Hair Extensions World Record?

And you thought your extensions were a handful!

As kids, we all loved browsing the pages of the family “Guinness Book of World Records” and I clearly remember the lady with the crazy long hair that wrapped down a staircase. Well, Alastair Galpin of New Zealand has decided that while that record is difficult to beat (because it would take a lifetime!), adding 5 meters (16.4 feet) of hair extensions to your head and keeping them in for 6 weeks would be better.

Attaching 5 meters of hair is no laughing matter though, and has serious safety concerns for the record breaking hopeful:

I really have to be careful with it for reasons beyond the norm. For instance, if it was to get hooked in any machinery or if it got caught in a bus door or something, I could be dragged down the road by my hair and break my neck.

Keep an eye on this space and we’ll let you know how Alastair is doing as we learn more. To read the original story, click here.

Hair Salon Tips For Sluggish Business

Business is slow all over for many salon owners as clients are going longer between cuts and scaling back on styles. With every down there is an up, and vice-versa, but it does look as though things may be sluggish for a while yet.

Hair news site Behind The Chair has a great article this month on tips to survive a (dare we say it) recession. We’ll list the first one here, but then head on over to BTC for the rest of the goods - you will need to register for a free account.

1. Spread the love
Many salon leaders think that traditional advertising is the best way to attract new clients. But the secret to new clients is actually sitting in your chair right now. That’s right, existing clients are the very best way to build your books. First of all, your clients love you, and if you simply let them know that you have some openings in your schedule and you’re trying to build your business, they will be more than happy to help. Secondly, you love your clients, so what would be better than to ask them to bring in people just like them? One important tip—be sure to reward your existing clients (with a free add-on or product) when a referral comes in. That’s the way you spread the gratitude…and the love!

Check out BTC’s article on surviving a slowing economy here.

Donna Bella Milan to Offer FREE SHIPPING in October on all Hair Products

Park City, UT October 1, 2008 – Donna Bella Milan has free shipping on all orders placed online over $75.

“We’ve been looking at other online models outside of the hair industry, and we thought we’d give our customers a break while we did some testing” Derrick Porter said. Porter is the president of Donna Bella Milan.

According to sources at Donna Bella, the offer is currently valid through October 31st, 2008. The offer is for free ground shipping and handling to the contiguous United States on new orders of $75 or more. Sources also noted that standard shipping to Hawaii, Alaska and the U.S. Territories are billed at regular shipping rates.

When pressed as to whether the new offer would become a regular part of the business model, Porter explained “We’re all about passing savings on to our customers, but as many know, hair has become a very valued commodity and its price fluctuates daily. If we can make this offer work, we will, so long as it’s a win win for us and the customer.”

Orders can be placed through the online hair extensions store.

For more information call 1-888-HAIR-KIT (offer valid on web orders only) or visit Donna Bella Milan online at www.donnabellahair.com.

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Mailing Address:
Donna Bella Milan, Inc.
Park City, UT, U.S.A.
Phone Numbers:
Toll Free: 1.888.HAIR-KIT (424.7548)
Fax: 1.888.HAIR-KIT (424.7548)

Nagi Noda, Pop Artist, Passes Away

Japanese pop artist and accomplished commercial director Nagi Noda has recently passed away. You might be wondering why we’d be posting this on a hair extension blog, but one of her most recent commercial projects was for “Hair Hats” and the work is absolutely stunning. Take a look:

Ivan Zoot Smashes Three Guinness Hair Records in Record Time

Ivan Zoot, Director of Education and Training at Andis Company, decided he wanted to raise some money for charity, and break a few records in the process. In just 24 hours, Zoot managed to provide a top rate hair cut to 340 patrons. The previous record stood at 300. Zoot was under the close scrutiny of Guinness judges and was not able to simply sheer heads. He had to perform complete haircuts with approval.

Zoot also managed to break two other records - the fastest haircut, in which he clocked in at 55 seconds, as well as the most haircuts in one hour - which had stood at 23. Zoot destroyed this record, giving 34 haircuts in his fastest hour. “These incredible results show that the Andis revolution cutting system, perfected over ten years, is superior for improving haircutting efficiency,” says Zoot.

Children with Hair Loss and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas are the recipients of the charitable funds earned during this event.

To learn about the Andis Company please visit www.andis.com

9 Fall Hair Trends to Watch for

The blazing heat of summer is past, September glow is upon us, and the fall change is right around the corner. Road trip to Vermont anyone? Fall is not only a beautiful time in the changing seasons, but style has its most dramatic shake up as well.

Hairstyles for the fall range from short and clean, to a shaggy mess, with everything in between. As expected, extensions are still a huge part of the hair fashion mix this year, with super long extensions being a favorite choice for many Hollywood beauties.

