With National Real Hair Day being this week on Tuesday, I decided to use this installment of “A Guy’s Point of View” as an opportunity to share what men, including myself, think about long, “fake” hair. We all learned in my last “Guy’s Point of View” Post that men prefer long hair over short… but does that include extensions and wigs?

As Lauren pointed out earlier this week, Tyra Banks kicked off the 5th season of her show by ditching her collection of extensions and wigs and went au natural throughout the entire show. Watching the show myself, I commended Tyra because she had used fake hair throughout her adult life due to modeling and hosting television shows “America’s Next Top Model” and “The Tyra Banks Show”.

My thought on hair extensions… they are part of the artificial things women do to make themselves look better. While they may make you feel more beautiful and confident, it is not the real you.

It’s simple: When women wear hair extensions, you want longer hair. When women wear heels, you want to be taller.

If you’re single and actively dating, you can get away with it in the dating world for a short amount of time, it will eventually catch up with you. The last thing you want is to get busy with a guy and he pulls out a track of your hair.

I asked some males on their opinions on fake hair, and their thoughts were very similar with mine. One said, “Like anything fake, in my mind, extensions, etc. look really good, but deep down I know they’re not real. And that diminishes them at least slightly.” Another friend took a more humorous approach when he said, “Anything past the shoulders just gets in the way.”

Let’s take a look and analyze come celebrities that have had real hair vs. extensions. First up is reality TV star Kristin Cavallari.

Looking at her real hair on the right, it is shorter than the extended hair on the left. But, there can be things done with the real hair. All she needs is some touching up near the roots to make it look one solid blonde color vs. the dirty blonde seen in the picture, and maybe a shape up and a good blowout. If she takes proper care of it while growing it out, it can look just as the picture on the left. Why did she get extensions? Well, sex sells. Kristin is the newest heartthrob on “The Hills”.

Next I must say something about Britney Spears. We all know she’s been through several train wrecks and is trying to get her life in order. We know she’s trying to grow her hair out after cutting everything off, but can someone either convince her to wear short hair or get better extensions? I know long, blonde hair is Britney’s image, but if she can pop out a few kids and still be a pop princess, surely she can transform her hair and do the same. The picture above makes her look like she is performing at a county fair without makeup instead of performing at the Palace of Auburn Hills, where she was earlier this week.

Unless you are an actress, model, or preparing for your senior, prom or wedding pictures, then you are granted an exemption because it’s only temporary.

If you are in it for the long run, spend some good, hard money on perfect, professional extensions. You don’t want Lauren to trash talk you on her blog if she sees you with a base of bad extensions!!

My favorite teen fashion icon, Taylor Momsen, was caught posing with none other than trainwreck Mischa Barton on Tuesday night.

Apparently, Tyra’s National Real Hair Day caught Tyra’s attention only because celebs everywhere are showing up with extensions galore.

Taylor and Mischa attended a cocktail party for designer Kris Van Assche, hosted by GQ & Dior Homme, in New York on Tuesday night.

Mischa looks good, which I’m glad to see, and although I cant prove it, her hair is totally fake. On the O.C, her hair was very fine, and there is no way it got that thick and luxurious in the past few years, especially with all the “trouble” she’s been in. She’s also known for having Lindsay Lohan-esque extensions in the past.

Taylor, oh Taylor… the messy stringy look is oh so chic with your short rocker hair, but with your extensions, girl… it’s not workin. Good try, though.

PS… Taylor is only 16. And Mischa is a mess. I hope Taylor doesn’t turn into a trainwreck one day!!

A lot of the problems that we experience with our hair can be solved with the help of hair extensions. This may seem like a vast statement to make but think about it; a lot of us often wish our locks were longer or had more volume; extensions solve both of these issues as well as give you the option of experimenting with colour and shape. Think about it, whatever style you want to achieve for your hair you are likely to achieve with the help of hair extensions.

They allow you to wear your hair both up or down with ease and can easily be applied by a licensed professional hair extensions specialist.  If you do decide to have hair extensions applied there are a number of aspects that you need to keep in mind, one of these aspects revolves around the fact you look after your extensions in the same way that you would look after your natural locks. You can wash dry and style them quickly and effectively. However it is important to keep these following points in mind; you need to use extra moisturizer on your locks every two to three days, the reason for this comes down to the fact they don’t receive your natural scalp oils so they need moisture added to them with every wash. So what would happen if you failed to provide your extensions with the moisture that they require? Basically your hair would become brittle, leading it to break easily causing you to suffer split ends.

