A hair extension means adding length to human hair artificially; it is also known as artificial hair integration. Under this method, commercial hairs are added to natural hairs, this method is used to add length to hair and to conceal problems like hair thinning and hair loss in concentrated areas. Many types of hair fibers are made for each type of hair; they are made from a range of human and synthetic fibers and vary in color, texture and quality. Color includes brown, dark brown, blonde and black. Texture includes silky straight, yaki, European, deep wave, jery curl, wet and wavy and romance wave. Quality includes virgin and non-virgin (chemically treated) hair. Now the question, which arises in the mind of many, is how to do hair extensions.

The method of hair extensions is 'track and sew' method. The tracks are cornrows; braided in the direction of how the hair will fall (towards the face or away) tracks builds the foundation of how the end result will look like. The sewn are the braids with a blunt ended needle, wefts are bounded directly to the client's hair using special bounding glue but the care must be taken that wefts are not directly bounded to client's scalp, then clips are integrated into natural hair to add length and volume. The price of clips varies from $100 to $200 depending on the desired quality. A patch test is recommended. The clips come in long strands and are then cut into multiple strands to make separate layers.

How to do hair extensions at home- attach wefts to the head by sewing them to a tiny braid made out of own hairs. Tracks should run in horizontal phase in the region of head's back. As tracks are prepared in the center of scalp beneath the hairline, that are not actually visible; wefts are sewn to the tracks once they are done, then the crown area is blended with and combed over the extension. The number of hair strands needed will depend upon the number of tracks one have, the number and size of tracks should match the number and size of the wefts. One should make them in different sizes in order to match exactly the hair would look if one had grown.

Looking after them is also crucial; one should wash hair, condition and moisturize them in every 2-3 days, if one does not do so, hair would break very easily leading into split ends and ratty ends. Do not yank them with a brush or burn with hair dryer, be nice to them, paddle brush the hairs every time after washing them. Every 6 to 8 weeks the natural hair would grow about 1 inch, but the braids will still be intact and the wefts will still be attached to braids. Hair extensions would cost minimum of $1600. Moreover, it lasts for 6 to 8 weeks. Few celebrities, who have undergone hair extensions, are Paris Hilton, Beyonce and Jennifer Aniston.

When one visits a hairdresser, one shall ask him/her how to do hair extensions at home. With the help of the procedure suggested by the hairdresser, one can do it at home and can save a lot of money, which otherwise would have been paid to the hair stylist.