Where did this obsession with thick, beautiful hair begin? The answer: In Hollywood, of course, where most fashion statements begin. Actresses (and actors) who needed to go from short hair to long hair in a heartbeat found Hair Extensions much simpler and more natural-looking than wearing a wig or hair system. With Hair Extensions, they didn't have to worry about losing their hair while tussling in a love scene or swimming on the beach.



And the audiences? Well, we all ooh'd and ahh'd over their gorgeous locks. We wanted hair like that, too. As made the red carpets, gossip magazines and onto our grocery store shelves, the market for Hair Extensions exploded into neighborhood hair salons and studios. And many of us paid dearly to get them.

Granted, few of us will ever look like Nicole or Sienna or even Rachel on ?Friends.? And frankly, most of us don't need to. We have plenty of hair. For most, Hair Extensions are a fashion statement. Or a nod to our dreams of looking like ... them. But for others, having full thick hair is something they have only dreamed about.

Ree Galloway knew all about baby-fine hair. She'd been born with it. Her hair was so fine, a baby barrette could practically hold back all of it. And in her thirties, with the stress of a pregnancy and a full time job, her already thin hair began to fall out. Stress-related Alopecia, or hair loss, like this is often temporary, but that doesn't make the problem any easier to live with.

Ree's issues were entirely different from the normal candidate that can walk into any local salon for a quick fix. Her hairdresser advised her to seek out Hair Replacement experts who knew how to apply Hair Extensions to thinning hair to provide the greatest benefit. Ree did just that and found a local clinic where the Hair Replacement technician explained to her the different options for Hair Extensions.

At the bottom of the list, she explained, are synthetic Hair Extensions, which are cheap and, frankly, look unnatural. At this Hair Replacement clinic they didn't offer anything but genuine human hair. Asian hair is beautiful, but is always dark and straight and course textured to start with. So many Caucasians prefer European hair, which is often lighter in color originally and has a more compatible texture?again, a little more expensive. African American hair was even trickier to match, but that clinic also specialized in nonsurgical Hair Replacement in that area.

Ree's next decision was which type of Hair Extensions would work best for her? The ones she saw most in salons being applied were individual strands either glued or clamped in place. These Hair Extensions are great looking, the technician explained, but there are drawbacks. Inevitably, they damage your hair when they are removed. And for people with already challenged hair, like Ree?, that can be a problem. Plus, they cannot be reused. After the hair grows out, these Hair Extensions are thrown away and new ones must be purchased.

The other option, the one many people seem to prefer is hair wafts. These are long sweeps of hair attached to combs, which are sewn into a tiny horizontal braid on the scalp. Not only is the process less damaging to hair, but also these wafts can be used over and over again once they are purchased. And when you consider how expensive Hair Extensions can be, recycling them seems a pretty good economical decision. With Ree's type of hair loss, the wafts turned out to be her choice. The technician matched her hair color exactly and attached hair waft Hair Extensions that filled out and filled in the hair she had lost.

Getting her Hair Extensions applied by a Hair Replacement expert turned out to be no more expensive than using her own hairdresser and for the money, she got exactly the look she wanted. A year later, when her baby-fine hair began growing back in, Ree decided to keep using her Hair Extensions, because she'd discovered what so many people with her problem do: a full head of hair gave her confidence. She never again needed to worry that someone was staring at her thinning hair. Best of all, you can treat Hair Extensions just like your own hair. Once the wafts go in, they stay in until they grow out enough to be removed and re-attached.

Whether you're dealing with permanent hair loss due to an accident or illness, or you're experiencing some temporary hair loss, Hair Extensions may very well be a viable option for you. They work best in cases where the hair loss is not severe and where the client still has enough hair to conceal the Hair Extensions or wafts.

Once you decide you are going to take the plunge and pay that initial cost, which kind of Hair Extensions are right for you? Some of your decision will depend on your issues. The truth is, for many people, like Ree, getting Hair Extensions is not a fashion decision. She wanted Hair Extensions to feel good about herself. Getting first class human Hair Extensions through a reputable Hair Replacement clinic is, no question, a costly venture, but well worth the price if your self-esteem has been damaged by thinning hair. Because feeling beautiful is not just for movie stars any more.