When you are washing or styling your locks, it goes without saying that you should always treat them with respect, this is a thought that is backed up even more when it comes to your hair extensions. Remember, unlike your natural locks they can’t grow back so pulling hard on them with a brush or burning them with a blow dryer could cause severe damage; they cost you a lot of money so make sure you get as much use out of them, rather than overly damaging them.

When it comes to treating your extensions with respect it is important that when brushing them you use what is known as a paddle brush and slowly work your way through the hair. It is important that you ensure you have all of the knots out of your locks before you wash them, go swimming or go to sleep.

Another important consideration to keep in mind where your extensions are concerned is the fact your natural locks will grow on average about 1 to 1 1/2 inches every six to eight weeks. When you have had your extensions in for this amount of time it is important that you return to your salon to have the bonds between your locks and extensions checked for damage; it is also during this time that your stylist will be able to remove the extensions and replace them if you want them placed back in.

Regular aftercare such as the above will ensure that your hair continually looks gorgeous and that everything is still ok with your bonds; this will also ensure that you get as much wear out of them as possible, so make sure you keep all of the above in mind when it comes to gaining hair extensions.

So Tuesday, September 8th was National Real Hair Day, as I’m sure you all are pretty sick of reading about…

Tyra debuted her hair, first soaking wet, right out of the shower, then dried straight, then curled (all done on stage by her fabulous stylist, Oscar.)

She talked about how when she first started out in this business, everyone was hush hush about their extensions, until her and Toni Braxton started talking about their hair weaves.

And she really emphasized the fact that extensions, weaves, and wigs are like hats… you need to take them off from time to time, and wear them to dress yourself up.

She said this, because she showed three girls on her show that were so self concious about their real hair that they had never shown it either ever, or since they were little. They hide under their extensions. She had the girls get styled and come out for a reveal, and they all looked fabulous. The theme? Dare to bare your real hair!!

Lets look at Tyra’s. (Taken from Perez… who was alos a guest star on the show!)

I love her natural hair curly like that… it looks fierce!

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Cold Fusion or Thermal Fusion for Your Hair Extensions

When looking into hair extensions it is important to choose the right attachment method for the look you are going for as well as the type of hair that you have. There are a number techniques from weaving, clip ins, chemical bonding, and fusion.

There are, however, two types of fusion and it is important to know the differences between the two if you are intending on taking this route to attach your extensions. These types of fusion are cold fusion and thermal, or heat fusion.

Both approaches do the same thing, except in different ways. For example, both cold and thermal fusion attaches the hair extensions on a strand by strand basis. This allows for excellent coverage and an extremely natural look because the extensions will fall naturally the way your normal hair does.

Because of the great amount of detail that goes into applying these extensions, in can take many hours to complete so it is good to understand that whether you are choosing cold or thermal fusion, you will be sitting for quite a while. The upside is that by maintaining extensions that are fused to your hair you can keep your hair extensions looking great for a longer period of time that virtually any other attachment method out there today.

Thermal or heat fusion uses a heat gun to melt the bonding agent that is at the tip of the hair extension. The tip will then fuse to your hair strand and will create a long lasting bond. Thermal fusion is a very popular way to apply hair extensions because they last a long time and can be applied very precisely to obtain exactly the look that you want. One drawback is that thermal fusion uses heat which can be damaging to your own hair if it is not done properly.

Cold fusion is a modern and revolutionary technique for applying hair extensions. Cold fusions uses ultrasonic waves, also known as sound waves, to soften the tip of the hair extensions and allows you to be able to bond the hair extension to your hair without subjecting your hair to the possible damages of heat. There is also no risk of burning the scalp with cold fusion so the hair extension can be applied much more closely to the root of the hair strands because there is no risk of burning.

DIY Hair Extensions – Home Page

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Clip In Hair Extensions Add Spice to Your Life!

Over the past couple decades, hair extensions have increased in popularity and are, today, treated much like any other self-improvement indulgence like blush and mascara. In fact, you probably know a number of people who wear hair extensions but you cannot tell.

Hair extensions can be worn for any reason and for any amount of time but for someone who is not sure whether they want to take the plunge or just want to do something different for a little while, clip in extensions are the best choice. As the name implies, clip in extensions use special clips to attach them to your hair as opposed to bonding agents, adhesives, or weaves. There are a number of benefits when using clip in hair extensions when compared to other forms of extensions.

