Hand Tied Wefts vs PU Skin Weft Hair Extensions

We've written numerous blogs on tape hair extensions, clip in's & halos but now it's time we shine the light on the truly remarkable hair extensions game changer... wefts! In this blog specifically, we are going to be comparing two beloved styles against each other to see which one comes out on top - hand tied weft hair extensions VS PU skin weft hair extensions.

Hair extensions are a personal preference and that comes with the application process too. Permanent hair extensions are great because it takes away the every day hassle of having to install them because permanent extensions are already in your hair and are good to go for 4-8 weeks at a time as opposed to temporary hair extensions such as halo and clip in's. Whatever your poison, hair extensions are a great investment to boost your overall self esteem and appearance. Double whammy if you ask us!

So, let's get down to the nitty gritty and see the pros and cons of the two of the best inventions in the hair extensions realm!

Our hand tied weft hair extensions are a unique double-hand tied weft that is thinner than traditional machine tied wefts but thicker than any traditional hand tied weft which is why our HTW are much much stronger. Hand tied wefts are applied in the hair via been sewn across a beaded track. The beads used are very similar to those used with microbead extensions or i-tips.

When applying hand tied wefts, you don't need to section the hair as much as you would with tape hair extensions because HTW come as a one long weft piece, 11" to be exact for our hand tied wefts, that can be folded over itself to fit any head shape. We do not encourage you to cut hand tied wefts however, if in any case you really require to cut our HTW's, we strongly recommend burning the end of the string to stop any potential fraying. Generally you'll find when your hairdresser is sectioning your hair that they will focus around the largest part of your head which is the mid section. Firstly, a beaded track will be created along the crown of your head using harmless beads and a clamp to secure the bead in your hair thus making sure the bead doesn't slip or move. Once a bead track has been made, the hand tied weft is then sewn into the beads using a specific needle that isn't sharp and is curved to help with application. The threading technique to secure the hair extensions depends on the hair stylist however should it be applied correctly, your hair extensions will grow out safely and cause no harm to your natural hair.

We mentioned earlier that hand tied wefts shouldn't be cut and this is because hand tied wefts are a sewn onto thread method which means if cut fraying is a likely occurrence. Our hand tied wefts are thinner than most hand tied wefts to allow for a seamless blend and to have them feel weightless and natural to you. No one wants to feel like they have kilos on their head - cue the headaches and neck pain... your chiro might love you for it but we're certain your bank account won't fancy the added bill! Because our hand tied wefts are so thin, this means they can easily be folded on top of each other and still appear seamless and natural once in the hair. Depending on the length you purchase will equal you to receiving a different amount of bundles. If you are purchasing 16" hand tied wefts you will receive 8 bundles of hair, all equal to 11" in width whereas, 20" you will receive 7 bundles. 

Overall, hand tied weft hair extensions are another great way to add thickness and length to your natural hair. With no adhesive or heat required for application this equals for a safe method that will cause no damage to your natural hair and can last you anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks. You'll find around the 5 week mark that your hair has grown out a fair bit and disguising your hand tied weft extensions will be more difficult as they will begin to feel bulky from how they hang on your head. It's really important to attend your reapplication appointment on time to avoid any serious damage to your natural hair. Just like tape hair extensions, you lose 100's of natural hair strands a day and they become trapped in the adhesive, the same applies for hand tied weft hair extensions. The longer you leave them in your hair before reapplying them, the heavier they become on your natural hair because less hair is in the beads from when they were originally applied. This is inevitable, do not stress when you see your natural hair coming out after removing them, just remember that those 100's of hair strands you lose a day are trapped in the beads until they are released. It's scary but don't fret, it's normal!

PROS	CONS
☆ Permanent style of hair extensions	★ Up styling is sometimes difficult to achieve
☆ Low maintenance	★ Cannot be cut to shorten the width
☆ Instant length and thickness within minutes	★ Not suitable for swimming
☆ Suitable for all hair types	★ Can cause damage to natural hair with improper care and application
☆ Seamless blending
☆ 4-6 weeks of wear
☆ Zero damage to your natural hair
☆ Comfortable to wear
☆ Can apply serums and conditioning products evenly across the hair

 

PU Skin wefts are a new invention to hit the hair extensions industry. This style of weft offers a seamless blend that sits flat across the head like a hand tied weft but the difference between hand tied wefts and PU skin wefts is that PU skin wefts can be cut like machine wefts. This means no fraying! Our PU skin wefts come with a shiny band that seals the hair in place to prevent any fall out from the hair extensions itself, the small latex band is what allows the hair extension to lay flat on the head. 

Much like the the hand tied weft, the PU skin weft comes as one long weft piece with the ability to be cut to better customise to your head shape. This is where the PU skin weft really gets bonus points in our book - we like the added feature of the style of weft to be able to be cut! Our PU skin wefts are 24" long in width with 3 bundles in each pack. Stacking PU skin wefts is just as achievable and easy as hand tied wefts. 

PU skin wefts are applied the same way as hand tied wefts, so along a beaded track. However, it's not common for wefts to also be sewn into a braid however this can make the hair extensions bulkier and loose that seamless appearance and risk the chance of becoming noticeable. 

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PROS	CONS
☆ Permanent style of hair extensions	★ Thicker than hand tied wefts
☆ Low maintenance	★ Not suitable for swimming
☆ Instant length and thickness within minutes	★ Can cause damage to natural hair with improper care and application
☆ Suitable for all hair types
☆ Seamless blending
☆ 4-6 weeks of wear
☆ Zero damage to your natural hair
☆ Comfortable to wear
☆ Can be cut without any fraying
☆ Longer weft pieces than hand tied wefts
☆ Up styling can be achieved with certain application processes that makes the PU skin weft look like real hair.
☆ Can apply serums and conditioning products evenly across the hair

 

The winner is clear in our eyes and the winner would be PU skin wefts! Both options have more pro's than con's but you can't defeat the ability to be able to custom tailor hair extensions to you and your head shape. Once again, hair extensions are a personal preference and in no way are we saying one is better than the other but if we HAD to choose between the two, we're picking PU skin wefts purely because of the customisable abilities it has to offer. 

Overall, weft hair extensions are a great way to add instant length and volume to your hair without the use of adhesives or heat. Applying any sort of weft hair extension will take longer than tape hair extensions because of the specific foundation that needs to be laid down prior to installation aka the beaded track we mentioned earlier. Anything that protects our natural hair whilst we enhance it has the big ticks in our books. With so many options on the market, hair extensions can become so overwhelming and knowing what style suits you and your life style. A common mistake made with hair extensions is that not enough thought and research goes into hair extensions before picking them. We wrote blog that lists 10 common mistakes you're making with hair extensions where we explain the mistakes made and how we would rectify them.

We're curious to know what your top choice for weft hair extensions are or if tape hair extensions are more your jam! If you liked this type of blog we've written another about comparing clip in hair extensions to halo hair extensions and we think the conclusion might shock you!