I feel compelled to write a review on Great Lengths hair extensions, because of all the negativity on here! So many people are misinformed about the process and what to expect and therefore they write a negative review without checking their facts first.

First off let me start by saying that I have always colored and used heat on my hair. I went from having natural hair to bleaching for about two years, which severely damaged my hair. I wore clip in extensions for about a year, then cut off all of the damaged parts of my hair and tried to get it healthy again. When I decided to get these extensions I would say that my hair was almost as healthy as virgin hair.

Why did I get these extensions? I was tired of having short and relatively thin hair (due to genetics). I did copious amounts of research before I decided to take the plunge. I read so many horror stories I almost didn't do it. I went to two different salons and had consultations. Both stylists were experienced, one for 6 years and one for 8.

The girl who had six years experience suggested that she would use 6 bundles of hair and cut the bonds, creating the equivalent of 12 bundles! Let me just say that that is RIDICULOUS and the cost went upwards of $1000 CAD for that amount of hair! On a side note - she didn't wear the GL's herself...

The second woman I went to (who is now my hairdresser) was extremely experienced - having done thousands of sets of GL's. She also wore them personally and showed me the bonds and let me feel her hair as well. I felt so much more comfortable with her and she knew what she was talking about. She suggested using 2 bundles of hair and splitting the bonds, creating the equivalent of 4 bundles of hair.

Now I am on my second set of GL's, and I will be getting my third in about a month. I feel like I need to set the record straight so other people don't get scared! With PROPER care and PROPER maintenance these extensions will last you 4-6 months, depending how fast your hair grows. My first set was done in the winter and lasted me 5 months, and my current set was done in the spring when my hair grows faster and will last me 4 months. The time and care these extensions require is extensive... you can't just treat them like your own hair! I baby my extensions and never have had problems with them. In the beginning, every extension that falls out will be like losing a child - but you get used to it and if you really understand the process you will be fine.

Do they rip your hair out? NO! I hate when I hear people hear this, it's ridiculous. People forget that you lose anywhere from 20-100 hairs a day in normal life. With the extensions in, all those hairs stay in the bonds and THAT IS WHY they fall out, when there isn't enough hair left to keep them attached to your scalp. If you're not violent and brush them properly, they will be forever beautiful.

Does your hair get shorter? No, if your hair is healthy and you do everything you're supposed to, your hair will grow as usual. My hair has grown 3-6 inches since I've had extensions. Just like it would without them. When I got them out for the first time, yes my hair felt a bit thinner but you need to remember you no longer have the bonds and extra hair in your head, and you forget how your hair felt without them.

The hair itself is beautiful, soft and silky. You get the bundles with no split ends and it is just gorgeous. This hair is real and therefore will get split ends with heat treatments and just from everyday life. I got the 16" length and this is MORE than enough. I don't feel them in my head, they are light and perfect. I couldn't imagine having the 20" or anything longer - you may think that's what you want but it ends up looking - for lack of a better word - skanky.

Nobody ever can tell that I have extensions, they look and feel so natural and beautiful. I can't imagine being without them, only if my hair grows to the length I want. I have never regretted getting my GL's and never will. I hope people read this review and can understand how the natural hair process works, and not just read the negative reviews and get scared. If you have any questions PLEASE ask me - I want to help everyone!

All in all - find a great experienced stylist who knows what they're doing, take proper care of them, understand that everybody's hair grows differently and that some people may have them 6 months and you can only have them 4, don't jump to conclusions and lastly look at your budget. If you can afford to get them, do. But if it's too much of a stretch for you, just don't!

