Slavic Hair Extensions | A brunette woman wearing a denim jacket and looking to her left side. She has a thick braided hairstyle.

HAIR EXTENSIONS TERMINOLOGY: 6 TERMS MOST LIKELY TO CONFUSE

When you’ve been around the world of real hair extensions for some time, it’s easy to forget that some of the terminology used by the professionals can seem like intimidating jargon to the uninitiated.  While everything is extensively discussed and explained when you visit us for your individual consultation, it would perhaps be useful to look at some of the more confusing terms to give you a flavour of how we work and why we use the products and techniques which keep us at the forefront of great looking natural hair extensions.  So here goes.

PRE-BONDED

The term “pre-bonded” is one that’s much used in the hair extension business.  It seems that it can mean different things to different people.  Some suppliers of hair extensions use pre-bonding to describe a method of attaching the extension to the wearer’s own hair.  In this context, the hair extension is supplied with a layer of glue already applied to the tape at the “root” which is then softened by applying heat to the glue to attach the extension.  It almost goes without saying that using glue in your hair is a bad idea.  Even the gentlest adhesive can damage your hair and will be difficult to remove when the time comes to re-set your hair extension.  This method also seems designed to encourage a do-it-yourself approach to fitting the hair extension which can not only lead to permanent damage to your sensitive hair but also disappointment in the look of the finished application.  Our hair extensions are pre-bonded only in the sense that the individual strands that have been created by drawing hair from multiple ponytails and bonded with glue so that they can fit and stay together inside the micro ring.   We don’t deal in off-the-shelf hair and we certainly don’t use glue in your hair!

PROCESSED HAIR

Human hair has a cuticle layer similar to fish scales. When some hairs become turned in the opposite direction, they will catch with each other, lock up, and cause the hair to mat. A majority of the cheap hair on the market can trace its roots back to a factory in China or India where is it mass processed. The incoming hair is in a dire state with it already being tangled and matted.  In order to correct this hair, the hair must be "processed" for cuticle stripping. Most salons will state when asking about "processing" that this is done to "clean" the hair. However, people new to extensions people know that cleaning hair is very easy to do with any cleansing shampoo. Stripping the cuticles will not make the hair any "cleaner".   The cuticles are stripped because it is a cost-effective way for these factories to deal with tangling and matting. Quality hair extensions are not cheap. When it comes to hair extensions you do get what you pay for.  To make sure you are getting the premium hair you are paying for you need to know how to check it in order to be able to distinguish between virgin and processed hair. 

SYNTHETIC HAIR

This hair choice is good for people on a budget. It’s cheaper than human hair but is, unfortunately, less likely to perform as well. Synthetic hair is of course artificial and as such won’t look or behave in the same manner as real hair. A trained eye will often spot it, but for some, this isn’t an issue. The other main disadvantage with synthetic hair is that it can’t be treated in the same way one would treat their own hair. They lose the option to blow-dry when needed and are limited in how they can style it.

VIRGIN HUMAN HAIR

By far the best you can get. Approved virgin hair is completely treatment free and has not been coloured, permed or chemically treated in any way. It will maintain its original salon lustre and, if well cared for, will last for many years. And best of all it can be styled and treated in a myriad of ways, staying strong and healthy-looking throughout.

REMY HAIR  

Remy is hair that is collected from a human donor and has undergone minimal processing to keep the hair soft and silky. Bulk Remy hair must have its cuticles in one direction ensuring the hair does not matt or tangle more than any normal human hair would.  It is important to know the term Remy hair does not denote a place of origin.

DOUBLE DRAWN

Double drawn means the hair is the same thickness from top to bottom. This is not a natural look, as when our natural hair grows, it gets thinner at the bottom tips. So double drawn hair extensions are more expensive as these are made by combining all the hair of the same length together, as all hair is not the same on the donors head, a double drawn look is achieved by hand to give the customers the top to bottom thick look.  It is a very laborious process as it must be done by hand.

Call or visit our London or Manchester salon to speak with an extension stylist technician about our luxury micro ring or clip-in extensions. We only use the finest hand-sourced, Slavic and European hair and have the largest stocks available and guarantee to match your colour, texture and desired length. 

Back to Blog