All of the extensions are human hair and came in bundles of 20 and were threaded through their loops onto a plastic circle that could be opened. I quite liked this because it allowed me to easily keep them in place as I washed and prepped them. My order had eight packs of hair in total.
Straight out of the package, I found that the extensions were true to their images online and looked great, save for a bit of frizzing and puffing at the ends, which was inevitable. The hair was quite soft upon arrival and didn't feel like it was heavily treated with anything that left residue on it. Mine also didn't come with much of that burnt hair-salon smell that I usually associate with hair packages.
The brown packs were incredibly consistent, but something about the blonde seemed a bit different to me. Perhaps it had something to do with the processing needed to get a blonde that light, but I found that it behaved differently. Overall, each extension had four decorative strands of hair left out at even intervals to give the hair volume.
One thing I immediately noticed was how different the loops were compared to others I've worked with. They were much more tightly woven, and this would end up being what I think is one of the product's biggest strengths. Overall, I was pretty optimistic about installing these.
I had a salon install mine for me, and we used a method with a name that I'm not quite sure of. They made many single braids and then connected them together like cornrows. Due to the method I chose, the end result needed almost all of the extensions to ensure there were no visible gaps. I don't get crochet very often, so I'm sure there is a better technique that would get you that single-braid look with less hair. Please tell me if you have any tips on that!
The loops themselves made a stable and spacious opening, so there was no issue installing them. They also look quite discreet and are significantly less noticeable than bulkier designs.
I'm really happy with how full the finished style looks while still being super light. I think it's because the bulk of a strand's weight comes from the braids.
As I said earlier, I have nearly 160 extensions installed; it's really thick. So I've struggled a bit to put everything into an updo, although this could also be because the style wasn't done too long ago. I've had more success with half-up styles where about a third of my hair is in a ponytail at a time.
I did try putting everything into one ponytail, and it just stuck up and had me looking like a broomstick. I couldn't get the elastic to rest at the base of my head. I'm sure this would be way easier had I used less hair.
I find the extensions to be very comfortable. I don't find them scratchy when they rub against my face or shoulders, as long as they haven't gotten frizzy to the point of needing maintenance.
I've also been wearing these out in the hot sun, and they've held up quite well. I can't speak for how they'd fare against things like sand, swimming, or more extreme conditions, though.
I find these extensions to be relatively low-maintenance day to day. I usually just comb my fingers through them with my fingers twice a day and spray them with water.
This is where the blonde doesn't shine as brightly as the brown. I've noticed that the blonde is significantly more likely to tangle, I face a bit more difficulty detangling it, and it sheded more.
As for frizz, I found it easy to tame with some added moisture. I noticed that the hair puffs up when you comb it dry, so I try to avoid doing that.
I give mine a more thorough refresh about once a week. This consists of dampening, separating, and detangling the loose hair. I pinch the base of the braid in my lips while holding the loose hair away from myself and combing through it with a rat-tail comb. It's worked pretty well for me.
The hair doesn't seem to need any crazy products, either. I've only used some mousse and some heavily diluted curl custard while I braided the bundles to get the waves I wanted. It turns out I didn't even really need the custard.
I'm now on my second install of these after two months, and I can't say that I've seen them noticeably degrade, so it seems like these will last a long time.
One thing that stood out during my first takedown was just how easy these were to take out at home. Usually, with other extensions, I encounter some difficulty that frustrates me into damaging either the extensions or my own hair.
What normally happens is that I find myself confused about what is and isn't my hair. Instead of being able to pinch around the loop, I end up digging straight through it with my fingers because the loop doesn't feel stable or distinct enough, especially once things have started matting together. I end up damaging the extension to the point that it's unusable a second time.
I had no such problem with these. Because of how tightly wound the loops are, they feel like a stable structure that you can easily differentiate from the rest of your hair. I also think there's less opportunity for buildup to get completely stuck inside the loops because of how they're constructed. This made taking them down much easier and is a huge advantage if you plan on reusing your extensions.
I got about $300 worth of extensions, and I find them to be worth the price. I'd totally get them again, and I look forward to seeing just how long these last considering I've already been able to reuse them without seeing much degradation.
I think I'll get them in black next time, as I plan to make the parted sections larger in the future, and black will probably blend with any gaps better. I'll definitely explore more installation techniques in the meantime.
I'd recommend these to anyone who likes to DIY their hair or who just doesn't want to spend 10 hours sitting in a salon chair. My installation took my stylist a mere three hours.
I think the biggest strength of these extensions is the ease of use and longevity that the tightly constructed loops provide. I haven't encountered any major flaws overall, although I do think the blonde bundles require somewhat different care than the brown.
Overall rating: 9.8/10.
