How to Make Your Own Hair Extensions!

I cut my hair off last month to the middle of my neck. I LOVE it short! Its so much easier to style and maintain, but every once in awhile I like to pretend it's long again!

I originally started wearing extensions when my hair was long. I have very fine hair and always end up teasing it to make it full and thick at the roots but that still leaves the ends thin, so I started looking at extensions. The prices are outrageous for human hair. The Jessica Simpson ones looked appealing over QVC, but luckily I saw them in a store before I purchased them....they look completely fake to me, like Barbie hair.

So I went to Sally's Beauty Supply. I ended up purchasing tracks, which are meant to be sewn in. I also purchased clips and made my own custom hair extensions for a fraction of the price.

This is the hair I ended up purchasing and I am very happy with it.  I purchased either a 10 inch or 12 inch lenght (I can't remember) package of hair in black.  The package as in the $18-$20 range with more then enough hair to make a head full of extentions.  

You may be able to find it somewhere else cheaper.

 When you get it home wash it and let it air dry. 

You'll need glue (I used E6000, but hot glue or any rubbery glue will work), scissors, snap clips, and either hair clips or wooden clothes pens which work better.

Hold the track by one end and measure around your head with it to the same place on the other ear. Cut it here. This will be your main extension that will go around the middle of your head.... You can now either cut two or three more to glue on top or cut various other lengths to go on other parts of your head.

I personally have 2 long pieces that go from ear to ear. One of them has three pieces stacked on top of it, and the other is just a single track. I have 2 pieces that go from temple to the center of the back of my head. Then I have a fifth piece that is about six inches long with several pieces stacked on top.

The particular clips that are pictured are about $2 a package. The package includes 2 clips.

I highly suggest you glue several of the tracks together, especially if you are using these with short hair! It will give more fullness to the ends instead of looking so much like your threw extensions in your hair.

Simply glue along the track, be careful not to get glue in the hair. 

Lay the track you want to glue ontop of you line of glue.  If you are using hot glue, you will need to lay the track down as you go, instead of after applying glue to the entire bottom track.

Now just clip the track down to keep it from sliding and let it dry!

Once you hair has dried, or if you only doing single tracks, you'll need to apply clips.  You want to make sure you apply these so the comb is facing the end of the extensions.  When you pop them open, you'll slide them into your hair at the root, then press to close them.  These are meant to sew in, and you can do that, but the thread does wear out and glue works just as well. Glue along the track of the hair, and with the clip closed, place the back of the clip onto the track.  Use pens to secure both ends of the clip so the hair dries to it securely. 


And that's it!  Now you have hair extensions for about $30!