LgHairdressing

The re-tipping process
This is where the real customisation happens
I’m re-tipping the factory-made keratin bonds and carefully fanning the hair out before creating my strips. The more you fan the hair, the lower density the bond becomes which gives you so much more control over the final result.
With this strip, 1 kept more density through the edges and softer density through the middle so when I cut the bonds down, I have different weight options depending on the area of the head I’m working on
This is exactly why I love customising extensions so much. Being able to take factory hair and turn it into something that feels completely bespoke for my client honestly fills my cup
And the difference in the final install is Literally night and day.
If this is something you want to learn how to do yourself, my Keratin Bond Mastery waitlist is now OPEN for the next enrolment

Removing short hairs is a completely normal part of working with raw hair. Everyone’s shed rate is different and everyone’s hair grows differently, so some ponytails come with very few short hairs and others come with a lot more.

Some suppliers remove them before selling, and some send the ponytail exactly as it was cut. There’s no right or wrong, it’s just raw hair in its most natural state.

My tip: when buying raw Slavic ponytails, always order a little more weight than you think you need. Removing short hairs can sometimes cost you up to 30g, hair that may not suit the length or look your client wants.

Hair sourced from .hair

Let’s clear something up… I DO still use factory hair!

It absolutely has its place, and for the right client it’s perfect. I’m not against it at all.

But here’s the thing I can’t get my head around. The keratin bonds brands are selling just aren’t fit for purpose to apply straight out the packet. That’s why every single piece of factory hair I use gets customised before it goes anywhere near my client’s head.

When brands actually start looking at what stylists are working with, and how professionals are changing their hair before it’s even applied, I honestly think it’s going to change everything.

Do you customise your factory hair, or use it straight out the packet?

So this is my Refit Rack. Look every row just slots in here, in order, exactly where it came out. So when I’m doing a removal, I’m not stressing, I’m just popping each row straight onto the rack as I go.

And then when it’s refit time It’s all there waiting for me. Row one, row two, row three no guessing, no sorting through a pile on the trolley. Nothing gets mixed up, nothing gets lost down the side of the chair, which, let’s be honest, used to happen way too often.

It’s made everything so much quicker. My appointments feel calmer, I feel more organised, and clients love seeing their hair kept so neat and safe.

Honestly, I don’t know how I could work without it. If you do removals and refits, you need one. Trust me!

I coloured this raw ponytail and then hand blended it, which is honestly one of my favourite bits of the whole process. the beauty of hand blending (factory hair or Slavic hair, doesn’t matter) is you’re in full control you can create whatever tone, texture, depth you’re after, and just stop when it feels done. like there’s no rulebook, you just go until it’s right.

for this one I was going for blonde. but even the most highlighted blonde still has a bit of natural tone running through it, that’s just how hair works. so I left a percentage of that natural shade in on purpose, just to give it more movement, more of an airy feel, so it didn’t end up looking flat or solid.