All about hair + extensions.

The story behind (my) hair.

If all this time you thought my hair was real, wavy and just voluminous - you've been fooled, my friend. Get your coffee ready because my hair story is p-r-e-t-t-y long and boring if you ask me but it's very much needed to be shared with ya'll. 

My natural hair color: Dirty blonde. However, because I liked doing the opposite of what my mom said I dyed it black (myself in the bathroom & yes I turned all the towels black as well as the cabinets hahah). I had black hair for few years then all the sudden at the age of 17/18 decided I want to be blonde so I went to some random, hole in the wall salon and paid to have it transformed to what I thought was going to be "blonde".  It's taken me over 10 years to have a somewhat healthy hair but my I am still struggling with length, thankfully extensions have been around for the lifetime as that is literally what makes me happy and confident! 

Let's talk hair extensions... 

Lots of people assume that everyone's hair is always natural as it's perfectly layered, dyed and blends very well. Let me tell you, you'd be shocked if you found out how many people actually do have extensions in - whether it's clip-on, saw in etc. someone you know has them and it's probably that one person that you think has gorgeous hair.
Since 15 I've had them all. 

Fusion extensions. These were the first extensions I was first introduced to as everyone around me had either a pink highlight of them put into their hair or had a full head of them. They're great extensions but I personally didn't want to take care of them, I mean honestly I am still shocked my mom even let me get them as she knew I don't take care of anything. They required low maintenance but I still could not do it so after 2/3 years I stopped getting them done. 

Tape-in extensions. These type of extensions were a huge hype in LA after I moved here and duh, I had to have it! These were pretty light on the hair and thankfully the amazing hair stylist I was already going to talked me into layering them so I was pretty happy. Remember this part because from here on my hair was finally recovering and becoming healthy! Taking care of tape-in extensions was pretty easy and consisted of making sure you go back to the hair stylist every 5 weeks to pull them back up and not use hair conditioner on the roots as the tape would become soft and lose. What I loved about them was that they looked extremely natural and thin while the fusion extensions were pretty thick after being put in. 

Fast forward to a few years ahead where I stopped using the tape kind extensions as I started liking the length of my own hair which was just a bit pass my shoulders. Because I wanted to have best of both worlds I had to figure out a way where I could have both - short and long at the same time which led me to clip-in extensions. 

Clip-in extensions. At this stage I was probably around 24/25 where I was mature enough to finally know what's good and bad for my hair, listen to my hair stylist, get familiar with hair products and actually take care of extensions. If you're not familiar with clip-in extensions they come in ombré/one tone colors, are super light on the hair and look the most natural out of all. Best part about them is that you can unclip them whenever you want. I personally only use them when going to events, dinners etc. Throughout the week I let my hair breathe.

Tips & tricks for hair extensions: 

• If you've never had hair extensions I'd recommend clip-in type as that will give you flexibility of having them in or out. 
• I get my extensions from The Hair Shop. They have largest variety of colors, lengths and types. My clip-in's are around $200 for 18in and come in a package of 6 tracks that are spread out through the entire hair. It may sound a little complicated but your hair stylist will educate you on how to use them and clip them in so that they do not pop out of your hair! 
• If you purchase clip-in extensions make sure to have one of the representatives take them out of the package and match it with your hair color. To get the most out of your purchase I recommend committing to the current hair color for at least 6 months as the more you change it the more extensions you'll have to buy. 
• After purchasing extensions (& this only applies to clip-in) make sure to wash them and straighten them prior to going to the hair stylist for layering so that it's fuller and not as pressed out of the box as when the day you bought it. 
• Let your hair stylist know that you still want to keep the length of extensions but add many layers to it (while it's clipped onto your hair) so that it looks natural when having them in. I refuse to have my hair cut at all during the process and make sure only extensions get layered based on layers of my hair. 
• Taking care of your extensions is a pretty basic process -- wash & condition at least once a month and apply a masque. Special brush for extensions is highly recommended as that will make them last longer.
• You can also get pretty creative and get a different variety such as bangs, pony tail etc. they literally have it all so that you no longer have to cut,damage or even dye your hair. 

P.s. You can shop all the extensions I've listed above on HERE from The Hair Shop and use code [SKY] for 30% off. They have quite a few locations around SoCal and even in Arizona, however if you do not know your shade yet I recommend going into the store vs. shopping online! The code is valid for purchases online, Hollywood, Orange County and New York stores!