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How Much Hair Extensions Do I Need?
by Hope Donaldson
How Much Hair Extensions Do I Need?
Whilst a clip-and-go might feel like the most quick and convenient way to add length and volume to your natural hair, not every extension type or length is going to be right.
Keep ReadingYou’re scrolling through Instagram and fall across the best hair-inspo you’ve ever seen. Long, luscious locks with the perfect bouncy blow. And then you look at your own hair and… well, it just won’t cut it.
Here at Stranded, we know finding the right amount of extension hair is paramount to getting that insta-worthy look you’ve been dying for. And so, helping you find the perfect product and feeling like your most-confident self is our mission!
In this blog, we're going to break down how to find the ideal amount of extension hair for different hair types and cuts, whilst also recommending our best clip-in extension to use and giving our top tips to blend it seamlessly. By the end of this article, you’ll be ready to chase the hair you’ve always dreamed of!
- What do we mean by ‘how much’?
- Short Hair & Extensions
- Long Hair & Extensions
- Thin Hair & Extensions
- Thick Hair & Extensions
- Blunt Hair Cut & Extensions
- Layered Hair Cut & Extensions
- Top tips to blend your extensions
What do we mean by ‘how much’?
‘How much’ seems like such a vague statement. When we refer to ‘the right amount’, we will be discussing weight, volume, amount of attachment pieces and length.
Short Hair & Extensions
Short hair can feel like a challenge to add extensions to - especially if it’s shoulder-length or shorter. Unfortunately, there seems to be a gap in the market for extensions with short hair, making it harder to adapt to your natural tresses. So how can you blend extra inches into what you naturally have?
Our best advice is to work with shorter extensions. If you choose synthetic extensions, 14” or 16” is typically the shortest you can go. To blend extensions of this length, you’re going to want extensions with a wave or curl that you can style-match your natural hair with.
Human hair, however, is better for shorter hair as it behaves just as your own natural hair does - including the ability to be cut (though remember, it won’t grow back)!
With clip-ins, we suggest avoiding one-pieces and instead favour multi-piece extensions. Why not look at our 14” Seamless Five Piece Human Hair Clip-in Extensions?
Check out our 'Guide on Hair Extensions for Short Hair: Everything You Need to Know', for more tips and tricks.
Long Hair & Extensions
Long hair can be great to add extensions to, and that seems kind of unfair when you have post-haircut regret. However, if you’re a wannabe Rapunzel, adding extensions can become a challenge. Luckily, extensions these days keep getting longer and longer!
Having long hair opens up your options far more than it would for short hair. Therefore, we wouldn’t push for synthetic or human hair extensions - the only thing you really need to consider is finding extensions as long as or longer than your natural hair.
The thickness of your natural hair may contribute to what type of extension method you choose, but we don’t think you could go wrong with a long, synthetic extension. Take a look at our 20” Synthetic Flicky One Piece Clip-in Extension, to see if clip-ins could work for you.
Thin Hair & Extensions
When you have thin hair and you’re craving thickness and volume, hair extensions can be the best way to achieve your dream transformation. However, it can be no easy feat. Disguising hair extensions in your natural hair can be quite a difficult task.
With thin hair, it is mainly about the installation of the extension - how you fit and disguise it.
However, this doesn’t stop you from having a wide range of extension styles to choose from!
We recommend our 20” Wand Wave One Piece Clip-in Extension, to add length and volume to hair that may feel like it’s lacking.
For the perfect install, follow our handy step-by-step guide and video, here. And remember, practice makes perfect!
Thick Hair & Extensions
Thick hair seems like the perfect hair type to add extensions to, especially if you’re just wanting to add length to your already voluminous locks. However, thick hair can be difficult to blend with extensions, with more natural hair needing more extension hair.
As thick hair typically has a lot of volume and weight, when you add extensions, that volume and weight need to be balanced. One-piece extensions can sit funny in thicker hair, looking out of place or alien in the middle of the hair.
Instead, we recommend multi-piece extensions with additional weight and volume. Our best match would be the 20” Luxury Four Piece Human Hair Clip-in Extensions, which weighs 170 grams and can be spread out around the hair.
Blunt Hair Cut & Extensions
Blunt haircuts will never go out of style, especially if you’re a girl who loves to straighten her hair. However, blunt haircuts can make adding hair extensions look really obvious, with a clear line between the natural and extension hair.
When working with a blunt haircut, we recommend using a multi-piece extension to spread the extension hair around your head. We also recommend wearing a pre-styled extension, that you can easily match your natural hair to. With these two factors, you can diffuse the line between your natural and the extension hair.
We suggest checking out our 22” Fibre Five Piece Instant Bouncy Blow Dry, which is both multi-pieced and pre-styled.
Follow our easy step-by-step guide and video, here, to perfectly install your multi-piece extensions!
Layered Hair Cut & Extensions
From wolf cut to butterfly, choppy to natural, layered hair is all the rage. Layered haircuts are one of the best hairstyles to add extensions to, helping the extension hair blend seamlessly into your natural hair. However, not every extension style will work the same.
Layered haircuts do not need many extensions at all - it simply depends on the thickness of your natural hair, but generally isn’t impacted by length. For layered haircuts, we would happily recommend any clip-in extension, however, we think that the 16” Synthetic Curly One Piece Clip-in Extension could be perfect - layered hair looks great with curls!
If you love curls, why not check out our article on ‘Curling Hair Extensions: What You Need to Know’, for advice on curling all different types of hair extension methods?
Top tips to blend your extensions:
- Identify your hair type, length and cut
- Choose the best type of extension for your natural hair
- Learn how to install the extensions correctly
- Find your perfect colour
- Cut or curl the extension hair (if it is human hair and needed)
- Style your natural hair to match the extension's style
What now?
You came to this blog post wondering how to find the right amount of extensions for your hair type, so that you can get that insta-worthy hair you’ve been dreaming of! Now, thanks to our advice, you know the best type of clip-in extension for your natural hair and our matching, recommended Stranded product.
But what now?
Before jumping straight into the world of hair extensions, we suggest reading everything you can on all the different things you may need to consider. Check out our blog for educational articles, such as information on cost, weight and potential risk of hair damage.
Have we sold you on clip-ins?
Dive in and get free expert colour-matching by our incredible customer service team, here. Stranded has up to 34 multi-dimensional shades to choose from, so that you can find your perfect match.
Still unsure?
Whilst clip-in extensions may feel like the easier way to add length and volume to your natural hair, we understand they may not be the best choice for you!
If you’re looking for a semi-permanent extension method, there are many options that work well for all different hairstyles, styles and cuts. The most versatile, in our opinion, would be tape extensions, with our favourite brand being North Professional Hair.