How To Choose the Right Hair Extension Texture

Choosing the right texture is one of the most important and overlooked steps in a successful extension experience. Your hair extension’s texture determines how natural your installation will look, how much styling is required, how seamlessly they blend, and certainly how confident you feel with your new hairstyle.

Because your appearance has the ability to impact various aspects of your life, your decision to purchase and install hair extensions should be considered an investment in your future. This is why we’ve outlined a few necessary considerations for you to ensure your decision serves you well for the long term.

Start By Asking Yourself Key Questions

Every important decision begins with identifying a specific goal or outcome. Those goals can only be identified by asking and answering a few simple but key questions. Use the table below to answer these questions and accurately identify the outcomes you seek, then move on to the next section. Be sure to answer each question honestly as the answers are the foundation for ensuring your experience with hair extensions is a positive one.

NOTE: The questions below are key questions every knowledgeable hair extensionist will ask you during your consultation. If they do not, there may be something to reconsider with regards to using their services.

Question	Goal / Outcome
1. What am I trying to accomplish?	1. Am I trying to save myself time? (yes or no) 2. Am I trying to make my hair longer? (yes or no) 3. Am I trying to make my hair thicker? (yes or no) 4. Am I trying to add volume? (yes or no) 5. Am I trying to change my hair color? (yes or no) 6. Am I trying to experiment with a new style? (yes or no)
2. How much am I willing or able to spend?	1. I prefer something cheaper. 2. I prefer something with a moderate price. 3. I prefer something of higher quality that will look better for longer and serve me for multiple uses.
3. Do I want my natural hair exposed or completely covered?	1. I prefer to have some of my natural hair exposed. 2. I do not want my natural hair exposed.
4. Do I want my natural hair and my hair extensions to match each other perfectly?	1. No I do not. I want something different. 2. Yes. This is mandatory for me. I can not make any exceptions.
5. What is the condition of my natural hair?	1. My hair is in normal condition. (never colored, no heat styling) 2. My hair is damaged and breaking. 3. My hair is thinning. (due to natural causes or health challenges) 4. My hair is heat styled or colored but there are no challenges.
6. What is the length of your natural hair?	1. My hair is less than 2 inches long/tall. 2. My hair is less than 7 inches long/tall. 3. My hair reaches just past my shoulders. 4. My hair extends to the middle of my back. 5. My hair extends to my waist or passes it.
7. How long do I want to keep my hair extensions installed?	1. Only a few hours to one day. 2. A week to two weeks is enough. 3. More than 2 weeks is preferred.
8. Do I plan to put my hair up in a ponytail, bun or similar styles pulled back or pulled up styles?	1. I do not. 2. I do, but it is not mandatory. 3. Yes. This is mandatory for me. I can not make any exceptions.
9. How often do I plan to wash or style my hair?	1. Every few weeks. 2. Every two weeks. 3. Once per week. 4. Every day.
10. Am I willing to style my hair everyday?	1. No I am not. That is too much for me. 2. I do, but less styling is better. 3. Yes. This is mandatory for me. I can not make any exceptions. 4. I’m flexible and open to anything.
11. Am I willing and able to use heat styling tools?	1. No I am not. I don’t want to be bothered with that. 2. I am, but if I don’t have to that’s even better. 3. Yes. This is mandatory for me. I can not make any exceptions. 4. I’m flexible and open to anything.
12. What is the air around me like?	1. The atmosphere is always perfect, zero complaints. 2. The atmosphere is always dry. 3. The atmosphere is always humid/moist.

Secondly, Analyze Your Answers

The most important questions to know the answers to right away are questions one and two. “1. What are you trying to accomplish?” and “2. How much am I willing or able to spend?” The answers to these two questions will help you determine and accomplish a few important things:

1. Whether or not the answers to the ten questions that follow them are realistic and achievable.
2. Whether or not you need a hair extensionist to help you with installation.
3. Determine which outlets you need to seek or visit to purchase your hair extensions.
4. Communicate clearly and effectively what your goals are to your hair extensionist and the outlets you need to make your purchases from.

Third, Making The Decision To Purchase

When choosing hair extensions, remember that there are various “types” and “textures”. These types and textures are necessary for you to understand to ensure your research and decision making process as well as your purchase, installation, and home care processes go smoothly.

Types: There are 2 main “types” of hair extensions. They are “synthetic” and “human hair”.

1. Synthetic – synthetic hair extensions are man-made fibers designed to mimic the look and feel of human hair. They are used to accomplish various styles, hair color goals, and are generally very low cost. They do not look as realistic or last as long as human hair extensions. Synthetic hair extensions need to be discarded once they’ve been used or are worn out.
2. Human Hair – human hair extensions are real protein fibers that can be treated just like your natural hair. Unlike synthetic hair extensions, human hair extensions can be colored, heat styled, washed and styled like your natural hair. Good quality human hair extensions can be re-used multiple times can last anywhere from a few months to a few years.

Textures: There are multiple “textures” of hair extensions. When considering hair extension “textures”, you would think of terms such as “Straight”, “Wavy”, “Curly”, and “Kinky”. These textures are often similar to our natural hair textures. Various hair textures can be found in both hair “types” – human and synthetic.

Which hair type & Texture is right for you?

At this point, there are a few factors to consider. Thankfully, you’ve answered the questions above, and are clear on your hair extension goals. Key considerations are listed below:

Best Hair Extension Type:

1. If you would like natural looking, long lasting hair extensions, prefer the option to wash and/or heat style, would like to leave your natural hair exposed, or would like to chemically change the extension’s color, you must use human hair extensions.
2. If the quality and longevity of your hair extensions do not matter, or you prefer something quick, or extremely low cost, synthetic hair may be the best option for you.

Best Hair Extension Texture:

The hair texture you chose is determined by the style/styles you would like to accomplish while wearing your extensions.

1. The amount of maintenance (heat styling, etc.) you are willing to do is also a key consideration, along with the amount of humidity within the air. Naturally wavy or curly human hair extensions can be more prone to frizz in humid or dry conditions, while naturally straight hair extensions may experience less frizzing in similar conditions.
2. Considering the length and natural texture of your natural hair is also necessary if a seamless blend is important to you.

Choosing Your Hair Extensionist:

Another key step in the decision making process is choosing the right hair extensionist. It’s important to know that some hair extensionists are “generalists”, while others are “specialists”. In other words, not all hair extensionists know how to install all hair extensions.

Additionally, not all hair extensions need to be installed by an expert. For instance, if your preference is short term usage, wigs and clip-in extensions can easily be installed and removed at home.

1. If you prefer long term installation a hair extensionist is required.
2. The method of installation depends on the overall length, strength, and condition of your hair.
3. At this stage, your preferences and lifestyle are also important considerations. For instance washing your hair, whether or not you wear your hair in a bun, and so on.
4. How often visits to your extensionist is required, along with your budget for maintenance visits to your stylist.
5. Depending on the length of time you choose to wear extensions, know that in many cases, your relationship with your hair extensionist is a long term one, therefore, ensuring they are knowledgeable and budget friendly are important in your decision making process.

Once you’ve decided on your desired goals, hair extensions, and hair extensionist, It’s time to schedule your installation appointment and enjoy.

Final Thoughts

In summary, choosing the right hair extensions is a series of steps you take to ensure your desires are met in various ways. While some individuals pay experts to support them along this journey, others embark on the journey themselves. In either scenario, the outcome is largely dependent on how clear you are on what you seek to accomplish and taking consistent action towards the end goal.