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The best way to keep up with the latest on hair extensions is to
stay on the lookout for new information. Current info is not always
the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this article includes the
latest available.
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From the beginning of time, women have cared for their hair. As
far back as 4000-300 B.C. Egyptian women and even men are shown
with various wigs and elaborate hair styles. Hair is a contributing
factor to ones confidence and serenity. Our culture strongly
identifies femininity with a thick, lustrous head of hair. Images
of full bodied, shining hair are synonymous with female attributes,
sexuality, desirability and vigor. Thinning, dry, lusterless hair
is identified with illness, old age, and poverty.
Every generation goes thru more and more transformations and
capitalizes on current trends of Hair Styles. The big Hair Style
trend these days is in full swing in Europe and is just starting to
spread in the United States. It is the trend of Hair Extensions.
Hair extensions involve the attachment of human or synthetic hair
to your existing hair to create a more full or long look
immediately. Hair extensions can add instant body, length to your
look and can also help with hair thinning and hair loss
situations.
There are many different methods of hair extensions on the market
today, some good, some not so good. Mark Sharp, co-founder and
creative director of Mark Glenn Hair Enhancement of London, England
and Glenn Kinsey, co-founder and managing director have taken
revolutionary steps in developing a fiber hair extension method
that not only doesnt damage the existing hair but can even improve
the condition of the hair. They have transformed the lives of women
who suffer from varying degrees of hair loss caused by conditions
such as alopecia, trichotillomania, genetic factors, stress and
post-operative trauma.
The Mark Glenn extensions, commonly known as MG extensions, use no
glues, bonding solutions, threads, weaves, injections, and nothing
is stuck on the head. They are attached using a very fine braid. A
small section of existing hair is split into two. The fiber hair is
also split into two to make the braid and is finally wrapped around
the base of the hair, protecting it. The fiber is then "sealed on
itself" using a heat tool (which is no hotter than a typical pair
of curling tongs or crimpers). This creates a tiny plastic seal.
It's important to point out that during this process, your own hair
is safely "cocooned" inside the fiber so it doesn't come into
direct contact with any heat. Therefore, your own hair stays in
perfect condition. For hair loss or thinning problems, the
extensions are applied with non-allergic mesh and the fiber hair is
woven thru the mesh to create the look.
Glenn Kinsey of Mark Glenn Hair Enhancement has joined us today for
a brief question and answer session on their fiber hair
extensions.
Welcome Glenn and thank you for joining us today! We have a few
questions for you about your wonderful hair extensions.
Question: I understand that you and Mark have previously worked
with human hair extensions. Why did you switch to synthetic fiber
extensions?
Answer: Several reasons:
1. Weight - human hair is twice the weight of fiber and therefore
feels heavy on the head at its worst, this increased weight and
stress on the hair can cause traction alopecia. In addition, human
hair is porous it soaks up water which can significantly increase
the weight when wet.
2. Tangle human hair tends to matt and tangle this is because the
surface of human hair has little spines on it, that look like roof
tiles under a microscope. Because this alien hair isnt being
conditioned by the natural oils that condition your own hair, these
spines tend to stick out and tangle up with the other hairs on your
head. Consequently, you do need to use quite intensive conditioners
to keep the hair in good condition. Fiber, however, has a smooth
surface and therefore is less likely to tangle.
3. Glue - human hair extensions are typically applied with glue and
removed with acetone a recipe for damage, the results of which we
regularly see in our studio. Our method doesnt use any
chemicals.
4. Colour match - a stylist using human hair would typically take a
swatch of the clients hair and send it to a human hair supplier who
would then pick the closest colour from a specific range. We
actually colour-blend our hair with the client in front of us
taking into account all the different subtle shade shifts that may
exist in their hair to get an absolutely perfect match
5. Ethics theres a great deal of mystery surrounding the origins of
human hair used in extensions and its very difficult to track the
exact source. A common source for top quality hair is from female
Russian prisoners, for example
6. Look and feel fiber looks and feels just like real hair but is
much kinder to the hair and is much easier to style and take care
of.
Question: What percentage of your clients gets hair extensions for
hair loss issues versus fashion?
Answer: The split is approximately 50/50
Question: You have developed your own branded method (MG
extensions) for applying fiber extensions. What is unique about
your method in comparison to other methods available? Do you plan
to patent your application method?
Answer: We have a proprietary technique for working with female
hair loss, for which clients visit us from all over the world. For
fashion purposes, weve amalgamated several different methods and
added our own unique adaptations to create a technique that creates
a beautiful look
Question: Why do you feel that fiber extensions are superior to
human hair extensions? Could you apply human hair extensions using
your method if a client really preferred human hair?
Answer: See above. Apart from using pliers and a metal clip (which
is great fun through airport metal detectors and very uncomfortable
when you lay your head on a pillow!) the only way to apply human
hair is with glue.
Question: What training and education is involved for stylists
doing MG extensions? Answer We work in teams of two people a lead
and an assist. Team members start out as an assist and then, after
about 12 to 24 months, progress up to a lead. Leads are the ones
that direct the work. Our training is very intensive and on the job
to allow team members to experience the bewildering array of both
styles and techniques, as well as the differing types of hair loss
they may encounter.
Question: What are the legal requirements in England for doing hair
extensions?Answer: Sadly, there are no specific legal requirements
for hair extensions over and above those for a normal hair
salon.
