September 13, 2026

Chris Appleton's Complete Guide to Hair Extensions: How to Apply, Blend, and Style Them Like a Pro

Hair extensions can be genuinely transformative, adding the volume, length, and density that no amount of styling product can fully manufacture.

They can also look obviously fake, sit awkwardly, and fall apart within hours if the prep isn't right.

The difference between extensions that look like extensions and extensions that look like your real hair? It’s almost entirely in the preparation.

We sat down with professional hair stylist Chris Appleton, the man behind some of the most iconic hair moments in Hollywood, to get his complete technique: how to prep your natural hair, how to treat the extensions themselves, how to apply them for the most natural result, and exactly which products make it all work.

Here is everything he shared.

Why Prep Is Everything: Chris Appleton on the Foundation

Before we get into technique, Chris wants to make one thing clear about where great extension results actually begin.

"Hair care 101: you get back what you give. If you use cheap shampoos and heavy stylers, your hair won't look its best.

If you invest in professional quality products for your hair, it's a totally different story."

This matters more for extensions than almost any other styling scenario. When you're blending extensions with your natural hair, both surfaces need to be in the same condition.

A mismatch in texture, gloss, or smoothness between your natural hair and the extensions makes the blend immediately visible.

The goal of every prep step below is to bring both surfaces, natural hair and extensions, to exactly the same place: clean, smooth, sealed, and glassy.

Part 1: How to Prep Your Natural Hair for Extensions

Step 1: Cleanse With a True Residue-Free Shampoo

Most shampoos aren’t actually designed to cleanse 100%.

They're designed to leave something behind, like silicones, conditioning agents, and thickening resins, that makes hair feel smooth and manageable immediately after washing. That residue is the enemy of seamless extensions.

Chris's first step is always Color Security Shampoo:

"The first step is prepping the hair. I always use Color Security Shampoo when cleansing the hair for super fresh, glossy results. Your final results are really affected by the shampoo that you start with. You do not want to leave dulling or heavy residues, or silicones on the hair."

Color Security Shampoo contains no silicones, no conditioning agents, and no thickening resins.

Every ingredient rinses completely away. The result is hair that is genuinely clean, not coated, and fully receptive to what comes next.

Step 2: Condition

After shampooing, follow with Color Security Conditioner and apply mid-lengths to ends.

This closes the hair cuticle post-wash and provides the slip needed for safe, friction-free detangling before styling.

Step 3: Towel-Blot, Don't Rub

Press hair gently with a microfiber towel until damp. Rubbing with a standard terrycloth towel lifts the cuticle and creates the micro-roughness that prevents a glass-smooth finish.

Step 4: Apply Dream Coat (The Step That Changes Everything)

This is where the gloss comes from. Chris on Dream Coat:

"Seriously, if you haven't heard of Dream Coat, where have you been?"

Here's his exact application technique:

"Starting with damp hair, take large sections and saturate each section with Dream Coat, spraying on top and underneath. Make sure each strand of hair is coated in the product. A lot of people think you need to use more or less based on your hair texture, but your hair type doesn't matter. Just make sure the strands are saturated.

The formula is light as water so you don't need to worry about using too much. It won't weigh hair down or make it greasy."

After saturating your hair with Dream Coat, blow-dry with tension:

"Then you're going to blow-dry the hair with tension. Immediately, you'll notice that you get this amazing finish that's rich, sleek and incredibly shiny. But what I love most is that Dream Coat waterproofs the hair.

If you want to know how to keep your hair from frizzing, this is literally the answer. Dream Coat acts like an umbrella for the hair so that water literally rolls off it and your style is completely locked in."

Why this works: Dream Coat uses hydrolyzing technology that activates under heat to compress and seal the cuticle at its flattest possible state.

The result isn't a coating. It's a molecular bond between the formula and the hair's keratin surface that resists moisture in the air.

For extensions, this means both your natural hair and extensions stay smooth, aligned, and cohesive rather than reacting differently to humidity throughout the day.

Step 5 (Optional): Leave-In for Added Moisture

For dry or color-treated hair that needs extra hydration, apply Money Mist before Dream Coat.

This lightweight leave-in spray delivers instant moisture and gloss without any of the heavy residue that would interfere with Dream Coat's bonding chemistry.

Or for deeper moisture restoration: Coconut Cocktail Leave-In Treatment. It’s compatible with Dream Coat's formula when you apply it beforehand.

Plus, it’s specifically designed to restore suppleness and silkiness to dry or damaged hair before heat styling.

Part 2: How to Prep Your Hair Extensions

This is the step most people skip, and it's why their extensions look noticeably different from their natural hair.

