Locks Like Rapunzel

I have been wearing clip in hair extensions for around 7 years on and off therefore, I feel as though I have a confident understanding of them to be able to create this guide for anyone purchasing some for the first time.

Below I will share a step by step guide that you should take into consideration before making your final decision on a set to buy.

1. Human, Remy and Synthetic Hair

Human Hair -

As it says in the name, it is in fact human hair and therefore can be treated similarly to how you treat your own. You are able to use heat on it, dye it and wash it pretty much the same (minus washing, which should not be done very often at all) however, you do have to do each of these with more care. The extensions are not getting the same goodness that your own hair is provided with while on your head therefore, if not treated with a bit more respect, the extensions will very quickly get matted and ruined.

Remy Human Hair - 

They are much like the traditional human hair extensions however of a much higher quality. They are manufactured to ensure that all the hair is running from root to tip unlike normal human hair which can be a mixture, reducing the quality.

Synthetic Hair -

Synthetic hair extensions are not real hair and therefore cannot be treated the same. You have to look after them with much more care and they will usually not last as long. You can't dye these extensions and you can only use heat on them up to a certain temperature (which the company your purchase from should state on their website). These extensions also have a plastic coating look to them and tend to get matted very easily too.

Overall, the Remy Human Hair are the best option to go for however, their prices will be much higher. The Synthetic Hair will be the cheapest option however, the quality will not be as good as the Human/Remy Hair and in my opinion, really not worth your money.

2. Length

The length is just based on personal preference and usually ranges from 12" to 24"+. The company I use only sells 20" so that tends to be the length I go for. However, this comes past my waist and is way too long for my liking therefore, I tend to get mine cut.

In my advice, 16/18" is a more natural look if you're wanting to add length to shorter hair. But it's really a case of trial and error to find a length that works for you. Therefore, I would go for a longer set as you can get it cut if it seems too long.

3. Colour

Every website should give you the option of returning the hair extensions if they are the wrong colour but make sure you read their returns policy before ordering, just in case. Most of the time you cannot remove the hair extensions from the actual packaging if you plan on returning them, so keep them secured and just hold them up to your hair.

Some companies may also offer a colour matching service. It usually consists of you sending them a photo of your hair taken in natural light and them picking a colour that they think best suits you from their range.

If you dye your hair, my advice is to buy the extensions that match the hair colour you dye it to. This saves having to dye the actual hair extensions as this can be incredibly damaging/drying.

4. Price

Prices will really depend on the quality and how much hair you get. You obviously do not need to go crazy and spend hundreds if you are on a budget but you should also be aware that if you are paying £20/30 for a set, the quality or thickness may not be all that great.

I have paid prices from £20 to £100, with those costing £100 being my favourite so far.

In terms of Synthetic hair, you will expect to pay a lot less than human hair. I personally don't have much experience with Synthetic hair so cannot really comment. However, my one piece of advice is to not spend too much on them as they will not last you as long anyway.

5. Weight

The weight of hair extensions is something a lot of people seem to ignore when purchasing online and this is a huge mistake. It's extremely important to take note of it in the description as this will be a good indication of how much hair you are going to get.

When I first started wearing extensions I made the mistake of not checking this and when they would arrive at my door, they would be extremely thin and look extremely unnatural. The heavier the extensions, the better. You'll get much more hair for your money and it will blend beautifully.

As a guidance, the hair extensions I purchase weigh 165g but the company sells extensions which range from 125g to 280g. It obviously depends how thick your hair is but mine is on the finer side and these provide me with plenty of hair. My advice is to not purchase any that are under 125g.

6. Company

There are so many different companies out there trying to sell you hair extensions; too many for me to have tried them all. Therefore, I don't have experience with every brand existing but my main piece of advice is read reviews!! Whenever you find a company that you think of purchasing from, the first thing you should do is Google and YouTube them. Check blogs and videos for photos and people's opinions and see what their experience has been with the extensions and the company.

I will be doing a post where I review all the companies I have tried but the ones I do want to mention on here are Foxy Locks and Milk & Blush. These are the two companies I continue to purchase from and have found they are the best quality for the best price. They both have their pros and cons which I can talk about in another post!

I hope this provided a basic guide to the essential things to consider before purchasing clip in hair extensions. I am in no means a hair professional and all of this information is based on my own experience over the years.

