Hair extensions grow in popularity in West Tennessee

JACKSON, Tenn. — If you want longer, thicker hair, look no further. Stylists say hair extensions can help.

“They ask who does my hair, where I get it done,” Alexis Woodard said. “They always say it’s really pretty.”

Woodard, an up-and-coming stylist, got hair extensions about two months ago. “I’d never really thought about it before, but after being in hair school and over processing the hair with lightener, it breaks off a little bit,” she said.

Woodard works at Bravo Hair Gallery and Color Bar in Jackson. She said they installed extensions on both sides to equal out the length and give fullness where hair had broken off. “My hair is usually, it’s thin, so having the extensions helps thicken it up,” Woodard said.

Hair extensions come in all different shapes, colors and sizes. It is natural human or sometimes synthetic hair that attaches to a person’s real hair. They can be clipped, taped, keratin bonded with heat, or installed with a bead.

“There’s an I-tip that goes inside the bead and we crimp that down,” Bravo Hair Gallery and Color Bar Owner Dawn Garofalo said.

Garofalo has been doing hair for more than 30 years and started installing extensions more than 14 years ago. She said they are becoming more popular in West Tennessee. “They want that Pinterest hair or Hollywood hair, and you can achieve that,” she said.

But be prepared to pay. Garofalo said extensions can run anywhere from $200 up to $2,200. “If you want 22-inch hair, obviously that’s going to cost a little bit more than 16- or 18-inch hair,” Garofalo said.

Garofalo, an extension educator, said it can take anywhere from three months to a year to learn how to properly install hair extensions. Garofalo said extensions are safe. She said her stylists are certified and must complete extensive training.

Garofalo said if extensions are not installed properly it can damage your hair. “You can get traction alopecia from that,” she said. “You can have too much stress on the root bulb of the hair.”

Woodard said she feels more confident with hair extensions. “Gives it more volume,” she said. “The curls last even better than before.”

You care for extensions just like your regular hair. Wash and dry, but be careful when using a flat iron or curling iron because heat can take them out.

Garofalo said they do a thorough consultation with clients before installing extensions.