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Synthetic Hair Extensions Vs Human Hair Extensions
03-01-2020Share
When it comes to hair extensions, you have quite a lot of options to choose from. No wonder it can be confusing! There are various ways to have them installed, and various types of hair to choose from; human hair from all around the world is used for hair extensions. It’s possible to buy synthetic hair in pre-made extensions, and this is commonly seen in wigs. Some synthetic hair sometimes looks quite real, but there are major differences between synthetic and human hair.
Let’s take a look at what those differences are:
Hair Extension Longevity
Human hair extensions can last a long time provided that proper maintenance is done. If you don’t brush and wash your extensions regularly and with the right tools, the hair won’t go the distance. Since good hair extensions are not cheap, we always give our clients advice on taking the utmost care of their hair. When they do so, top quality hair can last up to a year – meaning that the hair can be reinstalled up to five or six times.
Synthetic hair extensions will probably only last for between one and three months. They aren’t built to go the distance and are less resilient than human hair.
How Extensions Respond To Weather
Genuine human hair extensions need more maintenance than synthetic ones. As it is natural hair, it will respond to the elements just as your own hair would. Since the extensions will be matched closely to your own hair, this is even more likely. If it’s humid or raining outside, you might find that your style is affected.
Synthetic hair has been created a certain way, meaning that it has a kind of memory, or default shape and range of movement. Even if it gets wet, once dry it will be exactly as it was. You might need to brush or wash it from time to time, but that’s about it. It won’t be affected by the elements in the same way as human hair is.
How Extensions Respond To Styling Tools
Your human hair extensions will respond to heat as your own hair does. That means that yes, it’s OK to use heated styling tools on them. However, we recommend you don’t overuse these if you don’t want your extensions to dry out or split over time.
Although it’s possible to find synthetic hair that can take the heat, most can’t withstand high temperatures and will melt. It should never be introduced to your straighteners or curling tongs. This means that if you want curly hair, you would need to buy pre-curled synthetic hair; there isn’t much versatility in terms of style.
Colour Treating Hair Extensions
It’s totally possible to dye real human hair extensions. However, if you’re going to dye them yourself, you should note that the hair may respond slightly differently to your own hair; it could be more porous and take in more colour, or hold the colour for more (or less) time than your own hair. Harsh chemical dyes may damage it irreparably, especially if you repeatedly dye it; on top of this, it could be that the extensions were dyed already anyway, so they’ve already been subject to one round of chemicals.
If dying hair extensions, it’s important to choose the perfect hair dye colour - and a high quality dye. If you come to our hair extension salon in Manchester, we can blend the hair to match yours exactly, but if your own hair is dyed a non-natural colour, we can dye your extensions for you.
Synthetic hair extensions, on the other hand, generally should not be dyed. If you attempt to colour treat this kind of hair, you’re probably going to make a real mess of it, and there will be nothing you can do to sort it out.
Appearance Of The Hair
Real human hair extensions should look totally natural. There will be pretty big differences in terms of quality, depending on where the hair has come from. For example, Russian Remy hair extensions are the highest quality you can get, so they look incredibly natural. As always, price reflects quality, but we are here to help you choose the right hair extensions for your needs and budget. Human hair, when blended well with your own, will be indistinguishable. It should move the same way as yours too.
It is possible to blend synthetic extensions with your own hair and it may not be obvious to the eye. However, synthetic hair will have a slightly different feel than your own hair, since it is made from fine plastic fibres (basically, low-grade acrylic) that have been heated and then divided into strands to make each hair fibre. As you would expect, synthetic hair is therefore cheaper than human hair.
Synthetic or human hair extensions?
We don’t suppose it will come as a huge surprise to you that we only use human hair at our Manchester hair extension clinic. As far as we are concerned, it looks better, it’s easier to blend, it lasts longer, you can do more with it and it feels nicer. For us, it’s a no-brainer!
If you are interested in getting hair extensions in Manchester, you know where to find us. Consultations are free and our reputation speaks for itself – we guarantee you’re in safe and experienced hands, so give us a call when you’re ready.
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