Having wanted princess style curls ever since I first read Rapunzel, the offer to try Cinderella hair extensions was too good to pass on. I'd been curious about the process for a long time and decided this would be the time to lay my queries to rest. What state my hair would be in post extension? Would it hurt? How long would it take? Would it be natural? Read on to find out.
Click the image to enlarge
To start with I underwent a hair consultation. This involved the salon stylists checking my hair for quality, thickness and condition. A consultation makes sure that hair extensions aren't put onto weak hair which will break, wasting your time and money and messing up your hair. I was given the go ahead and then we were onto the important stuff- colour matching. If you want them to look natural it's necessary to get the perfect shade, and we decided to go with 2 colours of blonde for a nice textured 'real look' (they have 52 shades in total). You can also choose between straight and curly extensions, and I opted for the curly ones at maximum length of 23 inches. They went off to order them, and I waited a week imagining playing with princess style hair.
I returned to the Mova salon nervous and fidgety with so many questions. Where did the hair come from? What would happen to the condition of my hair? How would I do my roots? Everything was answered calmly and carefully and I was buoyed with coffee and magazines as the process started. Scroll down to the end of this article for answers!
They started by prepping my hair with a shampoo wash and then drying it straight, to give the extensions a clean surface to attach too. The lovely Holly told me she was going to attach approximately 5 packets of Cinderella hair (100% human and ethically sourced). Each packet has 25 sections- a number of strands attached to a protein bond. It basically looks like a length of hair with glue at the end, but the fact they use protein as opposed to other materials makes it gentler on the hair, and easier to remove.
Holly started by sectioning my hair (as you can see in the photo's) and working her way around the hairline, at approximately 1 inch. She would take a strand, and use something that looked suspiciously like a glue gun to melt the bond which she then pressed firmly around the hair. Then she moved onto the next one...
I'd heard horror of extensions taking hours and hours, but with just Holly working on me it took just 2 hours 35 minutes ( I timed it!). It looked fantastic once it was done, and I felt very glamorous.
Click image to enlarge
She gave me the special brush you need to use (it has looped ends so it doesn't pull out the extensions) and gave me instructions on aftercare. I was told not to wash it for three days to let the bonds settle and then always blowdry it when it was wet. This is to make sure the bonds dry flat so they don't look lumpy in the hair. An appointment for extensions at Mova always includes a follow up appointment, so two weeks later (usually a week, but I'd been away on business) I was sitting in the chair again.
This time we wen through the pro's and cons of styling my extensions and I was given some helpful hints. Because I had the curly ones put in I need to either diffuse them when drying or dry straight and use curlers to add some oomph. The fact that they're wavy means I don't need styling products- only the curling gel they gave me to spritz on to perk up the waves. I'll be giving you an update on living with them soon...
Q&A's
What do I do about my roots?
I was told that roots are no problem, as you just tell the stylist to work around them, and you can even just do your hairline if you're looking to save money. Phew!
Will my hair fall out when take them out?
No! Some hair will fall out but that's hair that you would have shed normally (people lose loads of hair every day- just check your hairbrush) but couldn't as it was trapped by the bond. So don't worry, you won't do bald after!
Where is the hair from?
It's ethically sourced that means the people were paid a fair price for it,
Will it hurt?
The first night will be quite uncomfortable as you won't be used to it, but then you'll barely feel it.
How long can I keep it in for?
You shouldn't keep them longer than 12 weeks as it will put too much strain on the hair.
I had Cinderella Hair Extensions at MOVA Hair and Beauty Virginia Water
15, Station Parade, Virginia Water, Surrey, GU25 4AE, Tel: 01344 843500