By the time your specialist has chosen the hair extensions for you, a lot of critical components have been decided, one of which you probably have not thought much of and do not have a lot of control over: the type of bonding .

A keratin bond must have the same characteristics as your own natural hair. What does this mean? Well, it means that the keratin bond must move freely with your hair. It must expand and contract with the different conditions that your own hair is subjected to. Every fusion hair extension is eventually removed. A good keratin bond must allow easy removal without damaging your own hair.

At MaryClaris hair extensions we have worked hard to ensure that the fusion hair extensions that we sell are made from a polymer that has a molecular structure similar to human hair. This has resulted in clients who have had an enjoyable experience with their hair and also hassle-free removal.

When you are buying online, it’s important to know what all the colours mean? In the table below, here is a list of the most common blonde hair extensions and their colour names.

Blonde hair extensions colour #613

Colour #613 is the most blonde hairstyle around.

Blonde hair extensions colour #22

Colour #22 is more progressively hotter blonde.

Blonde hair extensions colour #24

Colour #24 is more ashy blonde hair extension type.

More and more people are discovering the benefits of having hair extensions. From the ease of adding volume and length to their hair to just wanting to give their own hair a break. Celebrities have been on the forefront as they have also discovered the same benefits. However, the prices they pay vary widely. Elsewhere in this blog we talk about Miley Cyrus paying over $24,000 for her hair extensions.

Locally, we have seen salons charging upwards of $1,000. What you pay for really does depend on what you are looking for. Education is key and this blog tries to cover these areas. For example we have a pretty good article on finding a hair extension specialist. It details some of the things that might affect the price you are paying. Have you had hair extensions put in lately? What have you paid for them? Let us know.

human hair wigs for black women

If you are looking for human hair wigs for black women there are a few things you should keep in mind.

• Do want to wear you wigs on and then off at night? Maybe lace front wigs are not for you.
• Do you prefer to have your wig on all the time? In this case maybe lace front wigs are right for you.
• Since most human hair wigs for black women come in different styles, do you prefer short or long wigs.

Aside from this try to have a good feel on what the human hair wig will fit like to your face.

Good luck!

blonde braids hairstyle

I just love this blonde braids hairstyle. It matches the client’s complextion really well. Blonde braids are such a stunning look on most white people. We used our highest quality braids in this case. You can tell by the beautiful shine on the braids. The thing I love about these braids is that they are able to maintain their shine for a long time. This braids hair style is good for three months.

half cornrow braids styles

The half cornrows braids hair style is perfect for young children. As shown it offers a cute carefree way to go through summer. Virtually maintenance free, you can pretty much do whatever you want with these cornrow braids. The only thing is ensure that the you apply oil/sunscreen to the scalp when you are outdoors. More importantly, braids cornrows allow the hair to grow. This is perfect for any family planning on going on a camping trip.

three quarter braids hairstyles

The three quarter braids hairstyle is such a lovely style. By leaving the last quarter of your hair extensions free, they offer stunning volume at the bottom. One concern is whether the braids will unravel. If done properly, the do not and we have a few options at our disposal to do that. Again we used our highest quality braids on this client and were able to achieve a stunning shine to the braids.

blonde red black braids hairstyles

The blonde red black braids hairstyle is a more daring choice! We like to think of it as the rainbow braids hairstyle. The trick is to find the right blend of the colors. In this particular case, the client felt bold and wanted the colours to reflect that. The black hair extensions set a beautiful base from which all the other colors start from.

blue black braids hairstyles

In this braids hairstyle, the blue-black combination is a nice muted blend that shows quiet confidence. Notice how the ends are left free. Unlike the three-quarter braids hairstyle shown above, the idea here is not to add volume at the bottom of the braids, but just leave flowing.

high volume braids hairstyle

It might be hard to tell from looking at this picture, but this client is wearing braids. The big difference is how tight they are. They give quite a thick volume that is beautifully deceiving. This style is not for everyone as it takes a day or two to get used to the weight, but once you do, it offers a really nice look.

We have hundreds of pictures but I hope this short list offers you a quick look at the braids hairstyle choices available. What is your favourite braids choice? Please leave us a comment below.

Are you looking for braids in Kelowna or Vernon? Contact us at 250-862-8406 or 778-475-5955 for a free consultation

To some this is a legitimate question while to others, they do not know what the fuss is about? So which is it?

A good place to start is to look at the cultures that use cornrows. In Africa, cornrows are a traditional method that has been used for hundreds of years. Once sewn in, the cornrows lasts for months at a time. The only maintenance is to wash and oil the scalp. At the end of the two to three month period, the sewn-in corn rows are removed and typically the hair would have grown.

What has been our experience with cornrows?

At Maryclaris, our experience has  been that the clients who do cornrows have seen the following benefits.

• The hair has grown at the end of the period.
• No damage to their hair at all.

But it doesn’t have to be.

By following a simple checklist you can easily and quickly narrow down who the best hair extension specialist are.

Before looking at this hair extension specialist checklist, lets briefly go over the state of hair extensions at present. Due to the popularity from celebrities, hair extensions have evolved and entered our culture where they are now are a viable method to adding volume and length to your hair.

The absence of established schools that teach methods of doing hair extensions has meant that the industry has seen the whole range of specialists: from the novice to the experts. Coupled with this has come some not so good experiences that have given the industry a bad name. However, things are changing and stylists who are not doing a good job have seen business suffer and some have left the industry. It’s more like the survival of the fittest.