Thank you for reading! :)

So I finally decided to try a new brand of Hair Extensions and because I know it's such a huge decision to make, I wanted to write up an honest review. I am going to talk about my experience with customer service, the packaging and the hair extensions themselves. However, this will be more of a first impression as they are brand new and therefore, I am unable to comment on how well they last but I will be doing regular posts with the passing months.

So let's begin...

What hair extensions did I purchase?

I purchased their 16-18" classic set in 'Love this Feeling'.

What was my experience with customer service?

You may or may not know that Milk + Blush offer a colour matching service to make deciding which shade is right for you much easier. It's as simple as emailing them at hello@milkandblush.com with a few pictures of your hair and they will suggest which one they think will be best.

It's a good idea to send photos of both the sides and the back of your hair and make sure you do this in natural light but not direct sunlight. This will ensure you get the most accurate suggestion given to you.

I was extremely impressed with their customer service as I emailed them one evening and they had replied by the morning asking for a few more photos. After this, they replied within or maybe even under an hour with the shade that would be good for me.

I can definitely not fault their customer service for the fact it was extremely quick and they were also very polite and friendly.

What is the packaging/delivery like?

I'm from the UK so you are given the option of standard delivery for £3.95 which takes roughly 3 days or next day delivery for £5.95 which takes 1 day. Just because I wasn't in any immediate rush and it was also cheaper, I decided to go for the standard delivery and as stated on the website, they arrived in exactly 3 days!!

Onto the packaging; they were wrapped in silver paper which when this arrived at my house had been torn apart piece by piece. I'm not sure if this happened while it was being delivered or if it happened due to the postman struggling to get it through the letter box but either way my hair extensions were opened when they arrived which was a little worrying.

However, besides that the actual hair extensions come in a box which is very new to me! All other extensions I have purchased in the past come in plastic packaging but Milk + Blush are definitely making it look much prettier. You are then given the usual two sides; one with the tester piece of hair in which you can use to make sure it matches and then the full set the other side which you can't open unless you are sure you don't want to return them.

Within the set you also get a care guide to go with your hair extensions. I think this is amazing as I have never had this with any companies I have purchased from in the past. It provides a selection of guidance inside the booklet including how to apply the extensions - which is an added bonus for any first time wearers as it can seem pretty daunting.

What is my honest opinion of the hair extensions?

Based on a first impression, I can instantly say they are absolutely beautiful!! Milk + Blush are definitely doing everything right. I was in utter shock the moment I opened them because I couldn't actually believe how thick they were. I've purchased from Foxy Locks many times before and they are known for their thickness however, they cannot compete with this set.

You get an insane amount of hair which once placed onto my head, I realised I didn't need it all. This is a good thing because it means I can hold some back for when the others come to the end of their lifespan!

You get 10 wefts in total with two 3 clip wefts, five 2 clip wefts, two 1 clip wefts and then lastly you get a 4 clip quad weft which is something I have never seen in a hair extension set before. This really completes the set beautifully as it provides that instant thickness to your hair, which really does help it blend. I could definitely get away with wearing this alone with a few two clips wefts in the side if I was in a rush or just didn't want so much weight on my head.

As mentioned above, I got the 16-18" set which works perfectly for me. I have found it so difficult to find a good hair extension brand that sells quality extensions in this length as they all seemed to be around 20" plus. This can be so frustrating as not only am I paying a lot for the extensions, I have to pay to have them cut on top of that too as I find the length way too long and unnatural. However, this set was the length I had been looking for as it is just a tiny bit longer than my natural hair (but not much).

The quality is also beautiful and the colour matches perfectly. I was a little worried about purchasing from a brand I hadn't before however, I had heard so many good things about Milk + Blush and now I am so glad I gave into the reviews.

Last remaining points...

The company sells a triple weft set and also a quad weft set for those with thicker hair. I originally was going to get the trip weft however, now I am so glad I stuck with the classic as the wefts would have been too full for my fine hair.

However, if you have very thick hair or want to go for a more dramatic look than these would be stunning!

...

Overall, based on a first impression I absolutely love these extensions and would definitely recommend them! I will be doing a few update post on how they turn out over time and also on how much they may have shedded.

I just want to add how beyond happy I am with these extensions and the quality of them currently. I overlooked Milk + Blush many times but they honestly are such an incredible company. Their customer service is a full five stars and the hair extensions are absolutely beautiful! I am beyond happy that I finally gave them a chance as they have found themselves the top spot in my favourite extension brands.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope this was helpful!

You can find Milk + Blush's website by clicking here.

Here are a few photos of the extensions in my own hair :)