Everything You Need to Know About Fusion Bond Hair Extensions
Students on our Complete Training Course learn five different ways to apply hair extensions, but it can be difficult to know which one is best for each client. To help you decide which to recommend, here is our guide to everything you need to know about fusion bond hair extensions.
What are Fusion Bonds?
Fusion bond extensions are also known as “glue in”, “keratin bond” and “hot fusion” extensions. The method is the oldest way of fitting hair extensions so it is well known and trusted by many clients who want natural-looking, long and full hair.
Each extension has a keratin tip which is melted using an application tool. The soft keratin can then be shaped with your fingers and moulded around the client’s natural hair. When it cools it hardens and bonds to the hair, fixing the extension in place with a transparent bond about the size of a grain of rice. As the client’s hair grows and the extensions need to be moved up the bonds can be loosened with an alcohol-based remover and reapplied.
Advantages of Fusion Bonds
There are a lot of advantages to fusion bond extensions and they can be the perfect solution for many clients. The keratin bond is very durable and, with proper maintenance, extensions can last as long as six months.
Clients often worry about possible damage to their natural hair but since hair is 90% keratin, the bond is very safe and doesn’t cause any damage to hair or scalp when it’s applied by a trained professional, like our graduates. Fusion bonds also need fewer maintenance appointments than some other methods, as little as every few months rather than every few weeks like nano rings.
Fusion bonds are very flexible, they can be used to add a dash of colour and give a beautiful ombre effect, or blended with the client’s natural hair colour. Fusion bonds can even be applied to short hair, giving clients beautiful length almost immediately. The fact that they are applied strand by strand means fusion bond extensions have a natural look and feel, moving with your client’s own hair, and the bonds stay invisible whether your clients wants to wear her hair up or down.
Are there disadvantages to Fusion Bonds?
No one method is right for everyone and fusion bonds do have some downsides. The application takes several hours, as many as six to eight for a full head installation, so it may not be right for busy clients or anyone who lacks patience. Fusion bond extensions also can’t be reused once they have been removed, so they can be more expensive than other methods in the long term.
It’s important that clients don’t use any heat styling methods on the bonds. Things like straighteners, or even blow-drying, could soften the keratin and let extensions slip or even fall out. Having said that, once clients have got used to looking after their extensions they should find that everything about fusion bonds gives them the beautiful locks they’ve been looking for.
Who should have Fusion Bond Extensions?
If you have a client who is happy to invest in a long-lasting, durable, bond without too many maintenance appointments, and who doesn’t mind setting aside a few hours to have them installed, then fusion bonds may be the right method for them.