What we recommend when looking for a hair extension specialist is the following:

Hair Extension Experience

If the proof is in the pudding, then the truth in hair extensions has got to be in the experience. Always ask for a hair extension portifolio to review their body of work. Ideally, the portifolio should have before and after pictures. When looking at the pictures, ask yourself these questions

• Do the after pictures look natural? By this I mean, are the hair extensions detectable? A good sign of a competent hair extension specialist  is a seamless application of whatever hair extensions that they are using.
• How well are the hair extension colors matching to the original hair? A close match is equally important. In addition how much colouring of their own hair did the client have to do to meet installed hair extensions.

Testimonials

I am always interested to know how the other clients have felt about their hair extensions. Testimonials are important for so many reasons:

• You can find out how the client felt about the quality of hair extensions that were installed.
• How the hair has stood the test of time.

If possible, ask for their client’s contact information to find out for yourself how they have felt about the overall service. Some hair extension specialists will give you the information and some will not. I typically don’t judge them based on this but any specialist who is forthcoming on this information gets my vote of confidence.

Hair extension installation package

Hair extensions are not meant to last forever. A good thing to look for is what total packages is the specialist offering. In particular be careful to look for:

• Any extra cost to have the hair extensions reapplied.
• How much does it take to have them re-tightened.
• Is there a cost to having the hair extensions removed? If you are having fusion hair extensions put in, the cost of removing them can be substantial. Now is the time to find out what the cost is upfront and maybe bargain a bit for that.

After-Care Instructions

Having hair extensions put in is a good investment. And like any other investment, taking care of them is important. A good hair extension specialist will give you good after-care instructions. This should include:

• How to wash them.
• What to do when you are going to bed.
• What outdoor activities you can do. For example, can you  swim in them? How do they take chlorine water? etc.
• What shampoos and conditioners can you use? More importantly how often should you wash them.

MaryClaris Hair Extensions

MaryClaris Hair extensions runs two hair extensions salons in Kelowna and Vernon . They have over 20 years combined experience in hair extensions and will be happy to answer any questions you have.

As many people find the benefits of having hair extensions, there is a growing demand to find out how to make clip in extensions. The process itself it quite simple once you know what you are looking for.

A clip extension showing a hair weft and clip

To start, a clip in extension is a piece of human hair extension or synthetic hair extension weft with a clip sewn at the end. See picture.

To begin making your clip in extensions you will need:

a) Hair Weft

b) Hair extension clips

c) Weaving Thread

d) Hair Extension needle

Hair Extension Weft:

A  hair weft forms the basis of making clip in extensions. Choices vary from human hair (more expensive but better quality) to synthetic weft hair (cheap hair extensions). Make sure that you match the colours to your own hair. Elsewhere on this blog, I discuss the pros and cons of human hair extensions and synthetic hair extensions.

Hair Extension clips:

Hair extension clip attach your hair extensions to your hair. When installed, they are mostly out of sight, so choosing an exact colour is not really that  important.  The picture below shows typical hair extension clips.

Hair extension clips

Hair Extension Weaving Thread:

At first thought, you would think that normal thread will work to make your clip in extensions. However, due to the stress that the hair extensions go through, you need a more durable thread. Hair weaving thread is specially formulated to take the toll of your hair extensions go through everyday. It’s important to make sure that the colour of the thread matches  your extensions as closely as possible.

Hair Extension Weaving Needle:

Last but not least is the hair extension weaving needle.  You could use a normal needle to sew the clip to the hair, but a hair extension needle makes the job so much easier.

With these tools in hand, you are ready to begin making your clip  in extensions. There is still a few items to consider including:

a) How many pieces of clip extensions that you need to make to fully cover a head.

b) How wide each clip extension piece needs to be.

Have you made clip in extensions before? What has been your experience. Let me know by leaving a comment below.

Cheers!

Naomi Campbell showing hair loss

Alopecia is not contagious and is believed to be a heriditary  disease and  an autoimmune disorder.
Most people with alopecia visit a trichologist for scalp treatment that involves a regiment of options from cream application to steroids injections.

At MaryClaris Hair Extensions we have been helping people going through Alopecia get some semblance of normality by applying hair extensions.

Attached is a picture of one of our clients who was suffering from alopecia and went through with hair extensions application.

A MaryClaris Alopecia patient without hair extensions

Maryclaris Alopecia Patient with Hair Extensions

As you can see, when done right and with proper senstivity to the client’s needs, hair extensions are a wonderful way of giving women their dignity back. There are couple of things you should note if you or someone you know is considering getting hair extensions for this condition:

1. The most important thing to consider is the method of hair extension attachment. Patients with alopecia have the most sensitive hair and any method of hair extensions that is applied must be respect this.
2. Not all conditions of alopecia are suitable for hair extension application. It’s important that your hair extension specialist is knowledgeable enough to let you know if your condition is too delicate. Remember; there are other options available.
3. How long to keep your hair extensions must be discussed with your hair extension specialist and close monitoring is highly recommended. At MaryClaris Hair Extensions, we try to double our check-up time.

Other than that we have had patients have enjoyable experiences with their hair extensions. Are you suffering from alopecia or do you know anyone who has? How are they coping with it. Leave us a comment.