9 Things You Never Knew You Could Do With Hair Extensions

In her book Why Not Me? Mindy Kaling dishes about her own follicular farce: She wears hair extensions. “Everyone uses hair extensions. And I mean everyone. The stenographer who doesn’t speak in that judge show you watch. The Long Island Medium. Clooney. Castle. Everybody on the Today show, but no one in the Orange Room.” Chrissy Teigen cops to them, too. “Everybody has them. When I first got them, I had no idea how many people had them on the red carpet,“ she says.

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That’s because about five to 10 years ago, extensions were something people talked about in hushed tones (or didn’t talk about at all). Now, they’re all but ubiquitous — thanks to no-BS celebs like Kaling and Teigen, and more and more salons popping up that are dedicated to the service. And the hair quality has also improved thanks to advancements in technology, says Serge Normant hairstylist Matt Fugate.

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But, contrary to popular belief, they’re not just for adding length or bulk. Extensions can solve a multitude of hair needs — from fixing an impulse cut to trying out bangs for a night, and even changing your hair color. We grilled top stylists for their tips, plus on when to splurge and when you can get by with the cheap ones. Check out their advice, ahead.

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Create Better Curls

“Because extension hair has been processed, it curls better,” says Fugate. However, “sometimes you can’t get that memory out of it, [so] there is that catch.” Meaning, your extensions might curl up even when you don’t want them to. (Perhaps when you’ve blown out your hair in, say, Miami.)

For special occasions, clip-ins are best as they’re easiest to curl before you apply them. Fugate says to be careful about the texture differing too much from your God-given strands, because you don’t want your extensions to look obvious.

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PHOTO: MICHAEL STEWART/WIREIMAGE.

Subtly Change Your Hair Hue

“If you want to test out ombré highlights without coloring your hair, choose hair extensions that match your base hue, with your desired lightness at the ends,” says hairstylist Jennifer Yepez, who works with Gigi Hadid.

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Yepez likes to use clip-ins for this purpose, because they won’t damage the hair and you can keep reusing them as long as you take proper care of them. Two of her favorite brands are Tousled Tresses and Balmain Hair Couture. “Hair Rehab London hair extensions are great for adding in highlights,” she says. “The hair quality is good and these mix in so well, no one could ever tell.”

Or, go the not-so-subtle route and use extensions to try wilder hair hues before taking the plunge. (Kylie Jenner is wearing her own: Kylie Hair Kouture.)

PHOTO: JON KOPALOFF/FILMMAGIC.

Test-Drive Bangs

Faux bangs are a fun way to experiment without committing to a long, painful grow-out period if a permanent fringe is not for you. “The V Bang from The Hair Shop especially looks realistic,” says Fugate. “Lea Michele used faux bangs for months before she got hers cut.”

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Unfortunately, bang extensions are not yet a thing; you just have to let them grow. The good news, however, is that they grow quickly and there is a multitude of ways to hide them while they do.

PHOTO: JASON LAVERIS/FILMMAGIC.

Maximize Your Ponytail
“Hair pieces had an iffy reputation for a while, but now they’re more common and the newer versions are fantastic,” Fugate explains. “The clip-in ponytail works well because you can add thickness to your own, or you can incorporate a ponytail hair piece into a chignon to make it thicker.”

Yepez is a fan of Easilocks ponytail extensions, which have Velcro pieces around the weft for ease of use. “If you are more advanced, you can use a package of hair without clips and pin it in place. Then, use a small hair extension to wrap it around to camouflage the wefts,” she explains.

Her other pick is Rapunzel of Sweden, “as the weft is flat and you have the perfect amount of hair in a package to give you a luxury ponytail, and then you can reuse it for any other style you want,” she says. For a cheaper quick fix, Yepez likes Divine Hair Sweden’s Straight Clip-On ponytail. The Hairdo Simply Straight Pony is another wallet-friendly option.

For the rest of our advice, visit Refinery29.

By: Amber Katz