Instant gratification has become the norm in today’s social world. Have a cute outfit you want to show off? Post it to Instagram and watch your photo blow up with likes and praise. While reinforced encouragement and positivity isn’t necessarily a bad thing, this immediate response has given way and shaped the course for the other areas of our lives. Don’t like your eyelashes? Get eyelash extensions! Want to shed a few pounds but need to do it in a flash? Go on a crash-diet! The list goes on and on, but I’m sure you get the picture. (I have absolutely nothing against cosmetic surgeries or procedures, FYI–I think everyone deserves to feel good about themselves, and I’m totally planning on getting Botox later on in life.) But this brings me to my next point: hair extensions. The quick-fix solution to any and all hair problems beloved by the entire world. While tape-in hair extensions or any of that sort can become expensive and time consuming, clip-ins have made a mark for themselves as the cheaper, faster, and simpler alternative.
When I was 15 years old, I bought my first pair of clip-in hair extensions. I wore them day in and day out (I took them off to sleep and to workout in) until I was 17. It wasn’t until I went to a new hairdresser–the same hairdresser I use to this day and will forever stay loyal to–that I found out clip-in hair extensions had absolutely massacred my hair. For two whole years I was damaging my hair even more than it already was; I’d previously decided at 15 to take my teenage angst, pain, and anger out on the luscious locks sitting atop my head with multiple box dyes and emergency trips to various hair salons. My new hairdresser politely explained to me how ruined my hair truly was, and I sat there horrified because no other hairdresser had ever told me point-blank what these clip-ins were really doing to my hair. I’m here today to tell you all the ways clip-in hair extensions can destroy your hair, and hopefully help prevent what happened to me, happen to you.
The ugly truth about clip-in hair extensions:
They tug on hair
Almost all clip-in extension sets have five pieces, sometimes more. This is because you need to make the extensions blend in with your natural hair, and the layers make that happen. What most people aren’t aware of is that every clip on each layer of your head is tugging heavily on your natural hair. All hair is delicate, and once you have something heavy pulling on it 24/7, you’re going to run into all sorts of problems.
They cause bald spots
Pulling from the extensions on your natural hair can lead to something even scarier: bald spots. And if you’re skeptical, please take my word for it because I had multiple of them at the nape of my neck the size of a quarter. I almost had a heart attack when my hairdresser told me I had bald spots from my extensions. The entire time I was wearing them I thought I was doing the right thing for my hair because they weren’t the tape-in ones and I took them out at night. Meanwhile, they were slowly pulling spots of my hair out completely. It took years for me to regrow that hair back.
They stop hair growth
My last point ties into the two above. With all the constant tugging and possible creation of bald spots, clip-in extensions can stop hair growth completely. In fact, they do just the opposite. Clip-in extensions slowly make your hair brittle and cause extreme breakage, which in turn can stop hair growth altogether. It’s so important that we’re careful and gentle with our hair, especially for those of us who enjoy getting it colored or highlighted; we don’t need the extra stress on it. No head of hair does.
What can you do if you want to keep your hair healthy but want to rock some long locks every once in awhile?
While extensions of any kind really aren’t healthy for your hair, there are a few things you can do if you’re dying to get envious waist length hair every once in awhile. If your hair isn’t healthy and you’re trying to get it back to normal again, I would advise against wearing any kind of extensions at all. Clip-ins, tape-ins—none of them are going to be good for your hair. Speaking from personal experience, once my hair was healthy and back to normal again, I purchased a set of clip-ins (with my hairdressers’ consent, of course!), and wear them only on special occasions. If I’m going to an event, photo shoot, or even an important dinner, I’ll put them in for the night. Wearing them sparingly is fine!
All extensions are bad for your hair. Take the time to nurture your hair before you plunge into something completely. Your head, hair, and hairdresser will thank you later.
