Why oh why is the UK behind on the whole hair extensions thing!!!

I'm so wishing I was living in America....I'm not sure about any of the other Brits out there but I find trying to buy hair extension supplies in the UK is like pulling teeth. I have searched and searched London and the net but there are very few good places if any to buy supplies.....shipping prices from abroad are way too expensive....help!!!!!!

I too am from the uk, and its true about the lack of suppliers......and also the lack of variety of methods. I know you can learn about it on this fab site amongst others, but a basic course here, which taught one method was nearly £1000!!!! Eeek! That is a lot of money. I have seen a course advertised, thats run somewhere in LA and it teaches several different methods over two days.

Thing is I could pick up and perfect ( my dolly head and willing friends/family) different methods, but I do feel the certificate you get from a course is reassuring to potential clients. I have a hairdressing certificate and insurance, but would really like an extension one too, but not at that price......

i'm sooo glad u agree Naiomi...it is truly shocking....there's not really a lack of places to go have your hair done...infact there are a ton of em it's more that there is a total lack of places to buy supplies...ie shrinkies, microrings, wig clips etc etc all of these methods are virtually unheard of over here. I would love to have my own salon and wholesale thing going in the future but till then i suppose i'll have to continue paying obscene shipping costs....aw well such as life!!

I was under the impression that extensions were WAY more advanced over there than over here...hmmm.
I just got an amazing catalog from American Dream and they apparently have a 'superstore' in London. The address is: 5-6 Acton Vale, Cowley Road, London W3 7QE. Phone: 020 8743 0206.
Open M-Sat 9:30 am - 6 pm. They say it's over 2500 sq ft of wall to wall hair pieces, wigs, accessories, styling products - over 60,000 products on display (I'm copying the ad).
If their catalog is any indication, it should be hair extension heaven! They have an AMAZING selection of hair, both human and synthetic. Their classes are very pricey, tho...I think you can learn a lot of those techniques yourself right here through the links on this board.
Good luck, Brits!

Hi, just to give you some props. The people at Antenna on Kensington Church street are doing amazing, groundbreaking work. Of course it's not cheap... but it is cutting edge, really.
I keep reading about places in Camden that give good value for money. Maybe you could check it out. Love and Happiness, christina

I get the impression that the U.K. is further ahead with synth, and the U.S. is with human. (This is just my theory, though). :)

Abused and battered? Yikes! That's just awful.

In the U.S., I would think it depends a lot on where you live. In NYC, for example, (and most of the major cities, I imagine), you could have a green arm growing out of your head and you'd still sort of fade into the wallpaper. But in some other places, I don't know....

I've gotten some rather odd reactions myself, and it's not like my hair is blue or dreaded or anything. But for some people (and I've never been able to understand this way of thinking), it's just too ostentacious or showy or whatever to have superlong extensions. Mostly these reactions are from women, not men. At the same time, I've gotten a lot of good feedback from women I don't even know. So it's a crapshoot...usually based on their "issues" and such.

:)

If you think the Uk is bad you should try living in Ireland!! I only know of one place who does training in extensions and they use great lengths!!
There are a few shops that sell hair, but it is all crappy hair!!
Im going to be ordering bohyme from now on from england because I couldnt find any decent hair over here its sooooo annoying!!

Thanx Syren123 that's a great help. I have been to Pak Hairworld but find it expensive and the choice is quite limited....I think i'll pay a visit to American Dream-sounds kewl. Yeah there are a few places in London doing extensions but im more interested in doing them on people rather than having them done.....thanx 4 all the fedback guys. x