The art of natural-looking extensions at Paul Edmonds London
Our extension specialists ensure a beautiful, seamless finish every time.
When you think about hair extensions, the first thing that comes to mind might be ultra-long, straight tresses as seen on Hollywood celebrities, but at Paul Edmonds London, our approach encompasses a much wider range of styles.
“Extensions are about enhancing what the client already has, to make them have an overall better look,” senior director Matilda Collins says, and often the focus is on volume rather than length. “A client may have gone through a stage where their hair's changed due to hormones or pregnancy, or they've had a traumatic event where their hair's thinned. It's about making them feel confident again.”
Artistic director Zoe Rodgers emphasises the importance of a perfect match in terms of colour, texture and cut when using extensions for adding body and bounce. “It's not like back in the 2000s when extensions were just for length. Clients might want a little bit more volume so their blow-dry lasts longer, or a lot of people have extensions as a one-off for their wedding day, so they'll look amazing on the day and their hair stays in. They’re great with party season coming up as well.”
If you’ve never tried extensions before, or you’re looking for the best natural hair extensions in London, the team at Paul Edmonds London is second to none. Here, Matilda and Zoe explain five ways they ensure impeccable extensions for every client…
1. EXTENSION CHOICE AND PLACEMENT
At Paul Edmonds London, we install two main types of hair extensions – bonds and wefts (also known as weaves) – sourced from high-quality suppliers including Great Lengths and Remi Cachet, which means we have hundreds of options to choose from when selecting the right extensions for a client.
“It's about bespoking it to each client and their lifestyle to give the correct recommendation on what will work for them,” Zoe says. “Some brands that we work with are more catered to finer hair, some are for slightly thicker hair.”
Extensions also have different textures, from poker straight to wavy, and now that luxury brands have started developing curly hair pieces, these will soon be arriving in salon. “People with wavy or straight hair can have the same type of extensions and it will blend with their hair, but if we can tailor it a bit more to the density and client's heritage it blends better,” Matilda says.
Hair thickness can also determine whether bonds or wefts are better, she continues. “We use keratin bond extensions, where the keratin is melted to ‘glue’ the extension into the hair. You get the longest last with them and they're the most discreet type, but you can't reuse the hair.”
Wefts, which are strips that are cut to size and sewn into the hair, can be reused. “We fix micro rings along the client's hair and then stitch the rows of weft in. It's the best way to give instant length or thickness, and you get a nice heavy swing to it.”
The other option is nano ring extensions, which are similar to wefts but much smaller. “They're really discreet and lightweight. Sometimes when I've had clients who have got breakage at the front and the only thing we can use is nano rings because they can't carry anything heavier.”
2. COLOUR MATCHING
In the past, the range of shades available with colour-matched extensions was very limited, but nowadays you can find a match for virtually any colour look, which is crucial for creating a blended look.
“If you get the wrong colour match, they're going to stand out and look terrible,” says Zoe. “But extensions have come on so much that you can now get balayage style with a darker root and a lighter end, or highlighted extensions with a three-colour mix,” says Zoe, explaining that the salon’s extension specialists work in tandem with the colourists to choose the right pieces to install after a client’s colour service.
“That's why they have to come into the salon for a consultation before we order the extensions,” Matilda says. “We use a colour swatch ring to work out: is it a solid colour? Are we mixing colours together? Then we create their perfect colour match.”
3. CUT AND TEXTURE
Once the extensions are installed, the next step to creating an invisible blend is to cut them.
“Sometimes you get salons where the hairdressers are just trained in extensions and don't cut, whereas here, we know that cutting is key with extensions to make them look natural,” Matilda says.
As well as trimming them to the right length, the extensions may need to be styled to fit the client’s hair type or cut. “Your hair tapers off naturally, whereas extensions are dense and thick all the way through. Everything's got to be a lot softer and sliced to break the hair up.”
4. EXTENSION EXPERTISE
Six stylists at Paul Edmonds London are trained in how to select, install and cut extensions.
“We have a lot of expertise and experience, and we share our knowledge,” says Zoe. Team members tend to specialise in one type of extension but will always tailor the placement according to the client's needs.
“We have such a wide range of clientele in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, so we're used to working with many different types of hair. We even do extensions on short hair,” says Matilda.
Hair health is always of utmost importance for our stylists, and they will never compromise the condition of a client’s hair when applying extensions.
“If a client’s hair is thinning and fragile, they might want extensions, but there are certain types of extensions their hair won't be able to carry the weight of, and it could end up snapping,” Matilda explains. “We would look at ways to help bring back thickness by placing extensions only on the stronger hair, whereas maybe not every extensionist would care about that.”
5. AFTERCARE ADVICE
At the end of your appointment, your stylist will advise on how to look after your extensions to keep them in optimal condition.
“It's important to treat the extensions like your own hair, because they are made from human hair,” Zoe says, which starts with using a high-quality shampoo and conditioner. “Most extension brands recommend sulfate-free, which is all of the Davines and Oribe ranges. I like Davines Momo and Oribe Hair Alchemy or Beautiful Colour for coloured hair.”
If you have bonded hair extensions you must be careful using heated styling tools need the roots to avoid melting the keratin bonds, and all extensions need to be brushed carefully, Matilda says. “Give them a good brush or comb through the roots, so that as your own hair's naturally growing it doesn't get tangled around the bonds.” She recommends using a Tangle Teezer or extensions brush and finishing with a gloss-giving serum or oil such as Shu Uemura Essence Absolue.
Your hair but better
With a huge range of hair extension types, textures and colours to choose from, it’s easy to find your perfect match with the help of our stylists.
Our extentionists are pros when it comes to adding volume and length (or both) with seamlessly placed hair pieces, making Paul Edmonds London your go-to destination for natural-looking extensions.
Want to enhance your hair? Book an extensions consultation at Paul Edmonds London.
