The term “hair extension” refers to numerous techniques of enhancing ones natural hair by adding other hair to it. This “commercial” hair can originate from all over the world, usually collected for this specific purpose and comes in many lengths, colors and textures. Sometimes synthetic hair is used, depending on the technique and desired result. These hair additions can either be temporary, such as clip-in pieces and wiglets, etc. or they can be anchored to the natural hair in a semi-permanent fashion.

Methods for extending the hair vary and it seems there’s a new one everyday! Many extension artists will master several techniques. This is to more adequately service the different and particular needs of their clients. When choosing a suitable method, many factors should be taken into consideration. The “finished look” may be your biggest concern, but longevity, possible hair damage and ease of care are just as important.

Common methods are pole weaving, braid weaving, interlock, weft bonding, half braids, micro knotting and the hot glue technique. Using hot melt adhesive is sometimes known as “fusion” or “bonding”. This can be a little confusing at first (which is one reason for the lengthy dissertation). but don’t worry, we’re here to help you sort it all out.

A year and a half ago, I had my hair cut really short – about an inch or so all around. At the time, I thought it was farewell to long hair. I am in my forties, and somewhere in the back of my mind was the notion that age thirty-five was the cutoff point ( no pun intended) for long hair. But I missed my hair, missed being able to braid it or ponytail it or just wind it around my finger in idle moments, and so I let it grow again, to the point where it’s now right back where it started, two or three inches below the collarbone. This made me feel like a backslider, until I learned, just recently, that there was an epidemic of long hair on the runways for the spring collections. Almost all the supermodels showed up with silky, shiny, pancake-flat hair down to the waist or lower, and the jet-set ingénues-who-count quickly followed suit.

Long hair, very long hair, much longer than mine, is suddenly de rigueur. How did this happen, and where does it leave me?
Everybody knows you can’t grow hair like that overnight. There was clearly been a big run on hair extensions, falls and other additives, so I decided to go to see Rodolfo Valentin, a leading designer of high-end hair extensions and hair pieces.

Rodolfo Valentin is six-three, Argentine-born, flamboyant, and no more burdened with modesty than his near-namesake, Rodolfo Valentino. His shoulder-length black hair goes awfully well with his black boots, black jeans. and black velvet shirt unbuttoned to the waist. ” I do plastic surgery with hair”,says Rodolfo, whose business had doubled in the last year. As we speak, he is attaching twelve-inch long strands of hair to a customer’s head with keratin protein, seven strands at a time, row on row.

Rodolfo Valentin sells to the biggest salons in Manhattan and he does royalty in Europe, movie stars in South America, he loves hair…” the day I die, I would like no flowers, just lots of hair, hair, hair”…Rodolfo makes ponytails that come in three lengths, from eight inches to two feet long. He makes clip-on bangs, falls that are attached to headbands, and “umbrellas” to add fullness. He uses only real hair, every hair going the same way, root to end, and he buys only the best. “Italian hair is supposed to be the top”, he tells me. Next to Italian, he likes hair from Spain. Sweden and the Nordic countries provide his blond hair. He doesn’t much like Asia hair, because it’s “too heavy, too thick individually, and very weak”, but hair from India is fine, “thin and strong”. Blond hair is more expensive than brown, of course, blond ponytails run from $ 800 and his brunettes from $ 600. I ask him about my hair- could it be longer? “Absolutely”. It will be a sophisticated look for you to have very long hair, but with a limit, probably not more than six inches longer. Six inches would come down below my breasts. Could I really do that?. “You have a young look, and your long hair is helping you”.2010 Long hairstyles
Extensions, hair 2010 trend
Rodolfo Valentin Salon

Yes depending on your application professional and if they had been taken care of and they are removed properly.

What is your experience?

Where did you train?

What is your area of specialization?

What kind of hair do you use?

What kind of application do you specialize in and why?

In regard to extensions damaging your hair, letting someone style your hair that is inexperienced is not suggested. When a weave is done properly by a trained stylist and when you follow through with proper maintenance  it can help your natural hair to grow. Stay away from glue-in weaves. Personally I feel they are more damaging to your hair and don’t last as long as a weave. Keep your scalp as moisturized as possible with oils that you can drop in your hair between the weaves. This is always a good idea and it promotes hair growth.

In a recent interview with Essence, Ciara addmitted she cannot live without hair extensions: ”This may be very blunt, but I can’t live without hair extensions.It’s the truth! I don’t want to wear my [real] hair all the time because I want to protect it. What would the world be like without some extra hair? It would be crazy! I need my extensions; I love the drama. I love to be able to have fun with my hair and protect it at the same time.

So yesterday was the big day. I finally went to Queens to get another Brazilian blowout. I have naturally curly hair, which takes me a good forty minutes to blow out and flat iron. However, with the Brazilian Blowout, I can flat iron my hair in …we’ll say 10 minutes, fifteen tops. If I let it air dry it dries on the straighter side, and pretty much the treatment just loosens the curl, while helping the ends to seal and your hair to become stronger and longer. In all honestly, my hair never looks different when I get the treatment when I leave the salon (I’ve only done this twice). I look like I just had a really good blow-out. However, the test really is in a few days later when I wash my hair (you can’t wash it for 3 days after you get the treatment), and I try to do it myself. It really is a lot more manageable and healthier looking. It’s shinier and easy to style and just looks way better.

