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In 18th century France, women wore towering hairdos complete with extensions and various apparatuses such as springs to adjust the height. Some could reach 3 feet tall and had visual elements worked into them. Often untouched for weeks at a time, they sometimes attracted vermin. The moral of the story is that sometimes it is best not to get swept up in current trends or passing fashions. Always be aware of the strength of classic design and keep it simple, remembering less is more.
Hairpieces are an important area of hair additions. The sit on top of the client's head, covering a portion of it, or clip onto another area, such as the nape. Usually attached by temporary methods and are not worn during sleep, some like wiglets that conceal a thinning top, can also be attached with a braid-and-sew technique.
When adding hairpieces the client's hair can be prepared in a number of ways:
There are many different types of hairpieces including:
A wig can be defined as an artificial covering for the head consisting of a network of interwoven hair. When a client wears a wig, the client's hair is completely concealed (100 percent). If a hair addition does not fully cover the head it is either a hairpiece, which is a small wig used to cover the top or crown of the head, or a hair attachment of some sort.
There are two basic categories of wigs: cap and cap-less.
In recent years, working with wigs has become a specialty among salon professionals. Salons have become less and less likely to carry an inventory of wigs, or even to carry a wig catalog. However, it is advantageous to have a basic understanding of wigs.
The creation of a custom-made wig begins with taking the client's measurements. Use a soft tape measure,keeping it close to the head without pressure. Always keep a written record of measurements and forward a copy to dealer or manufacturer. Some will also require hair shade, quality of hair, length of hair and type of part and pattern. Higher end companies ask fro a sample of the client's hair.
If the wig is ready to wear, no measuring is needed because it can be adjusted by tightening or loosening the straps or the elastic in the nape of wig. Ready to wear wigs are more common today. But still, many wigs need to be adjusted to the head and custom styled or trimmed to suit the client.
When cutting a wig, generally your goal is to make the hair look more realistic. Natural hair has many lengths. Even when hair is cut to one length, internally there are various stages of hair growth. Hair that is one-month old and hair that is years-old exist on the head. The stylist should try to achieve this natural look in the wig. The most effective way to do this is to taper the ends when cutting the wig. When cutting and trimming wigs, you can follow the same basic methods of haircutting. You can also cut free-form on dry hair, which is done on a block(both wet and dry) and then the comb out and finishing is done on the client.
Some things to remember when cutting wigs:
A block is a head-shaped form, usually made of canvas-covered cork or styrofoam, on which the wig is secured for fitting, coloring and sometimes styling. However, today most wigs are cut and finished while on the client(using an elastic chin strap that attaches to the wig around the ear area), and then cleaned and stored on a drying rack.
From the beginning of recorded history, wigs have played an important role in the world of fashion. In ancient Egypt they shaved their heads with bronze razors and wore heavy black wigs to protect themselves from the sun. Ancient Roman women wore wigs made from the prized blond hair of barbarians captured form the north. In 18th century England, men wore wigs, called perukes, to indicate that they were in the army or navy, or engaged in the practice of law.
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An important thing to remember when styling a wig is to never lose sight of "The Big Picture". Work with the total person, not just the head, to make a more natural look. After finishing style have client stand up and walk around so that you can check for balance, proportion and natural look. Make corrections accordingly.
You will achieve the best styling results by following these guidelines:
Cleaning the Wig
Another part of taking care of wigs is cleaning them. Always follow the manufacturer's directions. If shampooing is recommended, use a gentle shampoo, such as color treated or a shampoo made for wigs. Avoid harsh shampoos with a sulfur base, such as dandruff shampoos. If you are cleaning a wig made of human hair, you should also use a conditioner.
Coloring and Perming Wigs and Hair Additions
All synthetic haircolors used for wgs and hairpieces are standardized according to the 70 colors on the haircolor ring used by wig and hairpiece manufacturers. They range from black to pale blond. The basic principles of haircoloring apply to wigs also.
Some of the important steps to coloring wigs are:
If you need to curl the human hair wigs to the clients natural wave pattern, you need to know how the hair was colored. Never perm hair that has been colored with a metallic dye. Wigs must be done on a block not the client and additions can be done as they lie flat.
The income that hair addition services represent ranges from a small amount for a clip-on ponytail or bang to thousands of dollars for human-hair extensions that are fusion bonded strand-by-strand to the client's hair.
This chapter gives you a simple, basic overview of the many alternatives available in the world of hair additions.
Egyptian
Roman
Hair additions range from clip-on hairpieces that salons retail, such as ponytails, chignons, bangs and even extensions, to elaborately applied extensions in which addition strands are attached individually.
Each hair extension manufacturer has its own attachment method, and normally you must take the manufacturer's class to be allowed to purchase their extensions. Inventory can be a hefty investment. Even carrying clip-on extensions requires stocking a range of styles and colors.
In today's fashion-conscious world, wigs and hair additions (a category that includes hairpieces and hair extensions) play an incredibly important role. Working with hair additions can be either a simple retail effort or a highly specialized field. Most clients buy wigs off-the-shelf or on the internet, and rarely have them custom fitted anymore, although there are some opportunities for stylist to cut, color and care for wigs.
