Micro Ring Hair Extensions

Back in the summer of 2011 I decided I was completely fed up of having to clip-in my hair extensions all the time. All you hair extension wearers will know it is a bit of a chore having to clip in and out every time we want a bit more length or volume. As it was my 21st birthday and graduation in the summer, I decided as part of my birthday present I would get some fitted hair extensions. I'd seen a lot of other girls with bonded, wefted or micro-ring extensions and heard some great reviews so I took the plunge and decided to get some myself. Just to let everyone know, I don't actually have these extensions currently. As I say, this was six months ago so way before I started this blog. However, I thought the information would be useful to know regardless if I have them in now or not. Of course if I had been blogging at the time, I would of done a full review anyway so I guess we'll just call this a belated review.


I got the extensions done in Newcastle by a girl who visits your house or in my case my flat. She came for a consultation to match my colour up and then ordered the extensions. She returned when the hair had arrived and it was a full-pack of 100% human Remy hair which is some of the best on the market. The hair was excellent quality so I was very impressed and beyond excited to have long locks that didn't need clipping in and out.
In terms of price, mine cost me £200. This was for a full set or micro-ring hair extensions and they were 20 inches in length. Basically, I opted for 'Micro-ring' as I did some research and they seemed to be the best option for not damaging my natural hair. I'd heard a few bad things about glued extensions and how they can leave you with bald patches. Not a good look. I didn't think £200 was too bad as I know extensions can be a lot more pricey than this.


How the Micro Ring method works is by using individual wefts, which in other words is a strip of hair, just like the strips you get with clip-in extensions which are then attached to the natural hair with small rings. These rings attach to a small strand of your natural hair and a strand of the extensions. The ring then slides on and secures them in place. When they need to be removed, the rings simply slide off. I liked the sound of this as it seemed easy and convenient. The girl who fitted the hair only took around an hour from start to finish so the whole process was very quick. She was very helpful and gave me all the information I needed to know about taking care of the hair, the shampoo and conditioner I needed to buy and she also gave me a special brush to help keep the hair smooth. She suggested a kit from a site called 'Additional Lengths' which included Shampoo, Conditioner, Serum, Vitamin Spray and a Shimmer Spray. Overall, I was very impressed with the whole process and when I looked in the mirror I loved my new, long hair. I was told the hair would remain in good condition for 6-8 months if they were looked after properly. I thought this seemed quite a long time but I wasn't complaining.

Before - My natural hair

Application of the Micro-Rings

After - With the Micro Ring Hair Extensions

Products I used on the extensions

For the first few nights, my head was in agony when I tried to sleep as the rings were digging into my scalp. I kept thinking "What have I done?" and worried I had wasted £200. However, after around a week my head adapted to them and it stopped hurting. I still don't think that it did my head much good though. Anything pulling and tugging on the scalp is pretty damaging. This was the first down-fall of the extensions. From then on I began to treat the hair as if it were my own. I washed them as I would normally wash my hair, blow-dried and straightened them. They washed really nicely at first and remained smooth and silky. I enjoyed the fact I had nice long hair everyday and didn't have to think about clipping extensions in. They were great for a night out too as they looked lovely and thick.

I actually went on holiday just after I got the extensions fitted too and I was worried the wear and tear of a holiday may damage them. Chlorine, sand and sun surely can't be good for them but they surprisingly retained there smoothness throughout the holiday and were easy to style. I have to say for the first couple of months, I LOVED these extensions. They were so convenient and made the styling of my hair much easier. I used the appropriate products the girl had recommended and used the brush she gave me. However, after 3 months of wearing these extensions I had to remove them myself by pulling the rings out.

I was warned before having these fitted that my natural hair would matte around the rings. I needed them re-fitting every couple of months but it was going to cost me an extra £50 to get them taken out and put back in. Being a poor student I couldn't afford this so I took them out myself. My hair had gone completely matted around the rings and even the brush I'd been given didn't help untangle them. They also became a nightmare to wash, I was having to wash them every single day to stop them from tangling and looking frizzy. I also noticed the ends going frizzy and the hair began to look un-natural. In the end, they became very high-maintenance and made my getting ready process a lot longer than it needed to be. I am quite lazy in the morning, especially when it is early and I just didn't have the energy to wash my hair every single day. I have pretty good hair that doesn't get greasy easy, so washing them every day wasn't doing my natural hair any favours.

Obviously, as I got these extensions way before starting this blog I don't have any pictures of the matting or what the hair was like towards the end of the three months. I have a picture of them curled and styled on the first day I got them and I do think my hair looked gorgeous. 

The extensions curled and styled with straighteners.

Overall, I am in two minds about these kind of hair extensions. If you don't mind having really high-maintenance hair then these may work for you. I must say I did love them at first and if they hadn't become so matted and damaged my natural hair I would be tempted to have them re-fitted but for the price I just can't justify it. I am back to using clip-in extensions now and to be honest, they don't look much different. Yes, it is a tad irritating and tedious having to clip them in and out but it is nice to be able to just add them to my hair for nights out and special occasions to glam myself up. I think my next purchase is going to be some Foxy Locks extensions which I can't wait to try out and review. They look GORGEOUS.

Has anyone ever tried these extensions or thinking of trying them? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Lots of Love,

Kayleigh...

xXx.