I am SO excited to be sharing this clip-in hair extensions tutorial and FAQs with y’all today!

I used to own clip-in extensions in college back when my hair was all brown and absolutely loved them! But then I gradually started switching over a more blonde color, and I could no longer wear those extensions (sad day). I procrastinated finding another set of extensions mainly because I have fairly long and thick hair anyway, but the other week I saw a picture of my hair from college and thought, “Oh my gosh – I loved my hair so much!” So, I decided to stop waiting around and actually search for some, which has led me to this post!

Below is a before and after picture so you can see the difference! Do I have long, full hair normally? Yep. But the extensions add a bit more fullness and life to my look and I just love it. So, moral of the story: Extensions can be worn on gals with shorter, thinner hair and on gals with longer, fuller hair. (i.e., everyone!)

PS, for the tutorial on how to get these waves to start off with, check out my Curling Wand Hair Tutorial!)

|| Clip-In Hair Extensions FAQs ||

Q: Which hair extensions do you recommend?

After lots of searching, I landed on Luxy hair extensions. Why? They were high-quality and affordably priced! Back in college, I purchased mine from a beauty store for around $50 and thought I was the smartest person for finding such reasonably priced extensions. However, they smelled rather strange (weird information, I know) and didn’t hold curl really well. This doesn’t happen with my Luxies!

Q: How do I choose the right color? Can they be dyed?

I’m pretty “in-tune” with my hair color, so I knew that the ends of my hair are ash blonde, so that’s what I ordered. But if you’re unsure about your color, there’s a helpful little vide at the bottom of the color option page on Luxy’s site.

You’ll notice, though, that my hair isn’t entirely ash blonde – I’ve got the ombre look going on. What’s great is that Luxy actually offers ombre colored extensions! However, I was a little nervous about them not matching my hair 100%, so I took them with me the most recent time I went to see my stylist so she could color them the same as my real hair! (Which, PS: Shout out to my stylist Frances for being so amazing! No one has ever colored my hair this beautifully before! Check out her work and her website!)

Q: How do I curl my hair extensions?

There are two options: 1) You can use a hanger to hold them as you curl. I do this when I initially curl them for the first time or every few months when they need a curl refresh!

Or 2) You can simply clip them in and style them along with your normal hair. Once I curl them on the hanger, I can usually get away with not curling them again for several more uses because they hold curl really well. If they need a refresh, I can usually just curl them once they’re clipped in and only really use the hanger method every few months (but I guess it depends on how often you wear yours!).

Q: Can I wash my extensions? How often?

Yes, however, it’s recommended that you not do it too often. Because the hair extensions aren’t actually attached to your head, they’re not receiving the same natural oils that your normal hair does, so they don’t need to be washed as frequently. I would recommend only washing them when they absolutely need it! (Amount of time will differ based on how frequently you wear yours!)

When you do wash them, my stylist said to only use sulfate-free shampoos and a great moisturizing conditioner!

Q: Where do I clip in my extensions?

I’ve created a helpful graphic below. My Luxies came with two 4-clip pieces (red), two 3-clip pieces (green), two 2-clip pieces (blue), and four 1-clip pieces. I’ll explain this process/placing a little more in more detail in the tutorial as well, but my basic rule of thumb is this: Start with the longest pieces as low down on your scalp as possible, then work your way up using the smaller pieces. The single clips are great once you have the other pieces in place to fill in spaces framing your face where you need a little more length!

|| Clip-In Hair Extensions Tutorial ||

STEP 1 || Part your hair as low down as possible and clip the rest up on top of your head. Looking at this photo, I probably could’ve even gone a little farther down on my head, but it all worked out in the end, so I guess it’s fine! But note: if your hair is thiner/finer, start as low down as possible because you’ll quickly run out of hair to clip your extensions to! (My hair is thick, so I’m good).

STEP 2 || Clip in the longest piece. For most extensions, this is your 4-clip piece. Make sure you clip it as close to the roots as possible and that they feel secure because it’s such a hassle to search through your hair afterwards to find the loose clip!

Step 3 || Repeat steps 1 and 2, moving slightly higher on your scalp.

Step 4 || Section off more hair higher on your scalp and clip in the 3-clip piece on the right side of your head, then the other 3-clip piece on the left side.

Step 5 || Repeat step 4, moving slightly higher on your scalp and clipping in both of the 2-clip pieces (one on the right and one on the left).

Step 6 || Lift the front sections of your hair that frame your face and clip in the 1-clip pieces. Make sure that there’s still enough of your natural hair to cover it all!

Step 7 || Because there will probably be pieces of your natural hair and/or extensions that aren’t quite right, use your curling iron to fix the frustrating pieces.

And viola!

|| Purchasing Your Own Extensions ||

If you’ve been on the fence about extensions, I’m hoping this clip-in hair extensions tutorial helped push you in the right direction!

I would highly recommend the LUXY HAIR EXTENSIONS, so be sure to check them out! And if you do decide to grab your own, you can use the discount code “HAPPILYHOWARDS” for $5 off at checkout!

Let me know your thoughts and other questions in the comments from this clip-in hair extensions tutorial – I’d love to hear from you!