Handtied vs. Machine Wefts

I recently did a new hair extension client’s extension maintenance service. She told me in our consultation that she currently had handtied hair extensions, which is what I work with due to my specialty in extensions for fine, fragile hair. When I got into her hair and saw the extensions installed, I found they were machine wefts not handtied wefts.

I’m finding this is a common misunderstanding in the hair extension world. It starts with the manufacturer and the educators. They are ground zero for terminology used in the sale and education of hair extension products, therefore they’re ultimately responsible for using integrity and standards in their business and terminology usage. Hairstylists do have access to the internet, and can find out the information on their own, so there is some responsibility on them to be informed about the procedures they are doing. I wanted to give the hairstylist that sold my client what she called “Handtied” hair extensions the benefit of the doubt, assuming whoever certified her to apply hair extensions told her they were teaching her the “Handtied” method. So the stylist then marketed herself and sold her product as such. The educator in that scenario is the fraud, not the stylist. Anyone teaching hair extensions should have extensive knowledge of hair extensions, I know this because I have previously been a Handtied weft hair extension educator and such knowledge was paramount to the training.

“Hand-tied” refers to the way the weft is manufactured, not the method of installation

The truth about hair extension wefts is this: there are handtied wefts and machine wefts. Handtied wefts are manufactured by tying hair by hand onto a weft. Machine wefts are manufactured using a sewing machine to attach hair to the weft. Due to the machine needing the weft to be big enough to hold onto it, a machine weft will be bigger and clunkier than a handtied weft, which can be made much finer. Therefore, we can layer more hair with a handtied weft without putting the excess weight and bulkiness that using machine wefts induce on our clients hair.

The recent popularity of handtied wefts are due to the advantages they have over machine wefts. Handtied wefts cost more than machine wefts, in part due to popularity, but mainly because the handtied wefts are more labor intensive to make, so they cost more. You have to pay an actual person to tie hair onto a handtied weft as opposed to someone feeding a bunch of hair into a machine that can whip out many wefts in the same 30 minutes it takes one person to hand tie one weft.

So, you see, when my client was sold “handtied” wefts, she was charged handtied prices, however, the actual extensions she had in her hair were machine wefts. She was fraudulently charged for something she didn’t get.

Some stylists are incorrectly being taught that the term “handtied” refers to the method of tying the wefts onto a clients hair by hand. It’s understandable if you don’t know the difference, but anyone teaching this method knows they’re twisting terminology to benefit financially from a popular method, while not actually teaching that method. It’s not the sewing in of wefts that’s worth the expensive price tag. Sewing in hair extension wefts is one of the oldest and original methods of attaching weft extensions. If you are having machine wefts sewn into your hair, wether onto a braided track or a beaded track, you should be paying less than what you would pay for handtied weft hair extensions, because the cost of that machine weft hair extension is less. Candidates that are good for machine wefts are those that already have thick hair that can handle the weight of a machine weft, and can hide the bulkiness of it. Anyone with fine fragile hair should not wear machine weft extensions, they’re too bulky and heavy for your hair.

The industry of hair extensions is unregulated that requires more work for the hairstylist and the client to educate themselves when seeking hair extension methods. The hairstylist must know some basic information that can be found online when deciding what certification to pay for. Because of the lack of regulation, the pricing for education can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands, all claiming to teach “handtied” hair extensions. For the most part, the certification courses out there are good and teach true handtied wefts.

When I was teaching handtied weft extensions to stylists I was teaching for a hair extension brand. We taught truth about extensions and the correct terminology to stylists because the manufacturer benefits if a stylist is taught safe methods at an affordable price. It opens up the service to more stylists, teaching them safe methods so their clients have a healthy experience and continue to have hair to attach extension to.

I could go on and bore you with the economics of the hair extension industry, but I’ll save that for another time. I’ll conclude with advice to clients. You need to know some things about hair extensions when shopping around for a stylist. A knowledgable stylist is absolutely essential when looking to have extensions installed, and you need to educate yourself a little in order to choose one who will have the health and safety of your hair at the forefront. Stylists need to know even more about hair extensions when planning to offer this service. . I’ve been educating myself, my clients, and other stylists about hair extensions - and specifically hair extensions for fine, fragile hair -since 2013. I have focused specifically on handtied wefts since 2015.

If you have questions, I have answers.