You can get this style installed regardless of your hair texture, but your actual hair must be long enough, and your scalp has to be in good health, too. If you’re struggling with hair loss or excessive shedding, you should probably consider another technique. Gantt requires six inches of stretched (pulled, twisted, braided, or blown out to its full length) hair in order to install micro-links. She also won’t work on anyone with alopecia or bald spots because the style can potentially aggravate those areas.
Harris, on the other hand, will install micro-links on a client who has bald spots, but only if they’ve received the green light from their dermatologist. Other than that, no dice. As for hair length, she recommends about three to five inches, stretched out, but she shares that some stylists simply have an “if I can grab it, I can do it” policy.
How are micro-links installed?
The installation process for micro-links can vary based on the client’s needs, the desired length, or the volume they’re looking for. Each method requires a different technique. For the weft method, “[the stylist] will take small sections of [the client’s] hair, apply the bead, and then attach the weft to that,” Gantt explains.
She typically uses the i-tip method, which involves working with smaller pieces of hair, but the process of attaching the beads is roughly the same. “I attach the microbeads with the i-tip [hair] extension to their natural hair with hair pliers,” she says.
When Harris applies the i-tip, she sections the hair 20 to 30 strands each, then slides it through the bead. Next, she’ll add the hair extension and clamp it all together. In general, Harris says if the client is looking for volume and to add just a few extensions (about 75 to 100 pieces), the process can take about two to three hours. Clients looking for a full head of hair or additional length on short styles can expect to be in the chair for up to eight hours.
What kind of hair can you use?
Courtesy of Tomeka Gantt
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