How to Make Fake Hair Believable

There are times when your natural assets aren’t quite enough. Maybe a short haircut isn’t growing out as quickly as you’d like. Maybe your hair isn’t as full or thick as you want it to be. Maybe you’re just in a hair styling rut and need some new options. You can easily solve any of these hair dilemmas with extensions, and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a natural, authentic look. Wrap around and clip-in pieces, when styled correctly, can add interest, dimension, and fun while blending in seamlessly with your own locks.

Backcomb for Volume and Definition

In previous generations it was known as “ratting,” and it could damage and overly tangle hair. Today it’s called “backcombing,” and if it’s done carefully, it can add volume and style while enhancing the addition of hairpieces or extensions. To backcomb, separate a section of hair several inches wide and about ¾ of an inch thick. Holding the section of hair up with one hand, use the other to insert the brush an inch or two from your head and comb backwards in a circular motion. Work your way up (away from your head) in this manner, and when you’re finished, gently pull the section horizontally to even it out. Smooth the rest of your hair over the backcombed section. This trick can create lift in strategic areas to help camouflage the transition between your own hair and any extensions or hairpieces you wish to add.

Go for a Wind Blown or Tousled Look

What’s sexier than a few strategically placed flyaway curls or escaping strands of hair? Another way to blend hairpieces with your own tresses is to create a style that’s deliberately imperfect. Loosely curl your own hair, add a few wavy extensions, shake it all out, and go – or, pull it off to the side, make a quick and messy bun just below the ear by weaving your hair through an elastic, and let a few tendrils escape to frame your face. With this type of style, your extensions blend right in even if they’re not flawlessly positioned or perfectly matched.

Use Braids to Blend

Braids are a great way to incorporate faux hair with your own, and they can be used to create a huge variety of styles. One simple approach is to buy a braid that matches your hair color and clip it on behind one ear, using it as a headband to create definition around your face and draw attention to your eyes. Another is to clip extensions in under your own hair and then create one long braided ponytail down the back or off to the side. French braids are also a great way to incorporate the fibers of hair extensions with your own strands.

If you often find yourself wishing your hair were a bit thicker, longer, or more versatile, hair extensions are a quick and easy way to get the look you’ve been longing for.