How Can I Wear Clip In Extensions With Short Hair?

Remember when you first got “the chop” your short hair was exciting … liberating … fresh and new.

But sooner or later boredom settles in.

It’s so short!

Now what?

Could it be time for clip in extensions to come to the rescue?

But how?

It’s so short!

Okay but can you really use clip ins with short hair?

Good question.

Yeah like me you may have wondered how to use clip in extensions in short hair?

A little bit of binge video watching turned up some great tips.

But to answer the question can you use clip in hair extensions to change things up if you have short hair the answer is yes, absolutely, with just one qualifier.

You need a little something for them to clip on to.

For the best chance of concealing the fact you’re got some clip in action going on you need at least four inches of thick hair. Anything less and it’s best to wait for a things to grow out some.

Sorry girls with pixies.

But to be on the safest side six inches would be better still.

Think locks that like almost graze your shoulder.

Tresses touching your collar bone would be better.

Also, as you may have gathered, the thicker your natural hair is the better as you’ll be better able to hide the clips even if it is shorter.

So now you know.

Now if thin hair is an issue get our take on using clip ins for body and volume without damage.

Another interesting point is your relationship with extensions may not be an instant love affair. They can take some getting used to and require knowing a trick or two for best results.

Hey, that’s not all that unlike a real love affair! LOL

Still if you were wondering about how short is too short you may have other questions about using extensions to rock longer styles with cropped hair. Like …

Quick Section Navigation

• Don’t clip in extensions fall out easily?
• What kind of brush should you use for hair extensions?
• How do you seamlessly blend extensions with short hair?

BTW, if you’re the least bit stressed or confused about blending extensions with your short hair the last video is not to be missed. The hacks revealed completely eliminate issues with blending.

So let me ask you what’s worse than trying to hide and secure clips in short hair?

Yep, trying to hide the clips in short and thin hair without them falling out.

Falling out period is a big concern. So maybe you’ve noticed many wonder aloud …

Don’t clip in extensions fall out easily?

Short answer is no. Not if you do it right.

They stay in just fine generally except if you’re facing gale force winds.

I know the focus here is short hair but here’s four ideas I found that should be kept in mind by anyone using clip in extensions.

Thin and Short Hair Rule #1: Do the Twist

I’d think by now “the twist” trick is common knowledge.

It’s a sneaky bit of styling magic used by girls wishing to conceal the shorter bits of hair at the nape of their neck when wearing longer extensions.

Here’s how.

• Just section most all your hair up and out of the way. You know all but the bottom most layer that you’re going to clip the first weft of extensions onto.
• Grab that bottom bit of hair you left down and twist off to the side.
• Secure with a bobby pin.
• Snap on your wefts to the hair just above that and viola – no short hairs poking out over your shoulder or around your neck to give away the fact you’re wearing extensions!

Your extension secret is now secure and safe from prying eyes.

Thin and Short Hair Rule #2: Volumizing Dry Shampoo

Yeah fine hair can be slippery meaning it’s harder for the clips to get a grip.

That’s a problem.

Solution?

Break out the volumizing dry shampoo. Hairspray can work too.

Not only will the dry shampoo add some oomph to your natural locks the added grit will help the wefts to lock on and stay put.

Staying with the theme of having something to clip onto….

Thin and Short Hair Rule #3: Mini Crimper

Most will suggest a little back combing as another way to keep things weft wise nice and tight.

Yeah you just knew this was coming.

But what if you’re not a back combing kind of gal?

Got you covered.

Get a mini crimper.

Again it’s a two fer. It will add lift at the roots and the extra texture will let you secure the extensions so they don’t go anywhere.

Thin and Short Hair Rule #4: Less Is More

For a natural look those with finer thinner strands want to go easy on the fake hair.

Think about it.

Your hair is naturally thinner anyway.

That means there is less natural hair to hide and/or bulk up.

Look. Just because you’ve got all this hair in the pack doesn’t mean it has to ALL end up on your head at once.

Anyway …

That’s four great ways to help your extensions to blend in. Because if they’re attached more securely they’ll certainly blend better, don’t you think?

