If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m really open about having hair extensions and I’ve had them since my wedding over 2 years ago. I’ve never had thick hair and over the years it started getting thinner. I decided to get clip in extensions about 4 years ago since I was self-conscious about my hair. It wasn’t until my wedding that I decided to make my extensions semi permanent and investing in tape in extensions.
I did some research on the different types of extensions and consulted with a hair stylist to learn more about the different options and see what would work best for me. Hair extensions are quite the investment and they require maintenance every 6-8 weeks so it all adds up. With that said, I was just going to get them for my wedding day and wear them for 6-8 weeks and go back to clips ins. Well, like I mentioned earlier I ended up wearing them for 2 years. You can learn all about them here.
In March of this year I decided to make the switch to hand tied extensions. I was asked to be a hair model for a stylist in Atlanta so I did not even think twice. I have been wanting them for the longest time and have been following Chrissy from Habit Salon for so long as well. Her hair transformations are total GOALS! Realistically, I knew I wasn’t going to travel to Arizona to get my hair done (lol) plus the hair and process itself is super expensive. Hand-tied extensions are now becoming super popular and there are more people getting trained on the method.
It’s been three months since I made the switch to hand tied extensions and I am SO happy with them. I cannot recommend them enough! Hands down, it’s one of the best investments I made when it comes to beauty. I’ve been asked to share a little about my experience with them so I wanted to touch on some of the basics.
Cost
Overall cost depends on a lot of things- volume, length (I have the 22 inch long ones) and type of hair. Hair is not cheap, especially if you’re wanting to have high quality that lasts longer. Typically, the first hair and installation for hand-tied is the most expensive but the upkeep is less expensive. Hair and installation can start anywhere from $1,000 and up. After 6-8 weeks, you can get the beads “tightened” for under $100 and it takes about 15 mins. The next time (after 6-8 weeks again) they have to get fully taken out and reinstalled. The price of this is per row of extensions (I have 2) and it depends ($100-200 per row is average).
Installation
The hair itself is in a long piece or weft and are installed by rows, depending on your hair type and desired outcome. Your hair is divided up into tiny sections and separated by beads. The weft is then sewn in (hand tied) through the beads and attached to your head. The process takes up to several hours (2-3).
My hair with the beads
My hair with a row of extensions 
Maintenance
Like I mentioned, it is recommended you go in for maintenance every 6-8 weeks. It depends on how fast your hair grows. I normally go 7-8 weeks with them. When I had tape in extensions the hair lasted me for about a year, so hopefully it’s the same with this. In terms of brushing, washing and styling my hair I’m just extra careful with them but I don’t do anything different than I would if I didn’t have them.
Tape-ins vs. Hand-tied
Overall, I prefer hand-tied extensions. You don’t even feel them and they’re easy to hide. With them, I am able to style my hair different ways and put it up in a pony tail. I couldn’t do that before with tape ins because they would show when my hair was up. I also didn’t like how long it would take to get the tape ins removed and the adhesive that was stuck to my hair. They say it doesn’t really damage them but now with hand-tied I feel like my hair has room to breathe and heal up. Essentially I would love to get my hair back to a good place so I don’t have to wear extensions but I can’t imagine not having all this gorgeous volume!
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram. I have saved my hair extensions experience and process on my Instagram Story Highlights as well.
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