Jane Clark always had baby-fine hair, and no matter how long she let it grow or how many shampoo, conditioning, and other products she used, her hair still looked thin. Then she heard about human hair extensions and decided to try them. Her hair appointment began at 10 in the morning, and she did not leave the salon until 8 that night- quite an ordeal. In the mirror, her hair looked as she had always wanted-long and blond.
But soon problems arose. Lisa disliked having hundreds of plastic beads in her hair to attach her extensions. She would lose extensions from time to time, as with any extensions, but because of the way the beads were attached, her own hair broke off with them. Lisa would ask her stylist Leanne-Sedillo-Beadell, "Why can't somebody come up with an extension that disappears into your hair? Why can't they make an extension that you can't feel and can't see, and that doesn't break your hair? Why isn't there a quicker way to get the long, thick hair I love?"
Necessity Breeds Invention Those questions, and the answers that Leanne and Jane have developed, have lead to a revolutionary new hair-extension product called Hot Strands. Available through hair salons and as do-it-yourself at-home kits, Hot Strands has solved the problems that traditional hair extension products caused, while also delivering a great hairstyling experience.
What's so different about Hot Strands? In a nutshell, Hot Strands extensions are designed to be easy to apply and remove, comfortable to wear, and versatile to style. They can be worn for more than two months without removal. "Hot Strands are the first truly affordable, time-saving, semi-permanent hair extension system ever developed," says Lisa, "With Hot Strands, you are not spending hours in the salon to have extensions applied, or spending thousands of dollars for semi-permanent extensions. They can be applied at home or by your stylist... you decide."
To understand how effective the Hot Strands system is, it will help to review the various hair-extension products currently available on the market. The "strand-by-strand" types can be attached by melting pre-glued tips (attached to 20 to 25 strands of hair) to the same amount of your hair, or by attaching metal or plastic clamps to your hair. Both are attached with hot pliers or with other tools. Some are removed with grain alcohol and pliers. Both can damage the hair and cause tension breakage, and unfortunately often do.
What about weaving or glue-in techniques? Weaves are applied by braiding hair into micro cornrow braids woven very tightly against the head from ear to ear. Extensions are then sewn onto the braids, and can and is very damaging-especially for Caucasians-and can cause serious head-aches. Glue-ins-the gluing of the hair right to the scalp-are time consuming, costs between $300 and $800 (depending on the quality of hair you use), and last from a few days to up to a week. This method can also cause damage.
Dealing With the Fallout The more temporary extension solution, the clip-on, has to be put on every day in the same spot, and your hair must be thick enough to even consider wearing them. On very fine hair, clip-ons can cause serious natural-hair breakage as well, and can fall out very suddenly-not what you want onstage at competitions.
Another drawback for traditional extension users has been their high cost, with weaves and strand-by-strand applications rarely under $1,000, and ranging up to $8,000, depending on the amount and the length of hair used. Clip-on costs can range from under $100 for regular synthetic hair to about $500 for 21" long human hair extensions.
Au Naturel The Hot Strands line consists of locks of hair that attach with a patented latex-free peel-and-stick adhesive tape system, with your natural hair supported between two pieces of tape that eliminates tension breakage. Simply use the release spray and peel to remove the extensions. Hot Strands look and feel very natural and comfortable in your Human Hair Weft, and are available in both human hair or Biotress, a heat stylable synthetic that is like a "clone" of human hair. Treat it the same as your own hair-wash with regular shampoo, blow-dry, flat-iron, curl with hot rollers. Hot Strands Biotress hair maintains "heat-styled memory," allowing curls that last even after shampooing.
A Nod to the Bottom Line The Biotress systems come in 20" lengths, in straight and wavy styles. The human hair kits are supplied in 16", 18", and 22" lengths. Extensions come precut into 4" wide pieces, pre-taped, and ready to apply. A Number of color selections are available, including both solid and "reversible colors" offerings with opposite-side highlights and lowlights for easier color blending. Hot Strands kits are priced under $500. Even if you have a complete salon service that includes Hot Strands, you will be done in less than one hour. Safe to use even on children, Hot Strands hair extensions bridge the gap between clip-ons and complex extension systems. "It's a well-thought-out and integrated system," says Lisa Kenna, "that looks and feel natural, gives you peace of mind, and will not damage your hair."
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