"It takes five minutes to do it, and you've got a totally different look," Barrett says. "You don't have to straighten your hair at all."
Then there are clip-on extensions ‑- sections of hair that can add thickness, change the texture of the hair, change the color, add highlights or add length. If you choose a hairpiece made with human hair, it can be dyed to match your hair. Hairpieces can also be curled, flatironed, permed and blow-dried.
Unlike semipermanent extensions, which are attached to the hair professionally and stay in for roughly three months, the clip-in extensions can be removed instantaneously. "What makes them really versatile is you just clip them in yourself, and you can change your style literally every day by ordering different colors, textures and lengths," says Bevla Reeves, owner of Hair Conspiracy, which does made-to-order clip-in extensions. "You're not stuck with them. You can take them out every night."
In addition to a wide variety of straight extensions, Reeves offers a full combo extension package with curly hair, which includes enough hair to cover the entire head. It is available in wavy, tight or loose curls and sells for $250. "I even have clients with straight hair who order curly extensions because they want curls so badly," Reeves says.