In my last blog post, I talked about my days of wearing wigs, and the pros and cons I saw from every day wig use. Now, I sometimes wear human hair extensions in my natural hair, including clip-in bangs, and I wanted to talk about how they compare.

(A photo of me wearing human hair extensions.)

Why did I start wearing extensions, rather than just wear my hair without them?

I wanted one of the biggest benefits that wigs have – thick, luscious hair. My hair is silky and soft and I’m proud of it, but it’s not thick. The hair extensions I wear don’t actually add much length, which is why people don’t often notice them. They only add about an inch of length. But they add so much thickness and volume that I just adore.

Making that the top of my list of pros:

1. Thick, luscious hair. Like I said above, just a few clip-in extensions can add so much thickness to hair. I can’t say how much I’m pleased with this aspect of extensions.

2. They add length if you need it. When I first started wearing extensions in September, they added about 2 1/2 inches to my natural hair. Now they only add about an inch. If you’re hair is shorter than you’d like, they can really add an extra inch or two–or 6 or 8–and get you to the length you want.

3. Looking good quickly. Not as quickly as with wigs, unfortunately. My daily routine includes washing, blow-drying, and straightening my hair, but since my hair is already straight, it doesn’t take too long. It’s easy to clip in a set of extensions and instantly add volume. And a big plus, wearing extensions hides my slightly dead ends. I’ve been growing out my hair for 3 years now (see my post on wearing wigs) and I’m not about to get the dead ends cut off until it’s past my goal length. In the meantime, shiny human hair extensions hide that flaw.

Let’s talk about bangs, baby.

I have a special set of extensions, which I bought from Etsy store Vivka. They came with matching clip-in bangs at my request. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Clip my bangs into my head? What?” I feel that.

But I also have had bangs for, well, my whole life basically, minus a few years in middle school when I thought my notoriously dry forehead was okay. And I know a lot about bangs. First, they look great on me. Second, they grow fast, especially since I like mine just above my eyes. Third, they are such a hassle sometimes. They’re in your face at the end of the night when you don’t want them to be.

Clip-in bangs are a life saver.

They really are. I was hesitant about them, but they look possibly even better than real bangs on me – because, like extensions, they’re thicker and fuller than real bangs. They’re soft and comfortable, they don’t fall out (even in horrendous winds, I can attest). And when I’m done with them, I just unclip them and store them for the night.

Clip-in bangs are probably the best part of extensions. I watched several YouTube videos about how to “apply” them to my hair, but what I found works best is just parting my hair as usual, keeping the hair around my face back with bobby pins, and clipping the bangs in tightly to my head. I push the top down to shape it onto my head, and then I’m done.

And people have no idea.

The glorious thing about extensions, including clip-in bangs (and it’s true of wigs too), is that people have no clue. Even my hairstylist said she didn’t know I was wearing them, which she confessed is very rare for her because she’s an extensions expert. My professor was so convinced that she once said, “Trim them just a little, so people can see your eyes more. Don’t worry. They’ll grow back.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her they wouldn’t, but the next day in class I just wore them a fraction higher up on my head. Insta-shorter.

I like extensions better than wigs, for most things.

How come? Because extensions leave my hair as my own. There are additions to it that help me to make my daily routine easier and faster, but it’s still my hair. I take the extensions off, and my hair looks essentially the same as with them in. Sometimes plus or minus bangs. If I’m caught without my extensions on, I still look the same. I may have a few dead ends and not as full volume hair, but I’m the same me. I’m not ashamed to be caught in public or on camera without them. And best of all, I sometimes fall asleep for naps with extensions in – and it’s not uncomfortable and nothing terrible happens.

In conclusion, extensions are magic. Magic for hair.

Love Always,

Alaina