Have you just bought a few wefts of clip-in extensions and discovered that they are longer than your own hair? If you have enough wefts, it probably won't even be noticeable. You want added length, and that is exactly what your new clip-ins give you. But if you only want to add a little volume and now have a few individual strands sticking out at the bottom, it looks anything but natural. It's time to trim your clip-ins! In this blog post, we introduce several methods for shortening your extensions without having to go to a salon.
1. Blending cut
It sounds easier than it is. A blending cut is always necessary when your human hair extensions are much longer than your own hair and look unnatural. Even if your own hair is layered, you should adjust your extensions to bring authenticity and a natural feel to your look.
So put your clip-ins into your own hair and brush them through thoroughly with the extensions brush to remove all tangles and knots. As always, make sure to avoid the attachment points so you don't damage them. Only stop brushing when your brush glides easily through your hair.
Next, you can dampen your hair with a little water to smooth it, or straighten it with a flat iron, so you can judge the lengths correctly. Take a close look at how long your hair extensions are compared to your own hair. This works best with two large mirrors, one in front of you and one behind you.
Now comes the cut, depending on the look you want to create. It is best to divide your hair into several sections and hold each one between your index and middle fingers. Cut along your fingers. Always try to take off a little less, because you can gradually cut more.
It is well worth investing in special hairdressing scissors. They are much sharper than ordinary household scissors. This in turn causes less breakage, because the hair is cut cleanly rather than torn, as happens with blunt scissors.
2. Matching
After cutting your extensions, you can perfect your natural look by matching your extensions to the rest of your hair.
To do this, wash your extensions thoroughly with a suitable extensions shampoo. Then use the Rubin Extensions Conditioner, to give your hair an irresistible shine. We have a separate page on caring for clip-in extensions where you will find all the information on this topic! To sum it up briefly: you don't need to rub; simply place the hairpieces in lukewarm water with shampoo and rinse them well afterward. Then repeat the process with conditioner. Make sure the ends don't get too tangled.
Dry your hair extensions or hair thickening pieces with a blow-dryer set to the coolest setting and held about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) away from your hair.
If you color your hair regularly, you can also color your extensions in the same shade. But even if your hair color is natural, you can adjust your extensions so they match your hair tone perfectly.
3. Trimming
Trimming is similar to cutting, but instead of ordinary scissors you use special layering or thinning shears, or even a razor.
The advantage of these shears is that the hair extensions blend more smoothly into your own hair.
The process is the same as for cutting. Simply hold the strand of hair between your index and middle fingers and glide the shears gently through the hair. You can also frame your face beautifully by gliding the thinning shears through from top to bottom.
It is better to take off a little less hair at first and trim more if necessary.
You can also use these techniques on tape-in extensions, bonding extensions, microring extensions and flip-in extensions. Ponytail and fringe extensions can also be cut, but this is not strictly necessary.
Save yourself another trip to the salon, and with it time and money. You will see: the more often you cut your hair yourself, the more skilled you will become at handling your extensions.
