The Truth About Hair Extensions

Three months ago, I wrote about how I added extensions to my extremely short hair, after losing all of my other hair to the chemotherapy that I went through last year.  I loved the extensions at first, and I would absolutely choose to get them again in that situation. However, in case anybody else is considering getting extensions, I also want to mention some of the drawbacks:

1.  They fall out constantly.  Not just a strand here and there, but rather, large chunks at a time will be found all over the house.  (Whenever Ryan finds them, he makes a sad face and says, “mommy yuck!”).

2.  If a blow dryer or flat iron gets too close and melts the bonds, you end up with weird looking chunks of glue in your hair that are impossible to get out.

3.  They require maintenance every six to eight weeks (which can get really expensive if you want to keep the extensions in for very long).  If you don’t get them filled on time, there will be gaps in your hair in certain places.

For example, here is what my hair looked like before a fill (top three pictures- bleh!) and after a fill (bottom three pictures):

4. You can only use certain types of shampoo and other hair products. You MUST use a special brush, because the bristles on regular brushes will pull the extensions right out.

brush for hair extensions

5. Unless you have a long time to spend on your hair in the morning (which I don’t) it is difficult to perfectly style it in a way that hides the short hair underneath.  For me, the back of my hair near the top is especially annoying.  As they grow out, the extensions look less natural.

That being said, I am still very happy that I was able to get extensions.  It made the whole “hair growing out process” a lot more bearable because I didn’t have to wear a short hairstyle that I hated.  In a couple months, I plan on removing all of the extensions and chopping off my regular hair into a bob.  I am hoping that most of my hair will at least have grown out to below my chin by then.  I know that it will be a lot easier to take care of, and it will be a fresh look to signify a fresh start!