Posted on: 30 Mar 2017

According to surveys, Britain bought £43 MILLION worth of human hair extensions in 2013, and that number is on the rise this year. With women across the country looking for ways to boost their natural hair, extensions have become a popular trend in beauty.

Whether it’s clip ins, bonds or tapes, it’s clear that there’s a big demand for thicker, longer locks. But the problem is, if they’re applied badly, you’re likely to suffer an embarrassing hair fail - like Lisa Appleton. Earlier this week some snaps from her on holiday in Spain emerged, and it seems her clip-ins went, er, a little rogue. What should have been a Bond girl moment soon turned into memorable one, for all the wrong reasons.

Don’t despair though, there are ways to boost your natural hair while keeping it on the hush. We’ve chatted to hair extension specialist Sarah McKenna from Vixen and Blush, to find out just how you can enhance your hair, while still making it look natural…

What you need:

• A packet of clip in extensions to match your hair colour, like Vixen & Blush Seamless Clip-In Hair Extensions, from £140 here. As it’s only one thick weft, it’s a lot easier to apply than individual rows.
• A comb
• Hairspray
• Step 1: Start with clean hair as any oiliness at the roots may make it harder to secure your clip-ins comfortably.
• Step 2: Section your hair from ear to ear just using your little fingers, rather than a comb. It doesn’t have to be a perfectly straight line!
• Step 3: Secure the remaining hair on top of your head with a large clip.
• Step 4: Taking a backcombing brush or a comb, start to gently tease and backcomb the section of hair so that you create a ‘shelf’ to attach your clip to. Finally, spray the area with hairspray to provide grip.
• Step 5: Next, taking your clip in set, unsnap the grips ready to clip to your hair. It’s a good idea to feel the teeth while clipping them in and making sure that the teeth are pushed through the section of hair fully as this will make the hair feel secure.
• Step 6: Once the clip ins are fitted it is best to look at the back of your head with mirrors and make sure that you’re happy that there is no bump.

But remember...

* If you have short hair, and especially if your top layers are quite short, it’s a good idea to get the front sections of the hair extensions cut and layered so that, when fitted, they blend more easily in with your shorter layers.

* Once the hair extensions are fitted, use your straighteners and a hair serum and smooth your hair in with the clip-ins. This means they’ll be the same texture.

* The final touch is to catch the small wispy pieces of hair at the back of your neck. If your hair is short, these pieces can show and be a give away. Take the short layer of hair and twist it, then grip that hair into place with pins underneath the lowest panel of the clip in.

Original Article: https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/style/3am-fashion-celebrity-beauty/how-boost-your-locks-hair-10114346