How To Make Fake Hair Extensions Look Perfect and Natural

If you have more of a Snow White hair situation going on, but you want to be Rapunzel for the night, then you clicked on the right story. Tommy Buckett, a stylist from the Serge Normant Salon in NYC, shares his secret on getting longer locks in minutes.

First things first: when you're buying realistic-looking extensions, it's all about investing in a set — they can be real or synthetic, depending on how much you want to spend — that match your hair color perfectly. Keep in mind though that human hair extensions hold up better, because you can shampoo and dry them, curl, flat iron, and style them as you would your real hair. Synthetic extensions don't blend in as seamlessly, can get tangled easily, and can't be styled and re-styled over and over.

OK, now that you've purchased a good set of extensions, here's how to clip them in yourself:

1. Part your hair and tease it. "You'll want to part your hair in line with the arches in your eyebrows — that way when you eventually flip your hair back over the part you just made it will cover the extension — and then tease the hair below the part with a rattail comb to give the extension clip something to grab onto, so it won't slip off," Buckett says. 

2. Take one section of extensions and clip them into the teased hair along the part. Repeat steps one and two on the other side and at the back of your head, so your hair is exactly one length the entire way around.

3. Cut your extensions to make them blend in with your existing cut. "It's best to cut up into your extensions, holding your scissors vertically, so the hair isn't bluntly cut," says Buckett. "Be realistic on the blending length; leave them four to five inches longer than your natural hair, so they look real."

4. Curl your hair and the extensions to blend everything together seamlessly. If you're using synthetic extensions, make sure they're able to be curled with a hot tool before doing so to avoid any mishaps. Then, set your style with some hairspray. Anna used Garnier Fructis Flexible Control Anti-Humidity Hairspray.

Finally, flaunt your new length and Instagram your sexy self while you're at it.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Griffin

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How to Score Sexy Lashes—Sans Scary Extensions

We're a bunch of eyelash junkies over here at Cosmo—but as we recently reported, the American Academy of Ophthalmology has officially cautioned against the dangers of lash extensions and their glue, saying the addictive procedure can cause infections and swelling of the cornea and/or eyelid.

So, now is probably a good time to give you some alternative options to lenghtening your lashes that don't involve extensions and the risk of looking like Quasimoto.

These formulas penetrate at the root of your lash line and stimulate the keratin (the protein that are lashes are made of) to lengthen, thicken, and fortify them.

Here are some over-the-counter serums you can swipe on to still score a fringe worth batting at the boys:

- Urban Decay Lush Lash System, $42, sephora.com. This double-ended product allows you to apply the lash-growth serum onto your lash line with a skinny brush on one end, and then lets you distribute a lash conditioner directly onto your actual fringe with a mascara-like brush found on the opposite end. Expect to see results with daily usage in four to six weeks.

- Revitalash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner, $70, drugstore.com. With one quick swipe, once daily, you'll see longer, thicker lashes in about six weeks.

- SmartLash Eyelash Enhancer, $30, dermstore.com. Trace your lash line with this lash growth serum daily and you'll see results fast. We're talking increased fullness and thickness in 30 days, and optimal results in 60.

Will you be trading in trips to your lash extension guru for a safer option?

Photo: Getty Images

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Your Eyelash Extensions Could Turn You Into Quasimoto

My name is Michelle. I'm an eyelash extension junkie. It's been four months since my last set of lashes, but some sobering news has me wondering if I can ever, in good conscience, get back in the game.

In a scary statement today, the American Academy of Ophthalmology officially cautioned against the dangers of lash extensions and their glue, saying the addictive procedure can cause infections and swelling of the cornea and/or eyelid. Their warning echoes a Consumer Reports story this month, which said that lash extensions can cause bacterial and fungal infections and—HORROR OF HORRORS—"permanent or temporary loss" of the very eyelashes that vain ladies such as myself aim to make longer and more luscious.

"Eyelash extensions can cause hair loss resulting in eyelashes so thin that women feel they have no choice but to continue the cycle," said Consumer Reports, citing England's College of Optometrists.

Tell me about it. My God-given lashes are pretty long, but once I enhanced them by 80 synthetic silk lashes per eye, my natural lashes began to look puny by comparison. Though I never experienced any reactions (like the grotesque swollen eyeball documented by the Daily Mail), Cosmo deputy editor Marina Khidekel (a fellow faux lash devotee) did suffer a reaction to extension glue, causing her eyelid to blow up to the size of a nectarine. The kicker: It took several sessions for Marina's reaction to emerge. So even if you've yet to have a problem with your lash extensions, you still run the risk of coming out looking like Quasimoto.

Where does this leave me? In the bargaining stage of grief. "What if I just get some lashes—one last time—for the upcoming wedding season? Everything in moderation, right? Right?!" I never realistically thought getting fake lashes glued on to my real ones was good for me, but these official warnings are—sorry—eye-opening. I know deep down that fake lashes are going the way of the tanning bed: just simply, unavoidably bad for you.

Photo Credit: istockphoto

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