My Pros & Cons for Extensions

I'd wanted extensions for a very long time. I've thought about it off an on since I was about 14. I also have always done this fun thing where I randomly chop my hair and then hate it a month later. That's pretty much the story with this time. Last November, I chopped my hair (there's a previous post about this). I actually loved it for longer than a month. In, about, January I started struggling with my hair length. I started seriously looking into extensions. I'd followed a girl who was (is) AMAZING at hair and specifically extensions for at least the previous year on Instagram (@jz.styles is her Instagram name... seriously, check her out). Seeing her work is what made me decide I was gonna go for it and try extensions. 

I emailed Jessi to get her opinion on the type of extensions I should get. I knew I wanted something other then clip-ins. I sent her a picture of my hair at the time so she could see the length. I had been wanting to do beaded weft extensions, but we decided that tape-in extensions would be better for my hair length. Tape-in extensions are a bunch of different pieces instead of one long piece. All the separate pieces make it easier to place to hide the shortness of my hair (I hate when you can clearly see where a person's real hair ends and it's just extensions). We set a date and then my excitement just continued to build until my appointment came. 

My Before is on the Left and my After is on the Right. 

First, I'm gonna brag about Jessi. In my lifetime, I have trusted two people with my hair. The 1st was Whitney who did my hair for 3+ years (and then moved... still sad about this) and the second was Jessi. I am so protective of my hair, but after watching her for a year, I saw how much she truly loves what she does and she always does a phenomenal job. Also, a bit before my appointment, she had quit her job at another salon to pursue her dream of owning her own salon. She opened her salon JZ Styles Salon (@jzstyles.salon on Instagram) not long before I came in. It has been so fun to watch it grow into an incredible business. The environment is so friendly and comfortable. Plus, it's literally the cutest salon I've ever been in. Besides Jessi, there are tons of other talented stylists, lash artists, nail technicians, etc... that work there. It would be well worth your time to check them out.

Back to my hair... I left the salon that day feeling like a freaking princess (and about five pounds heavier--extensions are heavy). 

Some things I get asked frequently: Does it hurt to get extensions? No. They tug a bit on your hair to get the extensions close to the root but it's really not that bad. Are they expensive? Yes. But would you really trust hair that you got for really cheap? I like knowing where my hair came from and that it was properly cared for. Some hair extension companies that I would trust: Laced Hair Extensions, Bombshell Hair Extensions, and Bellami Hair Extensions. There are a couple more that I would probably trust, but I would usually always pick Laced Hair or Bombshell Hair. 

Now here are some things that I've since found out about extensions: First, it hurts the first couple nights when you sleep on them. It's definitely bearable, but it is a little uncomfortable. Second, extensions are so high maintenance. You have to use sulfate free shampoo because the sulfate will eat the glue used for the tape-ins and then you'll have hair falling out and no one wants that. You need a special brush--something like a Wet Brush so it won't pull the hair out (brushes like this are better for your hair regardless). You need hair oil to keep the hair as healthy looking as possible. You can't get conditioner on your roots or it can lubricate the tape too much (more hair falling out). Those are the main things that I can think of. You obviously don't HAVE to do those things buuuut... Why are you paying for extensions if you're not willing to maintain them?

One huge pro of extensions: they're fun to play with.

After the initial installation of my extensions, I went NINE weeks without moving them up. I definitely wouldn't recommend this unless you're okay with not being able to hide the tape AT ALL, but it is possible to go longer than six weeks without moving them up. The first time, I also used a purple shampoo by L'OREAL called Blonde Brass Banisher and I was super not impressed. It didn't tone my hair hardly at all. It still turned that fun yellow color. I just don't think it's a very potent formula. This is what my hair looked like right before I got them re-done:

They didn't look terrible, but I just didn't love the color. The second time around, I got Blonde Sexy Hair Sulfate-Free Bright Blonde Shampoo and for one, it smells AMAZING and for two, it works like a dream. My hair stayed nicely toned the whole time. And yes, I do use the purple shampoo EVERY time I washed my hair.

Speaking of washing my hair... Extensions put me and dry shampoo on a whole new level with each other. I try to wash my hair no more than two times a week, and sometimes I try to push it to once a week depending on how I'm feeling. This is why dry shampoo and hats are now my best friends. This isn't something you have to do, it's just something that I decided for myself. 

The second time around, I waited seven weeks to move them up. This was much more manageable and a good time frame for me. 

The next time we moved them up was when I decided to get blue hair, so before I move on to information about keeping your hair color vibrant, here are some more things I found about extensions:

It's a struggle to put your hair into a ponytail, let alone a bun. I think this is the thing that I've suffered from the most. I love top knots and I haven't been able to do them (without showing the world my tape-ins) since I got extensions. Maybe it is possible and I just need someone to show me how--who knows. One more thing, I'm convinced that having extensions makes my real hair grow faster. It's probably all in my head, but I swear my hair has grown like a weed since I started all of this. Let me know if anyone has any other questions about extensions!

Now on to an entirely different beast... 

 If you know me, you know that I LOVE trying crazy colors in my hair. I've done purple, red, pink, and I had silver hair for a long time. A couple months ago I decided I wanted to try another color...

I don't know the whole process that Jessi used, but this was the end result. I LOVED it! It was so fun and definitely eye-catching. Some days I still forget that I have blue hair and I go out in public and wonder why people are staring at me... Then I remember my hair. It usually makes me laugh at myself. Anyway... the color started to fade pretty fast (very typical unfortunately). Luckily, Jessi had told me about a company called Overtone. They sell conditioner and hair treatments that are specifically for keeping your crazy hair color vibrant (I wish I knew about them when I had my pink hair). Before buying any product, I read some reviews. Most of them talked about how you had to have the hair treatment as well as the conditioner to see a big difference, so I bought both ($45 about). Now that I have used them... I would definitely agree. The conditioner does help, but not to a huge degree. You are supposed to use the conditioner every time you wash your hair and then do the hair treatment once a week.

I bought the Extreme Teal color knowing that it would probably turn my hair a darker blue (they do have swatch colors on their website) and it definitely did:

Just with the picture above and this picture, you can see the huge difference in color. You do have to use gloves when applying the hair treatment. Even the conditioner turned my hands blue, so I can only imagine what the hair treatment would do to them. 

So, if you're looking for something to keep that crazy hair color perfect... I definitely recommend Overtone.

I easily get five compliments a day on my hair, but I have to say... I am getting sick of this hair color. I know that seems so crazy to be people who have just met me, buuut... I love matching. Like it's probably an unhealthy obsession. Because of this... I've pretty much resorted to wearing only black, white, and gray. I feel like if I wear another bright color--I just look like a neon sign. I am highly anticipating my next hair appointment. You will have to stay tuned for what's coming next (hint: it's very normal). 

There was so much to this post and it was a little overwhelming to think of everything, so if you have any other questions, please let me know.

Love you all! XOXO