Hand-Tied Extensions – My Experience + Your Questions Answered

In today’s post, I am F-I-N-A-L-L-Y sharing about my experience with hand-tied extensions + answering all of the questions you guys submitted over on my Instagram. I waited almost two months to share this post because I wanted to have time to get used to them, figure out which products work best for me, etc. I’m so excited to finally let y’all know my thoughts…

Links contain affiliate links which means I receive a small about of commission for your click or purchase.

BEFORE

This is the only before photo I have from the day of my appointment. I washed and dried my hair the night before, and then slept on it, so my hair was very flat. My hair always looked fuller when I curled it, but I could just never get it to grow very long.

AFTER

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR EXTENSIONS DONE?

I traveled to Cullman, Alabama for an appointment with Kinsey Johnson at J. Drake Salon. She is one of the few Habit Hand-Tied Extension Certified stylists in my area. Being Habit Hand-Tied Extension Certified means that the stylist attended one of the Hands-On Certification Courses at Habit Salon (where the method began with Chrissy Rasmussen – the creator of the Habit Hand-Tied Extension Method). You can check this site to find the certified stylists in your area.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

This is different for everyone. The cost of hand-tied extensions depends on your stylists pricing, the amount of wefts you get, how many rows are tied in, if you add color, etc. It’s best to schedule a consult with your stylist to talk more specifically about what you want. However, these are an investment, so be prepared for that.

I have 22″ & 24″ wefts in my hair and I have 2 rows.

HOW LONG DO THEY LAST?

The hair itself can last up to a year if taken care of properly. You will need to go to your stylist every 8-12 weeks for the extensions to be moved-up. The timing of move-ups is different for everyone. Since I have never had them moved up, I scheduled my first move-up appointment for 8 weeks after having them installed. At my 8 week appointment, Kinsey will be able to give me a better idea of whether 8 weeks is a good time for my move-ups, or if I could wait until 10 or 12 weeks next time. They don’t feel super loose to me yet, so I think I could definitely go longer, but we’ll see.

DO THEY FEEL HEAVY?

Honestly, no. I thought they would because it is sooo much hair, but they only feel heavy when my hair is wet. I wore clip-in extensions for about a year before getting these, and the hand-tied extensions are SO. MUCH. BETTER. My clip-ins always pulled and gave me a headache every time I wore them for an extended period of time. The brand of clip-ins I had were Luxy Hair.

I was afraid I would have a permanent headache with these, but I haven’t had a headache once. I asked Kinsey why that was, and she said that she thinks it is because the weight of these are more evenly distributed than the clip-ins. If you’re not ready to make the investment in hand-tied extensions, I really did like the quality of the Luxy Hair clip-ins.

HOW DO YOU SLEEP WITH HAND-TIED EXTENSIONS?

This was definitely tricky at first, but now I just use a scrunchie to pull my hair back into a low ponytail or loose braid. I don’t have any major creases the next morning, and I usually wear my hair wavy/curled anyway, so this works great for me.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO GET READY?

Oh boy. It feels like forever. On Sunday, it took me an hour and a half to shampoo/condition, blow dry, and curl my hair. BUT I only wash my hair once a week. So really, it’s not that bad. Once I’ve styled it that first time, it pretty much holds the style for the rest of the week. Each morning, I will do a few curl touch-ups but that’s it. Honestly, I spend less time overall on my hair with the extensions than I did before the extensions. Before, my curls would last for days, but I would still re-curl my whole head every morning to make it look good. (This miiiight be why my hair was so damaged and wouldn’t grow). These extensions look great even when I’ve gone days without curling them.

CAN YOU PUT YOUR HAIR UP?

Yes. That is another thing that is great about the hand-tied method. You can’t tell that you have extensions in, even when your hair is up. With other methods, like tape in, I believe it is a little bit harder to put your hair in a bun or ponytail without the tape being visible.

DO HAND-TIED EXTENSIONS DAMAGE YOUR REAL HAIR?

I think this all goes back to finding the right stylist. If the stylist has been certified and has experience with this method, I think you can be confident in the fact that your real hair will not be damaged.

WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU RECOMMEND?

Before getting hand-tied extensions, I was not very good about using hair products. But, after making this investment, I have been crazy about taking the best care of them. My stylist recommended a hydrating shampoo/conditioner, a serum for the ends, and a detangler as the top products I would need. Here are my favorite products I have been using. Keep in mind, I don’t use these products every day, but rotate through all of them. The one product I do use daily is: L’ange Satin Nectar serum. (And of course hairspray because I live in Alabama, ha!) Here are all of my favorite products that I routinely use:

PRODUCT BREAKDOWN

Dry Shampoo: Typically, I use the Batiste dry shampoo on days 3-4 and then switch to the heavy-duty IGK on days 5-6. Also, the L’Oreal scalp scrub is amazing for getting rid of all the dry shampoo build-up. I use it 1x per week before washing my hair.

Curling Iron: Y’all know I love my t3 hair tools, but since getting the longer extensions, I have really been liking the extra long curling iron I linked.

Shampoo/Conditioner: Before my extensions, I used Big Sexy shampoo. After, I started using Pureology Hydrate. The hydration is great for the extensions, but it was making the top layer of my hair (my actual hair) feel weighted down and it seemed to get oilier faster. So, (this is super extra LOL but…) I’ve started using the Big Sexy shampoo on the top of my hair and the Pureology shampoo from the middle all the way down.

Detangler & Serum: The Amika detangler smells amazing and works great! My favorite serum is the L’ange that I mentioned before, but I also linked a Kenra serum that a lot of people use and love. I use it occasionally, but it makes my hair feel a little waxy if I use it daily. It smells so good though – like cotton candy!!

Hairspray: In my opinion, NOTHING is better than Big Sexy Spray and Stay. I’ve used it since high school and do not have any plans to switch any time soon. 🙂

HOW LONG WILL YOU KEEP YOUR HAND-TIED EXTENSIONS?

I am in love with them. I’m so used to them now that I can’t imagine not having them. I would probably feel bald without them. Ha!

DID I ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS?

If not, leave any other questions in the comments below & I will answer them the best I can.

PIN NOW & READ AGAIN LATER