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What Are Woven Hair Extensions?

Andrew Kirmayer
Andrew Kirmayer

One of the few ways to style hair or cover up baldness is the use of woven hair extensions, which are batches of human or artificial hair that are intertwined at the roots near the scalp. They do not come off as easily and last much longer than extensions that are designed to clip on. When a person gets hair extensions, the work should be done by a professional stylist who knows how to attach them properly; otherwise, added strain on the hair could cause more to fall out. A weft can be included and holds the strands of hair together with thin threads, or extensions can come in the form of loose bulks of hair. Track, cornrow and strand bonded techniques are used to attach them.

Woven hair extensions can stay in place for months at a time. They do not blow away if an unexpected gust of wind blows, and they stay tight even in water. People who are balding can have professional hair extensions put in to cover up bald spots as an alternative to wearing a wig. Human hair provides the most natural-looking extensions but are more expensive than extensions made with artificial hair.

Woman with hand on her hip
Woman with hand on her hip

The rate of hair loss can increase with woven hair extensions. If the process is not done the correct way, the weave can pull so tightly on the hair that strands can break, or there could be damage to the underlying follicles. This could speed up the balding process when the weave was done just to cover up minor gaps in hair coverage. One should think about this risk before getting hair extensions, should consider whether it overshadows the benefits and should always seek the services of a professional in the field.

With track extensions, the person’s hair and the woven hair extensions are bound together using threads. The pattern of the piece follows the natural pattern of the person’s hair, which is used to cover the linkage between the two types. No cord is used to tie together cornrow track extensions. These are integrated into a type of braid that holds the extensions and hair together.

Another way to get woven hair extensions is by strand bonding. The extensions are added in small sections and held tight with a form of glue that is made to adhere to human hair. Weaving in hair extensions, no matter how it is done, is a professional job. Any technique done by someone with expertise will yield a finished result that looks and feels like real hair.

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