During my last visit to Melina Best hairdresser I spoke with Melina about the most common questions about hair extensions and long hair. Melina is considered with her salon in Cologne to the absolute hair experts for hair extensions and Balayage strands. Again and again she receives questions about hair extensions and hair thickening.

I would like to answer the most common questions on my blog, so that you can get more information about extensions. Also I had meanwhile already some hair extensions and am looked again and again incredulously, if I talk about it. A good hair extension is not seen and is not noticed so quickly.

As soon as I post pictures of my visit to the hairdresser reach me again and again new questions that revolve around extensions. I answer the most common questions about hair extensions from my experience, as well as my interview with Melina from Melina Best Friseur in Cologne.

When it comes to my long hair, I have trusted Melina Best Friseur in Cologne for quite some time. Hardly any hair salon can match Melina’s reputation. Here you will find all the IT girls and influencers, as well as stars who want beautiful long hair. The best impression gives a look at the Instagram account of Melina Best hairdresser and the daily amazing before and after Instagram Stories.

10 frequently asked questions about hair extensions and hair extensions.

My questions for Melina and your common questions about hair extensions and hair extensions. What should you know beforehand? What should I keep in mind? How do I avoid beginner mistakes? Tips for beautiful long hair and extensions.

How expensive is a hair extension?

The prices for extensions are always completely different. Depending on the length, hair quality and the number of strands incorporated, the price changes. The type of incorporation also affects the price. Bondings are thinner strands and therefore more time-consuming and expensive than wide tapes.

Melina Best Hairdresser Cologne

hair extensions, hair extensions, balayage strands

Pantaleonswall 65, 50676 Cologne, stop Barbarossaplatz

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Phone: +49 221-93284950

Web: melinabest.de

At Melina Best hairdresser, who now works with her own extensions, she always gives a guideline value in her work. One pays with her 495, – EUR for 125 gr. extensions in 45cm length. The hair strands have a perfect smooth quality and look perfect even after months of wearing.

How old do you have to be for hair extensions?

For big change on your own hair you have to be 18 years old. For your own protection, the hairdresser is not allowed to dye or tint your hair beforehand and also not allowed to use extensions. There also a declaration of consent or presence of the parents does not help. Who nevertheless would like to have beautiful long hair at the weekend, should simply try clip-in extensions together with a friend under the age of 18.

What is the best way to care for hair extensions and my own hair?

Anyone who has expensive extensions put in should not skimp on care and run to the nearest drugstore chain. Even if as a customer you have the feeling that the hairdresser wants to impose care on you at the end, there is a good reason for this. The care in the hair salon is much richer in nutrients than in comparable drugstore products.

Especially with human hair extensions, you should be aware that although the hair is real, it no longer has roots. Through the roots in the scalp, the own hair is supplied with nutrients. With hair extensions, care only comes to the hair through products.

For the best care, use a good shampoo to supply nutrients and moisture. In addition, a conditioner to lock in and seal in the care. Every now and then you can also apply a mask to the hair. For heat protection, shine and more nutrients, as well as moisture, one should use a hair oil. Every now and then you can use a deep cleansing shampoo.

When it comes to care products, it is generally important that they do not contain alcohol. In general, silicones are not good in shampoo, although many also talk about good and bad silicones here. Too much oil and too much alcohol can loosen the joints. Joining points can swell and come loose if the hair has been wet for too long. Therefore, extensions cannot be air dried.

In general, there are some hair care tips that should be followed even without extensions. You should always brush your hair before washing it. Wet hair should generally not be brushed, as hair is more sensitive when wet and can break more quickly.

Shampoo should be applied to the scalp and lathered. Then run along the tips. Conditioner should not be used on the scalp, but only in the lengths of the hair. On the scalp, conditioner can clog pores, which can lead to hair loss, fungus and oily scalp. Joining points can also be weakened by conditioner if the hair is too straight. In general, conditioner should not be rubbed, but only applied to the lengths.

After shampooing, one should not rub the hair dry, but only press it gently – rubbing leads to frizzy hair. Then give the hair heat protection and blow dry the hair on the lowest warm setting. First when the hair is dry, you should use a brush and other styling tools, such as straighteners and curling irons.

After putting in the new extensions, one should not wash the hair for at least 48 hours, so as not to unnecessarily stress the connection points. Wet hair is heavier than dried hair.

How many strands should be used?

You can’t say that in general, because it always depends on the texture, length and thickness of your own hair. For fine hair, 25-50 strands can be enough, for thick hair, you may have to go up to the maximum limit of 200 strands.

Here it also depends on whether you just want a thickening or a visible lengthening. As a rule, 80-150 strands are worked into the hair. In my hair, which is long and fine, but not too thin, the last time I visited Melina Best hairdresser, 125 bonding strands were worked in with a length of 60cm.

What is bad for extensions?

If you have extensions, you should pay attention to a few things to enjoy your new hair for a long time. The hairbrush should not have knobs on the ends, as the bondings can get tangled here – brushes with bristles are better. Too much moisture weakens the bondings, so unfortunately you must not let the hair dry without a hair dryer. Too much alcohol in some shampoos and too much oil can also weaken the bonds.

You should also be careful with too much heat on the joints. Especially with curling irons, you have to be careful here, the further the bondings have grown out. In general, chlorinated water and salt water is negative for real hair and of course for hair extensions. They say that you usually lose 10% of the extensions again. With me it is so that I often lose no extensions at all.

Can the hair of the hair extensions be styled like normal hair?

