Loose Falls: The Basics
Posted by Sarah on Oct 10th 2007
Ponyfalls -
Click on the link for Quinnster's instructions on how to make
ponyfalls. They're listed under the header that says "Ponyfalls - quick
method, takes about 5 minutes to make." Ponyfalls are quick and easy
to make, as you can see from the instructions. The down-side is that
they can be difficult to install correctly if you're a beginner.
Examples of ponyfalls:
Pinchbraiding
- Click on the link for Quinnster's instructions on how to make
pinchbraided falls. They're listed under the header that says
"Hairpieces - longer method, takes about an hour to make." Pinchbraided
loose falls solve the problem of ponyfalls' difficult installation
because they're made by the same principle that other hairpieces, such
as dread falls, are mounted. However, pinchbraided falls are much more
time-consuming, and finishing the braid can be a problem. The most
common methods are glue and rubberbands; both are visible on the
completed piece, along with the inch of braiding. Trying to make the
base short enough to be unnoticeable without sacrificing the security of
the sections of hair is a difficult balance to strike, and if you do
finish your falls and have visible base braids, you'll have to find a
way to hide them. A hair tie or a piece of the fall wrapped around the
base can help with this problem.
Chelseagirl's method
- Click on the link for Chelseagirl's tutorial explaining how to make
loose falls on clips. This method produces the most natural looking
loose falls, by far. They're also great for anyone who has trouble with
elastic- or lace-mounted falls, and for those with thin or short hair
that cannot support those types of mountings. They offer excellent
coverage and eliminate the problem of hiding the ever-conspicuous bun.
The down-sides to this method are that it is labor-intensive, wefted
hair can sometimes be difficult to find in the same range of colors and
lengths as synthetic, the specific type of clips needed aren't available
as readily as regular rubberbands, and because of the structure of the
clips, you hair either needs to be the same length or shorter than the
length of the falls themselves.
Examples of Chelseagirl's falls:
How to Care for Loose Falls
Unless your loose falls are exceptionally short, they will tangle very
easily. Unfortunately, the tangles are unavoidable just as they are
with the hair growing out of your head. At some point, you just have to
brush it!
When brushing loose falls or extensions, take care to work from the
bottom up. Gently work through knots and tangles and *never* forget
that fake hair is a lot easier to pull loose than real hair. Its a good
idea to firmly grip the base (or just below the base) or a fall or
hairpiece when brushing it to ensure that you don't pull chunks of hair
out of it.
Spray-on detanglers are your best friend when you're brushing a pair of
loose falls; however, use them as sparingly as possible to avoid
build-up on the hair.
As with any falls or extensions, the goal with loose falls is to wash
them as little as possible. If you do need to wash them, here's how:
- mix a tub of warm water with a bit of diluted shampoo.
- swish the loose falls through the mixture.
- rinse THOROUGHLY in a tub of clean water.
- let your falls dry on a flat surface (hanging them up may stretch or
break the rubberbands, lace, clips, etc that they are mounted on due to
the weight of the water). Absolutely do not brush, wear, or otherwise
touch your falls until they are COMPLETELY dry. Failure to heed this
warning will lead to more tangles than you want to imagine, and the
damage may be irreparable if it is too severe.
Types of Hair
Yaky/yaki is a somewhat smooth texture of hair with very slight crimping
to make it appear and feel thicker; it is meant to mimic Asian hair.
When buying bulk yaky for loose falls, make sure there is a clear
picture of the product that you are ordering. Some yaky is
exceptionally kinky like jumbo braid and won't work for loose falls; its
also not made from kanekalon, so if you do accidentally end up with it,
you won't be able to dread it either. Most synthetic yaky hair is NOT
suitable for extensions; human hair with a yaky texture, however, can be
use for extensions. Yaky hair generally costs $2-4 per bag.
Example of yaky falls:
Toyokalon, yaky pony, body wave, and other similar names apply to a type
of bulk hair that has a loose curl at the end of it. It isn't a crimpy
as yaky so it doesn't look as full or thick; it also feels softer, and
is oftentimes shinier than yaky. It is slightly higher quality than
yaky, but it is not suitable for loose extensions. Toyokalon hair
generally will run $4-5 per bag.
Example of toyokalon falls:
Kanekalon silky straight is higher quality than both yaky and toyokalon,
and it can be used for a wider range of styles than those fibers.
Kanekalon reacts to wet heat (like steam or boiling water) and thus can
be styled to look like toyokalon by curling the ends, or turned into
silky curls by curling the entire length of the hair. Kanekalon also
generally comes in a much wider range of colors; neon or unnatural
colors and blonde shades are much easier to come by in this fiber than
in the other two. Kanekalon hair can be used for loose extensions as
well as falls, however it is by no means the best hair to use for loose
extensions. The texture of kanekalon of completely straight and smooth,
and is meant to mimic the look of European hair. Most kanekalon silky
straight costs $4-5 per bag.
Its also important to note that while you
can straighten
kanekalon jumbo braid to look like kanekalon silky straight, it will not
end up as soft as the silky and may not be as durable. I don't
recommend using straightened kanekalon jumbo braid for anything more
than streaks or accents.
As you may have guessed by the structure of this listing, monofibre is
the next highest quality on the fake hair food chain. Monofibre is one
of the best types of synthetic hair to use for loose extensions, and its
great for falls as well. Like kanekalon silky straight, monofibre is
often completely smooth and straight -- however, you can also find
monofibre in various loose curls and waves depending on the vendor.
Thanks to companies like
Plastikhaar,
monofibre is available in perhaps the widest range of synthetic hair
colors on the market. Because of the superb quality of monofibre,
pricing per bag generally falls from $10 to $20.
Examples of curly monofibre from
Plastikhaar:
Note: images are both from Plastikhaar!
Because most falls tend to be made from synthetic hair, our discussion
of human hair will be relatively brief. Basically, with human hair, you
get what you pay for. Many beauty supply stores carry packages of
human hair weft for about $10, but these wefts are low quality and are
usually yaky texture. Medium quality human hair will cost anywhere from
$30-50, and high quality hair for long-term extensions costs $80 and
up. The most common lengths for human hair are 10-12", 12-14", and
14-16". Some vendors also offer human hair wefts 18-20", but length
beyond that are *extremely* expensive. If you want a lot of length, I
recommend going with monofibre instead if possible.
That all said, cheap human hair is still good for falls since falls
don't take as much abuse. That $10 black weft from Sally's? Perfect
for a pair of Chelsea Girl-style falls!