A one size fits all approach to fitting your hair extensions is a mistake most people make. It’s no different to saying there can only be one size of jeans in the world – it just isn’t going to work. If you have super straight hair, you are likely going to concentrate more on your roots whereas if you have layered locks, the focus is likely going to be on the ends, and layering the extensions. Keep reading to find out how to attach and manage your hair extensions to suit your hair type.
How to blend straight hair
This is possibly the easiest hair type to blend hair extensions with because they come straightened already. That doesn’t mean that you won’t need to work a bit to make them look flawlessly blended. The roots tend to be the biggest hurdle for straight hair, but the good news is that it’s totally manageable. Most of the work you need to do is before you even put your hair extensions in.
To blend in straight hair with extensions, divide your hair into rows from the nape of your neck to just in front of your ears. Working from back to front you want to tease your roots vigorously to give them extra body, this will help your hide on top of your human hair extensions too.
Once you have clipped your clip in hair extensions, smooth over the top and brush your hair and the extensions together to blend. Lower that top layer of hair and the front section. Brush and straighten your hair so that it blends in with your extensions seamlessly.
Remember that your natural hair gets nourished by the natural oils on your head, but human hair extensions are not, so it’s important to add protecting spray before you straighten it.
Blending layered locks
Layered hair can be brilliant for framing your face and giving your hair a lovely sense of movement, but it can feel frustrating to blend. You have two options; either put your remy hair extensions in as normal and trim the ends so they match your layers (you may need a friend or a hairdresser for this) or create new layers just with your hair extensions.
To do this divide the top layer on your hairline and tie it out of the way before creating a snake braid with the rest of your hair.
Start with the top left side and create a tight three strand braid towards the right. Create a backwards and add hair from the next row heading back towards the left. Continue this back and forth action to you get to the nape of your neck and tie and pin left over strands back into place.
You have now essentially created shelves to clip in your human hair extensions onto that won’t make the ends look like they don’t match. Untie to top layer andbrush to blend.
The easiest and best way to blend your humanhair extensions with short hair is to make your short sections look like layers. Your hair should be about four inches long in order to get best grip from your clip ins.
This allows you to play with your real human hair extensions and have some hair on the top layer that can cover the clips so that it looks natural. Pop the clips and make sure that you lay it flat against your head, make sure that you leave about an inch, so you don’t give yourself a headache.
The benefit of attaching this bottom part first is that if you mess it up you have layers above to cover it up. Divide your hair evenly and add more rows of clip ins. The key thing to remember is to leave a layer of hair on the top and sides so you can blend the extensions and hide the clips.
To do that you have to continue the layers, or it will look odd. It's important to use a very steady hand and layer your hair extensions correctly. We have a great tutorial made for us by @Anniecherrymakeup of how to apply long hair extensions to short hair and perfectly blend them in.
How to blend curly hair extensions
We all love a curly mane however one of the biggest downsides with curls is the dryness and frizz, and of course, the worry of blending in the hair extensions. For most of you who have naturally wavy or curly manes, you are blessed with extra body at your roots which helps us to hide the top of your hair extensions.
To fight the frizz, try and go heatless as often as possible. Spritz your hair and human hair extensions with water before separating a one-to-two-inch section of hair. Create a simple three-strand braid. You can make them as tight or loose as you want depending on how tight your natural curls are, and you might want to mix up the sizes as curls in hair are never naturally the same width. Give your hair and hair extensions a couple of hours to dry before you untie your braids and unravel them gently with your fingers from the ends, spray your hair extensions so that they hold the waves. Read our article on creating curly hairstyles with your extensions for more advice. Browse our range of curly hair extensions, all our real hair extensions are shipped from our HQ in the UK.
We recommend getting tape in extensions for short hair if your natural hair is at least four to five inches long so it’s easier to blend it into your natural hair and conceal the tapes for a seamless look. For a natural finish, it is best to mix lengths for layers, for example, if your desired length is 18 inch, then you should consider blending with 16, or 14-inch hair. This helps to balance shorter lengths with longer lengths so your overall look won’t appear uneven and artificial as adding really long, heavy hair extensions to very short hair can damage it by pulling. Browse our range of tape in hair extensions and find the right fit for your short hair.
How to make clip in extensions blend with short hair
We all know hair extensions are the answer to instantly update your look, but it’s no secret that blending clip in extensions with short hair and making them look natural in your hair isn’t like putting a battery into a remote. Our easy four-step guide will show you how to seamlessly blend in your short hairstyles with extensions, whether you’ve got a bob, a lob or a pixie cut – and how to do so with absolutely no commitment and no damage to your own hair.
Step 1: Assess your hair
Assessing your hair first is perhaps the most important thing to consider before applying hair extensions to your hair.
Blending hair extensions with short, thick hair
Even if you have short hair, you need to match the thickness of your hair accurately, which will determine whether you have single, double or even quad wefts. The second thing you need to consider is the quality and length of your hair. If your hair is in bad shape you will need to try and improve your hair’s health. With short hair, the stronger and healthier it is, the better the result will look. If thinking of specific hairstyles for short hair, it’s also worth considering the shape of your face, and your hair type. For example, styling your long bob with wavy extensions and a side parting will give your layered bob a vintage look, while adding a clip in fringe to a blunt bob or super-short pixie cut it complements a heart-shaped face and bring out sharp jawline and cheekbones.
