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Just how safe are hair extensions?

Christina Aguilera have been spotted with temporary bald patches

With the ‘Rachel’ cut, named after her character in Friends, Jennifer Aniston had one of the most in-demand hairstyles of the Nineties. But the actress has revealed her hair was almost ruined by ugly hair extensions.

This way of transforming your look has become popular thanks to the likes of Celebrity Big Brother winner Chantelle Houghton. However, Kate Beckinsale, Victoria Beckham and Christina Aguilera have been spotted with temporary bald patches apparently caused by hair extensions.

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Letting your hair down, with a little help from hair extensions

PARIS, June 23, 200 In a few hours a client can have the sort of length it would take years to grow 6 (AFP) - Forget designer handbags and couture frocks, these days style-conscious women are spending big on the latest luxury accessory, human hair extensions.

Hot on the heels of celebrity torchbearers like Victoria Beckham and Paris Hilton, women are paying up to 1,000 euros (1,250 dollars) to have someone else’s hair stuck to the...

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Going to great lengths
By RACHEL BEERS
TEENS IN THE NEWSROOM

Most girls know the basic requirements needed to achieve the “perfect look”: the right outfit, jewelry, handbag and shoes.

However, one equally important aspect of one’s look that might not always be regarded as a much-needed accessory is great hair. A hairstyle can make or break an entire look.

No girl, it seems, is 100 percent happy with the hair she was born with; many cut, dye, perm, straighten and curl their locks to give them a look that is unique and makes them feel good. Some of these hair treatments, however, can be damaging. Fortunately, there’s an alternative.

Once used in only the fashion world and Hollywood Hair Extensions are Hot with Teens , hair extensions are becoming more accessible. In just the Modesto area, a multitude of salons offer hair extensions — from the most basic to the most exclusive.

Hair extensions aren’t necessarily expensive, either — it depends on whether the hair is real or synthetic, what kind of hair extension method you choose, and how much you want to add to your hair. And anybody can use hair extensions; it doesn’t matter whether your own hair is long or short, coarse or fine, straight or curly.

Gluing

Hair salons offer several varieties of hair extensions. One of the most common, and least expensive, is the glue-in method. Strips of real or synthetic hair are basically glued onto the scalp. While this is the most affordable approach, it also is the shortest lived; glue-in extensions typically last three to four weeks. The upside to this kind of hair extension is that the tracks of hair only cost around $20 each, plus labor.

Sew-ins

Sew-in extensions are the next step up in quality, durability and price. Tricia Harty at Mosaic Salon on McHenry Avenue in Modesto says she has a wide clientele of teenage girls who come in to get hair extensions sewn in. Typically made of real human hair, the strips of extensions are sewn into cornrows that are braided from your own hair; the extensions cover up the short braids so all you see is long, smooth hair. To have a full head of hair sewn-in, plan on investing around two hours of your time and about $200. Remember, though, that this reflects a full head of hair; the less hair you add, the less expensive it will be. Sew-in hair extensions can last up to two months.

Bonding

If you have the means to pay for it, the bonding method is the optimum way to go. Using a special protein bond, the extensions are attached in portions of about 50 strands each to an equal amount of your own hair, using a tool that resembles a tiny flat iron. Bonding is the most tedious; for a full head of hair, it typically takes two to fiv...

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