"If you've ever bought hair extensions, you know that they tend to come dried naturally and often they can be frizzy and a bit unruly," shares Chris.

Extensions don't receive any natural scalp oils. So they arrive with a raised, slightly rough cuticle and need to be treated before they'll blend seamlessly with your natural hair.

Chris's technique: treat them exactly the same way you prep natural hair.

"Start by shampooing the extensions with Color Security Shampoo, then conditioning them with Color Security Conditioner. The key to sexy, glam extensions is Dream Coat. It gives them a glass-like gloss from root to tips."

The result: Extensions that go through the full prep protocol (shampoo, condition, Dream Coat, blow-dry)will match the gloss, smoothness, and texture of your prepped natural hair.

The blend becomes genuinely seamless because both surfaces are in the same cuticle-sealed, humidity-resistant state.

And the Color Security Shampoo, being free of buildup-causing residue, is safe for repeated use on extension hair without accumulation.

Part 3: Chris Appleton's Step-by-Step Extension Application Technique

Chris's technique today is focused on one specific, highly flattering result: face-framing volume and layers that add fullness at the front without looking like extensions.

"I love to use extensions just to fill in the gaps in the front of the hair. A little bit of effort makes all of your hair look fuller and richer."

Step 1: Apply on a Diagonal

"When I apply extensions, I always apply them on a diagonal at the front of the hair. If you put extensions in on a straight angle, the hair falls away from the face and looks unnatural. Applying hair extensions on a diagonal ensures that the hair falls around the face in a flattering way."

Why this works: Straight horizontal sections create a line that doesn't follow the natural growth pattern. The diagonal approach mimics the way hair naturally grows at the face-frame.

That’s why this small technique makes a big impact on whether the results read as "natural volume" or "obvious extensions."

Step 2: Measure and Cut the Width

"I put hair in as it's needed, so once I've created a diagonal section, I measure the hair weft for that section and cut it width-wise. I don't cut the ends until I'm finished applying all of my extensions."

Cutting the weft to the exact width of the section (instead of using a standard pre-cut length) is a professional technique that prevents the weft from extending beyond the section boundary, which is one of the most common causes of visible tracks.

Step 3: Glue and Secure

"I use a hair weft glue to apply extensions. I apply the glue on the hair weft, not on the scalp. Then I place the extension on the scalp, and secure it using a hair dryer on the cool setting."

Key detail: The glue goes on the weft, not on the scalp. This protects scalp health and makes the removal process significantly cleaner. The cool shot from the dryer sets the glue without heat damage.

Step 4: Blend for a Seamless Finish

"When it comes time to apply the extensions closest to the top of the head and the part, I like to make sure everything is seamlessly blended. Still working with the diagonal, I apply the weft about an inch from the front of the scalp.

Then, where the extension meets the part, I apply Color Wow Root Cover Up for a seamless blend."

Root Cover Up is the blending secret:

"The blending step is super important to hide any tracks. I load up the small end of the brush with the powder and then just dab it on top of the weft and part to blend it. And sometimes for added security, after I flip the parted hair back over, I then apply more Root Cover Up to the hair's true part.

This is great for making the hair look thicker overall, but it's also great for minimizing stark contrast between scalp color and the face if you're wearing makeup."

Why Use Root Cover Up: The powder formula deposits colored pigment that matches scalp skin and hair color at the root.

This camouflages the extension track and creates the illusion of hair growing from the scalp. It's also buildable, so you can apply as much or as little coverage as you need.

Step 5: Repeat

"I do this same process on both sides of the hair."

Work symmetrically. Complete one side fully before moving to the other so you can assess balance as you go.

Step 6: Finish With a Trim

"After the extensions are applied, I trim the sections for a one-length effect, and the hair looks super glamorous, glossy and full."

The trim is what makes the volume look intentional rather than added. Cutting to one length blends the extension ends with your natural hair ends, eliminating the line that separates them.

Part 4: The Finishing Touches — Gloss, Shine, and Setting the Style

Once extensions are applied and trimmed, two finishing steps upgrade the result from "styled" to "editorial":

Surface Gloss

Pop & Lock High Gloss Finish — apply sparingly to dry hair, smoothing fingertips or palms through lengths and ends.

This delivers the mirror-gloss finish that makes extensions and natural hair look seamlessly polished, and gives you even more protection against humidity.

Style Setting

Style on Steroids Texture Finishing Spray — for styles that need to hold up through long days or nights.

It adds workable texture and longevity to the finished style without heaviness or stiffness.

How to Make Extensions Last: Maintenance Between Washes

The work doesn't stop at the application. How you care for extensions between washes determines how long they stay glossy and how naturally they continue to blend.

