At New Image we were horrified angered and saddened by the situation in Ukraine and have now suspended any further purchases of Russian hair extensions at our salon.

BUT!! We have found an alternative supplier of similar quality hair that is genuine Slavic Hair!!! We will of course still have our fabulous European hair that we have always used at New Image.

Like so many others, we stand with Ukraine in calling for the restoration of peace, respect for Ukraine's sovereignty and the protection of its people. We pray for all those affected in this abhorrent war.

Please do contact us if you have any questions regarding our hair – we will be happy to help in any way we can.

It usually does not occur to women with hair extensions that certain procedures may be negatively impacted by the extensions. One thing we have come across time and time again at New Image hair extension salon in Manchester is problems during MRI scans. We felt it best to warn you, as we would like to save you the trouble of last minute cancellations or delays with important examinations.

The fact is that you are unlikely to be able to have your MRI scan if you’re wearing hair extensions with micro rings; although if you have fusion bonds, you should be fine – those don’t contain metal. Let’s take a look at why it’s important to remove micro or nano ring hair extensions before an MRI scan.

MRI equipment emanates a strong magnetic field

Generally, Doctors find it difficult to image anatomy that has any kind of metallic implant or object in close proximity. You should make sure to inform the nurses or Doctors well ahead of your appointment, in case they do allow you to keep the hair extensions in. However, most are unlikely to allow this, as the MRI emanates a strong magnetic field that may pull the extensions out of your hair.

Even if your micro rings are made of a metal that isn’t attracted to the magnetic field, it is still the case that non-ferromagnetic metals interact with it (this is known as ferromagnetic pull). The rings can cause distortions in the imaging results, rendering your MRI scan inconclusive. They may also become heated, which won’t be comfortable and is possibly even dangerous.

Foreign objects that interference with MRI scans are known as artifacts. In the images they may be confused with some kind of pathology (resulting in misdiagnosis). At the very least, they may reduce the quality of the examination. For these reasons, it is crucial to disclose the fact that you have hair extensions to your health care provider.

What are micro rings made from?

Hair extension micro rings are usually made from a variety of different types of metal, from alloys to copper. The alloys or copper may also contain nickel, and the copper can blend with the nickel to create a metal called cupronickel.

Nano rings, which are just like micro rings but much smaller, tend to be made from copper. The same rules apply to nano ring hair extensions during MRI scans. Since most hair extension rings contain metal of some kind, they will be problematic and may result in your scan being cancelled or disrupted.

Which other metals should be removed or disclosed before an MRI scan?

If you have body piercings, wigs, or weaves, these will need to be removed. It is even possible for your tattoo pigments to interfere with MRI scan quality, so before your scan, be sure to inform your radiologist or Doctor if you have tattoos, and where they are located. Tattoos can get quite warm during a scan too. The same goes for permanent makeup – even eye shadow and coloured contact lenses can be problematic.

Any metal implants in the body, including fillings, braces, dentures or hearing aids should be mentioned. If you’re wearing an IUD (coil), you will also need to disclose this. Take off any metal jewelry or items of clothing containing zips, metal buttons etc. You’re likely to be given a hospital gown anyway.

The exception is that you may be allowed to wear rings made from gold, platinum, silver or any blends of those metals, since they don’t react to the magnetic field. In case you’re wondering, here’s what it is like to have an MRI scan.

Removing your extensions before an MRI scan

We recommend that if you’re having an MRI scan in the near future, you book an appointment to come and see us at our Manchester hair extension salon first. We’ll remove the hair extensions for you, and reinstall them afterwards. We don’t recommend trying to do it yourself, as it can be tricky and you may damage your hair – or the extensions.

However, if you do know what you are doing or have a friend that does, you can remove the hair extensions before your MRI scan yourself - provided you use the correct tools. Small pliers can open the micro or nano rings so that they can be slid off your natural hair. If you do decide to remove your micro rings yourself, make sure you book in with us for a re-installation in advance, as we can get quite busy. We wouldn’t want to keep you waiting!

Why are some hair extensions visible? An all you need to know guide when applying hair extensions.

There are many factors we take into account, if the clients hair has a blunt cut it takes more extensions to hide the line.  Note on the left photo above you can visibly see rat tail ends, this is due to not enough hair being applied & the colour match is totally off.

 If your hair is long & fine you’re actually very lucky when it comes to hair extensions. We can build the volume right up, especially at the sides where hair is scarce, with that comes the illusion of much longer hair without having to apply so many. This is normally referred to as a quarter head costing from £199. Half Heads priced from £250 upwards are for clients that want length & volume. As the name suggests a lot more hair is used and you can achieve lots of length provided the natural hair isn’t too thick or blunt, then you go into the realms of the three quarter-head and beyond. 

We always ask clients not to get their own hair trimmed before appointments, those ends can save you £££ in the cost and maintenance, it’s as simply as that.   The lady in the left photo needed double the amount of hair to achieve a seamless, undetectable result. If you’re going to invest in something you wear everyday it’s got to be on point or inevitably you’ll end up paying twice to get it fixed.

Many women with fine hair come to New Image Hair Extension Centre wondering if hair extensions are right for them. We all want to be able to experiment with our hair, wearing different styles and lengths. Of course there are the obvious approaches including healthy eating, using less chemicals and heat on the hair along with hair treatments that in time may help the problem. Unfortunately fine hair is normally determined by your genetic makeup so no amount of biotin supplements or vitamins will solve it. At New Image Hair Extension Centre we offer a free private consultation, in this time we can assess your hair and tell you if you are suitable.

