Hair Extensions have widely grown in popularity in the past years and they are now used by many people across the world as a way of adding length, fullness, texture and colour to natural hair. The reasons for the use of hair extensions can vary from being hair loss through medical treatment or just purely for cosmetic reasons. Whatever your reason here's a little bit of information to help you with your hair extension decisions.

The use of versatility of hair extensions has been recognised among many different ethic and social groups. They are made from a range of human hair and synthetic fibres but how do you no which is right for you?

Realistically either human or synthetic or perfectly fine to be used for hair extensions even though human hair is always often preferred due to the fact it blends in which your natural hair more as it is the same texture and more likely to be a more natural colour. Human hair is available in different grades with the main suppliers of it is India, China and Eastern European countries.

Synthetic hair however does have its advantages. You can get synthetic hair in any colour that you could possibly imagine and it is generally less expensive than human hair. You can also purchase synthetic hair in a range of different styles such as:

&bull Yaki - pure straight, usually mimicking the straightness of Asian hair.

&bull European - this is more natural-looking straight hair that may have a slight wave to it

&bull Deep Wave - while generally not a true 'wave', it can be made to look like spiral curls.

&bull Loose Deep Wave or Romance Wave - looser version of the deep wave, softer curls.

&bull Jheri Curl - usually sold in very short lengths, it is often used to recreate the full 'afro' look.

&bull Wet and Wavy (Spanish Wave or Indian Wave) - usually human hair is used, and is either naturally curly or permanently waved to appear so.

If you wanted to create these sort of styles with human hair extensions you would have to have the style placed onto the extensions after you had them placed in, costing you more. Human hair however outweighs synthetic immensely when it comes to what you can do with them when they have been placed in.

When it comes to the styling and washing of your hair with your hair extensions in, extra care will need to be taken but this doesn't necessarily mean that it will cause you extra work. The shampooing of your hair should be done in the same way for human hair and synthetic fibres. You should continue to wash your hair how you always have, however it may be a good idea to switch to a more mild shampoo and conditioner. This, along with using cool water, helps to dramatically reduce tangles.

The styling of your hair extensions can be carried out like normal, just like how you treat your normal hair, if you have human hair extension, which gives them a major advantage over synthetic hair as synthetic hair restricts you from styling.

It is not advisable to use heat on synthetic hair as it has the potential to burn or melt the hair. This means that you would have problems when it comes to drying, straightening or curling your hair.

If you are considering having hair extensions please speak to your stylist before making any major decisions.