Problems With Extensions? Read This

There is a lot to remember when it comes to applying extensions, and if you don’t consider all of it, you could be setting yourself up for trouble. So, we went to Great Lengths Educator Nanci Lee, and grabbed three common mistakes stylists make when applying extensions and three easy ways to avoid them.

1. Your Application Is Off
What You’re Doing: Applying the extension too close to the scalp.

What You Should Do: To be on the safe side, apply the extensions about ¼ inch away from the scalp. Why? If the extension is applied directly at the scalp, it will put too much tension on the client’s hair and make the attachments uncomfortable and painful. It’ll also affect the way both the extensions and her natural hair grows out. Plus, you want to give your client a little room to work with when she pulls her hair up and back.

2. Your Density Doesn’t Match
What You’re Doing: Attaching too much extension hair to the subsection of the client’s hair.

What You Should Do: Always remember to match density to density. That means, the density of the extension should always equal the density of your client’s hair that you’re attaching it to. For Great Lengths, each attachment’s subsection is always ¼-inch square, so the density of the hair that you’re attaching the extension to determines the density of the extension you’re attaching. Why? So that you’re not adding too much weight onto the client’s natural hair which will result in tension, breakage and/or pulling the client’s hair out!

3. Your Client Isn’t Educated To Maintain Them
What They’re Doing: Shampooing, blow-drying and brushing their hair incorrectly. 

What They Should Do: First and foremost, as their stylist, you need to be coaching them on these things. Why? Because even though it sounds easy, it’s not! And, it’s these little things that can quickly deteriorate the life of the extensions if not done properly. Remember it like this:

• When shampooing/conditioning, clients should be gentle scrubbing at the root.
• When blow-drying, clients should know that extensions will last longer if they are dry. This means that clients should always dry their roots to remove moisture from the extension, but if they want an air-dried look, they don’t have to dry their entire head.
• When brushing, clients should always start at the midlengths and ends—never at the root.

According to Nanci Lee, if you follow these guidelines your extension work could not only start making you more money, but it could improve the health of your client’s hair when they take the extensions out. “If applied 100 percent correctly, extensions can sometimes act as a protector to your client’s strands,” she says.

Find out more about Great Lengths extensions in the video below!