How to Put Hair Extensions on Short Hair

Putting hair extensions in short hair can be quite the challenge. The difference between your natural short hair and the extensions can be extremely noticeable. This unnatural look is not flattering. If you have a pixie haircut and want long locks, you're probably going to have to consult your hair care professional. However, if you're sporting a cut that's just above your shoulders, with a little work you should be able to enhance your look with natural-looking extensions.

Things You'll Need

• Hair extensions
• Flat iron

Instructions

1. Be realistic. If you have a pixie cut, you don't have the length to clip extensions; gluing them to your scalp is a recipe for disaster. If your hair is very short, you may want to schedule a consultation at a professional hair salon to discuss extensions. However, if your hair hovers near your shoulders, you should be able to successfully apply your own hair extensions.

2. Choose your hair extensions. Your options include clip-in, sew-in or glue-in extensions. You can purchase any of these in either synthetic or natural human hair at your local beauty supply store. If you have no previous experience and plan on applying the extensions completely on your own, clip-in extensions are the easiest and least risky choice. Human hair extensions are always the better choice, as they can be styled with hot tools. Synthetic hair extensions in short hair will be impossible to blend.

3. Apply a shine serum to the ends of the hair. Stay away from the roots as this can make the hair appear Greasy. Use a flat iron on small sections of hair; spend extra time on the ends of the hair.

4. Part hair into three horizontal sections. (Do this as though you were styling hair half-up, but instead putting a quarter of it up at a time.) Gather a bit more hair in the section closest to the top of your head than for the other sections. This will help cover the seams of the extensions. You will clip-in (or glue, if you have someone doing it for you) the extensions along the parts in the hair. Be sure to clip the longer extensions in the part that's closest to the base of the head; the shorter extensions go in the part that is closest to the top of your head.

5. Flat iron hair again. If you are using synthetic hair, skip this step. If you purchased human hair extensions you can run the straightener over the sections where your natural hair and the extension meet. This will give the appearance that your hair and the extensions are fused together, making it look like a natural head of hair.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the shine serum to tame any loose ends.

References

• Style Guide
• St. Botanica