I am finding a similar problem with GL extensions as some have already noted. I have been experiencing pieces falling out and assumed that they were slipping. Well to my horror I looked at the last piece that came out to find that the piece did actually rip out my hair at the root. I have no health issues(which they asked me about) and I feel that the weight of the extension is to blame for my hair being literally ripped from the root . I will be going in tomorrow to have them taken out and to asssess the damage and hair loss:(

Here is my Great Lengths Nightmare - I had surgery back in April 2012 and my hair was thick and curly but starting thinning due to telogen effluvium (shock from the surgery) I was meeting my bf for the first time in Sept - I needed luxurious hair! I went to a stylist who is highly recommended as the best extensions expert in Victoria (where I'm from). She is wonderful and I think the world of her. We did two bags of Great Lengths bonded keratin extensions. I repeatedly asked whether this would damage my thinning weak hair - I was told no. In they went and for about three weeks they looked great (they did tangle and were hard to sleep in) but into the third week they started coming out in my hairbrush and in the shower - taking chunks of my own healthy hair. I was meeting my new guy in two more weeks for our first face to face - I panicked and got another bag of hair put in. I was okay while I was with my guy - when I got home they started falling out again! I was losing 5-8 a day and with my own hair attached! I immediately had the hairdresser take them all out. These extensions were only in for about 2 months and my hair is permanently ruined - it will probably never grow past my shoulders again (it used to be mid-breast length). I am so upset that I've lost my beautiful main. Just recently I started wearing clip-ins - they are wonderful as they clip in and you can take them out and are no more harmful than wearing barrettes in your hair. My only beef is that I can't do certain stuff with them and wanted something more permanent. I am seriously thinking of the "tape-ins" and wonder if anyone has had experience with tape-ins? (btw - I kept a lot if my bonded Great Lengths with my own hair attached as a reminder - Never Again - I often show it to people to dissuade the from making the same mistake I made).

reveiws are useful bit I wouldnt let it put you off or be help you decide to have them done. Everyone's lifestyle and own hair is different so there are going to be good and bad reveiws. Just make sure you research the salonist that is applying them rather than the extensions themself. it will make a whole lot of difference to the way they look, feel and last.
My hair is shoulder length and fine and quite wavy and after researching suitable hair extensions i decided to have GL's Remi extensions put in by a reputable london salon.
Pros of GL's with bonds :
They look and feel very natural.
The bonds are not visible even though we can feel them a little. If maintained properly they last up to 6 months dependant on how fast your own hair grows.
They dont take as long to dry as i thought. Combing through can take more effort but all i do is finger dry mine with warm (not hot) air and finish off my fringe with straightners. I keep mine in a loose side pony tail and in the morning i am ready to go , just finger through and i am ready to go
Cons: Can be expensive and my extensions which i hope will last at least 4 months replace a holiday that only lasts 2 weeks, so a 2 week holiday or 4 months lush hair? hmm its a no brainer.
Ok yes you will get the odd one that will fall out but if the salonist is a good one he/she will split them to make them lighter, thus the strands are thinner and not noticeable at all if they do fall out. I actually dont mind a few falling out, i have so much hair i dont know what to do with it

You have to think of the implications of the effect ANY extensions have on your hair but its the price we pay for vanity and overall its been worth it for me so far.
But realistically remove them after 4 months, wear a human hair pony tail clip in for a few months and then have them redone?
I have had mine in for 2 weeks now and have only lost 1 strand, but that any lost can be due to poor brushing?, I think i accidentally stuck too much conditioner too near the bond instead of just the ends. My salonist did say it was normal to loose 1 or 2 but to bring them in when I have my free maintenance appointment.

useful tips:
Make sure you stock up with anti tap water, buy online too , its much cheaper than the salon.
hold the hair in a side pony tail and brush with the correct brush starting at the bottom and working up the length
I will update again in a months time - good luck everyone

Let me start off by saying... Every single stylist will say they use the best quality of hair and give you several reasons why that all sound realistic. I am upset because I have fell for this about 7 times in several cities. Please do your research! I have had extensions for several years, but never was completely satisfied . I had heard about Great Lengths from a coworker, but was very hesitant because to purchase because of the price. I realized I was spending several hundreds of dollars on extensions I did not love and I would often not even wear them down. I have had ultratress tape,satin strands,micro-links, sew in, clip in and several more.
Being a professional I don't have much time to fix my hair so I wanted a low maintenance extension that will look nice without styling.
Great Lengths by far are the best hair extensions I have ever had. There is no way I will ever use any other brand. It feels silky, last long, is durable and looks far better than you could expect. I can wash my hair and without styling and have amazing beach waves. Instead of wasting money over and over on just average extensions trying to change them up I have actually saved money using Great Lengths. This is the first time I can honestly say I am happy with my hair and thankful the search for great extensions is over.

