How to Put in and Blend Hair Extensions in Short Hair

Hair extensions are a great way to switch from an easy to maintain long bob hair to an extra-long and voluminous hair for those special or formal occasions. Whether you’re using synthetic or real human hair extensions, as long as they are of good quality and match your hair’s color and style, you can blend them easily and perfectly with your hair.

Still, there’s just one problem – the shorter your hair is, the harder it gets to blend the extensions seamlessly. So, here we’ll quickly cover how to hide extensions in very short hair. Do keep in mind that with “short” we’ll typically mean chin-to-neck length. If your hair is even shorter than that, the main and only tip we’d give you is – grow it a bit more first.

So, how to blend extensions into short hair?

We’ll generally be talking about clip-in extensions as these are the most popular and easiest hair extensions for a DIY process and short hairstyles are no exception. Many of the general tips for clip-in hair extensions apply for adding extensions to short hair too so it’d obviously help if you know how clip-in extensions work in general. These include tips such as:

  • Make sure the color and texture of the extensions match your own hair.
  • Hairclip your hair high and start clipping the extensions from the base of the neck on your hair’s roots. Go upward with each next extensions.
  • Secure the extensions’ wefts one by one and check your progress after each extension to catch any missteps in time.
  • Use at least a couple or more mirrors to always have a full view of your hair from all sides. If you have a buddy to stand next to you and give you pointers, that’s also a great help. However, if you want to become proficient at doing it yourself, don’t let your buddy attach the extensions for you.
  • Give yourself several different “Dry run” attempts first – don’t try immediately before a big event. Mastering the skill of self-attaching clip-in extensions takes some practice. You will get better and faster with every next attempt, however.

All this is well and good but how to put extensions in short hair?

Following the basic principles above, doing the same with short hair is a matter of simply adjusting some of the techniques to compensate for the shortness of your hair.

The main problem with figuring out how to make extensions look real in short hair is that your hair might be too short to adequately cover the extensions’ clips. Thankfully, by picking the right extensions, prepping them adequately, and clipping them well enough, that problem should disappear.

Tips for how to wear extensions with short hair:

  • Get a thicker set of hair extensions to give you more coverage and blend more seamlessly with shorter hair strands.
  • Cut layers into your natural hair. This makes it much easier to blend the extensions. Blunt ends are much harder to conceal, especially with short hair. If you already have layers, however, the extension will look much more natural.
  • Wave or curl the extensions before clipping them on but then wave or curl them again together with your hair. This will help them blend together even better.
  • Make sure the color of the extensions matches the color of the ends of your own hair so the two blend together better. If your hair has two very different colors such as dark roots and blonde ends, you can use two different colored extensions too. The first extensions should match the roots of your hair (you should clip that one first) and the other one should match the ends of your hair (you should clip it over the first one and then mix the two in the following layers). Mixing and matching two colors also adds extra dimensions to your hair and helps it look even more voluminous and natural.
  • If your hair is short and thick, tie away the bottom portion of your hair to make the blending easier. This makes your own hair less dense so it’s easier to clip in the shorter extensions.
  • Tieing away the bottom portion of your hair is generally a good idea anyway as this ensures that those annoying shorter hairs won’t show through the extensions and give away the whole thing.
  • If your hair is short and thin, start attaching the wefts near the nape of your neck. Make sure the last wefts are at least 3 inches away from your natural hair too – this will ensure that you have enough of your own hair to hide the wefts.
  • Frame your face with shorter extensions on the sides. You can either get shorter extension wefts that match the rest of your set or cut a couple of yours a bit. If you don’t want to risk it you can visit a hairstylist to help you cut them perfectly. This “framing” with shorter wefts is done to give your hair an even more natural look.
  • Use a couple or more individual clip wefts to add volume wherever you feel is needed.
  • Make one big weft out of two smaller ones and attach across the back and the sides of your head at the level of your eyebrows. This is done to cover the extensions below that line and give your hair a much more cohesive look.
  • Before attaching the extensions, make sure to tease the roots for extra grip. Do this by simply comb against the strand a little bit while holding them straight.

In conclusion

Attaching and wearing hair extensions under short hair is a bit trickier and more time-consuming than with long hair but it’s perfectly doable. Follow the tips above, get some practice, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time! And if you’re looking for a more visual guide, we’d recommend this video from Youtuber Luxy Hair:

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