Do Hair Extensions Really Ruin Your Hair? The Answer Isn’t Quite What We Thought
Main image – A.C.
When you think about hair extensions, what’s the first thing that springs to mind? For some it might be “longer, thicker hair in an instant? Sign me up!”. And for others, it’s a concern that hair extensions damage your hair.
When you think about it, glueing, taping or attaching hair that isn’t your own just to achieve more voluminous locks doesn’t sound like the healthiest thing in the world. But is it the actual hair extensions causing the damage? Or the way in which they are applied?
In my own experience of having hair extensions years ago, I found them to be tricky when it came to washing my hair. I was able to work my styling routine around them, but when it came to actually using my fingertips to cleanse my scalp properly, I struggled and ended up having them removed to give my miserable flaky scalp a break.
Image – Fox & Vamp
However, things have moved on since then and attitudes towards extensions are slowly changing. We chatted to Talitha Mackie, founder and CEO of Fox & Vamp, the luxury hair extension, haircare and education brand to discuss why she believes bad application and aftercare are what actually causes the damage.
She also gives her advice on hair health, including the everyday habits and trends she thinks are doing more harm than we realise.
Changing perceptions
Mackie says the one misconception she’s always correcting is that extensions damage your hair. “It’s simply untrue,” she says. “I’m the biggest advocate for extensions encouraging hair health. They’re an amazing tool to help you on your hair journey alongside the LED light, the hair vitamins. Bad application damages hair. Neglect damages hair. Extensions fitted correctly, on hair that’s cared for with the right haircare, are protective if anything.”
But she does believe there has been a switch from the negativity that often surrounds hair extensions. “The quality got dramatically better, so the tell-tale signs disappeared,” she explains. “And I feel a real shift in women no longer apologising for wanting to look a certain way. Extensions shouldn’t be taboo. They’re just part of a beauty routine, the same as lash extensions or a great colourist.”
Image – Fox & Vamp
She also notes that more people have hair extensions than you might think. “Nearly everyone you see on screen, in music, on TV is wearing extensions, and it’s annoyingly just not spoken about,” she says. “I’m passionate about normalising it. They’re for the everyday woman who wants to add volume, look and feel her best, or wants her hair to behave the way it used to.”
So what shortens the life of hair extensions? “That’s easy…. incorrect haircare,” Mackie says. “Sulphates, drying alcohols and heavy silicones will strip and ruin both your natural hair and your extensions. Invest in your haircare. The right products will literally extend the life of your extensions, because every ingredient has been considered: exactly what you need and nothing you don’t.”
Building Fox & Vamp
Mackie’s luxury hair extension, haircare and education brand is known for natural-looking, undetectable extensions. But it’s the care behind them that Mackie is most proud of. “Our range is built around our Care Full Complex, formulated without 500 bond-damaging ingredients that do that harm,” she explains. Not so ‘unhealthy’ now then.
So what made her launch the brand? “Honestly, frustration at not being able to find perfect hair myself. Hair that looked and felt natural, and that was accessible,” she says. “I’d spent years being sold extensions that looked incredible for three weeks and didn’t last because of the quality of the hair. I wanted to build something where the hair underneath mattered as much as the hair we added, where the colour and blend were so flawless you’d never know you were wearing extensions. Fox & Vamp started in 2019 as the brand I’d been searching for.”
Image – Fox & Vamp
You’ll find their flagship salon on Walton Street, London which Mackie views as a one stop shop for bringing together clients, world-class stylists and academy students. “Having our own space means the standard is ours to set,” she says. “And selfishly, it gave the brand a beautiful home that finally looks how it always felt in my head: quiet, warm, considered. Every moment in the salon is an experience. It really isn’t your typical salon, and it never will be.”
Next up, she wants to grow their B2B wholesale across the UK and UAE. “I’m based in Dubai with my family, and there’s a real appetite in the region for what we do.” And beyond that? “Continuing to raise the standard of extension education through the academy, and to keep fighting for how natural and empowering extensions can be,” she adds. “The ambition hasn’t changed since day one. Natural looking undetectable hair extensions, done well with the care for your natural hair at the forefront.”
Starting your journey to healthier hair
We all have the best intentions for our hair, but when it comes down to it, it’s very easy to choose convenience over care. Mackie says consistency is key. “Everyone wants the miracle serum, but the biggest shifts come from boring things daily, the right bristled brush, silk scrunchies only, heat protection every time and actually washing your scalp properly,” she says. “Your scalp is skin. Treat it like your face and the hair follows.”
So that’s the routine, what about daily wear and tear? “Extreme slicked-back buns photograph beautifully but the constant tension on the hairline is doing real damage,” Mackie warns. “We’re already seeing the thinning at the temples. Wear it for a night out, not every school run.” Noted.
And she suggests that we treat hair health like an ongoing trend. “The shift towards hair health as the goal rather than the disguise,” she says. For example? “Bond-building treatments, scalp care, extension aftercare taken seriously. It’s less glamorous than a dramatic transformation but it’s the trend that makes every other trend possible.”
The takeaway
With ever-evolving technology, education and the desire to make hair health a priority, hair extensions may finally be getting a better reputation. Brand owners like Mackie might be passionate about their products but they’re also passionate about doing what’s right for the customer, resulting in safer products.
So, don’t write hair extensions off just yet. With consistency, a skilled hair stylist (and therefore professional application), the right tools and smart haircare products, they could be your perfect solution to fuller, longer, healthier looking hair.
