Hair Extensions, Hair Infusions, and Hair Replacement

In years past if an individual had thinning or balding hair their only solution was to buy a wig or toupee or just live with what nature had to offer.  However times have changed and there are a great many alternatives to thinning or balding hair as well as new trends to add pizzazz to one’s natural hair style.  Celebrities utilize these alternatives to give themselves a new look without having to change their natural hair and now baldness is no longer permanent.    
 

Hair Extensions

Hair extensions are the act of adding either synthetic or human pieces of hair to an individual’s natural hair to give it the appearance of being thicker or longer.  When hair extensions first became an option, it was quite expensive but over the past few years prices have come down and it’s more affordable for just about anybody to use.  They were first used in Hollywood as celebrities found they could change their hair styles without having to cut or change their own natural hair.  They are now a very popular fad and are offered at most beauty salons around the world. 
Hair extensions are clipped, glued, or braided into place.  A special type of epoxy glue is used to hold strands of the hair extensions into place on the scalp; the glue is formulated as to not damage the natural hair or scalp of the individual getting the extensions.  Clip in hair extensions simply clip onto the natural hair that is closest to the scalp; these can be easily applied at home and don’t require a trip to the salon.  Braided extensions are small strands of synthetic or human hair that are woven into the natural hair. 
Hair extensions can be left in for extended amounts of time depending upon how well you take care of your hair and how gentle you are when washing, drying, and combing your hair.  Certainly extensions will last longer if the individual wearing them takes extra time while caring for their hair.  The usual time one can continue to wear hair extensions is between three and six months.




Hair Infusions

Hair infusion, created by celebrity hair stylist Rodolfo Valentin, is a type of hair extension that actually fuses the human or synthetic strands of hair to an individual’s natural hair.  It requires no heat and the strands of hair are fused by dipping the strands in a type of keratin adhesive glue; keratin is a protein that is found in hair and promotes healthy hair.  Hair infusion is as close to natural hair as one can get when using any type of hair extension product.  There are several different types of infusions; silica, flashpoint, and regular infusion.  Silica infusion is the type of extension that allows for new hair to grow. 
It generally takes anywhere from 3 to 6 hours to complete the hair infusion process and the extensions will remain well in the hair for approximately six months, depending upon how gentle one is when washing and styling their hair.  Most individuals who have hair infusions done find them very natural looking and easy to maintain.  They are certainly more delicate than natural growing hair but are not so delicate that you can’t do most of the everyday things you usually do without the hair infusions. 



Hair Replacement

Hair loss or balding is generally caused by a decline in hormones, aging, and hereditary influences.  It is noted that the earlier one begins to bald the more severe the baldness will be.  For decades baldness was just a fact of life with no real alternatives or hope of ever having a full head of hair again.  But today there are alternatives to baldness by the use of cosmetic surgery in hair replacement techniques.  Real, living hair that is transplanted onto the balding scalp; counteracting the signs of hormones and age. 
In order to be a good candidate for hair replacement surgery, an individual must have healthy hair growing on a portion of their head in order to use that hair as donors to be placed in the balding areas.  Doctors use the individual’s own living hair in order to get the most out of the hair that still exists.  There are several types of techniques used in hair replacement surgery; mini-grafts, punch grafts, strip grafts, and slit grafts are the most widely techniques used for mild changes to the hairline.  However for those who wish to have a dramatic change doctors generally use the tissue expansion or scalp reduction techniques in order to give the patient a dramatic new look and eliminate all balding.  It is important to remember that a person with very little hair may not be a good candidate for hair replacement surgery. 

It is said that as many as one out of every five women will have significant hair loss or thinning which is generally caused by age and a sharp change in hormones following menopause.  Many women who undergo hair replacement surgery tend to just need mini-grafts to fill in the thinning areas; at which time the hair becomes thicker and more natural.  However it is important to note that hair replacement will not generally make your hair as thick and full as it was prior to the hair loss or thinning; it will, however, fill in the thinning areas to help camouflage the loss of hair. 

Our grandmothers and grandfathers could only live with what nature handed them; it is no longer that way anymore as science has made it possible to turn back the hands of time and regain a semi youthful look of a full head of hair.

Technology and science gives us more choices than we have ever had before when it comes to innovated hair styles and the signs of aging or hormones.  We can have long, flowing hair one day, thanks to hair extensions, and then have a different hair style the next day, if we so choose.  Male and female balding can be a thing of the past due to the advances in hair replacement surgeries.  You no longer have to be a victim of heredity or the loss or change in hormones; you can have a full head of hair once again.