The Down Side of Single Extension Styles

Single Braids and Twist styles with extensions have been popular since they hit the scene over twenty years ago. And there’s no wonder why. First, they look stunning but secondly, they are both versatile and carefree. You can wear single braids in so many different ways. For instance depending on the texture of the hair you could wear it foxy like The Miko, or very modern like with Freeze Braids. Then there’s the Classical single braids or the exotic Baby Curl Twist style which are all very fabulous!

But here’s the down side of wearing singles. Because of both their beauty and their versatility clients find it difficult to switch it up and find that type of styling addictive. There can be a cost for that addiction because the down side is that singles are attached to small and some times tiny sections of hair that can become weak from not only the weight of the extension, but also the inadvertent tugging on the new growth exacerbates this thinning of the hair at the roots; which is traction alopecia.

This condition can easily be avoid by switching up your style from single extensions to styles that support the hair at the scalp like cornrows, weaves (which cause hair to grow and thicken because your own hair is resting in a cornrow style) or choosing styles that don’t require extensions at all. You can lead a horse to water… Often times clients are encouraged by their Stylist to switch up and their response is often, “next time”. The problem is that the next time gets put off and put off until the next thing you know, the damage has occurred. This can especially true for clients who have naturally thin or fine hair or who may have weakened their hair from years of chemical processing. Also woman going through menopause will find that their hair will not bounce back from abuse the way it once did.

You know what they say, “Crazy is doing the same thing, expecting different results”. So heed this advice and don’t wait until it’s too late. No single extension style should be worn over and over again without switching it up. Otherwise, you’re headed (excuse the pun) for the kind of damage that may not be able to be reversed.





Courtesy of Ask Anu