EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CLIP-IN HAIR EXTENSIONS

Human Hair Extensions or Synthetic Hair Extensions?

• Human hair extensions will blend in more naturally with your own hair and last much longer.
• Synthetic hair will look great on purchase; but once you have worn it a few times it starts to become matted and does not hang freely like your natural hair, it is a great option for creating a one off different look.
• Human hair extensions are much more expensive than synthetic hair extensions as there is no hair donor to pay for synthetic hair.
• There are no ethical issues concerning the use of synthetic hair extensions as the product is made from plastics and there is no hair donor to consider.

You can do the following with human hair extensions but not with synthetic hair:

• Human hair extensions can be treated in the same way that you treat your hair.
• You can wash clip-in extensions with shampoo and conditioners.
• You can dye human hair extensions.
• You can style your clip-in hair extensions with hair tongs, curlers and straightners.

Synthetic hair will not move as freely as real hair therefore looking less natural than if you were to wear human hair extensions.

What type of clip-in hair extensions do you sell?

Undercover Glamour sells Chinese human hair extensions for their silky and straight texture. Chinese hair is straight so it will not curl if your clip-in hair extensions get wet in the rain. Chinese human hair is slightly thicker than Brazilian or Indian human hair therefore, the hair is stronger and will be long lasting.  All hair extensions are Triple Wefted.  For more information about the different types of hair, please click on the above tab, next to the FAQs tab to learn more.

We sell the best quality, Chinese human hair; this is known as Remy Hair. This is the type of hair that celebrities use. 

What is Remy Hair?  Why are Remy clip-in hair extensions more expensive?

Remy clip-in hair extensions are more expensive than plain human hair extensions because of the level of care in managing them and forming them into extensions. This higher level of care is why Remy Hair is more expensive. With Remy clip-in hair extensions, when the hair is cut from the hair donor the tops of the hair are kept together so the hair runs in its natural way. With other human hair extensions when the hair is cut the tops and the tips of the hair will be mixed up, this is done for ease of collection and management.

It is important to make sure the hair falls in the correct way i.e., with Remy Hair; this is because the outer layer of hair is made up of lots of cuticles and the edges of the cuticles all point down towards the tip. If the tops and tips of the hair are sown together at the top of the clip-in hair extension it will cause the cuticles to catch each other which results in tangling. Therefore, Remy clip-in hair extensions will stay straight, tangle-free and neat for much longer than plain human hair extensions.

For ease of management – Remy Hair and clip-in hair extensions are definitely best.

Where do the human hair extensions come from? Is it ethical?

All our clip-in hair extensions are sourced from China. We pay a fair price for the hair supplied and work with reputable suppliers. Beware of buying very cheap human hair extensions as you need to consider that the hair donor needs to receive a fair price for their donation, and if the price is very low it is possible that the hair donor has not even been paid for their hair.

What is the best length of clip-in hair extension?

This depends on the look you want to go for. For example if you want to go for the sexy, TOWIE look of Chloe Sims or for Lucy Mecklenburgh’s going out look, or for Elle Macpherson’s glamorous look, then choose Undercover Glamour’s 22 inch in length hair extensions. This length will fall about 4 inches below your bra strap if you are average height.

Undercover Glamour’s most popular length of clip-in hair extension is 18 inches in length. 18” will fall just below your bra line if you are of average height and this is the hair length of Kate Middleton, so it is a natural looking and manageable length.

How many clip-in hair extensions do I need to get the celebrity look?

If you have short hair and wish to make it longer to 18 inches in length a 100 grams will be enough to give you longer hair. If you want even more volume and thickness you can add to the 100 grams of hair with the hair pieces, each piece has 20 grams of hair. Or if you want ultra thick looking hair you may want to add 200 grams of hair (2 sets of full heads of hair).

If you are looking to make your hair thicker with clip-in hair extensions but not longer then you may find that 100 grams is too much hair and it maybe best for you to buy the Hair Piece (with 3 clips and one in a pack with 20 grams of hair).

