Some of the terms used to describe hair extension, their type and texture are quite popular but others are very specific. Therefore, we have decided to come up with a small glossary that can help you choose the best hair extensions for you.
One of the basic terms we use is a weave/weft or hair weave – human or artificial hair that is integrated with one’s natural hair in order to add length and/or volume.
Types of hair used for hair extensions
The first thing that you have to decide is what type of hair you want for your hair extensions. There are basically two main types – human and artificial but even with them there are differences.
Premium hair is the term that you will come across very often if you google hair extensions. Do not be misled by the word “premium” in it – this is actually the most common type of hair offered on the market and is usually quite affordable. As the roots and tips of the hair face different directions, premium hair is prone to tangle. There is, however, a more expensive option called “tangle-free premium hair”, where the cuticles are chemically removed in acid bath thus avoiding friction and tangles. This type of extensions are laminated to give the hair healthy and shiny look.
Synthetic fibers are combination of different synthetic fibers and contain no human hair. They do not last as long as human hair ad are easily damaged. Besides, synthetic hair extensions cannot be styled with any heating appliance such as curling or flat irons. These extensions never blend with the natural hair and remain visible because they are stiff and move differently. They are much cheaper but even though their quality was improved in recent years, their popularity and usage has fallen drastically.
Futura hair extensions are special type of synthetic fibers that can withstand heat and therefore can be curled and strengthened but not colored. Futura extensions may outlast human hair extensions but lack all of their properties and qualities. Sometimes futura extensions are also sold as a human hair blend.
Note that you are not going to find any synthetic fibers or futura hair extensions in our Chicago Hair Extensions Salon.
Human hair is what we use for our high-quality hair extensions. Depending on the method of collection and preparation of these human extensions we differentiate between the following types:
- Remy hair is the highest grade of hair available on the market and is a synonym of superb quality. It contains only aligned cuticles from root to tip. The word “remy” originates from the French verb “remettre” that means “to put back”. Initially, in order to have Remy hair all hair in a bundle has been re-aligned to face the same direction. The production required a lot of skills and excessive work. Now, the term Remy hair means that the hair was never inverted but cut directly from the donor and kept in its original direction.
- Virgin or raw hair is human hair that has not been processed in any way prior to being collected. This means the hair has never been colored as well. Such extensions are incredibly soft and blend perfectly with one’s own hair giving it an incredible look and feel.
- Single drawn hair refers to a bundle of hair that was combed only to remove just the shortest strands of hair from the original ponytail. Thus, a bundle of single drawn hair will contain a mixture of strands with different lengths.
- Doble drawn hair means that the bundle was combed through several times or with the respective equipment (drawing board/mat) to ensure that only strands of the same length remain. Thus, the extensions have almost the same thickness at the roots and at the tips.
Color and texture of hair extensions
Both human and artificial hair extension come in a great variety of colors so there is a plenty to choose from. Natural hair can also be additionally colored to match your own shades or to add some different nuances to your hairstyle. You should know that natural virgin blond hair is very rare and hence its price is also quite high.
The different hair extension textures that you can choose from include:
- Silky straight – straight and smooth, has the look of East Asian hair
- Yaki – straight hair that has the texture of relaxed Afro-Caribbean hair
- Coarse straight – straight with a wave
- Deep wave – looks like spiral curls
- Curly wave – similar to the look and feel of spiral curls
- Romance wave – also referred to as loose deep wave, offers softer and more romantic curls
- Kinky curly – it recreates the look of natural Afro-Caribbean hair and has very tight “s” or “z”-shaped curls
- Wet and wavy – also knowns as Spanish wave or Indian wave, it uses naturally curly human hair or hair that was permanently waved. It gives you soft natural-looking curls that become quite curly when wet as is typical for Latin American or South Asian hair
You can see the great choice you have when applying hair extensions. In case you have any specific questions, our experienced stylists will be more than happy to answer them. All you need to do is contact us and schedule a free consultation at any of our locations.