Between Washes

Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase to minimize friction against the extension bonds overnight
Brush gently from the ends upward, working toward the roots. Avoid straining the extension bonds by pulling through from root to tip.
Use One-Minute Transformation Styling Cream on dry hair for any on-the-spot frizz or texture fixes. A small amount worked through mid-lengths and ends re-smooths the surface without re-wetting.
Re-apply Root Cover Up as needed to maintain a seamless scalp blend at the part.

On Wash Day

Repeat the full prep protocol: Color Security Shampoo → Conditioner → Dream Coat → blow-dry.
Do not rub extensions when towel-drying. Blot and press instead.
For the natural hair scalp area: use Dream Filter Pre-Shampoo Mineral Remover monthly to remove hard water mineral deposits that dull the scalp area and create a visible texture difference between your hair and your extensions.

Protecting Extensions from Heat

Dream Coat provides heat protection during your blow-dry. But for additional heat styling (curling irons, flat irons) on the extension lengths, keep tools moving and avoid holding in one position.

Extensions cannot regenerate from the scalp the way your natural hair does. Broken pieces are broken for good.

Shop All Products for Hair Extensions →

Extensions by Hair Type: What to Know Before You Start

1. Fine or Low-Density Hair

Fine hair requires extensions with a lighter weft to avoid visible weight. Dream Coat is particularly important for fine hair because it seals without adding heaviness.

The sealed cuticle is what makes fine hair and extensions look natural together rather than two different textures sitting on the same head.

2. Thick or Coarse Hair

Blending is easier with thicker hair since the extension tracks are naturally hidden.

The challenge is matching the texture of your extensions to your natural hair if it tends to be more coarse or frizzy.

Use Extra Strength Dream Coat on both your natural hair and extensions for maximum cuticle compression and the smoothest possible blend.

3. Curly or Wavy Hair

Wearing extensions in a straight style? The full Dream Coat protocol on damp hair + blow-drying with tension will bring natural hair to the smooth, sealed state needed for a seamless blend.

The sealed cuticle will prevent hair from re-frizzing in humidity throughout the day.

4. Color-Treated Hair

If your natural hair is color-treated, matching extensions to your current shade may require toning. The Dream Coat protocol is fully safe for color-treated hair and actually helps preserve color vibrancy by sealing color molecules beneath the sealed cuticle.

This is a bonus for maintaining the match between natural hair color and extension color over time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hair Extensions

Should you wash hair extensions before applying them?

Yes. Extensions come dried and often frizzy, with a raised cuticle that won't blend seamlessly with freshly prepped natural hair.

Shampoo your extensions with Color Security Shampoo, condition, apply Dream Coat, and blow-dry before applying to natural hair. This brings the extension surface to the same sealed, glossy state as your prepped natural hair.

What shampoo is best for hair extensions?

A residue-free, sulfate-free shampoo that rinses completely clean — like Color Security Shampoo.

Most shampoos deposit silicones and conditioning agents that accumulate on extensions over time, dulling it and creating buildup that's difficult to remove. Color Security Shampoo leaves nothing behind.

Can you use Dream Coat on hair extensions?

Yes, and Chris Appleton recommends it. Dream Coat gives extensions the same sealed, frizz-resistant, glass-like gloss that it delivers to natural hair.

Apply and blow-dry extensions with Dream Coat before attaching them to ensure they match the texture and finish of your prepped natural hair.

How do you make hair extensions look natural?

Three factors: matching the texture and gloss of extensions to natural hair (the Dream Coat routine achieves this), applying on a diagonal at the face frame rather than straight sections, and using Root Cover Up powder to camouflage the tracks at the part. Chris's technique addresses all three.

How do you hide extension tracks at the part?

Chris uses Root Cover Up, a powder formula that deposits pigment matching the scalp color and hair color at the root, camouflaging the extension weft where it meets the part line.

Apply with the small end of the brush directly on the weft and part, then apply again to the true part after the hair is flipped back over for full coverage.

How long do hair extensions last?

That depends on the type of extensions and how well you care for them. Extensions that are regularly washed with a residue-free shampoo, treated with Dream Coat, and protected from friction during sleep typically maintain their texture and blend significantly longer than those that are not.

Can you color hair with extensions in?

It is not recommended to apply chemical color with extensions attached to your hair. The processing chemicals can damage extension hair and bonds.

If you need a color service, have extensions removed beforehand. Dream Coat is safe to apply and maintain before and after coloring your natural hair.

Is Dream Coat safe for all extension types?

Yes! Dream Coat is safe for all extension types including clip-ins, tape-ins, and wefts. It’s especially beneficial for extensions because it delivers the cuticle-sealing and humidity-proofing that extension hair lacks naturally.