Gothic Hair Extensions that are Easy and Safe

There are two ways to achieve the outrageous Gothic hair extensions: through clip-in Gothic hair extensions (hair falls) and through semi-permanent hair extensions. Clip-in Gothic hair falls are the easiest and safest way to add thickness, change the texture of the hair, change the color, add highlights or add length to your own hair, without causing damage. They are available in a multitude of colors, plastic tubes, wool hair falls to synthetic hair dreads for gothic hair extensions.

Synthetic dreadlocks are usually temporary. They can be removed with no damage to your own hair, but can be quite expensive because they take much longer to attach than other types of hair extensions. You may want to do your own dreads if you have the time and the patience. Most dread extensions are possible to do at home. Be wary of trying to do 'starter dreads' using synthetic hair dreads. When your own hair starts to grow in at the roots, it may well be a lot thinner than the dreads, even when it becomes dreaded, so you might have a distinct tidemark between the synthetic and the real dreads.

One method for attaching Gothic hair extensions is to use pinch braiding. This involves braiding synthetic hair into the real hair with a piece of thread. The thread is knotted around the braid to secure the synthetic hair to your real hair. Then the synthetic hair extension portion is backcombed and steamed into dreadlocks. The real hair is not incorporated into the dreads so when you no longer want dreads, you just snip the thread that attaches them to your real hair to remove them. This method allows the same synthetic hair dreads to be reattached without damaging your real hair.

Another method is called wrapped silky dreads where your hair is wrapped with synthetic hair and sealed into place with heat and/or glue. At this stage they are known as silky dreads. For more realistic gothic dreads, the surface of the silky can be teased to give a more matted appearance, or the piece of wrapped hair can be backcombed before it is wrapped around the underlying braid. You can either braid all your own hair first, then use separate pieces of hair to wrap around the braids, or you can use just one piece of hair extension to make the entire dread.

How to Tease or Backcomb Hair

In order to make Gothic hair dreads, you will need to tease the hair to give it a matte and fluffy appearance.

1. Hold the ends of the new section straight up and out from the scalp with one hand. You will be backcombing your strands in the opposite direction from its natural growth pattern.

2. Run the comb down the length of the hair from the end towards the base of the scalp in short, sharp and uniform strokes. Repeat until desired volume and height.

For more information about gothic hair extensions and goth, read “Step-by-Step Essential Guide to that Elusive Gothic Look & Style”.

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