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The professional stylist's reference for hair extension terminology. Every definition below is written by a working extension stylist for other working stylists. Use this page as a shared vocabulary with your clients, your suppliers, and your team.
Weft Types and Manufacturing
Hand-Tied Weft
A hair extension weft made by hand-knotting individual strands of hair onto a thin ribbon of thread. The finished weft is ultra-thin and sits flat against the scalp with no visible track. Preferred for fine-haired and hair-loss clients.
Machine-Tied Weft
A hair extension weft made by folding hair around a track and sewing it in place with a sewing machine. Faster to produce and denser per inch than hand-tied wefts.
Double Drawn Hair
Hair that has been sorted twice during manufacture to remove short strands, so the finished weft has ends nearly as dense as the mid-shaft. Kelly Maxwell wefts are 60% true double drawn, twice the industry standard of 30%.
Single Drawn Hair
Hair that has been sorted only once, leaving shorter strands mixed in. Wefts taper visibly at the ends.
Remy Hair
Hair extensions where the cuticles are aligned in the same direction from root to tip. Remy hair tangles less, holds shine longer, and behaves more like natural hair. Kelly Maxwell uses 100% human Remy hair.
Non-Remy Hair
Hair extensions where the cuticles are not aligned. Cheaper to produce, tangles easily, requires silicone coating that wears off within weeks.
Weft Width
The horizontal measurement of a hair extension weft. Kelly Maxwell wefts are 10 inches wide, engineered to eliminate the gram-loss stylists hit when cutting down 12 or 14-inch wefts.
Weft Length
The vertical measurement of a hair extension weft, measured from the top edge to the tips. Available lengths from Kelly Maxwell: 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 inches.
Install Methods
Mesh Closure
A pre-made hair piece measuring roughly 3 by 5 inches, constructed on a fine mesh foundation, weighing about 33 grams. Used to add coverage and volume at the crown, part line, or hairline. Kelly Maxwell closures use low-density finishing for realistic hairline blend.
Mesh Integration
An install method that uses a thin mesh fabric as a foundation layer between the client's natural hair and extension wefts. Distributes weight, protects fragile natural hair, and is the primary method for hair replacement work.
Meshless Extension
An install method where wefts are attached directly to the client's natural hair without a mesh foundation. Faster to install but places more weight on individual strands.
K-Tip Extension
A hair extension with a solid keratin bond at the top. Installed by heating the bond with a fusion tool and rolling it around a small section of natural hair. Also called keratin bond or fusion extension.
I-Tip Extension
A hair extension with a small metal-tipped strand. Installed by clamping a silicone-lined bead around the tip and the client's natural hair. Removable and reusable.
Tape-In Extension
A hair extension with an adhesive strip along the top edge. Installed by sandwiching a small section of natural hair between two tape-in strips. Removable with bond remover.
Clip-In Extension
A hair extension with small clips sewn along the top edge. Client-applied, non-permanent, worn temporarily.
Halo Extension
A single weft attached to a nearly invisible wire that sits on the crown of the head under the client's own hair. Client-applied, no stylist install required.
Beaded Row
A horizontal line of silicone-lined beads clamped onto small parted sections of natural hair, then wefts are sewn to the beads. The base of hand-tied and meshless install methods.
Color and Matching
Root Shadow
A darker color applied at the top 1 to 2 inches of a hair extension to match a client's grown-out root or shadow-rooted look. Kelly Maxwell wefts ship custom-rooted from the factory.
Custom Rooted
An extension weft where the root color is applied at the factory before shipping, matched to the individual client's specifications. Saves 30 to 60 minutes of chair time per install.
Natural Level
The level of a client's natural hair on a 1-to-10 scale, where 1 is jet black and 10 is the palest blonde.
Undertone
The underlying pigment in hair. Warm undertones show gold, copper, or red. Cool undertones show ash, blue, or violet. Neutral undertones are between.
Cuticle Direction
The direction the outer layer of a hair strand faces. Aligned cuticle direction (Remy) prevents tangling and preserves shine. Misaligned (non-Remy) causes matting.
Color Ring
A physical shade reference containing samples of every color in a hair extension line. The Kelly Maxwell Color Ring covers all 32 affirmation-named shades.
Texture Ring
A physical texture reference showing every texture available in an extension line. Used alongside a color ring during client consultation.
Affirmation Shade
Kelly Maxwell's naming convention for extension shades. Each of the 32 shades in the line is named for a word of affirmation: Joy, Beautiful, Hope, Radiant, Confident, Strong, Kind, and so on.
Hair Replacement and Foundations
Foundation Material
Any thin fabric or mesh used to construct a hair replacement piece or mesh integration base. Includes Swiss lace, PU fabric, toupee lace, and mesh fabric in small or X-large hole formats.
Ventilating Lace
Fine mesh fabric used as the foundation for hand-built hair pieces where individual strands are ventilated (knotted) into the mesh. Kelly Maxwell offers Swiss 40 denier ventilating lace.
PU Fabric
Polyurethane fabric used as a foundation for wig and hair replacement pieces, especially where the base needs to be watertight against the scalp.
Toupee Lace
A fine lace used specifically as the base for men's hair replacement pieces (toupees). Kelly Maxwell offers professional-grade toupee lace.
Tools, Supplies, and Aftercare
Sulfate-Free Shampoo
A shampoo formulated without sulfate detergents. Required for washing hair extensions to preserve the cuticle and extend wear life.
Extension Brush
A soft-bristle or loop brush designed to detangle extension wefts without catching on bonds or the weft's top edge. Standard round brushes are not safe on extensions.
Bond Remover
A solution that softens keratin bonds so they can be safely removed without breaking the client's natural hair.
Fusion Tool
A heated tool used to melt keratin bonds during K-tip install. Kelly Maxwell sells a professional K-Tip fusion tool.
Move-Up
A follow-up appointment 5 to 8 weeks after an initial install, during which the stylist repositions the extensions to sit closer to the scalp as the natural hair has grown.
The Kelly Maxwell Model
Regional Exclusivity
The Kelly Maxwell business model that grants access to the brand to only one approved stylist per metropolitan territory. Protects the working economics of each approved stylist.
Approved Stylist
A licensed cosmetologist who has been reviewed and granted regional access to purchase and install Kelly Maxwell extensions. Applications are reviewed within 7 business days.
Want the Kelly Maxwell Product Line?
Kelly Maxwell Hair Extensions is a licensed-cosmetologist-only brand with regional exclusivity granted per metropolitan territory.
Please complete the following form to submit a request for a custom order. These are required for the purchase of texture options.