10 Tips for Wearing Hair Extensions

A hair weft is a section of hair—synthetic or real—that's sewn together on top. Buy one, like Vienna Silky Straight 12-inch Human Hair weft, $29.99, sallybeauty.com, at a beauty supply store along with a pack of hair extension clips, like Silver J Clip for Hair Extensions, $6.98, amazon.com.

Then, take them both to your local tailor and have him sew a few clips (three will usually do the trick—one on each end and one in the middle) onto the top of the hair weft, so that you can secure it onto your head.

Also, be sure to buy the desired length so you're not paying for extra hair—especially if you're purchasing human hair, since it can get pricey.

Clip-in hair extensions are the easiest option when it comes to a quick add-in. But in order to keep the clips in place, you have to tease your real hair right at the root to roughen it up a bit. That way the clips don't slide out as the night goes on. Use a teasing brush, like Cricket Amped Up Tease Brush, $3.99, amazon.com.

It's also a good idea to tease the hair above where you're going to clip the extention in, horizontally, to give it some volume. This will keep the extension from showing, since your voluminous hair will help blend it in better.

If you're planning on wearing your hair up and want to add volume to your updo or ponytail, place the clip-in upside down against your roots (and underneath a layer of hair so you can't see it). That way the hair extension is facing in the right direction.

To pull off the look, take the end of your teasing comb and section your hair into a top and bottom layer—clip the top section up. Then, at an angle (to avoid the hair extension from being seen), tease the spots near the root where the clips will go and place the hair extension in. Finally, continue pulling your hair up into the look you want.

If you want to add volume but not length, try this fail-safe trick to cutting your own extensions to match your hair: While looking in the mirror, split your hair down the middle in the back and bring it all forward. Turn your head to the right, keeping your body straight, and comb it flat. Then, take the extension and clip it in about an inch away from your part. Once it's secure, carefully trim the extension to match the length of your hair. Repeat on the left side.

You can also buy inexpensive hair extensions, like Dancing with the Stars Human Hair Clip-in Extensions, $49, beauty.com, and have your stylist cut them for you. He or she can also walk you through how to put them in properly, so when you do it, it will look perfect.

If you're using synthetic hair extensions and your hair is curly or wavy, dampen the strands with water the night before you plan on wearing them and let them air dry. As they're drying, take large sponge rollers, like Goody Styling Essentials Foam Rollers, $9.76, amazon.com, roll the hair up into them, and leave the curlers in overnight. Anytime you're changing the texture of hair, even if it's synthetic, you have to wet the hair. This step gives it more of a natural-looking texture and takes away some of the plastic/shiny texture to help it blend in better with your natural hair.

If you have straight hair and want to wear a synthetic extension, add a little shine serum, such as Garnier Fructis Style Brilliantine Shine Glossing Spray, $4.11, amazon.com, to your hair before applying the faux strands. This will help your real hair match the sheen of the extensions, since they tend to have a silky-plastic look to them.

If you have human hair extensions, you can do whatever you do to your own hair—and the faux strands, such as flat iron or curl them and add shine spray.

You can also add a surf or thickening spray, like Ojon Volume Advance Thickening Spray, $24, sephora.com, to synthetic hair, and then scrunch it up a bit to rough it up. This is the perfect way to give your extensions that beachy wave effect so they look like your real hair.

If you don't have bangs but want to experiment with them, get a fringe that isn't bluntly cut and has longer pieces on the left and right, like Bang by HairDo Hair Extensions, $24, maxwigs.com. This shape will blend in better with your natural hair and won't look fake.

If your braid isn't as thick or long as you'd like, pick up a Kanekalon Jumbo Braid, $2.29, sallybeauty.com. This hair comes in an upside down "U" shape that goes underneath your ponytail and then needs to be separated into three sections. From there, simply incorporate each section into your braid. This makes the finished look appear super-thick and full.