How COSMO’s Beauty Editor Got Hooked on Hair Extensions – for REAL! featuring easihair Pro by Fascinations, your leader in quality wigs, hair extensions & hair pieces, Cape Town South Africa
I am addicted to hair extensions!
You see, I have not been blessed with thick, flowing tresses. I like to say all the hair was given to my sister – curly, robust and a lot of it. Me, on the other hand, have fine, soft, slightly frizzy locks, and it likes to break at the first waft of peroxide.
The result has been a lot of time and effort spent on keeping it light (I will be blonde) and a lot of product trying to keep it full, shiny and glossy – as a beauty editors’ hair should be, obviously. But the truth is, because of my choice of colour, my hair takes forever to grow – it tends to break as fast as it grows and I’ve decided to keep it chopped at shoulder-length. It’s just the best choice for everyone involved.
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This all changed when I came across the brand Easihair Pro and their tape-in hair extensions. It is important to know that I was sceptical in the beginning. We all know about the damage caused by extension glue, clips and bonds. It takes hours to have them applied or removed and I was worried that you would be able to see that I was wearing extensions (I had a short-lived relationship with a set of clip-in extensions). Plus, I was going to glue someone else’s hair to mine. It’s a little strange if you think about it too much.
When I sat down at Spoilt Hair & Nails in Green Point for my first consultation, I peppered Jolene, my hairstylist, with questions. She explained that the extensions are 100% cuticle-intact Remy human hair (aka the best-quality hair out there), the glue is safe and non-damaging and, with proper care, they would easily last six to eight weeks. She whipped out a chart of hair shades (there are 29 shades to choose from) and matched mine to a lovely shade called Butterscotch, that was surprisingly accurate.
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How it all works
Once we decided on the shade and the amount of boxes I would need – we decided on three as I wanted length and not just fullness – I was lead to the basin to have my hair washed with a clarifying shampoo that prepped my strands for application, allowing the glue to properly adhere to my hair. That was followed by a blow-dry and then I was ready to be tapped. Each extension consists of two hair pieces that acts as a sandwich – the first piece is taped on top of a selected section of hair and then the second taped on the other side to seamlessly blend with your natural hair. All in all, the entire process takes a very speedy hour and 30 minutes.
What I think
I was really impressed with how quick and easy the entire process was but what really blew me away was how great it looked. People noticed that I’d done something but didn’t know what and I loved that. It was long, full, bouncy and just perfect. My husband commented that ‘you finally have your mermaid hair’ and a fellow beauty editor remarked on how my hair had grown ‘so fast and so long’ since she had seen me last. The colour match was perfect and there was no way you could tell that it was not my own hair.
But the biggest surprise was how easy the upkeep of my new hair was. I went from washing my hair every day to every third day. My blow-dries now last twice as long, styling it is super-easy and dry shampoo really is my best friend. I also feel like the extensions act as a ‘shock absorber’ to my natural hair, helping protect against heat and environmental damage, and allowing it to grow longer a bit more effectively.
While the hair extensions are being applied, you also receive a lovely hand massage.
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The aftermath
About seven weeks later I phoned Spoilt to book my removal and reapplication – I was in no way ready to say goodbye to my new locks. They were removed in less than 30 minutes with an alcohol spritz that dissolved the glue, and oil was used to slide out any leftover bits of glue. Next they washed, dried and re-taped my extensions (or my ‘preciouses’, as I have taken to calling them – insert Gollum face here). And they were good as new.
This is my hair seven weeks later and a day before having my extension removed and re-taped.
Try the easihair Extension Shampoo (R95) and the easihair Leave-In Conditioner (R97) that I used on my extensions.
Things you need to know:
- You treat your new hair the same as you would your normal hair. You can curl it and straighten it – just make sure you use a heat-protector.
- Don’t be afraid to brush it – it will knot and I highly recommend that you invest in an easihair Pro Hair Brush (R79, see below) specifically made for hair extensions.
- Stay away from products with lots of oil and alcohol as these ingredients will degrade the glue. Invest in extension shampoo that is formulated to be gentle on the bonds.
- Be gentle when you wash your hair – don’t rub but rather gently work the shampoo in-between the bonds and then milk the product through your strands.
- You need to consider your natural hair texture. If you have very curly hair, the upkeep might be a bit more high-maintenance in terms of blending the two textures.
- Towards the end of your six-to-eight weeks of wear, one or two piece may become loose and fall out. This is normal – don’t panic. Just take them along when you have them reapplied.
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The cost
Prices change from salon to salon, as well as the length of the extensions (30cm to 40cm) you want but, on average, one box of easipro Hair Extensions (each containing six wefted panels) will cost around R1 500. Reapplication ranges from R400 to R800 per box.
A very special thank you to Spoilt Hair & Nails and the lovely Jolene. She really is the best! Check out their website and you can also contact them on 021 434 7112 or 082 5685378 for a consultation.
For more amazing hair transformations, follow easihair Pro on Instagram and check out its website.
Best Hair Extension Shampoo in 2020
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