Hair Extensions vs Wigs: How to make the right choice

Here in our store we meet mostly women who are interested in either covering thinning in the crown area or they are looking for more height and/or volume in their crown. Well why not? This is the crown of our heads after all and who doesn’t want the glorious height and volume that healthy hair affords. 

When we begin explaining to them that the only way to achieve said volume would involve the process of placing a unit with hair over the crown in order to achieve the kind of lift or volume they are seeking we are often met with great disappointment as they believed that hair extensions would be able to allow them the look of voluminous roots that they desire.

Why is this the case? Simply due to the fact that hair extensions require using some of your own hair in order to cover them, otherwise, you would walk around with areas where the extensions are attached to your head being visible by everyone.

The purpose of hair pieces and hair extensions is for the public to have no idea that your seemingly thick, long, and voluminous hair is not truly your own! While some women are able to have hair extensions placed into areas very high into the crown of their head, the average woman’s roots in her crown is simply too thin to comfortably sit over hair extensions and cover them believably. Some of our guests have mastered the art of teasing their roots in order to facilitate having hair extensions placed higher into their crown, while others resort to hair spray and pomade for the purpose of keeping already thin hair in place so that their extensions do not become visible as the natural elements such as the wind savagely move all that’s in its way.

Another scenario involves the woman whose hair has been battered by the culmination of chemical process over the course of her adult life. Chemical damage,  shortly followed by hormonal and medical factors, is the leading cause for severe hair breakage in women that we meet. The affected may simply be tired of attempting to create a style out of limp, thin, lifeless looking hair. 

In these cases a wig, and not hair extensions, are the clients best options. 

A wig can be used as a protective styling option. This simply means that the ends of ones hair is being left untouched from daily manipulation and styling as well as being protected from the natural elements such as the sun. This untouched state will allow the natural hair that is being covered to flourish and grow without interference. Most wig users do experience healthier, stronger hair re-growth over periods of extended wear. 

While hair extensions are an amazing option for adding length and volume, the pieces are being added onto ones own hair. Therefore the wearer will style, chemically process, brush, and groom on a daily basis and sometimes multiple times daily if they have to primp their hair throughout a long day. 

For the damaged hair candidate, hair extensions can be a good option for allowing the hair to grow over an extended period, however, the processes of highlighting outgrown roots, covering greys, keratin treatments or brazilian blowouts for frizz reduction, Japanese straightening to combat curly hair, and the other processes of hair maintenance can compound the problem of damage and prevent the natural hair from truly flourishing and regaining its fullest state of health over the long term.

For the purpose of giving the natural hair a break to regenerate much healthier new growth and  replenish damaged ends a wig is the best option available. During the period of wearing the wig the wearer will be able to cut dead ends more frequently and consistently, whereby, haircuts can make hair extensions more difficult to blend with ones own hair, this will not present an issue for the wig wearer. Additionally, deep conditioning treatments that can compromise hair extensions’ hold onto the natural hair easily become a great option for the wig wearer. 

So, make the decision to opt for a wig as your protective styling alternative and reap the benefits of saving time and money on chemical services at the salon. But most importantly, by incorporating a great healthy hair regiment into your routine you will also ravish in watching your once brittled, damaged hair flourish into healthier strands.