I had these extensions fitted by a reputable salon earlier this year. Yes they looked ok but they did need a lot of attention to stop them from looking like hanging strings. I enjoyed having them but after a few weeks, I was horrified to see thinning patches in places. I checked with the salon that said this was ok and my hair was coping fine, stupidly, I allowed myself to be talked into keeping them in. I also noticed short pieces of hair the length of from my scalp to the bond breaking off and falling to the floor when I brushed my hair, when I asked whether these pieces were breakage, I didn't get a straight answer and I don't feel the salon addressed my concerns properly and that these were in fact, signs of damage. I had them removed at just over three months and I was devastated to see the state of my own hair. It was much thinner, despite the salon telling me this was because I was used to the thickness of the extensions, I know my own hair and I know this wasn't the case. I am now desperately trying to repair the damage, I have thin hair now which has lost all its body and thinning areas. It is going to take a long time to help my hair recover. I cared for the extensions by the book and I feel that this method was too hard on my hair and I shouldn't have had them done and I also should have had them removed much earlier. To anyone having these done I would say to proceed with caution, monitor your hair carefully and if you don't have every confidence in your salon, their ability not only to fit these extensions safely and to answer your questions satisfactorily, don't go ahead or go elsewhere. Or grow your own hair, natural long hair looks far better than some ratty looking extensions ever will.

ETA- to call others that have had real problems with these extensions misinformed, to say that they do not understand the process of how hair grows and sheds, do not check their facts and that their experience of this product pulling out their own hair is ''ridiculous'', is really not helpful. I took great care of these extensions and really wanted them to work but instead, they were far more trouble for me than they were worth and months later I am still trying to repair the damage and waiting for my thinning areas to regrow. Let's hear the good and bad but respect each other's opinions and reviews without implying people are careless, don't know how to take care of the extensions or understand how hair grows.

I have never tried Great Lengths Hair extensions, but I DO wear taped in hair wefts. I would never do a fusion or even micro bead install because they are not great for fine hair. As they grow out, they pull on the root of the hair and if you don't comb really carefully, they will pull your hair out. This would be better for coarser hair types.

If you want to try hair extensions, try taped in extensions, or even glue-ins. Tape is pretty gentle on the hair and if you remove it properly and wait for the remover to work, it does not damage your hair. Also, the wefts allow for more hair to be installed in the hair, so it looks more natural than fusion installs. I have been wearing tape (Supertape) extensions for about 4 years now and I do it myself. My hair has grown back in very healthy from a colouring mishap several years ago. I take them out every month, colour my roots (sometimes highlights as well) and then reinstall after about a week of rest and hair treatments on my natural hair.

This works for me. Thought I would share. If you want more info on this method, try the hairextensions101.com site/forum. Lots of great info there.

My hair has been thinning for the last few years. I panicked and went into a hair system instead of trying extensions first, and have been letting my hair grow back. It was finally long enough for extensions, and I decided to take the plunge and try Great Lengths, since they are the "cadillac of hair extensions". I got them in yesterday by an "expert". They look like straggly strings already and are getting tangled. I can't wait to get them out, and I've had them in for 25 hours!

I had Great Lengths extensions put in and they were horribly attached! In the first day I lost 3 extensions. My natural hair is extremely fine but THICK!! The extensions attached to add length are very thin. You can see all of my natural hair. It looks like I'm wearing a toupee on the top of my head. It's only been 4 days since I got them and I haven't worn my hair down yet because of the thinness. Very disappointed with them!

Bad bad bad.. I got them put in in January and was told if I took good care of them they could last 5 months or even more. Well most of the bonds did stay in my hair until I removed them but they did NOT stay looking great at all even with using the GL brush, salon products, etc.
After 1 month they looked like ratty strings which looked really hideous with my shorter thicker hair. By the second month they started to matt really badly even with constant brushing & good care. I seriously regret spending OVER $1000.. Overall the extensions lost a lot of their thickness and the quality deteriorated a lot very quickly. I do not recommend and I wouldnt try any type of fusion extensions again as they are not for long term wear and are too damaging. continued >>