Women everywhere take great delight in changing their hairstyle. This often means a trip to the salon for a cut, perm, or style. Special occasions seem to intensify the need to choose a special hairstyle.

While it is easy to have hair cut off, sometimes it is preferable to add length to the hair for certain styles. Hair extensions make it possible to do just that. Most hair extensions require one to a series of visits to the salon to have them installed properly by professionals. Clip in extensions are a do it yourself alternative that enable a woman to style her own hair and make it longer at home with professional looking results.


Clip in extensions can be made from either genuine human hair or synthetic fibers. The ones made from human hair cost more than synthetics but have some preferable qualities.


Clip in extensions made from hair can be colored, styled, and otherwise treated exactly as a woman would treat her own hair. Color matching is more perfect than most synthetic extensions and the human hair extensions will last up to a year while the synthetic ones are only good for about two months.


Clip in extensions made from synthetic fibers cost less than human hair extensions. They may not be as durable as genuine hair, but they do have some qualities that could make them worthwhile. Hair has a tendency to go limp in wet or very humid climates. Synthetic extensions are made with a "memory" of the shape they are supposed to hold and maintain that shape regardless of the weather.


They must be treated carefully though. Synthetic hair extensions will be irreparably damaged if one attempts to color treat them the way hair is color treated. Curling irons and other styling tools that use heat may be harmful as well.

Regardless of which material is used to fashion the clip in hair extensions, the design is ideal for the woman who wishes to make a major change to her hairstyle for a short time without long term commitment.

Most salon applied hair extensions use some form of chemical bonding to attach them to the hair fibers. Clip ins can be added and removed at will by the woman wearing them. This versatility makes clip in extensions the preferred method of women who like caring for their hair themselves.

Hair extensions have grown in popularity over the last few years. The ability to add back length and volume without damaging hair further makes them a readily available resource for women who have taken on a short hair style, but desire to do something requiring longer hair for a special occasion or they decide that short hair is not right for them and do not want to wait for it to grow back out.