Make Your Hair Look Longer Instantly!

Last week I promised I would tell you how you can make your hair look longer instantly, so now it’s time to reveal my secret: Clip-in hair extensions.

As I told you in my very first blog post, I damaged my hair so much that it was unable to grow and it looked thinner than it used to. It just kept breaking off. I was determined to have beautiful hair for the holidays last year, and I began to think about doing something I’d done for my wedding.

Semi-Permanent Hair Extensions

I considered getting hair extensions again. Now, for my wedding, I spent hundreds of dollars to get real human hair extensions glued into my hair. There were several problems with this idea, though:

• First, I was very disappointed that the extensions didn’t stay in my hair for the 6 months that was promised by Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. The extensions would slide right out of my hair. Sometimes at work, I would look down and see an extension lying on the floor by my chair. It was ridiculous.
• Second, I was also assured the extensions wouldn’t damage my hair, but they did. They broke my hair off so that I had to cut my real hair even shorter.
• Third, I don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend every few months to maintain the look of the extensions.

Clip-In Hair Extensions

So, back to square one. As I searched the Internet for different solutions, I stumbled across the Jessica Simpson line of clip-in synthetic hair extensions. They were affordable, they looked like I could probably put them in easily, and they looked pretty.

Next, I did a search on YouTube for an informational video on how to apply the extensions. I found a video by a makeup/hair stylist named Jennisse, which was so detailed about the step-by-step process, that I knew I’d be able to do it myself.

(I’m sharing the video with you here. There are lots of Ken Paves-produced videos on YouTube that I could share with you instead, but the truth is that I get a kick out of Jennisse. She’s probably a Jersey Girl, and you’ll see why I say that when you watch the video. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL9sx-SSMr0)

I decided to make a visit to Ulta to take a look at them up close. The hair piece is all one piece, with the hair attached to a net-like piece that fits around the back of your head and clips into your existing hair with a series of clips attached to the netting. You simply comb the hair on top of your head up and out of the way, place the hairpiece around the back of your head, and close the clips on the sides and back of your head. Release the top portion of your hair, comb it in place, and that’s it!

I ended up purchasing the Jessica Simpson-Ken Paves 20-inch clip-in soft waves synthetic hair extensions. I bought them in R10 Chestnut/Light Brown. They are usually $99 but they were on sale, so I think I paid $79 for them that weekend. Here is a link to the product if you’d like to see it: http://www.hairextensions.com/product.php?productid=16356

So, how did the hair extensions look? See for yourself:

 BEFORE

AFTER

I’ve been very happy with my hair extensions! I don’t wear them every day, though. These are only for when I’m going somewhere special and want my hair to look better than usual. It saves me money on going to a salon for a professional styling, too.

Where to Buy Clip-In Extensions

The best places I have found to purchase hair extensions are Ulta and extensions.com. There are many other websites that sell them as well, and there are many brands besides Jessica Simpson’s, but I am partial to hers. I tried a clip-in extension that was made of human hair, and didn’t like how it looked at all.

How to Care for Clip-In Extensions

Clip-ins are very easy to care for. When your extension piece starts to look a little dull or matted, you just fill your sink with water and a gentle shampoo, swish your extensions in the water for a few minutes, rinse them very well, then use a hair pick to get rid of any tangles and lay it flat on a towel to dry. You can spritz it with a little wig spray to brighten it up. I clean mine every 4-6 uses.

Are Clip-In Extensions Safe for Your Hair?

Ironically, this past week, hair extensions made national news. Apparently, some women have experienced problems because of the use of hair extensions, including hair loss. This includes both semi-permanent and clip-in types, whether they are made of human hair or synthetic material. It would be irresponsible of me to not share this article with you:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/hair-extensions-beauty-trend-dangerous-beauty/story?id=14731624

As the doctor quoted in the article said, you really can’t wear these all day, every day or you may have problems.

My personal experience with clip-ins has been much better than with semi-permanent extensions. The clip-ins have not damaged my hair. However, I don’t wear them every day, nor do mine feel too heavy or uncomfortable on my head, and I’m careful to fully unlock the clips before I remove them.

I hope this blog post has been eye-opening for you. Let me know if you decide to experiment with clip-in hair extensions, even if it’s just for Halloween!

Next week, I’m going to continue on the topic of clip-in hair pieces. There are many more hairstyles available, and I want to share them with you!

Sincerely,

Bethany

Three Ways to Make Your Hair Grow Faster

Well, my chat with Christie, my stylist, went better than expected! She did say that she thinks if I grow it longer, it will just look thinner and that at some point, hair just stops growing. But she did acknowledge that my hair is in much better shape than last year, when she first started seeing me.

