Celebrity hairdresser reveals the common mistakes people make when wearing extensions

 A celebrity hair extensions expert has revealed the common mistakes made by people when trying to lengthen their hair – and the best ways to avoid damage while using extensions.

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Louise Bailey, who works in the Harrods Salon and also runs  Hair Extensions London,  a salon based in Fitzrovia, revealed the common misconceptions around hair extensions, including why you should always consult a professional before attaching any hair.

Louise, who has a roster of A-listers in her client book, specialises in natural looking extensions and says getting hair from a reputable company is key.

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Louise Bailey, who has runs Hair Extensions London, salon based in Fitzrovia, revealed the common misconceptions around hair extensions, including why you should always consult a professional before attaching any hair

‘Extensions are like designer handbags these days , everyone has them,’ she explained to FEMAIL.

‘But celebs are often paid to promote brands and given free hair, this doesn’t mean their good ones. My top tip would be to always consults a professional and don’t go for a Z-list endorsed brand.

Here, she explains her top tips for those looking for Rapunzel-esque locks.

PICK A BRAND TO MATCH YOUR HAIR TYPE

Louise specialises in tape hair extensions,  which are attached to the hair using a special adhesive tape. 

‘The hair is reusable and can be removed from the hair easily with zero damage to the natural hair.

She recommends using Hair Dreams, which shes describe as ‘a reputable brand within the hair extension industry’. 

The brand uses natural Indian hair, and their tape hair extension can last up to nine months if maintenance it carried out correctly and the hair is looked after well once attached.

Pictured: Before hair extensions

Pictured: After hair extensions

Pictured, natural hair (left) and right with extensions. The model wars balayage extensions from Hair Dreams, which is Indian hair

‘There’s three main types of hair sold, Russian, Chinese and Indian,’ she explained.

‘You should find the best hair for your ethnicity. Chinese hair is usually straight, while Indian hair is wavy.

‘But Chinese hair is often more heavily processed because it’s naturally darker, while Russian can be more sought after because it can be virgin and each strand is much finer.

A reputable brand is so important, and it’s always worth talking to a professional, as there’s no regulation within this industry of hair processing. 

‘But a reputable brand is so important, and it’s always worth talking to a professional, as there’s no regulation within this industry of hair processing.

‘There’s even been brands taken to court before after hair they claimed was Russian wasn’t.

‘We use Hair Dreams, which has a natural wave so it’s perfect with to style and blend easily with the natural hair making it easy to manage at home.

‘It means women can have a break from straightening and harsh heat styling, you can brush your hair and go.

‘It gives you an everlasting blow dry for a week, you can have a groomed hairstyle all the time.’

Louise specialises in tape hair extensions which are attached to the hair using a special adhesive tape. The hair is reusable and can be removed from the hair easily with zero damage to the natural hair

Louise specialises in tape hair extensions which are attached to the hair using a special adhesive tape. The hair is reusable and can be removed from the hair easily with zero damage to the natural hair

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

While Louise works with a limited number of top brands, she recommends steering clear of extremely cheap ones as ‘you get what you pay for’.

‘A good way to to know about a brand is good, look for a hair extension company with years behind its belt,’ she said.

‘Look for a place with A-listers on board as top brands won’t give them away as the product is so expensive.

‘A good way to to know about a brand is good, look for a hair extension company with years behind its belt 

‘To get your hair in good condition while using extensions you have to make sure your colour process is not damaging the natural hair,’.

Louise’s works with a colour-expert and recommends making sure you have a full team on board to make sure both the hair extension and colour service protects the natural hair.

IT’S FOR ANYONE

While many see extensions as something for A-listers and influencers, many of Louise’s clients are over 50.

‘We get a lot of menopausal women come in, where there hair starts to thin and we fill out the hair and make them feel amazing again,’ she explained.

‘We get women that come to us of all ages that have had heavy bleach or even some highlights or the hair has just been over processed and it keeps breaking and doesn’t seem to grow.

‘We fill the gaps with the extensions, when hair is burned from colour we don’t want to burn it even more – we get them on a healthy hair routine allowing the hair to have rest while still looking thick shinny and groomed. 

‘We sort it so its not a wispy fluff anymore she added.

‘I’ve also had patients who have lost their hair from chemotherapy, as soon as hair is four inches, we can attach hair extensions, it saves people having to get wigs and makes them feel themselves again.

IT CAN PREVENT HAIR DAMAGE

‘We do a lot of Balayage extensions as it’s trendy and means you don’t have to colour your hair so much to achieve this look.

‘We get a lot of people that want a new colour and we can colour it all with tape hair extensions – it’s so easy to do.

We get a lot of people that want a new colour and we can do it  all with tape hair extensions – it’s so easy to do. 

‘With Balyage it places the colour properly, which you might not be able to do otherwise as dying it would take hours to do.

‘When applied right, it can prevent damage but you need to find someone really good to apply them, or it can make damage worse.

‘It’s also about them being cut properly and many hairdressers cut the natural hair away as they try to cut it, so make sure you go to a reputable place that uses good hair and knows how to cut extensions well so they don’t cut your natural hair away when trying to blend them. This is a skill in itself.

‘For a great set of hair extensions that don’t do any damage to your natural hair you need a great product and a hair extensions expert to apply and cut them.’

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