To create these I need string, high quality human hair, a comb, and a good 3 inches of YOUR natural hair. For information on human hair grades and prices, see my Pricing page.

METHOD:
I use micro pinch braid technique to attach human hair extensions. This is a small braid, secured with string, anchored to a tiny section of your hair, near your scalp.

LENGTHENING:
An entire head of length adding extensions can take as little as 6 hours or as much as 12 plus depending on how dense your natural hair is and how complicated a color pattern you want or how detailed a shape you wish becomes. Adding length requires overhauling the current shape of your hair…it is a feat in architecture that requires careful forethought and penchant for detail throughout the application and during shaping. If you want to add any length over all, at all, even an inch, you must add length everywhere, except perhaps the bangs. The shape is UN natural if you try and just carelessly add a couple rows of long hair in the back. For organic cohesion, length must be added thoughtfully if the outcome is to look enticing and authentic.

SPOT LENGTHENING:
If you desire a smaller still, intricate project with some length addition outcome to make a new shape of your current hair in a shorter time period, I can create things like a dramatic A-line, an ironic or couture mullet, long whippy new wave bangs…or an extravagant tail or even jagged angular spot layers or soft romantic pixie wifts and coils with thoughtful spot lengthening architecture as well as some shaping details. These smaller projects still require a trained eye and concrete beginning and end points to appear naturally incurred…however, the length of time required to complete one of these options is only about 1 - 4 hours depending on the complexity your choose.

FILLING OUT:
Maintaining the same current length yet making that length of hair appear thicker and more vital or interesting takes about half the time a full head lengthening takes. You would select some areas of your hair you would prefer intensified or fortified. Examples might be, more integrity in the ends, more height in the crown, the appearance of more layers, more texture or density throughout, more body and volume, more colors throughout, more recognizable curl/wave patterns……A fill out using human hair can be a minor or major enhancement and embellishment tool…. It increases the bulk, dynamic, and over all aesthetic quality of your natural hair without necessarily changing the current shape of your hair and it doesn’t take as long as over all lengthening. Generally fill outs will take between 3 and 6 hours depending on what you wish to accomplish. Start and end points aren’t an issue, since you aren’t engineering a brand new shape. It’s merely enhancing a canvas already in place instead of building a new canvas.

START AND END POINTS:
I use this term to demonstrate a necessary concept to hair extending. When incorporating a new structure, the framework needs to be developed to support this addition, because the addition doesn’t currently exist out of your imagination. You wouldn’t design a home building plan and leave off the floor or the roof or some walls. When you build a new addition into your current hair shape, a start and end point are necessary to assure your addition appears complete and organic and in support of the entire identity of your hair style….Not merely a suggestion of a possibility or worse, an apology…*think of the “shelfy” extension jobs we’ve all seen or the lack luster lower layers that ignore the crown or areas near the face altogether….building a new shape, or adding new length requires utilizing all that’s present on the head and making sure each portion of the current hair’s shape is built mindfully into the new creation as to produce an end result that is fluid, and graceful and confident.

THE ATTACHMENT SITES:
will vary in size depending on the density – or amount of follicles/ strands of hair per area - of your hair. Texture also determines what size the attachment sites and pinch braids will be. Denser hair means more hair in one area so the site or base would be smaller than someone with less dense hair. Courser hair means each strand has a more substantial denier - or diameter of strand – thus the pinch braids would also be more substantial than someone with a quite ‘fine” denier. None of these translates into plausible visibility of the pinch braid attachment. Either type of hair leaves room for its own variety of camouflage.

Human hair is finer in denier than synthetic hair, thusly, the attachment sites are in direct effect, smaller than those supporting synthetic hair, particularly synthetic dreadlocks. Often the sections are “fan” shaped and vary in circumferences between the size of LESS than a dime and as wide as a nickel. The base size is determined by unique hair qualities throughout the head. For instance, finer and less dense areas near the nape and around the temples qualify using slightly larger sectioning then, perhaps, the apex (crown/top) area of your head where the hair is more prolific and often courser. Larger sections do NOT translate into larger pinch braids. The braids will still be quite minute even with wider sectioning in these less prolific areas on your head. The sites, up close look like a small braid at the base of a small section of hair near your scalp. That’s all. From even a close distance, the sum of what others see is NOT pinch braids, Our eyes are generally more in tune with broad architecture than minutia. The sum that even the closest approximate individual processes is the overall shape.