Beauty Launchpad magazine has an interesting article this month on 9 trends to look for this fall. Here’s a clip from the article:

“This fall is about having an edge to your styles in order to balance out the super-feminine fashions,” informs Dean Banowetz, Joico celebrity spokesperson and lead stylist for Fox’s
smash hit American Idol. “They’re classic yet edgy, and detailed without being fussy. Length isn’t a factor for fall—both short and long hair are hot topics—but the training required to bring any length and style of hair to life is a must. To this end, classic haircutting shapes are key.”

Click here for the full article.

Donna Bella Milan To Release New Hair Extension Products

Donna Bella Milan's 22" Hair Extensions

Park City, UT August 11, 2008 – Donna Bella Milan has announced it will be releasing a new hair extension product to further fill their line-up. On September 1st, 2008, 22” silky straight hair and 22” body wave hair extensions will become a permanent part of the Donna Bella Hair I-Link collection.

“We get a lot of requests from stylists all over the world, and one of the most common was clients demanding longer lengths for our current I-Link collection,” noted Derrick Porter, Donna Bella Milan President.

“At Donna Bella, we’re always trying to innovate and be a great source for all our clients’ hair extension needs. If we can help them by providing a source for their product needs and put it all under one roof, so to speak, we feel that’s something we should take seriously,” Porter concluded.

Previously, stylists and Donna Bella Hair patrons could purchase hair up to 20”. When asked about the industry trend to offer longer styles, Porter pointed out that “As hair extensions move up past the 18” mark, the hair becomes more difficult to source and for most companies, this is where you see their synthetic products kick in. Because of continuing requests, we felt it important to continue our excellent 100% remy human hair product up the line to 22” length.”

Donna Bella Milan also plans to release longer lengths with their other styles, but those products and dates are not being released at this time.

The 22” I-Link hair extensions will be available for $45.00 per pack, with each pack containing 20 strands, and with each strand weighing 1.0 gram. The hair extensions are 100% human remy hair and can be purchased online from www.donnabellahair.com or via their toll free hotline 1-888-HAIR-KIT.

For more information please visit www.DonnaBellaHair.com.

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Mailing Address:
Donna Bella Milan, Inc.
Park City, UT, U.S.A.
Phone Numbers:
Toll Free: 1.888.HAIR-KIT (424.7548)
Fax: 1.888.HAIR-KIT (424.7548)

Hair Extensions as Horror Movie?

Never thought I’d see this, but I suppose I’m not surprised! A new Japanese Sci-fi movie has hair extensions at the center of its twisted plot. Story follows two sets of characters who each have contact with the hair - one who knows where it comes from, and the other ignorant of its source.

Here’s the synopsis:

HAIR EXTENSIONS (Ekusute a.k.a. EXTE: HAIR EXTENSIONS, 2007)
35mm/108 min./Color/1:85.1 Flat/Japanese language, English subtitles/Unrated
Japanese customs agents discover a huge amount of human hair along with the bald corpse of a young girl. The dead girl’s hair begins to grow, which arouses the curiosity of Yamazaki (Ren Osugi of AUDITION, CURE, and ZEBRAMAN), a mortuary employee with a hair fetish. Now a mad hair-peddler with an endless stock of locks, Yamazaki hocks his wares to salons to be used for hair extensions.

Meanwhile, Yuko (Chiaki Kuriyama of KILL BILL Vol. 1 and BATTLE ROYALE), an up-and-coming hair stylist at the Gilles De Rais hair salon, is entrusted with the care of her timid and frightened niece Mami (Miku Sato) whose body bares the signs of abuse. It’s not long before death surrounds them and their extension-wearing clientele. The hair seems to have a life of its own, along with lethal and vengeful intentions. Now Yuko and Mami must untangle the mystery before more deaths occur. Directed by Sion Sono (SUICIDE CLUB), HAIR EXTENSIONS will make your hair stand on end!

EXTE: Hair Extensions will be showing at select theaters in cool cities crazy enough to showcase such a nutty flick! Check out the film’s website (in Japanese) here: http://www.exte-movie.jp/

Upcoming BBC3 Documentary Explores Hair Extension Origins

Can hair extensions be ethical? In short: Yes…

Although the long answer is a bit more complicated. At the end of the day, it’s all about where you get your hair, or rather, where your hair reseller get’s their hair, and what they guarantee. Make no mistake however, it’s a hot topic, and one that British pop star Jamelia has tackled in the upcoming BBC documentary Whose Hair Is It Anyway?, which examines the origins of hair used for extensions in the UK.

At Donna Bella, our hair is always 100% real human hair, and is authentic Indian Remy. While the documentary at first may seem critical of this practice of purchasing hair from Indian temple high priests who shave their patron’s heads, there is a glossy finish on the practice as these priests then take all the earnings and put it back into the temple community to feed and clothe the needy.

Regardless of what brand you use, we encourage all stylists and consumers to do their homework and learn where their manufacturer of choice acquires their hair. If they don’t know, demand that they find out and tell them you’ll take your business elsewhere. Like any hot commodity, hair is both ethically and unethically obtained, which is highlighted in the upcoming documentary.