Hair Extensions Explained: Nano, Tape And Clip In

Hair extensions come up in almost every consultation I do. Clients want more length, more thickness, or simply hair that looks the way it did ten years ago. All completely reasonable.

What most people are not sure about is which method to choose. There is a lot of confident nonsense online, so here is a straight comparison from someone who fits all three every week in the salon.

Nano bead extensions Nano beads are the finest attachment method available. Tiny beads, roughly the size of a grain of rice, clamped onto a small section of your own hair with a single strand of extension hair attached.

Best for: clients who want a semi permanent result they can wear every day, wash normally, tie up and forget about. They lie flat, they are almost impossible to see and they move like your own hair.

Commitment: a refit every eight to twelve weeks as your hair grows down. With good care the hair itself can be reused for several fittings.

Fitting time: a full head takes several hours, so I block out proper time for it.

Honest downside: it is the biggest investment of the three, both in money and in salon time.

Tape in extensions Tape wefts are thin panels of hair attached with a medical grade adhesive strip, sandwiched either side of a fine section of your own hair.

Best for: clients with fine hair who mostly want thickness rather than dramatic length, and who want a quicker fit.

Commitment: they need moving up every six to eight weeks. The tape is removed with a solution, the hair is re taped and refitted.

Fitting time: much faster than nanos, often under two hours.

Honest downside: you have to be careful with oils and heavy conditioners near the tapes, because they will loosen the bond. And if you like a high tight ponytail, tapes are harder to hide than nanos.

Clip in extensions Clip ins are wefts with small pressure clips that you put in yourself and take out at the end of the day.

Best for: weddings, holidays, events, or anyone who just wants the option occasionally without a salon commitment.

Commitment: none. That is the appeal.

Honest downside: they are not an everyday solution. Wearing clips in the same spot daily will stress the hair. And you have to be willing to put them in yourself, which takes a bit of practice.

The part people forget: the hair itself The method matters far less than the quality of the hair and the colour match. Cheap extension hair is often heavily processed, tangles within weeks and never colour matches properly, which is what gives extensions a bad name.

I only fit hair I would be happy to wear, and I blend and tone it to your own colour so there is no obvious line where yours ends and the extensions begin. If you are having balayage as well, I match to the finished colour, not the starting one.

Living with extensions on the coast The sea and the pool are fine, with a bit of care:

• Wet your hair with fresh water before swimming
• Brush from the ends upwards with a proper extension brush, twice a day
• Never go to bed with wet hair, and plait it loosely at night
• Keep conditioner and oil to the mid lengths and ends, away from the attachments
• Come in for your refit on time rather than stretching it out

Not sure which one you need? That is exactly what a consultation is for. If you are in Mijas Costa, La Cala or Riviera del Sol, come and see me. I will look at how much of your own hair we are working with, what your day to day looks like, and what your budget is, then tell you honestly which method fits.

Sometimes the answer is that you do not need extensions at all, just a better cut. I will tell you that too.