Undercover Glamour's Hair Extension Options:

Clip-in Hair Extensions, Full Head:

 With everyone longing over Kate Middleton’s luscious locks, what better way to achieve them than with our 18 inch full head hair extensions. We sell 100% REMY, triple weft hair. The 18 inch option will fall just below the back bra strap line on someone of average height.  If you already have long hair (like Kate Middleton's) the full head is great for adding lots of volume and thickness, and there is plenty of hair to add length if your hair is shorter than 18 inches as there is a 100 grams of hair per set. If you want to use the full head to make your hair longer and you want it to look really full and thick at the ends then we would suggest using more than 100 grams of hair. You can either buy two sets of full heads which would be 200 grams of hair which would ensure very long and thick looking hair, or you can buy the Hair Piece if you wish to add an extra 20 grams of hair and this will be a cheaper option that buying 2 sets of the full heads.

Our other option is our 22 inch in length clip-in hair extensions which is fabulous for achieving a very glamorous night out look; the TOWIE cast are a fan of this length of hair extensions, and Elle MacPherson wears ultra long length hair extensions on her show, Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model.  The 22 inch option will fall 4 inches below the back bra strap line on someone of average height.  If you wish to curl the hair extensions then 22 inches in length is a great option as when you add curls you loose length but with 22 inches they will still be long.

Hair Piece:

If you want to add more volume and thickness to your hair, then Undercover Glamour’s clip-in Hair Piece is an amazingly affordable option for you. The Hair Piece is 20 grams of hair, this is not enough to make your hair longer, to make your hair longer you would need 100 grams to 300 grams of hair.  The Hair Piece is great to use to make long hair thicker.   

The Hair Piece is also a really quick, short term solution for following different celebrity hair styles. You could try the dip-dyed look like Jessie J, by simply adding several sets of Bright Red Hair Pieces under your own hair to achieve a natural looking dip-dyed look.  Or, you could go for the Christina Aguilera or Lady Gaga look if you are blonde by adding the Black Hair Piece under your own hair.

Hair Streaks:

 The bright coloured hair streaks are great for keeping up on hair trends without a hefty price tag like the celebs and are great fun for parties and dressing up.  A look that can be easily achieved with our hair streaks is Katy Perry’s pink, purple and blue streaked party look, this can instantly be achieved by clipping in several sets of brightly coloured hair streaks to your own hair.

If you want to have a highlighted look without forking out lots of money at the hairdressers, simply add a few sets of hair streaks that are a shade lighter than your natural hair to get the same effect.

TYPES OF HAIR EXTENSIONS:

1. Clip-in Hair Extensions
2. Sewn in Hair Weaves
3. Bonded Hair Extensions (Pre-bonded)
4. Micro Ring Hair Extensions

Clip-in Hair Extensions:

Clip-in Hair extensions are popular with celebrities, such as Cheryl Cole who are often instantly transforming their hair, they are also well known as being a vital part of the TOWIE set. Catherine Peck, our company director says they are her beauty accessory favourite.

Advantages:

• Clip-in hair extensions provide a quick transformation to your hair, making you feel more glamorous and helping to achieve the celebrity look.
• Extensions can add length, and you can use them to add volume instead (or in addition to length), which is perfect for fine, limp or thinning hair.
• You can also add highlights or colour with clip-in hair extensions with shades from natural colour tones to bright, bold colours with the use of clip-in hair streaks.
• Chlorine and salt water damages hair extensions and causes them to tangle so with clip-in hair extensions you can take them out when you go swimming. Less hair is also easier to manage when swimming, wake boarding or surfing.
• More hair, wigs and extensions makes your head hotter and this can make it itchy, so there are times when you may not want tons of extra hair, for example, playing sport, or on holiday in the boiling sun, clip-ins allow you to choose when and where to have more hair.
• Clip-in hair extensions are a much cheaper option as with bonded hair or hair weaves it requires regular trips to the hairdresser.
• With bonded hair you have to be careful when using heat i.e., curling tongs or a hair dryer. The heat will melt the bonds (the glue). With clip-in hair extensions you can style your hair when the extensions are not in your hair making it easier to manage and you can use curling tongs and straighteners on the human hair clip-ins.
• With bonded hair or hair weaves you need to rely on a professional to manage your extensions whereas with clip-in hair extensions you can make your hair look great from home.
• Clip-in hair extensions are less damaging to your hair than bonded hair or hair weaves as with bonded hair it is glued to your hair and with hair weaves it is sewn onto your hair, with these both are left in your hair for the long-term but with clip-in hair you are only adding weight temporarilly.
• There are times when you might not want glamorous, long, thick locks and with clip-in hair extensions you can choose when you want the celebrity look. With clip-in hair extensions you can instantly change your look by adding say, 22 inch in length hair extensions one night, and then adding 18 inch in length hair extensions another night.

