Balancing Bows and Heels: Everything about Beaded Row Extensions

Happy Saturday y'all & daylight savings time... thank the lord! I've had so much more energy this week with that extra hour.

I wanted to answer all of y'alls questions that you have sent over the past few weeks about the hand tied extension method. It has been about a about a month wearing the extensions and there is no turning back! These extensions are everything I hoped and dreamed they would be, and more! They literally feel like they are my natural hair, and are pretty much 100% seamless. My natural hair has always been thin and short, which has always bothered me. I love all of the fun styles you can do with longer hair, so I have always reverted to the 22" length. Answering all of your questions, comparing to the tape-in method, and sharing my favorite hair products in this post! See the end for before and after photos!

Hand Tied vs. Tape Ins

Pros:

I had the tape-ins extension method for over 9 months, and loved the look of having long hair! The tape in extension is much different because instead of using one long 'weft of hair' like the hand tied it is 1 inch chunks of hair that are individually taped to your hair. The stylist takes a chunk of your natural hair and sandwiches it between 2 tape pieces, then melts the tape to your natural hair with a flat iron...and that is pretty much it! The process takes about 30 minutes for 2 packs of hair, and you are done. If you are looking for longer, thicker hair, tape ins will definitely give you the look you are going for.

The price is much more affordable than hand tied. To install hand tied, it is based per row, which could vary from 2-3 depending on your hair, and what your are looking for. From my experience with tape-ins, the install is about $100 (not including the hair). It is pretty quick to put them in, and the hand tied do take longer and require a lot of training.

Tape in method getting installed

Cons:

That was one thing that I didn't like about tape-ins, is that I had to be very cautious with how I styled my hair. If you are someone that likes to put your hair up in a high pony tail, I would let your stylists know ahead of time, so they can place the extensions where the tape doesn't peek out. I often found that you could see some of the tape pieces if you didn't be cautious with how you styled your hair.

The tape was more damaging than the hand tied. Tape, would slide out of my hair sometimes between bump up appointments, and would leave a sticky residue. It was often times hard to get out, but a stylist can easily remove it with an appointment.

Questions I have received over DMs (I consolidated the repetitive ones):

How much do the extensions cost?

I asked Chasity and Lyndi and it depends. Most of your cost initially, will be from the cost of the extensions themselves, and how much you need. For example if your hair is super thick, and you just want to add volume, you would only need 1 pack of hair. Another big factor, is the length. The 22" pack of extensions is going to be a few hundred dollars more than the 16" extensions, so it all really depends! I would call your stylist and request a consultation, which are usually free. Your stylist should also color match you, and bring a photo of what your goals are!

How long did it take?

The initial install took about 6 hours. We colored all of my hair prior to installing, so that took about 2 hours. After I dried, we installed the first weft, and then the second. It was a painless process and totally worth it! I would save about half a day for your appointment. It is definitely a little bit of a lengthy process, but I promise the results are worth the wait.

Do you like them more than tape ins?

The answer is YES.

How long in-between bump up visits?

6-8 weeks depending on hair growth. Be careful to wait to long, because this can cause knots.

How much is maintenance once your hair needs to be moved up?

It runs about $250-$300, depending on the salon.

How is the hair installed?

Here is a photo of what my hair looked like mid-process. My hair is sewn or "Hand-tied" through the beads, and then the weft of extensions is sewn to my scalp from this row. It is so cool, and totally painless.