18th Century
What is the fastest way to tell if a strand of hair is a synthetic product or real human hair? Pull the strand out of the wig or hairpiece and burn it with a match. Human hair will burn slowly, giving off a distinctive odor. A strand of synthetic fiber will either ball up and melt, extinguishing itself or it will continue to flame and burn out very quickly. In either case, it will not give off an odor.
There are pros and cons for both human hair and synthetic hair. The bottom line in both cases is that you get what you pay for.
There are several important questions to ask when selecting a hair addition for the client:
The more expensive wigs, hairpieces and extensions are those made of human hair. Pricing varies as follows:
Disadvantages
Advantages
Hair Extensions are hair additions that are secured to the base of the client's natural hair in order to add length, volume, texture or color. Extensions can be human hair, synthetic hair or a combination of the two. They are made in either wefts or strands (small bundles): the latter are attached one-by-one and are usually pre-bonded or keratin-tipped. Unless they are clip-in extensions, they are applied with semi-permanent attachment methods.
Extensions represent an increasingly popular salon service, not only for people looking for something different but also for those who have naturally fine hair or who suffer from hair loss. Very popular with celebrities, who never seem to have thin hair and wo seem to magically grow their hair long overnight.
Manufacturers generally offer their own method of training in the attachment of hair extensions, but there are certain guidelines to keep in mind:
There are many different ways to attach hair additions. The most important professional approaches to hair addition and extension services should be practiced--always in the following order:
Simple hairpieces are a great retail product for the salon. Fun, creative and fairly easy to attach and remove, they almost sell themselves. Retailing these can mean substantial additional income for you. Keep these guidelines in mind:
Always stick with companies that stand by their products.
Working with hair additions can be one of the most exciting, challenging and lucrative areas in cosmetology. So remember practice, practice, practice. The more you do the better you will become.
In the braid-and-sew method, hair extensions are secured to client's own hair by sewing braids or a weft onto an on-the-scalp braid or cornrow, which is sometimes called a track. You can add a fiber filler to hair braided at scalp to add additional grip and longer lasting braids. The angle of the track determines how the hair will fall. Tracks may be positioned horizontally, vertically, diagonally or along curved lines that follow the contours of the head. Also, this method may be used to attach hairpieces.
In the fusion bonding method of attaching extensions, extension hair is bonded to the client's own hair with a bonding material that is activated by the heat from a special tool. While expensive and extremely time-consuming, will harmonize with the client's natural hair with no unattractive or uncomfortable attachment sites. The hair light and comfortable to wear the hair moves like real hair, and the hair is easy to maintain. Lasts up to 4 months. Removal is quick and painless. This method requires certification training.
One Advantage of fusion bonding is that the client's hair will dry more quickly than when bonding full wefts because there is less bulk. You can create depth and dimension or a highlighted affect with fusion bonding and also allows for styling versatility. Drawbacks include: the technique is time consuming and the pre-tipped extensions are expensive.
In linking, a hook is used to pick up a small amount of hair off a parting. A link is slid on close to the scalp with a special tool. Then an extension or special addition strand is inserted into the link. Once both hair is captured in the link, the link is pinched flat with pliers. Removed properly with pliers the extensions can be reused.
Natural hair should be at least 5" long. Advantages are styling versatility and the fact that the integrity of the natural hair can be maintained. Drawbacks are that this method is expensive and time consuming. Also metal links can oxidize (rust).
Partings are determined by the style chosen. Size of the sections will determine the amount of hair that will be added. Plan the tracks or braids so that the ends will be hidden. Best to position them 1" behind the hairline to ensure proper coverage.
When sewing on the extension, use only a blunt, custom-designed needle, either straight or curved. This protects you, the client and will help avoid damage to the client's hair.
Extensions can be sewn to the track using a variety of stitches.
This method also requires special tools and training. In tube shrinking the client's hair and the addition strand are inserted into a tube, which is then heated to shrink it.
Use a logical placement pattern, pay attention to natural growth patterns and provide complete at home-care instructions. Clients will need to return for regular maintenance.
Advantages of the braid-and-sew method include:
Disadvantages include:
In the bonding methods of attaching hair extensions, hair wefts or single strands are attached with an adhesive or bonding agent.
For bonding, the natural hair should be at least 4" long. Bonded hair sits snugly on the head and is fast to apply. There is a certain degree of slippage. Usually last 2 - 4 weeks, depending on factors such as:
This will require regular maintenance visits as often as every two weeks.
Working 1" away from the hairline will also keep the wefts from showing. Bonded wefts are removed by dissolving the adhesive bond with oil r bond remover. The same is done for single strand extensions also, this is called strand bonding.
Two advantages of bonding are that it can be offered at an affordable price and the service does not take much longer than the average haircut. Also the client may shampoo with the wefts in, as long as it is done gently. One drawback of bonding is that some clients may have an allergic reaction to the bonding adhesive. Always perform a patch test prior to application, especially when using latex-based adhesive. It is not appropriate for clients with severely damaged hair or those who do not have enough natural hair to hide wefts. Wefts cannot be exposed to oils or they will slide off. In general, wefts longer than 12" should not be used to avoid excessive heaviness and the possibility of pulling on the client's natural hair and scalp.