Caring For Your Hair Can Achieve Better Looking Hair Extensions

by Melissa L. White
Licensed Hair Stylist

Everyone knows that proper skin care is essential for maintaining youthful skin. We've learned over the years of the importance in proper cleansing, and the use of quality products that nourish and maintain healthy skin, and most women place great importance on keeping their face fresh and youthful. Many women, however, do not realize the importance of proper hair care, and that your scalp ages just like the rest of your body!

As the scalp ages, it loses tone and elasticity just like your face! Cell production steadily declines and your hair weakens. I learned a lot about hair in cosmetology school. We were all taught that the hair follicle is made up of the hair bulb, the sheath and the hair shaft. The hair shaft is made up of the medulla, cortex and cuticle. Blood vessels supply the follicle with much of its nutrients. Hair strands for most women grow about a half inch per month. At any given time, approximately 10-15% of your hair has reached a "resting" phase, after which the hair falls out and is replaced with new hair. The average person sheds 50-100 hairs each day. In usual circumstances, the cycle continually repeats itself. However, when stress, disease, hormones, nutritional deficiencies, medications or even aging itself occurs, the cycle can be disrupted.  When I worked for a plastic surgeon and became certified in Laser Hair Removal. I really learned a lot more about hair because we were trying to eliminate it! 

Without getting too technical and boring, there are three phases healthy hair continuously go through. Simply put, the first phase (anagen phase) is where the matrix cells in the root divide rapidly, forms the cells of the hair sheath, shaft and cuticle, and actively produces keratin - the "essential" of healthy hair. The hair grows about a half inch every month, and stays in this active phase between 2-6 years, depending upon your genetics. Your hair then goes into a short transition stage called catagen phase which signals the end of the active growth stage. It can last 2-3 weeks before going into the third and final stage (telogen phase), which is the resting phase. This lasts a few months for scalp hair, longer for body hair. It is the phase where you shed your hair, as it has completed it's entire growth cycle.

Because your hair has such a long first phase, and because of all the harsh treatments we tend to subject our hair to when styling it, it is essential that it receives proper nourishment. When hair does not, you may notice thinning, dryness, dandruff, acne and other scalp conditions. As stylist at Extensions of Yourself, a San Antonio Salon which specializes in hair extensions, I routinely work with women who have thinning or damaged hair, or who have medical conditions which subject them to loss of hair or thinning hair. While many women choose hair extensions simply because they want fuller hair, longer hair, or a better hair style,  I frequently use extensions as a way of instantly transforming thinning or damaged hair, and helping women feel better about themselves.

You don't need "perfect" hair to start with, as you can work toward improving your own hair as you wear your hair extensions. I consult with each of my client's about the health of their hair and the types of products they can begin using to improve their own natural hair. Each client has their own specific needs, but there are a wide range of quality products I use to help achieve healthy hair. Healthy, well-nourished hair only compliments beautiful hair extensions even more!

Melissa White is owner of Extensions of Yourself, a San Antonio based salon specializing in hair extensions. As hair extension artist, Melissa sees women of all ages for quality hair extensions.

Use of Hair Extensions in Today's Economy

by Melissa White

Licensed Hair Stylist

Hair extensions have exploded in popularity over the last several years, and are not just for celebrities anymore. People from all over the country are getting hair extensions, trying to improve their hair fullness and length. At the start of the hair extension craze, everyone wanted to look like their favorite celebrity. Mariah, Beyonce, Tyra, Oprah, Shakira, and a host of others, never left the house without their extensions in. Now it is everyday people, making room for the hair’s budget, even in tough economic times.

As the demand for hair extensions grows, more and more companies are offering different type of hair extensions. At the start of the hair extension boom, silicone was the bonding agent of choice to connect or “fuse” the hair extension to your own hair. Fusion attaches small amounts of hair, strategically placed, throughout your own hair to create length, fullness, or both. Shortly after the boom began, Great Lengths developed a pre-bonded hair extension, that eliminated the need for glues, and the new hair extension revolution took place.

The current bonding agent of choice is usually a keratin polymer. Keratin is a natural component of real human hair. This polymer can be fused in many ways, such as heat, ultrasonic waves, air pressure, or laser. There may be pros and cons for each method depending upon your hair type and the type of hair extension used. An experienced extension artist can advise you.

Today, there are dozens of companies looking for a share. HairDreams and So-Cap are a close second to Great Lengths and their 10 year head start in the hair extension market. With the huge response to hair extensions, people are innovating new and creative techniques and that is good for everyone.

I’m often asked by other businesses whether the downward changes in the economy do anything to change demand. At my San Antonio hair extension salon I've noticed that with today’s emphasis on trends, it has become apparent that people will always find room in their budget to look good. A woman might buy one less dress or fewer pair of shoes instead of giving up their hair extensions.

One thing is for sure, the hair business is changing. The days of getting a haircut or color at the salon are changing. More and more exotic services are showing up and taking hold, and growth for the beauty industry as a whole looks like it will continue. Celebrities are not the only ones trying to look good, and with the Internet, people are made aware of new trends faster than ever before.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Melissa White is an experienced, licensed hair extension artist and stylist whose passion is to bring out the natural beauty in everyone by enhancing their own individual features with the use of exquisite hair extensions. Melissa has over 10 years of extensive training with the industries top hair extension companies in the newest techniques. Originally from Boston, Melissa has been in San Antonio for the past 8 years. She believes that everyone should be able to access and afford the hair of their dreams . . . thus the creation of Extensions of Yourself, San Antonio's first salon which specializes exclusively in quality hair extensions.