If you have fine hair that is in a pixie cut, you are going to treat it differently to a thick bob. This will affect what type of extensions you choose for your short hair.
Blending hair extensions with fine hair
If your hair is quite fine, then choosing to blend hair with tape in extensions are probably your best option because the tape is virtually invisible, thin, and non damaging, allowing your natural hair to grow healthily while wearing these extensions. But remember you are unlikely to find the heavier extensions in tape ins, so if you have thicker hair and want a natural blend, we would suggest going for clip-in or micro blend hair extensions. If you have incredibly short and thin hair, we recommend getting the permanent options.This is better for your hair as the clips can be visible on thinner hair. If you have Short but thick hair you will need to use a thick, heavier set if you are adding more length. The best Clip-In Sets for going from short to long on thick hair are the Ultra-Volume Set or the Seamless Full Head. In order to cover the clips, you will need your natural hair to be at least three to four inches long. This is to give you a more natural look and give you room to style the hair while hiding the clip ins. As clip in extensions tend to be heavier than your natural hair than other options, we recommend going for extensions that are around 14 to 18 inches.
Longer lengths will be harder to blend with your own hair extensions! If you have a blunt cut style, then recommend going for thicker hair extensions as thinner or single weft extensions often don’t blend the transition between the end of your blunt cut hair and the extensions as well. Double drawn or extra thick Clip-ins are best for this scenario, Our Seamless Clip In Hair Extensions meaning the ends are as thick as the root. Almost like a one-length cut it will help to remove the step from your own hair to the extensions.
As we've mentioned already, the easiest way to blend your hair extensions with short hair is to make your short sections look like layers. To do that you have to continue the layers, or it will look odd. Remember, as our hair extensions are 100% human they can be cut and styled. Whilst the hair is applied and dry and straight, you can gently skim the framing around your face to blend the front layers and chip upwards into the ends for a softer more natural finish.
Step 4: Prepare to blend
When you have short hair and you want to add hair extensions, your choice of styling isn’t solely about what style you prefer. You want to do everything you can to make it easier for your extensions to blend and look 100% natural. Curling your hair is amazing for helping you blend your locks, especially if you have layers. This is great to get a perfect flowing mane. If you can also tease your roots a little before adding your hair extensions as you normally would.
How to blend with Pre-bonded Extensions
If you have short, thick hair, pre-bonded hair extensions are a great option if you’d like a natural blend. They are also perfect for short hair as they are small individual strands that lie flat on the head, making them almost invisible. It’s important however, to ensure that both the rings and the hair used match your hair colour as this can be easily visible when you have short natural hair. If fitted correctly, you will have longer, thicker, natural looking long hair that lasts.
For very short, fine hair the best type of Pre-Bonded hair extension to use are Nano Tip Hair Extensions as they are super small and discreet. They do take a little longer to apply but the results are well worth the wait. People even use these little genius extensions to create Fringes as they are that tiny! When using Individual hair extensions that require the use of rings, remember the golden rule in colour matching. The rings should match the roots and the hair should match your ends for the most natural blend. Usually for blonde haired clients light brown rings are used so as the roots grow out the rings match.
LENGTH:
If unsure, you should ask a hair expert if your own hair is long enough to cover the rings. Nanos, I-tips and u-tips are amongst the best options for much shorter hair as they are installed strand by strand. The minimum hair length required for Nanos, u-tips and I-tips is 2.5 to three inches.
Hair weft extensions are a bit more flexible as you can choose the application method. However, as these tend to be on the heavy side we would only advise customers who have thick hair to use this method. Using a hair weft, whether your having it sewn, weaved or micro-ringed in is a super quick and easy process. Your hair can go from shoulder length to super long in under an hour and as wefts are thicker and can be doubled over, they tend to blend really well with your natural ends as long as they are positioned correctly.
LENGTH:
The minimum hair length for weft hair extensions is 4-5 inches. However, it will be trickier to hide them, compared to other hair extension types. Blending varies depending on the thickness of your natural hair. One of the trickiest cuts to blend with extensions is a blunt cut without layers. This style looks great on its own but without the tapered ends, it makes it much harder to blend. Harder but not impossible. The best way to do it is actually to trim your extensions so that the shape fits your cut better or to have your hair layered beforehand. This is sometimes called "Shredding".
Our Cliphair extensions are designed to make it as easy as possible to attach your hair extensions whether it be using clips, tapes or micro rings using great materials, so its easier to blend your own hair with the hair extensions.
Bonus: Watch the video tutorial below to see how short hair is transformed into stunning long locks.
It goes without saying that the longer hair you have, the easier it is to blend in extensions, however, when it comes to short hair, tape in extensions are a better option than clip ins. This is because tapes lay completely flat to your head leaving them virtually invisible. This is also better for short and thinner hair as tapes won’t pull or tug your natural hair. We always recommend getting your tape ins installed by a qualified hair professional for the best results.
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