In the above two pics it doesn’t look like anything special. I didn’t put any product on it until today. But it’s straight.

Ok, now that I’m talked this stuff up, let me tell you some of the cons of this crap. Um, first off, last time I went I was charged $250, but this time they raised the price to $350. My stylist was like, Vell its becauze your hair itz past da shoulders (that’s me way of writing in a Russian accent). I reminded her that last time I came into the salon my hair was past my shoulders. She said it was the new rules. I thought that was lame. I am in the computer base. They should have told me that before I hoped on the freakin train. They also raised the tax on my products I think because last time I only spend $50, but this time I spent $70. Now I would have ordered it online or looked at a Sally’s to see if I could find my beloved sulfate free Keratin shampoo and condition (which I highly recommend). But the last time I was at Sally’s I didn’t see it (I should have gone to another one), and when I had searched online awhile back they were asking for the same price as my salon; the original price of $25. Geeze. It’s a good thing that I try to carry extra cash because if I hadn’t yesterday I would have been in BIG trouble.

I don’t know I was pretty pissed about that. Also, I had asked to have a free consultation about extensions and whomever I talked to on the phone when I made my appointment was like, Sure. I reminded my stylist this when I was in her chair and she went to talk to the lady who was in charge of consultations. Then she came back and told me that I would have to have a consultation when my hair was back to normal. WTF WTF. Um, did I not ask for this consultation several weeks before when I called?? Why wasn’t I told this before I got all this damn Keratin in my head? At this rate I won’t sit down with someone till the summer, because even though the Keratin process is sopose to last three months, mine lasted from Early August to two weeks ago-no joke. I attribute this to using the Keratin shampoo and conditioner exclusively for the first two months and then when I did incorporate my older products (Jon Frida Brilliant Brunette and Pantene’s hair mask, I made sure I either mixed the products with the Keratin or followed my keratin shampoo and conditioner with one of my other products). I also (this is going to sound gross) only washed my hair once a week. I know, I know- that sounds really vile, but seriously, my hair looked incredible. My sister (who modeled for most of her 20’s) told me that models are often told not to wash their hair before they do shows or shoots because the more build up you have, the easier it is to make a style hold and your hair just has more body. I found this to be true. Fortunately for me I use that Nourishing Coconut Milk Hair Serum by Organix, which smells more like sugar cookies then coconuts. That, along with my perfume helped my hair not to smell.

I did get to watch a lot of women get hair extensions yesterday. It was fascinating. Some were having strands applied by heat, while one lady literally seemed to be crocheting the hair in (I think it’s called hooking or something). One woman was getting tracks place in, and the woman whose hair looked the best (healthy, highlighted and totally real), was I think getting Remylinks, but I’m not sure. It was bananas! This place charges $1000 and up for extensions that give length and a minimum of $500 if you want thickness. I am all about quality and it is your hair, but damn!!! I know if you don’t want to end up bald, you’re gonna have to find a good stylist that knows what she is doing and those girls did look good, but seriously, after being slapped with an extra hundred dollars (not to mention the extra cost of my products) and not being told to get my consultation BEFORE the keratin was placed in really REALLY turned my off against the place. I’m considering calling the manager. I am also considering finding another place to do the treatment. What sucks it that the blowout can be even more expensive other places. Oih- the things we do for our beauty regimen.

Nikki Mumolo

I love my new hair extensions!

This is so not swim related, but I had to tell you girls about this one young woman, Nikki Mumolo.

My wedding is this year and I decided to try some hair extensions.  I was so nervous about getting them (would I like them? would they look weird?  will they look really fake?).  She is so nice and fun to talk to, we were done installing them in no time.

I love my hair and I would encourage anyone who wants them for a special occasion, or to just keep for the long run.  I thought I might just wear them for my wedding, but now I’m thinking I might keep them in for a while until my hair can grow out.

Here name is Nikki Mumolo and her website is www.hothairextensions.net and her number is (562) 396-4247 (call or text) or email her at hair.extensions@myspace.com. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

Cerra Rosman

Know what I did with my precious down time this morning?? YOGA!!!

I love doing yoga at home, especially with the cats around. They are just too funny. Minou (our calico) is obsessed with the yoga mats and wants to be on them at all times. Britton is also pretty into yoga, so it was a family affair.

Then ate a bowl of delicious lentil soup I made with some home-made veggie broth… And then I spent an hour sewing clips into hair extensions. And I’m still not done. It was that, or tackle some of the invitations that still need to be addressed. I am so sick of looking at square chocolate brown envelopes, and I’m about ready to throw my gold-ink pen out the window.

As exciting as it is to be getting married in 104 days (but who’s counting?), I’ve gotten to the part of wedding planning where I have to do all the little, annoying, time-consuming, detail stuff. Yuck.

I am also starting to feel the pressure to “look my best” and that’s getting to me a bit. I have to be very careful not to become obsessed with my appearance. Brides put so much pressure on themselves!! Sometimes I need to stop and remind myself what the wedding day is truly about. I am telling myself that I want to start out my marriage as healthy as possible, and that means mentally healthy as well. I am trying to focus my attention on our future marriage, and not the wedding. The wedding is one day, the marriage will last a lifetime. Marriage is my mantra.

Well, it’s almost 2am and I’m quite sleepy. I also sense that if I don’t wrap up this post, it will turn into something long and laaaame.*yawn*

‘night!