Have you ever looked at someone with incredibly long, thick, and shiny hair and wondered what part of their genetic code was responsible for this miracle? Well, there’s a good chance these enviable curls have less to do with DNA and more to do with hair extensions. Once reserved for the Hollywood elite and those with insanely deep pockets, hair extensions of all kinds have become commonplace with A-listers and everyday people alike. “You’re no longer Hollywood’s best-kept secret,” says Ted Gibson, legendary hairdresser and founder of his hair salon of the same name in LA. “They’re very versatile and in some ways you can really be a different person by wearing extensions.”
While a major change isn’t your goal, hair extensions have become an equally casual option for adding length, thickness, and volume to your hair like pretty much anything out there. The best part? They offer instant results. (You no longer have to wait for these biotin-filled hair vitamins to finally kick in.) One deterrent that may have stopped you from trying them out until this point is their reputation for doing serious harm to your real locks. Are breakages and crazy thinning really worth it?
Gibson thinks so. In fact, it goes so far as to affirm that with advances in application techniques and types of hair extensions, it is possible to wear them with little to no damage to your natural hair. Few have reached the upper tier of the Hollywood barbershops that Gibson now resides in. So when he says that extensions don’t completely freshen up our hair, we believe it. After all, the gorgeous manes on his A-list – from Angelina Jolie to Lupita Nyong’o, Sandra Oh and Lily Collins – are proof of his expertise. Read Gibson’s top tips ahead of time to make sure your real hair will thrive while wearing hair extensions. Then you will learn about 13 of the best hair extensions that you can try right now.