Question: What are the minimum requirements for someone wanting
hair extensions? Length of hair? Stable hair loss? Have you turned
down clients for hair extensions and why?
Answer: We regularly turn away clients no matter how much they want
hair extensions, if we dont think its going to look sensational!
For fashion work, the main reason is length of existing hair for
the best results, the clients hair needs to be at least 4 to 6
inches long. This is because you need existing hair to conceal
where the extensions are attached. For our clients with hair loss,
there can be a whole range of reasons, from too little existing
hair to hair loss that hasnt stabilized.
Question: There are some hair extensionists that dont recommend
getting fiber extensions because of esthetic reasons. Can you
describe the quality of the fiber hair, where it is made and why
these recommendations are not valid?
Answer: We only use a beautiful, hand-made fiber that is absolutely
undetectable from the real thing in look, feel and behavior. Its
actually more expensive than some human hair! Cheap fiber is truly
awful, akin to Barbie-doll hair. You only tend to spot bad
extensions we pride ourselves on the fact that, in general, no-one
even suspects our clients have extensions and we have a large
number of celebrity clients that, in some cases, even the media
havent spotted that their hair isnt their own!
Question: You mention on your website, http://www.markglenn.com
that the fiber extensions do not damage your hair and can even
improve the condition of your hair. Can you explain how they can
improve the condition of your hair?
Answer: First of all, we dont use any chemicals. Secondly, your own
hair is cocooned and protected inside the extension and continues
to grow as normal. Thirdly, when the extensions are removed, they
just slide off your hair leaving no mess or residue. Because your
hair has been protected in this way over a few months, the
condition of your own hair often improves.
Question: What is the maintenance schedule for fashion and hair
loss fiber extensions? What happens if you do not follow the
maintenance schedule?Answer: For fashion, youd need to either
remove the extensions after three months or have them removed and
replaced. Initially, the extensions are attached at the base of
your hair. However, your hair will grow at around half an inch a
month so the extensions start to grow down your own hair. If you
leave it longer than 3 months, theres a risk that the newly grown
hair above the extension may start to matt and tangle and, in the
worst-case scenario, dreadlock. For hair loss, the particular
technique we use demands that clients visit us every six weeks for
similar reasons the mesh can start to feel a little loose if its
left for much longer than 6 weeks.
Question: If someone has very thick hair and wants only to lengthen
it, why wouldnt you just apply the extensions to the ends of the
hair, instead of at the roots?
Answer: Because youd see a bump where the extension is
attached.
Question: Can you treat fiber extensions the same as your own hair?
I.E. shampooing, conditioning, curling, brushing, etc
Answer: Yes wash it as normal, blow dry, curl, condition, brush
just like the real thing. And because the fiber is actually
non-porous, you dont need to use expensive products on the hair,
e.g. conditioners, because theyll have no effect on the extension
hair itself. The only thing you have to avoid is direct, sustained
heat e.g. hot-iron straighteners etc. Rollers etc. are fine.
Question: Are there any restrictions? Can you color or perm the
fibre extensions?Answer: You cant perm the extensions but you
wouldnt need to you can achieve the same look using rollers, for
instance. Colour has no effect on the extension hair, again,
because its non-porous. This is great for clients who continue to
have their roots done, in the knowledge that the colour wont affect
the extension hair.
Question: On an annual basis, what would a typical client pay for
Fashion and Hair Loss Fiber extensions including maintenance
schedules? Are the majority of the costs associated with cost of
the materials or the labor?
Answer: Costs do vary from head to head and style to style. Since
we have two people working on a clients head at the same time, cost
is predominantly based on the amount of time it takes with each
particular client. On average, a fashion client would pay around
GBP 1,500.00 per year and a hair loss client, around twice as much.
And bear in mind that you dont need to visit a hairdresser since we
take care of all this during appointments.
Question: Your Hair Loss fiber extensions qualify for funding from
medical plans in England. Did you have to go thru a certification
process for this funding? Have any of your clients outside England
received payment from medical plans in their country?Answer:
Because of the way the UK health system works (which is funded by
the Government) it very much depends on the attitude of local
health authorities rather than a specific test. Some health
authorities are happy to fund their patients, whereas others are
not, preferring the cheaper option of providing wigs. Weve yet to
have someone from outside the UK whos funded by a health plan
etc.
Question: Do you plan to offer training to stylists outside your
salon so that other salons in the world can offer MG
Extensions?
Answer: Not at present, although its something we may consider in
the future.
Question: Are there reputable salons in the US that you would
recommend?
Answer: Since the majority of our techniques were developed
in-house and are therefore unique to us, its unlikely youd find
anyone locally who does things in quite the same way. The fact
that, currently, we have clients that visit us from 14 different
countries, seems to confirm this. I so wish I could recommend
others, but we simply havent yet come across anyone who provides a
similar result to a similar standard
Thank you very much Glenn for your valuable input!! For additional
information about Mark Glenn Hair Extensions, visit their website
located at http://markglenn.com
About the author:
Perriann Rodriguez is the founder of www.hairresources.comand has published hundreds of
articles in magazines, newspapers and trade journals. She is listed
in the US Register of American Writers and the 2004 Who's Who of
Executives and Professionals
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Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your
understanding of hair extensions. Now might be a good time to write
down the main points. The act of putting it down on paper will help
you remember what's important.
Of course, it's impossible to put everything into just one
article. Even if you don't know everything about hair extensions,
you've done something worthwhile: you've expanded your
knowledge. |
