Machine Wefts vs. Hand-Tied Hair Extensions

If you saw some of my Instagram posts last week, you know I was talking a lot about the difference between machine-tied and hand-tied hair extensions. I believe it’s so, so important for me as a stylist to educate everyone on hand-tied hair extensions. It’s such a big investment, and if you don’t know what to look for, you may not know what you’re REALLY paying for!

It all started when a wonderful client came in who THOUGHT she had paid for hand-tied hair extensions. Unfortunately, I could tell right away that she actually had machine wefts in her hair!

So, what’s the difference between machine-tied and hand-tied? Here’s a little visual:

Remember, “hand-tied” does NOT refer to how the hair is installed into your hair. This gets a little confusing because with a lot of hair installations methods, we are sewing or “hand-tying" the hair into your own hair! Hand-tied hair actually refers to how the wefts are made.

Hand-tied wefts are just that: hand-tied! This is more laborious production process, so hand-tied hair wefts are more of an investment. The benefits are that the wefts are more narrow at the top, which makes them lay flat against your head and easy to hide in your own hair!

Machine wefts, on the other hand, are thicker at the top, which makes them harder to lay flat and hide within your hair. In my opinion, they’re not as comfortable to wear because they are heavier and create more tension on my scalp!

Now, back to my sweet client! We installed 2 rows of Harper Ellis hand-tied hair and her mind was absolutely BLOWN! She couldn’t get over how flat they laid against her scalp, the custom color match, the fullness, and how I was able to blend in all of her short layers! She literally stood up when I was done and yelled, “I LOVE MY HAIR!”