The latest and greatest hair extensions
Hair extensions have become the must-have accessory of celebrities throughout the world, and have never been so accessible to the average girl about town.
Whereas a decade ago having hair extensions meant sitting in a styling chair for the best part of a day, with a result that looked somewhat synthetic and bonds that were easily detected - today hair extensions represent a much quicker and more attractive option.
As well as the ethical improvements in the way that human hair extensions are made, there have been a number of product developments that have led to a five-fold growth in the extensions business in the five years from 2002 to 2007.
These include:
- Introduction of pre-bonded systems
Dawn Reilly, technical director from Balmain Extensions, explains: "They have made extensions simple, easy to use and less time consuming. Ten years ago the common story you heard was clients spending up to eight hours having extensions applied where loose hair strands would be bonded in using glue sticks." - Improvements in man-made fiber
"They were initially created as an alternative to human hair extensions, which are more expensive now due to the rising cost in the raw material. Historically man-made fibres had the tendency to look unnatural and didn't blend with the existing style," says Vanessa Coleman, American Dream's marketing manager. 
Reduction in application times
A full head of Hairaisers temporary Blue Label double wefted extensions can be applied in under 20 minutes, and can last two weeks, or a full head of Balmain's DoubleHair (which lasts for around 12 weeks) claims to be the fastest professional system available, with basic permanent lengthening taking just 35 minutes. Alternatively, Racoon's Micro Wefts and new Afro Wefts take just 45 minutes for a full head of hair, or Hairdreams LaserbeamerXP System allows precise application of up to eight extensions at the same time, meaning a full head of extensions to be applied in as little as 30 minutes.
The success of hair extensions is showing no signs of slowing down, and manufacturers are predicting that the growth will continue, so can your salon afford to miss out?
Here is a selection of some of the most advanced hair extensions systems available
Systeme Volume from Balmain is a new extension system that offers a volume service in 15 minutes. The system primarily creates volume, but can also be used for colour or length. It's the perfect product to increase customer sales revenue and it adds permanent volume.
Find out more: www.balmainhair.com 01323 842288
Rapture Rapid is applied using ultra-fine, long-lasting self-adhesive strips that offer a safe, comfortable hair extension system available in high quality human hair or fibre formats.
Find out more: www.rapture-extensions.com 01295 757410
Hairaisers Pink Label extensions offer high quality human hair, with a high percentage of Remy hair in an European-type double weft. Pink Label claims to offer the smoothest, most manageable hair around.
Find out more: www.hairaisers.com or 020 8965 2500
American Dream's most advanced system is Qwik X in partnership with Alternative Hair. It's a revolutionary solution for session styling and instant make overs with a high strength adhesive strip to 'stick and go' for immediate transformations. Wefts are 100% Remy human hair and measure 4in wide by 16in long.
Find out more: www.americandreamextensions.com or 020 8998 9840
Racoon's Micro Bond system is based on pine kernel and orange peel extracts. Once applied the tiny translucent bonds, the size of a grain of rice, are gentle enough to be applied to very fine hair. As a result, extensions look completely natural and its bands are virtually undetectable.
Find out more: www.racooninternational.com or 01295 770999
The Vanishing Point extension system from Hair Development is specifically for thinning hair featuring joins which are undetectable. Alternatively, its miracle graft hair replacement is ideal for alopecia or scarred scalps with hair implanted by hand one strand at a time into a clear skin membrane onto the bald area - without surgery. Hair is matched in texture and colour to the clients' hair.
Find out more: www.hair-development.com or 020 7790 4567
The new Hairdreams Volume+ System is the first individual hair-thickening system on the market, allowing the exact amount of natural hair volume for each client suffering from fine hair or hair loss. Based on the latest bonding and extension technology, this method fills in the client's own hair with high grade, natural hair of identical colour and texture. The result looks and feels perfectly natural.
Find out more: www.hairdreams.com or 0750 390 2697
Great Lengths Fast Fusion System uses a multi-strand application method that cuts down the amount of time needed to create a full head of extensions. Five pre-bonded strands are attached simultaneously, reducing application time dramatically. A full head of extensions using this method will take approximately one hour, excluding cutting and styling.
Find out more: www.greatlengthshair.co.uk or 0113 216 3070