Prices for clip-in hair extensions vary depending on the hair type, hair quality, hair weight and hair length. Undercover Glamour offers 18 inch in length, 100 grams of hair, full head clip-in hair extensions for £59.99.

Considerations:

To best protect your natural hair, give your hair a break from the clip-in hair extensions and do not wear them all the time, it is also best to take them out before you go to bed. The extra weight from the clip-in hair extensions (if worn all the time) may damage your own natural hair by making it weaker.

Hair Extensions (Weaving):

The hair weave is when extra hair is sewn into your existing hair. Hair Weaves are popular with celebrities for creating a longer lasting, fuller, thicker looking hair, such as Beyonce, Naomi Campbell, Tara Banks and even Kourtney Kardashian has been spotted having her locks added to. The major advantage of bonded hair extensions over clip-in hair extensions is that they are attached all of the time (until you have them removed) so you will wake up every day with beautiful, long and full hair. The hair weaves look more natural as lots of tiny strips of hair are woven into your own hair so the hair will move more freely with your own hair than when larger strips of hair are added with clip-ins and with bonded hair extensions.

Considerations:

The extra hair will be a strain on your own hair and can cause bald patches, most famously, Naomi Campbell has suffered from this. Headaches can also be caused if the hair is woven too tightly into your own hair. This process is the most expensive as it is the most time consuming, and the whole process can take 3 hours for a whole head of hair. Hair Weaves are an extremely popular choice for fashionable black women, as they are more suitable to this type of hair attachment as their hair is stronger and tougher than say, European hair and therefore, is less likely to be damaged by the weaves, and it also provides a longer lasting solution to having more hair.

Prices for a hair weave vary depending on the hair type, hair quality, hair weight, hair length, and salon choice.

Bonded Hair Extensions:

Hair bonding basically involves fixing additional strands of hair to your natural hair. This means using some kind of adhesive to attach the extensions. The major advantage of bonded hair extensions over clip-in hair extensions is that they are attached all of the time (until you have them removed) so you will wake up everyday with beautiful, long and full hair. Celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Kate Beckinsale, Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Nichole Richie have or have had pre-bonded hair extensions.

Pre-bonded hair extensions:

Celebrities are using "pre-tipped" bonded hair with a synthesized keratin protein that acts as a glue to bond the strands onto hair. Heat may be used to bond, or "melt" the glue, or some stylists use FastFusion technology, which uses air pressure to bond individual hairs in faster time. Prices for pre-bonded hair extensions are expensive and can range from £10 for a single extension to £2,000 plus for a full head of hair.

Considerations:

The adhesive used can be harmful for your hair and scalp and it is not a good idea to have any chemicals on your scalp for long periods of time. Secondly, the extensions will damage your natural hair. Some people therefore recommend getting rid of the bonded hair within a month to reduce damage, but once you have them you are likely to continue to want them. However, this means you are going through quite an expense for just a couple of weeks, and in any case, removing the extensions can also damage your natural hair. Celebrities have been noted from suffering from bald patches as a result of using pre-bonded hair extensions, most famously, Victoria Beckham but also Britney Spears, and Nichole Richie have suffered from this.

Micro Ring Hair Extensions:

The Micro Ring technique, combines soft or fine strands of natural hair with the extension hair. As there is no glue, sewing or braids involved there is no damage to your own hair. This technique can be done on all types of hair. The micro ring is a lightweight metal ring with a silicone lining to give a better grip and cushion your own hair. Micro Ring extensions can last upto three months before needing to be removed. Therefore, is a lasting solution to fuller, thicker looking hair. Celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Jessica Simpson and Katie Price have been known to use micro ring hair extensions.

Considerations:

Micro ring extensions are easier to maintain and they are quicker to apply than bonded hair extensions. They do not involve adding any heat to the hair or glue so there are no chemicals being used near your scalp. However, Micro ring extensions are more visible on people with thinner hair and can cause more scalp irritation than pre-bonded so they may not be everyone's choice. You are also more likely to loose extensions quicker than with pre-bonded hair extensions and this may require more frequent trips to the salon and therefore, more cost.

Prices for clip-in hair extensions vary depending on the hair type, hair quality, hair weight and hair length and the salon choice. The Telegraph stated from an interview with Katie Price that she spends £6,000 every 3 months on having micro bonding hair extensions and Katie said that she had been having hair extensions done for 12 years so that is £288,000!