MODERN stopped by the Luxia Artiss headquarters in Florida and met with Ricardo Arias, Luxia’s Executive Brand Ambassador. We asked him what extension artists should look for when searching for the perfect extension and here he shares the top qualities every hair professional should look for before placing on a client’s head.

Quality – Why is European hair better than others? How can you tell? Why is every color the same quality?

It depends on the type of European hair, and also how is gathered, cultivated and processed. “Luxia Artiss’ European double drawn hair is unique and high quality,” says Ricardo Arias - Luxia's Executive Brand Ambassador. “Every color has the same consistent quality due to the advanced osmosis process, hi-tech hand selection and manufacturing technique. Every single hair is carefully processed in their own dedicated facility designed to address quality with a 39-step procedure.

Osmosis – What is it? Why is it a better process? How does it work?

The Luxia osmosis hair treatment softly and gently alters the color pigment, taking up to 6 weeks to reach the desired shade. “The aim of our hair production is to bring the hair to a completely different level,” adds Arias, “far away from the already existing qualities in the market.” The aim is to process the hair in a way that it will stay the hair with all the uniqueness of it that a regular client’s hair will possess, “by saying this we mean - keeping the hair as virgin as possible to give more performance for a hair stylist to work with, and osmosis is a part of the unique hair process we do.”

Double Drawn  – What does this mean? How do you test for it?

“Our double drawn Luxia Artiss hair undergoes 4 processes of hand selection,” says Arias. “All shorter hairs are removed by hand completely. Whether the tips are 12, 16 or 20 inch tips, the hairs within the tip would measure the full length ordered.” Arias points out that each tip is thick from root to end. “It allows the stylist to do an easier cut, style and blend. Like a jeweler, when a diamond ring is done from a one piece  - big stone is more precious rather than a ring with many tiny diamonds…Luxia hair is a one piece big diamond stone!”

Hair Denier - What does this mean? Why is this important?

“Hair denier is a form of measurement that is used to determine the hair thickness. Hairs with inconsistent low deniers [processed] tend to be weak, and hair with consistent high deniers tend to be thick [cuticle intact] and durable,” says Arias.

Special Tips –  Any special tips for Extension Artists?

“Putting fewer locks on your customer’s hair but gaining more volume will create more value in your customer’s appreciation. Hair roots need to be taken care of, so less hair is being involved into holding the extensions duty, the better it will be for the hair itself.”

Here Arias shares a brief demo: