the nape and the sides up towards the crown. The crown and the front hairline are left at a distance where the bonds will not show.
- Bonding. Depending on the method, keratin is heated, a bead is clamped, tape is pressed on or a weft is sewn in.
- Cut and style. The extension strands are blended into the line of your own hair, the ends are thinned and the hair is styled.
The time depends on the piece count and the method; most applications take one to three hours. Tape-in and sew-in weft are the fastest; keratin bond and micro bead, fitted strand by strand, take the longest.
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Application by tip type
The five tip types on our site are made from the same hair; the difference is the bond. The bond decides the application time, how long the extensions stay in and how often they need maintenance. Click an image to see the bond close up.
Keratin bond
The flat keratin tip at the end of the strand is heated with a fusion tool and wrapped around a thin section of your own hair. As it cools the bond hardens and the strand sits in place. It is the most established method and gives dense hair quick volume. With regular care it stays in for three to four months, then it is removed at the salon with a special solution. The strands can be re-tipped with fresh keratin and fitted again. See our keratin bond extensions.
Micro bead
The end of the strand is threaded through a small metal bead, and the bead is clamped with pliers around a section of your own hair. There is no heat and no glue, which also makes it the easiest to remove. As your hair grows the bead moves away from the root, so every two to three months the bead is opened and moved back up. The same strands are reused with the same bead. See our micro bead extensions.
Tape-in
The strands sit on a flat, transparent tape. A thin section of your own hair is sandwiched between two tapes. It is the fastest method to apply and comfortable because it lies flat when you sleep or tie your hair up. The tapes are renewed every six to eight weeks; the strands are washed and re-taped in the process. See our tape-in extensions.
Sew-in weft
The strands are sewn into a strip. Your own hair is braided finely along the nape and the weft is sewn onto the braid. On dense, thick hair it gives the fastest and fullest result for a full lengthening; on fine hair the braid can show. The braid is redone every six to eight weeks.
Butterfly tip
A flat keratin tip that opens like a butterfly, with a fine stitched edge. Depending on their technique, stylists work it with heat like a keratin bond or with a bead. Because the bond is flat it lies close to the hair. Care and wear time are the same as the keratin bond.
Caring for hair extensions
Extensions are real hair, but they are not fed by the scalp, so moisture and protection come from outside. The rules below protect both the life of the strands and the health of your own hair.
The first two days
With keratin bond and tape-in, do not wash your hair for the first 48 hours; let the bonds set fully. Micro bead and sew-in weft need no waiting, but it is better not to rub the bonds at the first wash.
Washing
- Use a sulphate-free, alcohol-free shampoo. Shampoo the roots; put conditioner only on the mid-lengths and ends.
- Keep conditioner, oil and masks away from the bonds. They make the bonds slip and loosen.
- Do not pile your hair on top of your head while washing; wash in the direction the water runs.
- Do not rub with a towel; squeeze and pat dry. Brush wet hair from the ends up, holding the hair above the bonds, not by the bonds.
Brushing and sleeping
- Brush from the ends, not from the root, holding the area with the bonds in your hand.
- Use a loop brush or a wide-tooth brush. A fine-tooth comb catches on the bonds.
- Do not tie up wet hair and do not go to bed with wet hair.
- A loose braid or a low ponytail at night protects the strands and prevents tangling.
Heat and colour
You can blow-dry, curl and straighten; keep the heat away from the bonds. Spray heat protectant on the lengths. Colour and lightener must not touch the bonds, so have extensions coloured at a salon. As the strands are real hair, going a shade darker is easy; lightening tires the hair.
Sea, pool and sport
Salt and chlorinated water dry the strands out. Wetting the hair and applying conditioner before you go in, then rinsing with fresh water afterwards, is enough. After sport, do not leave sweaty hair tied up for long.
Removal and refitting
At the salon a keratin bond is softened with a solution and opened, a bead is opened with pliers, tape is separated with a remover and a weft is unstitched. Pulling the bonds out breaks your own hair. Removed strands can be cleaned and fitted again with a new bond, so do not throw your strands away.
Can you fit them yourself?
Fitting extensions is a job for a stylist. Taking even sections, leaving the bonds at the right distance and blending the cut into your own hair take experience. If you want to put hair in and take it out yourself at home, clip-in hair extensions are made for that: they clip in within minutes and leave no permanent change to your hair.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does the application take?
It depends on the piece count and the method. Tape-in and sew-in weft are done in about an hour. Keratin bond and micro bead, fitted strand by strand, can take two to three hours for 100 pieces or more.
How long do hair extensions stay in?
Keratin bonds stay in for three to four months with regular care. With micro bead and tape-in the strands are used for longer: every two to three months they are moved up at a maintenance visit or re-taped. The life of the strands depends on care; well cared-for strands can be refitted several times.
Will extensions damage my hair?
With the right strand weight, even sections and removal at a salon, extensions do not damage your own hair. Damage mostly comes from strands that are too heavy, bonds placed too close to the root and bonds pulled out instead of removed.
Should I buy the product myself or should my stylist supply it?
You can buy the product from our site yourself and take it to your stylist, so you choose the shade and the quantity. Your stylist can also order on your behalf; we have wholesale terms for salons.
My hair is short. Can extensions be fitted?
Your own hair needs to be at least 8 to 10 cm. On shorter hair the bonds cannot be hidden. On short hair, start with tape-in or a sew-in weft for volume, and consider strand-by-strand extensions as it grows.
Which tip type is the least visible?
Micro bead or a light keratin bond. The bond is small, so it is not noticed even when the hair is tied up; it is the first choice for fine, sparse hair.
Does it stay straight after washing or does it frizz?
The strands are 100% real human hair and behave like your own. The straight natural texture stays straight after washing and is styled with a blow-dryer or curling iron. The permed texture is a separate product option.
Can I colour my hair with extensions in?
Yes. Colour and lightener must not touch the bonds, so have it done at a salon. Going darker is easy; lightening tires the strands.
What should I do when I want them removed?
Go to a salon. Keratin is opened with a solution, a bead with pliers and tape with a remover. Pulling them out at home breaks your own hair.
Do you do the application?
No, we do not offer an application service. You buy the product from our site and have it fitted by your own stylist. You can share the method and care information on this page with them. For shade and quantity advice, send us a photo through the contact page.
Which tip type, how many pieces?
The two decisions people find hardest before an application are the shade and the piece count. Send a photo of your hair taken in daylight through our contact page, and we will reply with the shade group, the colour code, the strand weight and a piece range. Tell us your stylist’s method and we tailor the advice to it.
