Deciding What Length of Hair Extensions are Right For You

When thinking about Hair Extensions a key part of the process is deciding what length will suit you, there are a number of factors to consider when thinking about length including cost, styling, method and maintenance. Before jumping in with a random length it’s worth consulting your hair extensions specialist as they will be able to give you a more educated idea of what length would work for you depending on the look you want to achieve. But here are a few points to think about before your appointment.

What look are you trying to achieve?

Why are you considering hair extensions in the first place is it to add thickness, to fill in gaps around the front, to add a little bit of length or to add lots of length?

Depending on your answer depends on what length you should go for.

If you are looking to add thickness or fill in gaps around the front of your hair then you should consider a length slightly longer than your natural length that way you won’t waste money by having to cut lots of the hair extensions off and you won’t run the risk of the extensions turning out to be shorter than your natural hair.

If length is your goal then obviously you need to choose hair extensions that are longer than your natural brazilian hair but remember hair lengths look different on different people, if you are shorter then hair extensions will look longer than the same length on someone taller. Another factor to consider is how you wear your hair day to day, if you like to wear your hair straight you may prefer to go with a shorter length as you won’t lose any length when your hair is styled however if you like to wear your hair in waves or curls it could be worth considering a longer length as once your hair is styled it will sit higher up on your body.

Method

Different methods can have an effect on how long the finished look will be, methods such as Tapes and Individual Micro Rings can be placed higher up in your hair meaning the finished look may appear shorter than the same length fitted in a weave, as a weave will sit lower on the scalp.

Maintenance

All semi-permanent hair extension methods require regular maintenance of between 6-12 weeks, if your selected method requires maintenance at 12 weeks your natural hair will have grown and your extensions will have loosened meaning they will appear up to 2 inches longer in your hair, if you purchase a long length such as 22/24” this can be a big difference and could make it more difficult to manage.

Cost

If you are on a budget don’t rush into a shorter length because that’s all you can afford right now if your desired look is much longer hair, you will just be wasting your money and won’t be happy with the finished result. Also if you are stuck between 2 lengths it always worth going for the longer length even if the cost is slightly more as it can be cut and styled to what you want, if you go for the shorter length you may end up regretting it.

On a final note always remember that your hair extensions will need to be cut in order to achieve the perfect blend, that means if you purchase a particular length you can expect to lose at least 1 inch once it has been cut to blend and in some cases more if required for blending.