One big attraction to clip in extensions is that you can do them yourself and in the privacy of your own home. Hair extensions that need to be woven, bonded, or glued cannot be put in your hair properly by yourself and have to be done by a professional who is looking closely at your head and hair. The only thing you need for clip in extensions is a mirror and the knowledge of what you want your hair to look like. With those simple tools, you can set about attaining the look that you want.

Another attraction is the fact that you can have the extensions for as long or as short as you want. Other types of extensions can take an hour to be put in and cannot be taken out by yourself. Going to the salon to get hair extensions in only to have to go back shortly after to get them taken out is not fun and can be expensive. With clip in extensions, you can put them in and take them out when and where you want.

Lastly, you can experiment with all sorts of different colors and other fun and funky changes. With clip in hair extensions, you can add any color to your hair easily and quickly and you do not have to worry about whether or not you are going to like it the next day. That pink highlight in your hair is not as scary when, if you do not like it, you can simply unclip it and remove it from your hair and not have to worry about putting dye in your hair or how long it will take to wash out.

DIY Hair Extensions – Home Page

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A Few Things to Think About…

A hairstyle is a pivotal part of anyone’s look and despite this fact, many people are unhappy with how their hair looks. While not every hair issue can be addressed easily, if your problem happens to be that you cut your hair too short or you feel that you lack a certain amount of volume, hair extensions can be extremely beneficial.

Using hair extensions can give anyone the ability to have almost any hairstyle that they desire easily and almost instantly. However, some things must be considered.

Firstly, it is important to decide what type of material you want to use. Depending on what look you are trying to achieve and on your budget, you need to make a decision on whether you wish to use synthetic materials or natural human hair.

Another thing that must be addressed is what sort of attachment you are looking for. For someone who wants to have a longer lasting set of hair extensions, use an invisible weave that bonds the extensions to the natural hair and can last up to eight weeks. Alternatively, if you are just looking to change your hair for an evening, using clip in extensions can easily be applied and removed in a matter of minutes.

Keeping your hair extensions clean and well kept is extremely important. When you decide to wear hair extensions, you need to take even better care of them than you do of your own hair. This is because there are a few key differences between your natural hair and the extensions. Because hair extensions are not growing, they do not produce their own oil so using a good leave in conditioner is a good idea.

Proper washing of your extensions is also important and should be done every day and after any sort of strenuous physical activity. To wash your hair extensions, you should make sure that you are using a high quality shampoo and using a downward motion to wash them.

Regardless of what type of hair extensions you use or what purpose you use them for, it is important to choose the right type and take proper care of them. Like anything else, if your hair extensions are not taken care of properly they can lose their intended effect. However, by taking good care of them, they can continue to provide exactly the look that you are aiming for for a very long time.

DIY Hair Extensions – Home Page

Me, and Britney... haha!

Yesterday, I went to Britney’s Circus Tour!!

I’ve been a Britney Fan since “…Baby One More Time” days, and I’ve been to all but one concert of her’s.

I know she’s back from the grave she dug herself a few years ago… and I’m very happy about it, but this was not her best show.

ANYWAYS, Britney totally didn’t get the memo about National Real Hair Day because her hair looked nastyyyy. I know the poor girl is still growing out her hair after her head shaving incident, but can’t somebody do something better about her hair? If Britney can’t do a concert with short hair (which she used to– back in the “Oops” days!), then somebody please do something to that stringy mess. (Love you, Brit!)

Lindsay Lohan is a major repeat offender in the “bad extensions” category!

I just don’t understand how celebrities can have so much money, power and fame, but cannot seem to get good extensions?? If I was their stylist, I would make sure to have them look as real as possible!

Here is, by far, the worst Lindsay hair I have ever seen. I have broken it down for you.

Lindsay's extensions... very bad ones.

In the above photo, you will notice that I circled the top of her head, or her “real hair”. It’s a faded auburn shade. You can still see some of her real haircircled below. A lonley shorter than the rest auburn strand. Is that supposed to be a “lowlight”? NO! It’s supposed to be hidden, I suppose. You will also notice the entire color change from her real hair to her extensions. Blonde? Really? If it was blonde and auburn, it might work well. But this, my friends, is just a HOT MESS.

More Lindsay mistakes: (theres a ton, but frankly, I only have time for a few!)

look around her neck. That's real. Hide it!

again, you can totally see her real hair. Blend it in!

If you want to hide your real hair, your best bet is to wear them with a curl. You can curl real and fake together, almost as if you are bonding them with heat and hairspray. Lindsay did that here: