Last week I made a big change to my hair and I’ve absolutely been LOVING IT! Most of y’all probably saw on instagram that I got hand-tied hair extensions and also changed the color! I’ve been getting SO many DM’s asking about my extensions so today I want to answer ALL of your questions about my hand tied extensions!
How I Decided on Hand-Tied Hair Extensions
Before I dive into the questions…I wanted to share why I wanted to get extensions! I’ve been growing my hair out for a few years now and recently have felt like it’s kind of just ‘stuck’ at this in between length! I’d grow it out to about where it is now, and then need to trim off the dead ends….and just seemed like I couldn’t get past the medium-hair-length phase! I was getting bored with my hair – even when I styled it, I didn’t love it. So I thought extensions would be a fun change for fall!
I have researched tons of different types of extensions (and had a few different kinds myself) and I decided to get hand tied extensions for several reasons. The main one though is because these are NOT damaging to your hair at all (when installed + taken care of properly), so I’m hoping I can continue to grow my hair out while these are in! Here are some photos of my natural hair before they put in the extensions…
Before Photos
Ashley did my hair extensions and Charleigh did my color (and has done my color for about 6 years now!). You can call Salon 5014 to set up appointments with either one of them or DM them if you have other questions!
Hand-Tied Hair Extensions FAQs
I put a question box on my instagram last week and below are your most frequently asked questions, answered!
What are the different types you’ve tried, and why do you like hand tied the best?
I used to have the kind of extensions that are attached with individual beads. So…there were about 50ish different little beads / strands of extensions throughout my hair haha (you can see what natural beaded row extensions look like in my hair FAQ post from 2016). I chose to do hand tied extensions this time because I think they look WAY more natural. I also like that with these you can still put your hair up in a high pony and the wefts won’t show.
The biggest reason why I like hand tied the most is because of what I mentioned above – if these are put in and taken care of correctly, they shouldn’t damage your hair at all. So I’m hoping my hair will still grow a lot while I have them in!
What brand did you get and how much do they cost approximately?
I have hand tied hair extensions! It’s difficult to say how much they cost because it totally varies on your hair length / type, what you’re wanting (length vs fullness), etc. But you can call salon 5014 to set up a consultation with Ashley and she can give you accurate pricing information!
How do you take care of extensions?
You take care of them like you would your normal hair! Use good shampoo / conditioner (I use Oribe), heat protectant, a good hair oil etc!
With this type of extensions, you’re not supposed to go to bed with wet hair (which, I never did anyway so that didn’t really matter for me!). Other than that, you honestly take care of them just like you would your real hair!
How long will they last?
The hair that Ashley uses is supposed to last anywhere from 6-12 months, depending on how you take care of it!
Do they show when you wear your hair up?
NO! It is is SO crazy! I’ve only had them for about a week but I’ve already done my hair in high pony’s, messy bun etc and you cannot see the wefts at all! It’s nuts!
Are they heavy? Do they itch? Do they feel weird when you’re sleeping?
It took me maybe one night to adjust to how they feel but now I literally don’t notice them at all. I was actually surprised at how NOT heavy they are, and they do not itch at all! The previous type of extensions I had felt pretty heavy and they also itched. I’ve had these in less than a week and I already hardly notice that they are in at all.
The first night felt weird to sleep in them, but after that I haven’t noticed them at all! I just sleep with my hair in a low pony or braid!
Can you still brush your hair like normal?
Yes for the most part! I don’t necessarily brush right where the wefts are (I have two rows of hair, and the wefts are obviously right at your root). So I don’t necessarily brush at my root right in those spots. Other than that though, you can totally brush your hair like normal.
Do they damage your hair or make your hair fall out?
This type of extension does not damage your hair or make it fall out, as long as they are installed properly and taken care of!
Is your color from balayage or foils?
Charleigh kind of does a mix! She does babylights and “foilyage”. I don’t like big chunky pieces by my face which I think is sort of the balayage look. So she does “foilyage” on me!
How does it feel when you workout? Do they get sweaty too, are they easy to clean?
This is taking some getting used to for me. So far when I’ve worked out I’ve put my hair in a high ponytail and that felt a little weird if I did jumping stuff. So I’m going to keep experimenting with this – I think a low pony or a braid would probs be better options for working out!
The hair extensions can get sweaty on the ends if your hair is touching like your back / arms if those are sweaty, if that makes sense haha. Before extensions though all of my hair would get like soaked with sweat! The extensions don’t do that because they aren’t necessarily attached to your head like your real hair is, if that makes sense.
How often do you have to get them touched up / moved up or fixed?
I will get these extensions moved up every 8-12 weeks! Ashley said move-up’s probably take around 2hrs.
How long did they take total to put in?
It’s difficult to say because Ashley actually colored my extensions before she installed them to make sure the color was exactly right. So, including that…I would say the entire process took 3 hours? It honestly went by SO fast. If she didn’t color the extensions I bet it would have taken 2 or 2 1/2 hours!
My overall thoughts so far on the extensions
Like I said, I’ve had my extensions for less than a week and I absolutely LOVE them. I was a little worried about putting them in – what if I regret it or hate them or what if they don’t look natural. And from the moment they were put in, I had ZERO regrets! I love how they look and honestly…they have actually made my hair way more LOW maintenance! I can get away with washing my hair way less, the extensions hold curl really well…so you can curl it once and be good to go until the next time you wash your hair! And it was just a fun change which is what I was wanting for my hair!
If you’re on the fence about getting hair extensions…I think as long as you are getting hand tied extensions with someone who is an EXPERT at it (ie: Ashley at Salon 5014)…then let me tell ya: you should definitely go for it! You won’t regret it!
I think I answered the most frequently asked questions, but let me know if I missed anything in the comments below!
follow along @laurenkaysims
xo Lauren
