Explaining the difference between hair extensions products
Hair extensions have entered a brave new world, it’s no longer a case of walking down the street and spotting them from a mile away. People like Selena Gomez wear hair extensions and you would never know the difference between them and the real deal.
There are an awful lot of products, though. So, what’s the difference?
Hair Grades
You may have heard of hair grades and wondered what it meant. Because there are so many options on the market new vendors, and a lot of the Chinese vendors, have starter grading hair extension products.
A, AA, AAA, AAAA… even AAAAAAAA?! How is anyone supposed to understand all of these letters? The letters also happen to be accompanied by numbers, just to add some more confusion. Don’t panic, though, it’s actually pretty straight forward. It isn’t based on quality, though, the grading’s are based on length, so the more letters the more hairs in each bundle that are the length as described.
These aren’t the only grading’s, though. There’s also 5A, 6A, and 7A.
5A virgin hair is completely human hair, it can be dyed (up to a 6# color) and has a lifetime of 4-6 months, provided you care for it properly. It is cheap, but it is good quality.
6A virgin hair is 100% human hair, it can also be dyed (up to a 27# color) and 6A has a lifetime of up to 10 months. It happens to be a best seller, too.
7A virgin hair is the cream of the crop. The human hair is generally taken from just one donor and can be dyed up to 613# color. The lifespan of a 7A hair extension is up to a year with proper care. It is a high grade extension.
Long Hair Don’t Care
There are many types of hair when buying extensions, obviously choosing human hair is going to provide you with a more authentic look.
You can also find animal hair, synthetic hair, mixed human and animal, mixed human and synthetic, and 100% human hair. Virgin hair is 100% human hair that has never been dyed or permed, is totally natural and was cut off of one donor by the ponytail. Virgin hair is the best you can use for your extensions.
Wefts and Bulk
A weft is basically a machine sewn section, it’s about 4 ounces of hair. You can get human hair or synthetic in wefts and they are commonly sew-in extensions.
Bulk hair is sold loose in bundles. Bulk comes in all styles and is generally braided in, or bonded.
Pre-Bonded
These are generally made from real human hair and come nail tipped or stick tipped. They are applied a strand at a time using a hot tool applicator.
Thankfully there is plenty to choose from on the hair extension front and it doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to add volume to your thin hair, or you want to add length or perhaps cover some balding areas. There are plenty of options to take care of your needs.