TIME PROTOCOL PER INSTALL:
A full head of human hair extensions can easily render 200 plus micro pinch braids, again depending widely on the individuals’ unique hair and head qualities.25 individual installs in one hour is a good estimate to determine time this process takes. To break it apart, I would estimate the average bang section alone to qualify 1 hour for placement and install…perhaps shaping too. A nape section would take 30 minutes to 1 hour. A broad crown/top section takes 2 hours to complete install, each side would take 90 minutes to two hours for install, and mid back would commonly be install complete in an hour. Shaping the overall piece is of great importance to achieve graceful movement and natural appearing body. EVEN if a classic bob that is too appear blunt is the desired outcome using extensions, each addition must be carefully tailored to ensure its compliment to your over all hair style. Shaping a new piece is generally completed inside of an hour, sometimes I shape as I install.

COMFORT:
I find human hair extensions applied via micro pinch braid to be very comfortable. If you have never tried this before, there is a good chance you will experience a particular “tightness” all over your scalp. Tension bumps can certainly occur within the same or even 2 weeks out. Tension bumps are tiny little bumps that occur between attachment sites because of …well…..tension….if your scalp hasn’t experienced this sensation before, tension bumps can be a common complaint in newly applied pinch braided extension projects. These pose NO harm, or threat to your hair or scalp. They absolutely would not cause follicles to be pulled out, harm below or above the surface of your scalp, any skin conditions long or short term on your scalp. They are only a superficial reaction to tension…that’s all. Don’t scratch, pick, poke…leave em alone and they will go away on their own……I offer a couple different soothing scalp sprays to assist with this possible short term condition. Not everyone experiences tension or tension bumps. Outside of possible tension or bumps, sleeping on pinch braids is very easy; you shouldn’t notice them at all. I can run my fingers through my hair and I use a special loop brush to brush right down to the scalp without disturbing my pinch braids. It’s easy to shampoo your hair, swim, do simple up-dos…wear pony tails or braids…………it’s also possible to attach things like dread falls while wearing human hair extensions…..In fact extensions offer falls a better anchor!

SECURITY:
These attachments are simply a braid and some special string. When I am allotted proper length (a solid 3 inches) to provide a viable tension during application, this method proves extremely reliable when properly cared for. They don’t slip down, though they do grow out along with your natural hair. It’s extremely difficult if not impossible to absent mindedly pull them out, even when pulling directly on them. They don’t slip while shampooing or normal brushing. There isn’t much you can do to accomplish a pinch braid security fail without really working at it. When the time comes to take your hair down, the string is simply cut, the braid UN turned, and the accrued shedding combed out. NO damage need occur to your natural hair during wear or take down.

MAINTAINENCE, DAILY:
Daily you would make sure your extensions are free of knots and tangles. You should use a specially designed, soft dense bristle brush to begin at the ends and comb out any tangle moving from ends to bases. DO NOT brush pinch braids with this brush. To brush at the scalp use a specially designed loop brush to stimulate scalp and keep bases from knotting together. I recommend specially designed extensions brushes. Optionally, and depending on length, you would want to keep on hand a salon variety silicone smoothing fluid. These provide the extension hair added pliability and protection for your extensions. You must purchase a conditioner called Kerasilk Treatment. I sell this product. Human hair extensions respond best to this particular conditioner. Using other conditioners can result in dull, matted extensions... You should put a couple Tablespoons of Kerasilk into a water mister and use this diluted product daily or every other day on the length and ends of your extension to provide protection, manageability, and malleability to your extensions.

For sleeping, swimming, or high wind situations, please contain your extensions. Braid them or secure in a ponytail to protect them from excessive friction. For swimming, in chorine, which is damaging to all hair types, you should mist your extensions with kerasilk and then thoroughly wet them to keep them from absorbing as much chlorine. Wearing a swim cap is great, just take care to NOT wrestle it on or off and damage your extensions that way. After swimming in chlorine, shampoo with a gentle cleanser and condition with kerasilk as well as use a silicone smoother on the length and ends.

