A new season sees a new wave in shorter, sharper hairstyles. Keira, Sienna, Kylie and Posh have all gone there already. Solid, heavier-looking cuts, and fringes especially - from long and full to short urchin style – are making headway, as are grown-out crops with plenty of texture and colour. The leading hair extension suppliers have been quick to respond to this and are encouraging salons to use extensions more creatively.

At Racoon (www.racooninternational.com) this season it's all about subtle enhancement rather than full on long locks. In collaboration with top stylist Errol Douglas the brand has produced the Pure Fusion collection to show unequivocally that there's more to extensions than length, by incorporating them into classic, precision-cut bobs. Luscious layers, fabulous fringes and clever colour can all be created with a subtlety that will make WAGs and glamour models wince.

Thickening and colour placement are definite extensions trends for the months ahead, inspired by both catwalk and celebrity looks. Victoria Beckham's dramatic restyle will no doubt drive clients towards more geometric and structured bob shapes. Fine hair can be as much of a drawback with shorter styles as with long, but added volume and colour can both be achieved easily and quickly in areas where it's needed with extensions. 'Bobs tend to feature disconnected areas and feathery sections that require colour to enhance the cut as this provides the required shadow and stops the style looking wispy,' comments Great Lengths Hair Extensions UK Ambassador Paul Falltrick. 'By using Great Lengths' Air Pressure system, (www.greatlengthshair.co.uk) I'm able to add colour instantly just where I need it without taking up valuable time with a chemical process to complete the look.'

The Northeast's award-winning hairdressers, Gary Hooker and Michael Young, moonlight as Artistic Directors for Hairaisers (www.hairaisers.com) and they also predict big things for the graduated bob in the months ahead. 'Extensions are ideal for adding slight length to the front shape of a box bob. Key autumn/winter colours, such as antique gold and rich mocha can also be introduced and if they are clipped in can be easily added or removed.' The fact that those with colour allergies can enjoy risk-free hues thanks to extensions, makes them a really attractive prospect especially at a time of year when flashes of intense colour can really boost a winter complexion.

Anne Veck, American Dream's International Artist 2007 expects deep, rich reds, burgundies and clarets to be the hot ticket. At her Bicester and Oxford salons (www.anneveckhair.com) she uses American Dream's QuickFix hair extensions to deliver colour, length or thickness without commitment. Single clips retail at £9.99 each and they can be used time and again. To create a new style using the clip-in extensions the salon charges from £95.

If you prefer to bypass the salon in your quest to reinvent yourself for a special occasion you'll find both clip in synthetic, £75, and human hair extensions, £139 at www.hothair.co.uk. The BaByliss Extensions Kit, £40, (Argos, Boots) comprises 40 easy-to-apply hair extensions in shades ranging from natural to neon, which can be worn for a night out or longer and are easily removed with the special lotion provided.

Although extensions are viewed by many as essential to achieving full-on glamour, with a price tag to match, some of the methods employed in sourcing human hair are very dubious indeed.

For example, there are growing concerns over the hair trade in India where an unregulated environment encourages illegal practices. Media attention has been focused on the amateur hair pickers and small-time exporters who bypass the temples – where traditionally Hindus have their heads shaved in honour of the god Vishnu and the off-cuts are then sold on – to capitalise on the current export demands. And girls in Russia can be paid as little as £1.40 for a ponytail's worth of hair.

Knowing that the human hair extensions you're wearing are ethically sourced should be as much of a primary concern as their quality; no one likes to think of exploitation being encouraged in the name of fashion. Racoon's Eva Proudman comments, 'Racoon has an ethical buying policy and only buys its real hair from hair temples. As a company we police the internet on a daily basis to ensure that our brand is not wrongly associated with hair sold to the consumer via websites.'

Dome (www.domecosmetics.com) is one leading extensions company that takes an unequivocal stand on the subject believing the trade in 'second-hand hair' is immoral and unnecessary. Its manmade brand leader Monofibre mimics the look and feel of natural, healthy hair with the advantage that it's both lighter and less expensive and is neither prone to split ends nor colour fade.