You see, I’d really destroyed my hair. I have fine, wavy/curly hair, and I had been blowing it dry and straightening it just about every day. I’d also highlighted it in an effort to hide a few gray hairs that were sprouting up in my bangs. From my ears down, you could actually see through it.

Christie helped me get my hair healthy. She made me promise not to blow it dry anymore or use any styling tools on it, such as curling or flat irons. I don’t wash it every day and switched to an olive oil cleansing conditioner. I stopped the chemical processing and instead started using Clairol’s Root Touch Up to hide those few little gray hairs when they appear. One year later, my hair is very healthy – not even a split end since my last haircut three months ago!

So now on to my mission of growing it longer. I’ve been hearing about all sorts of things that are supposed to speed the growth of your hair, and I’ve either already started using them or am going to start. Here they are:

Biotin

Last year, a woman at my pool told me about Biotin. She said that it’s supposed to promote hair growth. I actually began taking this nightly last year, and I do think it works. I used to be able to go 9 weeks between hair cuts. This was the perfect amount of time between cuts because my hair never got that shaggy, in-my-eyes look and my stylist wouldn’t have to cut my bangs too short, either. I hate that “It’ll grow out in two weeks and be perfect then” look.

Now I have to go every 4 weeks for a bang trim. So I do think that Biotin works.

Prenatal Vitamins

Last week, I was listening to the Kane Show on 99.5. A female caller revealed that she was taking prenatal vitamins because they make her hair and nails grow like crazy. Dozens of female listeners called in to say that they, too, take prenatal vitamins for the same reason, with no intention of getting pregnant. Well, I’m going to give it a try. Why not?

Coconut Milk

The August 2011 issue of Glamour magazine said, “Coconut milk helps the hair grow long and thick. Rub it onto the scalp, leave it on for an hour or so, then wash it out.” I bought some coconut milk and used it last week. After washing my hair, I towel dried it and poured the coconut milk over it. It felt thicker on my hair than it looked in the cup. I soaked the ends in it as well, then I pinned my hair on top of my head and put a plastic cap over it. I found I had to wrap a towel around my neck because the coconut milk dripped a little (annoyingly) from under my plastic cap.

Once I rinsed it out, my hair felt smooth and shiny even while wet. When it air-dried, it retained some of that shine, and it didn’t frizz at all. It even still looked good the next morning. Maybe it’s also a great conditioner, although Glamour didn’t say so. I will definitely keep trying this each week just because it made my hair feel so good!

What Really Works?

So how will I know which of these hair growth methods is working? I guess I won’t, since I’m trying all three at one time. I measured my hair, and right now it is 9 inches below my ears. I’ll measure in a month and let you know how much longer it is. Christie has agreed that as long as I have no split ends, she won’t cut anything off the length.

In the meantime, you are welcome to try any of these methods. Tell me if you are doing them, have done them, liked or didn’t like them. Do you have any other suggestions for speeding up hair growth? Let me know!

Til next week (when I’ll talk about how to make your hair look longer instantly),

Bethany

"I have never been happy with my hair."

There, I said it! It’s true. I’ve always wanted long, thick, straight hair – like one of the Kardashian sisters (if their hair was real). Instead, my hair has never been long enough, thick enough, and since it’s curly, certainly never straight enough. 

Recently, I was cleaning out boxes of photos and ran across some old pictures of me from 20 years ago. Guess what? I liked what I saw in those pictures! I now think my hair looked pretty when I was 25! Why didn’t I appreciate it back then? Here’s what I’m talking about:

I don’t remember ever having that much hair! Well, I definitely don’t have that now. In fact, it even seems like my hair refuses to grow. Here’s my hair now:

So I’m now on a mission: Have long, beautiful hair by next year -- OR finally be happy with the hair I've got! I’m going to try out different products or methods along the way that I’ve heard will help hair grow, make it healthier or generally improve it. I’ll also be trying hair products and styling tools that are supposed to solve common hair problems (like frizziness on humid days). 

I'll tell you all about my experiences here each week. You’ll get my opinion on everything before you spend any money yourself. Hopefully, you will benefit from my trial and error! Sound like a plan?

So, welcome to my journey! I’d love to have you along for the ride, get your opinion on what I’m doing, and hear from you if you try something I recommend. You’re my online girls, and like my real-life girlfriends, I want to know what you think!

Well, I’m off to see my hairstylist, Christie. I love Christie. She cuts my hair exactly like I like, except for one thing: Christie believes my hair is at its perfect length right now. So my first step to getting long hair is to convince Christie TODAY that we need to leave it alone and start letting it grow. Wish me luck!

Til next week (when I’ll talk about speeding up hair growth),

Bethany