Another thing you may or may not have thought about is

What kind of brush do you use for hair extensions?

Okay this is a really good question as any old brush won’t do.

That’s because when it comes to extensions a brush isn’t a brush.

You also can’t brush hair extensions like you don’t care.

Doing so only sets them up for tangles and breakage.

Or worse you’ll rip hair out of wefts and which isn’t good.

Second you should always use your fingers to detangle before bringing a brush to the fight.

Now when you turn to a brush you want one that glides through fake hair rather than getting caught or snagging.

That usually means something that’s softer, more flexible with fewer bristles more widely spaced out.

Using the right brush means you’ll have fewer strands lost in any detangling tug of war.

Believe it or knot, (sorry) one highly rated brush to try might be The Wet Brush.

If you’d like more you might want to see this Marie Claire article that explains why you want to approach all hair detangling, yes even your natural hair, from the perspective of using brushes meant for extensions.

Then here’s one more brushing tip.

Unlike how you brush your natural hair, with extensions, rather than brushing from roots down you want to start at the ends and work your way up. Otherwise you’ll risk creating tons of tangles.

If you’re still unsure about this, here’s a short video that does better than decent job of quickly explaining how to brush clip ins right.

And don’t forget. The better your extensions look the better they blend.

How do you blend extensions with short hair?

Let’s wind up this look at using extensions for instant length with two more videos that give you all sorts of ideas for blending your natural short hair with the longer hair of your extensions.

One is quick and shares a unique idea I’ve not seen elsewhere.

The second goes in depth into another method of blending your short hair with your longer extensions.

Again one thing that often trips up girls is how to hide those short strands of your real hair at the nape of the neck.

Earlier we talked about doing the Twist to hide them.

Remember?

And that works.

But guess what?

There’s an even more clever way to keep those pesky short strands in the back from EVER showing up inconveniently.

That’s right. She’s got an even better hack than the Twist to insure they NEVER make appearance.

Yeah NEVER!

Take a look:

Now this final vid alone is worth the price of admission.

So grab your popcorn.

The short strand hiding ideas shared here will … Blow. Your. Mind.

Clearly instant long hair has its appeal.

Especially if it doesn’t take forever, doesn’t involve a stylist and doesn’t damage your natural hair.

But there’s that pesky problem holding most back and that’s how to seamlessly blend your natural short strands with the long hair of the extensions.

Then don’t.

Yeah don’t blend.

As you’ll see when you watch this video blending is kinda optional.

And honestly this YouTuber takes great pains to both explain and show you what she does instead.

Her genius approach totally eliminates worries about the problem of blending.

Poof!

Gone.

She follows a very precise process. And she goes to great lengths to show what she’s doing. (And don’t you just hate it when a YouTuber keeps you in the dark even just a little?)

But the end result is hair that no would suspect isn’t all hers!

She looks absolutely gorgeous!

Obviously you don’t have to obsess over the hiding as much as she does.

So there’s room for your own take on this technique.

But the approach is super clever, super smart, and super easy.

Again there are some rules to follow.

First rule …

For short hair go with extensions no longer than 20 inches because it’s too hard to blend the short and long hair.

Of course you can quibble over that. If you feel 14 -16 inches is the longest you should go then don’t go 20 inches.

Second rule …

Hide all your natural shorter hair in the back in the middle of your head.

And by everything I mean everything as you’ll see.

Third rule …

You need a way to handle the short strands at the nape of your neck.

You already know two.

She’s got another way to deal with that which you won’t want to miss.

Towards the end she shares one last trick if you tend to really obsess over this.

Oh and one more thing … (why do I feel like Columbo?)

Don’t forget to wash your new extensions before wearing if blending is a concern.

Fresh out of the box some come with an extra glossy finish.

But if your hair isn’t doesn’t have that same extra shiny sheen then your cover will be blown. So as Cosmo magazine pointed out either wash them before wearing or grab your dry texturizing spray and use that to tone the shine down a notch.

To discover even more totally useful short hair styling ideas and inspiration like this please be sure to follow us on Pinterest.