Abucus Hair Extensions

I've recently had a full head of hair extensions fitted.

For those of you who have always been curious about getting hair extensions I thought this would be a perfect time to answer all your questions!

Abucus hair has been up and running for almost 2 years and is run solely by a wonderful lady called Helen.

Helen has been a fully trained hair extension technician for 4 years & has experience of several methods of fitting extensions.

Hair extensions are a great way of allowing your own hair to grow out, add a flash of colour, to add volume or body or just as a change, whatever your reason for wanting them if you live in or around the Plymouth area then look no further than Abucus Hair.

Why Abucus Hair Extensions?

• Finest Quality AAA Grade Indian Remy Hair hair lengths in either 18 or 20 inches
• Half Head from £60
• Full Head from £100
• Maintenence including 50 new bonds £20
• Removal £20
• Clip In Sets from £30

Personally I wanted my extensions fitted for more length as I hated the fact my hair doesn't seem to grow past my shoulders, also to add blonde into my hair without bleaching it.

Abucus hair has been up and running for almost 2 years and is run solely by a wonderful lady called Helen.

Helen has been a fully trained & insured hair extension technician for 4 years & has experience of several methods of fitting extensions.

If your thinking of getting extensions you need to decide on how you'd like them applied:

Bonds

The most common type of application method being bonds. Bonds are applied using a heat gun and attached to tiny sections of your own hair, providing a secure bond they'll last up to 12 weeks. Helen uses the smallest stick tip extensions so your bonds will be tiny and undetectable.

Bonds

Micro Ring

The Micro Ring method has been around for a few years now and has become popular for those looking for quick application. The extensions are easy to use and a full head can be added in less than 2 hours. These extensions tend to look more natural than the clip in ones as the rings are hidden by the natural hair and each extension is added individually rather than in wefts.

Micro Rings

Shrinkies

Shrinkies or shink tubes, as they are sometimes called, are very small clear plastic tubes (its special hair friendly plastic often with a keratin inner coating, so don’t try to make them yourself).  They work literally by shrinking around your hair and the extension when heat is applied. These are virtually undetectable, lightweight and secure.

Shrinkies

Cold Fusion

The cold fusion method extensions are attached in individual strands using a glue type of adhesive. These need to be applied by a trained extension technician as they are quite tricky to put in. These are probably the most natural looking method of hair extensions.

We all hear horror stories about extensions but as I'm not on my second set I can vouch for the fact that as long you are prepared to look after your new hair & have them removed correctly your own hair will be absolutely fine.

My extensions are bonded in using heat...

Here are my before and after shots:

And here are my essential products for aftercare of your new hair:

Left to Right:

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Serum £7.19 Boots

Gianni Overnight Balm £1.99 Boots

Loreal Hot To Straight Cream £2.95 Boots

Charles Worthington Hair Healer Leave In Conditioner £5.19 Boots

Wildest Dreams Hair Extension Maintenance Spray £4.50 Sally's

If you are considering getting extensions I know you'll want to know exactly what aftercare is involved, so I'm going to try and give you some tips on getting the most out of your extensions.

General
Extensions need maintaining and looking after - you cannot have extensions because you think it is an easy way out of doing your own hair. They need conditioning, gentle brushing and straightening. You have to be willing to spend time on them and have patience to look after them otherwise they will not stay in good condition. Longer extensions tend to be harder to look after than shorter ones and at first it may be difficult to sleep as your head is not used to the bonds. It will not always be like this, after a few days you should not even know they are in.

Washing
It is recommended that you do not wash your hair for at least 48 hours after the extensions are fitted. This allows time for the glue to properly set. Washing your hair sooner can cause the bonds to soften, become weak, or even fall out.
You should wash your as least as possible, once or twice a week is best as the less stress put on the extensions the better, and the less drying through heat the better. Always use a hair extension shampoo to avoid softening the bonds. You can use conditioner on the hair but do not put any conditioner on the bonds. Do not rub or twist the hair as this can cause it to tangle. Always pat wet hair gently with a towel.
A hair extension leave-in conditioner should be used after hair has been towel-dried. This is designed to moisturise and condition natural hair as well as extension hair. It is quite light and easy to apply. Again, avoid applying to the bonded area. The only product that can go on the bonds is the hair extension shampoo.

Brushing

When brushing extensions it is best to use a tangle teezer brush as this will cause minimal damage to your extensions. A hard brush can often pull hair out. Do not use brushes with balls on the end of the bristles as these will rip and tear at the extension hair.
With the fusion bonded method you will lose strands of hair whilst brushing and it may look like a lot, but bear in mind that everyone loses around 100 hairs everyday naturally, and these are hairs which have not been caught up properly in the glue and have come loose.
Try to sleep with your hair in a loose plait as this will minimise the chance of knots.

Styling
The hair can be straightened, curled, cut, and blow dried.
When straightening, try to avoid straightening over the bonds although you will probably find that this part of your hair is missed anyway due to it being so close to the scalp.
Hair can also be cut and styled but when cutting please take into consideration where the bonds are so you do not get the hair cut in a way which will expose the bonds. You can dye hair but do a strand test first as different hair types dye differently e.g. your own hair may not dye the same as the extension hair or the extension hair may not dye as expected.

Maintenance
Some people choose to leave extensions for around 2 months without maintenance and then have them removed and a full set put back in.
It is recommended that you have a maintenance appointment about halfway through the time your extensions can stay in: about week 4-6 and have a certain amount removed and replaced, and have more added. Maintenance allows extensions to stay looking good for longer as it creates a cycle, as there are always new bonds with new hair added and old ones which may have thinned out or been picked at can be removed.  It is not advisable to keep extensions in for longer than 3 months as your re-growth can get matted and make them harder to remove after this period.  It is also good to remove them after this time to give your hair a good wash and colour if needed.

You can find Abucus Hair on Facebook search Abucus Hair Extensions, or contact Helen directly on 07855625767 for a quote or to arrange a consultation, she is a lovely approachable lady and doesn't mind answering any questions regarding hair.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Helen @ Abucus Hair for my long locks, I love them!

Have you ever had hair extensions? Would love to hear your views.

CF xxx

*Images featured under the application methods are for illustrative purposes only*

The pictures of my own hair are used with the permission of Abacus Hair