Hair Extensions

Fed up torturing yourself trying to achieve a catwalk look?Well, we won’t  promise to help you attain this Nirvana, but we can certainly get you  back to basics with B’s heal and conceal hair advice.

Congratulations, you’re getting married, and, after the gown, your hair is possibly the second most important part of your appearance on your wedding day, because if the old barnet doesn’t look fabulous, then pulling off the entire, bride-of-the-decade look can be ruined.

We all know that shiny, healthy, vibrant hair enhances the bride’s appearance and boosts her general feelings of wellbeing, giving her one less item to stress over, thus helping to keep that lovely, radiant smile on her well made-up face all day and all night.

So, what do you do if your wedding day is looming and those natural Rapunzel like tresses you’ve dreamed of sporting since you were a girl still haven’t materialised?

Well girls, here’s your solution; you’ve got to find it, fake it and flaunt it!

Yep, put your best face forward, head to your nearest salon and take a look at what’s on offer by way of hair extensions.

But first of all, for those of you who’ve been living on Mars for the past few years, and are unfamiliar with the phenomenon that is hair extensions, here’s a brief description.

According to the Web definition, ‘Hair Extensions are strands of human hair placed onto a person’s hair in order to elongate or thicken existing hair. A micro-attachment made of keratin wax, filled with hair, is placed one quarter inch away from the scalp. Within a 4 hour timeframe, a short head of hair will be transformed into long hair. Noelle Salon of Massachusetts in the United States of America is the first known Hair Salon to perform this technique.’

HEAL AND CONCEAL

Once thought of as an embarrassing necessity, modern day hair extensions quickly became a fashion craze among celebrity fashionistas like Victoria Beckham, Britney Spears, and Jordan et al.

 Because they add volume, style, texture and colour to the hair, extensions are versatile; help heal, conceal and abolish problem hair, cover up bad cutting mistakes and make almost any style possible.  In short, the perfect accessory for the busy woman’s wardrobe.

Celebrity stylist Gillian answers some of your FAQ on hair extensions.

What are WEFTS/Extensions?

WEFTS are little pieces of hair that look like a mini curtain.  They are attached to your own natural hair via a plait. The stylist will plait your hair and use it like a track.  This track will run horizontally around the back of  your head, in the middle of your scalp and underneath your hairline to conceal them; and the extensions or Wefts are then sewn onto the plaited hair.

How many extensions will I need?

Well it differs and depends on the personal style and taste of the client.  E.G., if the client has hair that is chin length and wants it about 18 inches long - approximately at bra line-  then she may need about 5 or 6 tracks of wefts; but it does depend on her current hair cut.  If it’s a client with shoulder length  fine hair who wants it to appear thicker but still keep it the same length, then she could get away with 2 or 3 wefts.

It’s important to remember, advises Gillian, that you must think of the extensions as your own hair.

How do I maintain the extensions?

About every 6 weeks, your own, natural hair will have grown about an inch.  The extensions/wefts will still be attached to your plaits but will need to be checked for product build up and for re-plaiting.  I would advise using a mild shampoo for dry hair. Tip: The less you wash them the longer they will last.  Condition as usual and use only low settings on the hair dryer and GHD or better still, allow hair to dry naturally.  Velcro rollers are fab for extensions as they add lots of vibrancy and bounce to the look.

Don’t worry, B has some helpful hints, top tips and DIY for you to try at home.  And, the good news is, they won’t break the bank.

Helpful Hair Hints.

• No matter what your hair colour, if you want to make your hair shine, then use shampoos and conditioners specifically designed for your shade.
• There are fantastic products on the market, such as salon supplied Karastese Mirror Shine, or Blonde Ambition by John Frieda, to name but a few.
• Cold water rinsing will close the pores.
• If your hair is breaking and snapping, then a half bottle of household vinegar applied to mid lengths and ends helps prevent snapping.
• If you’re blonde and on the big day you’re perspiring through, nerves, stress or heat, then a sprinkling of talcum powder rubbed into the roots and the roots tips at the forehead prevents that ‘greasy’ look in the wedding photographs.
• If you’re going for some hair extensions; for fine hair use two packs of clip-on extensions; for thick hair, use three packs. Price is approximately €40 per pack.
• If you’ve got very long hair and just want to add an inch then one pack will do.
• If you’ve got extremely thick hair that’s cut into layers and just won’t take extensions; for a quick fix for your big day, scrape hair back into a ponytail, then add a pony tail extension and use this as a base for that classic bride up-style. It looks amazing.
• If you’ve got fine hair but desperately want to recreate that Audrey Hepburn look, but it just won’t sit up when it’s backcombed.  Don’t fret.  Get a hair doughnut, snip the end of it, place snipped end on crown of head and secure with clips.  Backcomb hair at crown and arrange over doughnut.  This will keep the hair nice and high and make a perfect pedestal to sit head-dress or tiara in front of.  Hair won’t gap and it will look and stay solid for the entire day.

If you’ve got dark hair and had a bit of a colour disaster, and we mean that awful ‘greeny hue’ look that shines like over processed, day-glow toxic waste, especially when you’re under the spotlight, then don’t panic.  Simply shampoo the hair normally, run to the cupboard, get your bottle of tomato ketchup and smear generously on the ‘greeny’ bits.  The red in the ketchup acts as a toner when left for ten to fifteen minutes - depending on the darkness of the green - rinse and condition.

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