Yes, the hair not only feels the same as your own perfect hair, but can also be styled perfectly. Only the connections should not be treated extremely with heat. The durability of curls is with me as with my own hair. Just keep in mind that if you have more hair, you also need more time to dry and style it.

What is the biggest difference between tapes and bondings for hair extensions?

The differences between tapes and bondings lie in the gluing points and the respective width of the strands. With bondings, one strand has one gram, while with tapes, one strand has several grams. Tapes are flat, wide strands and bondings are thin, round strands.

Tapes have flat, wide adhesive strips that are glued below and above your own hair strand respectively. You only feel flat attachments that feel a little like tape film in your hair. You don’t feel any hard edges and it doesn’t interfere with sleeping. The tapes are removed with an oil mixture.

Bondings are thin strands that are placed around your own strands. The strands are fixed with wax and heat, which creates harder bonds. These bondings can be a little disturbing for the first two nights while sleeping. The fine strands are perfect if you want to wear a braid more often.

The bondings are usually attached piece by piece, which takes more time than tapes. Some salons use a laser beamer, which allows multiple strands to be used at the same time. However, the bonding points are also reworked and pressed on by hand here. Bondings are removed by breaking the connections and using a remover if necessary.

How long are extensions?

Again, this varies from salon to salon. The most common hair lengths are 45cm or 60cm. If desired, of course, it goes even longer, however, at 60cm the hair already reaches the seat of the pants. After insertion, the hair is cut a little shorter so that the hair as a whole looks even again and you can no longer recognize the individual strands.

Will the own hair be damaged?

Since the strands are placed around your own hair, your own hair remains protected. However, hair can also break at the connection points, depending on the load. My experience is that my hair grows faster with extensions and I feel that I lose less hair than without extensions.

Tangles and knots only come if you don’t remove the loose roots of your own hair that has fallen out from the connections after a certain amount of time. Therefore, it is recommended to have a cleansing cut every five to seven weeks. For the most part, you can do it yourself, you only need help at the back of the head. Often the extension expert makes the cleaning cut but also in between.

How long do extensions last?

Here it depends on the care of the hair and the protection of the bondings. If you regularly remove the hair from the dead hair roots, you can wear the extensions for about four to six months. Again, it depends on the growth of your own hair. From a certain length you can see the connections, which then of course no longer looks nice.

How long does it take to visit the hairdresser for hair extensions?

You should expect a duration of about two hours without color. The hair is usually washed with a cleansing shampoo and blow-dried completely dry before insertion. If old extensions are still attached to the hair, you should calculate one hour for removal.

Time for hair color and highlights should also be scheduled in advance if desired. It is important that you already know when requesting an appointment if you want to have highlights, so that you can be scheduled with enough time. For the stylist, it is one of the activities where he spends the most time directly on the client’s head. Therefore, some stylists do only one or two hair extensions a day.

Is it possible to apply extensions by yourself?

In general it is possible to apply tape extensions by yourself or with a helper. However, it is difficult to get the right places so that the connections remain hidden and you do not become a “hair-fail” example. Incorrect attachment can damage your own hair and put too much stress on the hair roots.

What color should one choose for hair extensions?

You should always match the strands to your own hair color, or the dyed hair color, to create a coherent overall look. Currently, it is still the trend to dye your own hair Balayage, so a course of dark approach and lighter tips. The extension expert will be happy to help you choose the perfect color.

Do extensions interfere with sleeping?

Depending on how sensitive your scalp is, extensions can be a nuisance. Connection points with bondings disturb more than the connection points with tapes. The first few nights it can be a little unfamiliar and a little more painful. However, after a short time you get used to the new pressure.

To avoid knots you should sleep with a light braid or a braided pigtail. In general, it is also possible to put the hair up if you don’t want to sleep on your hair, however, you bend the hair unnaturally with this, which puts extreme stress on your own hair – whether with or without extensions. Sleeping with your hair tossed up or pinned up can cause increased hair breakage.

How long must one’s own hair be in order to be able to use extensions?

Your own hair should be about 10cm long, otherwise it is difficult to create a beautiful hair picture and you would see the connections too quickly. The connections themselves are attached directly to the scalp at the hairline.

Can human hair extensions be dyed?

You can dye the inserted hair just like your own hair. However, one should be careful when lightening, as the hair has already been treated beforehand. However, darker coloring does not affect the extensions and you do not have to clip them out when you re-dye the roots.

How long do I have to wait for extensions?

How long you have to wait for extensions varies from salon to salon. It always depends entirely on the stock and whether the hair has to be ordered first for the appointment. Often there is also a deposit for ordering the hair, so that the hairdresser is not left sitting on the hair in case of a no-show.

Hair salons that specialize in hair extensions, such as Melina Best Friseur in Cologne, have a large selection of strands already in stock. However, at the good salons you often get an appointment only in a few months. But anticipation is known to be the best joy and maybe sometimes you are lucky and an appointment was canceled at short notice.

Important information on questions about hair extensions and hair extensions

I hope I could give you a good insight into the world of permanent hair extensions and hair extensions. I myself have become very well accustomed to my hair extensions and extensions and like to wear both bondings and tapes. Both hair extension variants have their advantages if you want to have beautiful, long hair through a hair extension.

Even though it’s more effort to style with a hair extension, I don’t want to give up my long hair anytime soon, because it just looks beautiful and coherent overall. It is a little like a very special attitude towards life. Of course, you can also look great without hair extensions, but for me it is just that certain “something” more. I am glad if I have helped you with your decision for a hair extension and wish you a lot of fun with your new hair.