length vs. stress

Okay, I am still at the drawing board trying to find a solution to my awful hair.....with all the breakage I got from fusion extensions, I am now wearing shrinkies and hoping to get some growth so I can eventually go back to "el natural".  I am wearing 18" extensions now and I am wondering if the weight of the hair could be causing more breakage and slow growth.  Can someone share their thoughts....

sorry, my point being it may not be the length of the extensions that could be casuing the damage and rather the appliaction

I agree with Shel--I don't think the long length (certainly if it's only 18 inches) would cause damage in and of itself, unless you have a hairloss condition or something that compromises your hair's ability to grow from the root. But if that hair is applied to too-small sections, or the method is a damaging one (pulling out your hair during removal or breaking it down during wear), that's a problem. I seriously doubt many long-term fusion wearers achieve healthy growth; I just don't think it's realistic, unless perhaps for people who have unusually strong, thick hair. That said, another big cause of damage, imo, is crappy extension hair, which requires you to brush constantly and can compromise your own hair as a result. Your hair should grow the same amount from the root, no matter if you have extensions or not; it's what happens to that hair afterward that will enable you to grow your hair or not.

Gina's is a good suggestion,too: Clip-in wefts probably put the least stress on hair and you can take them out at night, etc.

:)