MAINTENANCE, WEEKLY:
on a weekly basis, shampooing should occur 1 to 3 times. You should use a recommended salon quality cleanser between 1 and 3 times a week on your scalp. Massage cleanser on scalp and rinse, the rinsing washes the shampoo through your extensions. NEVER IMMERSE YOUR HAIR in water with your NAPE FORWARD! – as in washing your hair over the tub or sink - Always immerse hair forehead back and let the water run back away from your face while standing in the shower. IF you immerse face foreword, you will cause friction to the extension hair and pinch braids and knot the whole lot of it into a giant lump or doom. Always mist with diluted kerasilk prior to immersion also to avoid matting. Always detangle before immersion. When conditioning, condition only the length and ends, never at the scalp. Do NOT sleep on wet pinch braids! You can dry with an electric hair dryer, or a roller set under a bonnet dryer. You can flatten or curl or you can roll damp hair with pillow rollers, secure with a scarf and sleep on them. Please use heat protecting product before heat styling.

MAINTENANCE, MONTHLY:
Be sure there no mattes at the near your scalp, you should pull apart the bases below your attachment points each month to be sure none are growing together and becoming intertwined. Be gentle, you are just checking that no matting has occurred. If you do discover mattes, you need to detangle them; you might need help from a friend. You must keep matting under control or removal will be difficult and time consuming. I charge hourly to remove matting. I can provide that service, but I cannot offer any guarantees’ on successful or timely de matting…..mattes are simply knot a concrete item to price out but sometimes they are to remove. -Pun intended-
Follow the daily care protocol, the weekly care protocol, and the monthly base check protocol and you shouldn’t develop mattes!

MAINTAINANCE, PROFESSIONAL TIGHTENING or TAKE-DOWN:
Depending on your natural hairs’ length, density, texture, other natural qualities you will return in BETWEEN 8 and 16 weeks to have your current extensions either removed – as in a “take down” or tightened as in “ cut string, undo each individual pinch braid, and pinch braid near the scalp and secure”. Take downs on well maintained extensions should be completed inside of an hour. Tightening well maintained extensions will take somewhat less than the same amount of time it took to install them originally, minus sectioning, placement, and shaping. You can use the existing extension hair over again until it begins to feel “retired”. High quality extension hair can be worn 6 months to a year with good care. Average/Good quality hair will show its wear sometime between 8 and 16 weeks. I don’t offer low grade hair extensions service, poor quality extension hair makes my hard work look and behave poorly. Over wearing extension, which means keeping them in a longer time than your natural hairs will support, will result in tangles, matting and locking up. This is not fun for any involved. If you cannot get them tightened at healthy intervals take them out after your recommended time of wear has expired. I’ll remind you I charge hourly for take down and de tangling…and proper take down on a full head of extensions need not take more than an hour on properly cared for extensions.

CUT and COLOR MAINTENANCE while wearing extensions:
You can keep coloring your roots or getting foils. You can even continue with double processing like bleach and tone or bleach and direct dye. You should have a professional who understands pinch braid extensions perform the services, naturally. Hair grows between ½ and 1 inch per month depending on the individual. Retouching new growth is nearly as simple as sans extensions. If ends are to be freshened, special care must be taken to avoid the extension hair from becoming over processed or taking too dark a shade. I am experienced with these situations and can help you avoid ruing your extension hair. If you usually get foil packets of color to lighten or deposit, I can apply those between the extensions easily. Double processes can be tricky, especially bleach saturation and rinsing. Toning placement is also very important to make certain you avoid turning one area grey while another one is still yellow…… I am very experienced with those areas of expertise as well. Extension hair does still get split ends, and can lose its shape between tightening or take downs….Dusting ends every couple months thereabout can keep your long fake locks looking and feeling their best and most natural. Shorter styles involving lengthening extensions should be trimmed at around 6 weeks to maintain their shape and pronounced aesthetic.

If you are interested in this service please see my waivers and appointment securing/deposit rules. Note that consults are NOT free. For human hair, consults are generally necessary to determine several attributes of your natural hair as well as desired extension project. Consult appointments must be paid in advance and can be secured over the phone via credit card.