Yup. I got them. It’s kind of crazy and something I’ve never done before, but I thought to myself, for once in my life I want Blake Lively-esque hair. So I took a deep breath and asked Dominique (our resident beauty aficionado ) to show me the way. She whipped out her ‘gram and revealed a sea of Victoria’s Secret model worthy photos and gave me strict orders on exactly what I needed and how long I should get them and who I should talk to.
First things first, I went in for a consultation. We spoke about what my hair goals were (thicker please!) and we did some color matching, then I made an appointment to come back. On the next appointment she colored my hair so it would seamlessly match the extensions we’d picked out… I don’t know if that’s what typically happens but that’s what we did and I’m so glad. Everyone –literally everyone– who asks about my extensions can’t believe how well it matches my hair color and that’s because we took this extra step. At the end of the coloring appointment I made another appointment for the final step.
As you can see in the video at the top, that process was a bit longer. Thank goodness the gals at the salon worked in tandem so the actual extensions process took about two hours versus nine million. My extensions are bonded, meaning there’s like this tiny bead of glue (for lack of a better description) that they attach to strands of your hair with a little heat. It was a little irritating to have them working on it since I’m super tender-headed but not anything I couldn’t handle in the name of mermaid hair.
When we were done it was longer than I imagined and they suggested I just enjoy it for a while before they cut off some length. So I went to Spain and Hawaii both with full locks of glory and when I went back last week for a touch up they took it up to a more manageable, real-life length for me.
Truthfully, the week after I got them I thought I had made a HUGE mistake. The bonds were really tight and it gave me a headache. I didn’t like the way it felt to lay on them at night and I kept thinking that I might have just wasted a ton of money. But, after about a week or so I didn’t notice them at all anymore and I absolutely dug the heck out of having longer, thicker hair for braids and waves and impressive pony tails.
I worried that this hair might be really high-maintenance but the truth is that having this much hair actually helps me do less. The extra weight holds down my naturally frizzy locks meaning air drying is possible for the first time in my life.
What else can I tell you? How about the most common questions I’ve gotten since all this hair happened.
- How long do they last? 4-6 months depending on how well you care for them.
- Do they fall out? You have to be careful with how you brush your hair because you could snag them and rip one out. They were also put in with heat so you could accidentally remove one if let an iron stay on the bond for too long.
- Do they damage you’re hair? I honestly have no idea. My understanding is that bonded extensions are the least damaging, but since I’m a newbie here I can’t say for sure. I’ll have an answer for you in four to six months
- How much does it cost? A million, billion dollars. Seriously, it’s pricey (at least in LA) so get recommendations from friends and shop around
