Hair highlights weren’t just popular in the 90s, they’re still very much in trend nowadays, but there are so many different and unique ways by which you can make your hair look gorgeous and highlighted. For instance, with hair extensions! You heard it right. Here are some ways by which you can get the look of balayage hair highlights with hair extensions.

Getting Hair Highlights With Hair Extensions Without Coloring Hair

Before The Hair Extensions Application

These things are really important to get sorted before the hair extensions application.

Which Hair Extensions To Get?

First and foremost, you’re going to need to find the right type of hair extensions. Whether it’s to mimic the look of highlights or balayage or to blend them in with your natural hair, so you can get your strands highlighted later, this step is the most crucial one.

If you want to get extensions to mimic highlights on your hair, then you need to take care of two things.

Firstly, the hair extensions you choose should be two to three shades lighter or darker than your natural base hair color because that is what’s going to make your extensions pop and make them look like highlights without actually having to dye your hair.

Secondly, you’re going to want to look for thinner wefts of extensions because thicker and normal extensions won’t give the same results. You will need individual strands of hair extensions to make them look like highlights.

You will also find different types of hair extensions. The best types of extensions to go for are:

• Tape-in extensions
• Sew-in extensions
• Braided extensions
• Keratin extensions

Figuring Out Your Hair Type

The next most important thing for the hair and extensions to look natural is to find extensions that match your hair type, texture, and density. Since you are not getting highlights painted on your natural hair that look a lot more natural but can be damaging, you’re opting for extensions that can look extremely fake if you don’t pick the right ones.

So first, you need to understand your hair texture. Is it straight? Does your hair have slight waves? Is it extremely coiled and curly? Once you pinpoint exactly what the hair looks like, you can easily find hair extensions that match your hair texture. Since color is not something you’re completely worried about because you want to go for different color wefts, so that’s a non-issue.

However, if you want to go the other route and have your extensions painted on with hair dye, then you’ll need to color-match the strands as well. This is a pretty important step if you don’t want the results to look sloppy and unprofessional.

If you’re going to go the extra mile, then it might as well be spot-on because it’s going to lead to exceptional results in the end.

The Number Of Extensions

The number of extensions you need to make your hair go from plain and simple to amazingly highlighted locks is crucial as well. There’s not a general number of wefts that need to be used on your hair, but the thickness of the hair plays an important role in determining how many wefts you need.

If your hair is extremely thick and you want the extensions to be prominent, then you are going to need about 8 to 12 thin wefts of hair extensions to get the best results. If you have thin hair, then 4 to 6 wefts will do the trick. An important thing to remember here is that you don’t want to go overboard with the hair extensions because you want the look of highlights to be mimicked, not turn your entire mane into a singular color.

This is where a lot of people can lose track of the purpose and they go crazy by applying more wefts than required. You want the wefts to be prominent, but peek out slightly to get beautiful hair highlights.

Applying Hair Extensions To Get Highlights

Now comes the fun but equally tedious part and that’s the application process. Here are some tips that you need to keep in the back of your mind when applying the extensions.

Sectioning The Hair

Before applying the hair extensions, you’re going to need to figure out their placement. This is where the right sectioning comes in handy. The way you make your sections is going to give the best results in the end and, be warned, this can take some getting used to. So, you’re going to be in front of the mirror for a bit.

Figure out where you want your extensions to be. Then, start making your sections from there. The section should be made in such a way that the base of the weft should be hidden under your natural hair, but the strands should be visible so that the highlights can peek out just right.

If you’re using tape-in extensions, then you’re going to need thinner wefts and the sections should be made strategically, so that the result doesn’t look fake and choppy. If you’re using sew-in extensions, then even though the process is going to be time-consuming, the application will be seamless and easy and the results will be to better.

Blending The Hair In

Once you have the extensions applied to your hair, you aren’t done just yet. You still need to apply some finishing touches to make the hair look even more realistic and amazing. This tip goes mainly for sew-in extensions because they can’t just hang around from your scalp with gaps between the hair.

You must style your hair to blend the hair and extensions. You can easily do that by overlapping different strands of hair over the extensions and then brushing the mane out. This is going to instantly make the extensions look like a part of your head and everything will look more fluid and seamless in the end.

Taking Care Of The Hair Post-Application

Once you have your faux highlights secured in your hair, it’s good to know about the maintenance of the hair afterward, especially if you want to preserve the style for longer.

• Shampoo your hair carefully. You don’t want all of your effort to go down the drain. Be gentle around the scalp of your head and massage it lightly. You can shampoo like normal near the tips of your hair.
• Dry your hair immediately, especially if you’re using tape-in extensions because the water can loosen the glue and it can make the extensions fall out of your hair and that’s not what you want.
• Brush your hair with a loop brush instead of a normal brush with bristles because there are fewer chances of the loops getting caught in the extensions and your hair will also be free from tangles and knots.
• Keep away from heat styling tools for some time.

Conclusion

Hair extensions are an easy and foolproof way of getting highlights and you don’t need to commit to dyeing your hair either. This is a big win if you want to stay away from bleach and other harsh chemicals. To get hair highlights with hair extensions that look natural and beautiful, visit a hair extensions salon Rockville. The hairstylist will take care of everything.