In reality depending on how fine how your hair actually is, there is always a solution. The best way is not to go overly long. Most people want volume over length these days. This has many benefits including, making the extensions less detectable, less weight on your own hair and makes hair extensions easier to manage. Many women just want that thicker ponytail or to be able to style and curl the hair. So choosing the correct method and type of extension is key. Of course you could opt for clip in's but this doesn't solve the problem of everyday volume. Going to the gym, swimming and many other activities would be a big problem with clip in's so let's talk about micro rings and fusion bonds.

 Micro Rings are a very small ring that attaches to your new hair. They are extremely light weight with a silicone lining inside to strengthen and protect the bond. Micro rings come in a variety of colours so we can match your own hair without them showing through. Of course the best method to use would be mixer of both rings and fusion bonds so let’s move on now to bonds.

Bonds have been around for over 30 years, overtaken by the micro ring in the last few due to the fact that rings make tops ups and maintenance a lot easier. We recommend using the bonds at the sides of your hair if you have fine hair, a lot of clients use this method as most ladies have finer hair at the side of the head, this is pretty typical and the bonds make the extensions even more discrete.

Other methods include weaves but we certainly don't recommend them. Weaves are extremely heavy on your head. They pull constantly on your own natural hair and would most definitely be seen through fine hair. They also have to be tightened every 3-6 weeks and usually only come in one colour. Wearing a weave on fine fragile hair would only make to problem worse.

So to conclude, fine hair needn't be something to live or put up with. It can be overcome with even just a few cleverly placed extensions to mask in the area most needed. We offer a free private consultation in our Greater Manchester salon; free maintenance check up and 3 month guarantee are also included. Give us a call today, I've included before and after pictures of some of our clients who did previously suffer with fine hair hang-ups, you needn't suffer in silence.

When it comes to hair extensions, you have quite a lot of options to choose from. No wonder it can be confusing! There are various ways to have them installed, and various types of hair to choose from; human hair from all around the world is used for hair extensions. It’s possible to buy synthetic hair in pre-made extensions, and this is commonly seen in wigs. Some synthetic hair sometimes looks quite real, but there are major differences between synthetic and human hair.

Let’s take a look at what those differences are:

Hair Extension Longevity

Human hair extensions can last a long time provided that proper maintenance is done. If you don’t brush and wash your extensions regularly and with the right tools, the hair won’t go the distance. Since good hair extensions are not cheap, we always give our clients advice on taking the utmost care of their hair. When they do so, top quality hair can last up to a year – meaning that the hair can be reinstalled up to five or six times.

Synthetic hair extensions will probably only last for between one and three months. They aren’t built to go the distance and are less resilient than human hair.

How Extensions Respond To Weather

Genuine human hair extensions need more maintenance than synthetic ones. As it is natural hair, it will respond to the elements just as your own hair would. Since the extensions will be matched closely to your own hair, this is even more likely. If it’s humid or raining outside, you might find that your style is affected.

Synthetic hair has been created a certain way, meaning that it has a kind of memory, or default shape and range of movement. Even if it gets wet, once dry it will be exactly as it was. You might need to brush or wash it from time to time, but that’s about it.  It won’t be affected by the elements in the same way as human hair is.

How Extensions Respond To Styling Tools

Your human hair extensions will respond to heat as your own hair does. That means that yes, it’s OK to use heated styling tools on them. However, we recommend you don’t overuse these if you don’t want your extensions to dry out or split over time.

Although it’s possible to find synthetic hair that can take the heat, most can’t withstand high temperatures and will melt. It should never be introduced to your straighteners or curling tongs. This means that if you want curly hair, you would need to buy pre-curled synthetic hair; there isn’t much versatility in terms of style.

Colour Treating Hair Extensions

It’s totally possible to dye real human hair extensions. However, if you’re going to dye them yourself, you should note that the hair may respond slightly differently to your own hair; it could be more porous and take in more colour, or hold the colour for more (or less) time than your own hair. Harsh chemical dyes may damage it irreparably, especially if you repeatedly dye it; on top of this, it could be that the extensions were dyed already anyway, so they’ve already been subject to one round of chemicals.

If dying hair extensions, it’s important to choose the perfect hair dye colour - and a high quality dye. If you come to our hair extension salon in Manchester, we can blend the hair to match yours exactly, but if your own hair is dyed a non-natural colour, we can dye your extensions for you.

Synthetic hair extensions, on the other hand, generally should not be dyed. If you attempt to colour treat this kind of hair, you’re probably going to make a real mess of it, and there will be nothing you can do to sort it out.

Appearance Of The Hair

Real human hair extensions should look totally natural. There will be pretty big differences in terms of quality, depending on where the hair has come from. For example, Russian Remy hair extensions are the highest quality you can get, so they look incredibly natural. As always, price reflects quality, but we are here to help you choose the right hair extensions for your needs and budget. Human hair, when blended well with your own, will be indistinguishable. It should move the same way as yours too.

It is possible to blend synthetic extensions with your own hair and it may not be obvious to the eye. However, synthetic hair will have a slightly different feel than your own hair, since it is made from fine plastic fibres (basically, low-grade acrylic) that have been heated and then divided into strands to make each hair fibre. As you would expect, synthetic hair is therefore cheaper than human hair.

Synthetic or human hair extensions?

We don’t suppose it will come as a huge surprise to you that we only use human hair at our Manchester hair extension clinic. As far as we are concerned, it looks better, it’s easier to blend, it lasts longer, you can do more with it and it feels nicer. For us, it’s a no-brainer!

If you are interested in getting hair extensions in Manchester, you know where to find us. Consultations are free and our reputation speaks for itself – we guarantee you’re in safe and experienced hands, so give us a call when you’re ready.