Clip-in hair extensions are an affordable, approachable way to make your hair appear longer and fuller. You don't have to go to a salon to have them applied, and you don't even have to wear them every day. It is important, however, that you choose the right clip-in extensions to blend into your hair and give you the look you desire. Here are a few tips to help you select the best ones.

Take the Time to Color-Match

Sometimes people order extensions by simply looking at the available colors and picking the one they think is closest to their hair color. But this leaves a lot of room for error. If the extensions are even a little too light or too dark, they'll be more obvious than you want them to be. So, a better way to get the right color is via color matching. Hold the ends of your hair up to the various colors of hair extensions that are available. When you reach a color option than your own hair basically blends into, that's the color for you.

Order Longer Than You Think You Need

Extensions need to be at least an inch or two longer than your hair to really look like they're adding length. Of course, it's perfectly okay for them to be longer than that if you are using them to add substantial length to your hair and not just fullness. What you absolutely do not want is extensions that are even a bit too short. So, always order a little longer than you think you need. If you clip them in and find that they look longer than you want, your stylist can easily trim them — but there's no way for a stylist to make clip-in extensions longer.

Opt for Human Hair

There are some good synthetic, clip-in extensions out there, but in general, the best ones tend to be made from real human hair. The colors are more natural looking, you can style the hair more easily, and your stylist can dye or highlight the extensions if you decide you want to change your look at some point. Human hair extensions sometimes cost a little more, but they're well worth the up-charge.

If you follow the advice above, you're more likely to end up with black clip-in extensions that you really enjoy wearing. Talk to your hair stylist if you'd like more shopping advice.

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