Daniel Radcliffe Says Hair Extensions Are ‘Rank’

Actors and actresses often have to go through all kinds of hair hell in pursuit of a certain look for a movie, but when Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe recently had to have hair extensions fitted for a role his verdict was especially damning.

Stress of hair extensions

“I don’t know how anyone deals with them,” Radcliffe told ETonline.com when he was quizzed about the hair extensions he’d had put in for his lead role in the forthcoming horror film Victor Frankenstein. “The stress you have to wash them; if you don’t, they get really rank.”

Radcliffe also bemoaned the 14 hours of handiwork that was needed to affix the extensions in the first place. He also explained how he was warned to wash them in a very delicate way in order to stop them all falling out.

The movie’s co-star James McAvoy, who was alongside Radcliffe during the interview, also had to wear the cumbersome hair accoutrements for the film. He was no bigger a fan than Radcliffe, and explained his shock when one fell out in the shower.

"Nothing destroys your hair faster"

The problems with hair extensions are manifold. Though often seen as a quick way to dramatically change the length and look of a hairstyle, experts say that wearing them for prolonged periods can permanently destroy hair and lead to irreparable hair loss.

Leonora Doclis, Senior Trichologist at the Belgravia Centre, is especially critical of hair extensions, and warns that they “pull out one’s natural hair. They’re heavy, they don’t absorb water easily and can tangle very quickly.”

One of the biggest problems, she argues, is that when extensions become tangled, any ensuing brushing places huge amounts of tension on the real hair to which they are attached.

This Belgravia Client is Seeing Solid Regrowth from Treatment for Traction Alopecia Caused by Hair Extensions

One of hair extensions’ most famous critics is former Friends star Jennifer Aniston, who once said that “nothing destroys your hair faster than hair extensions.” She explained that it took 18 months for her hair to recover after having extensions some years ago.

Can lead to Traction Alopecia

In some cases, the constant strain caused by wearing hair extensions can lead to Traction Alopecia, a hair loss condition which occurs when the hair follicles are put under undue stress over a prolonged period.

The easiest way to prevent Traction Alopecia is to avoid anything that pulls on the hair the list includes not just hair extensions but braids, cornrows and even excessively-tight buns and high ponytails.

Fixing the problem begins with removing the root cause having the hair extensions taken out, for example and then nurturing the hair and scalp with a bespoke Traction Alopecia treatment course from a recognised hair loss centre.

Often a minoxidil-based treatment plan accompanied by hair growth boosters successfully leads to regrowth of the damaged hair, such as the examples seen in Belgravia's Traction Alopecia success stories gallery.