To continue my beauty series of exposing all, this week we are talking about my hair. Now, it’s no secret I love my hair — I really do. In my opinion hair is the key to a fantastic day. When you have fabulous hair you feel your best and it radiates throughout your day. It makes no difference if you have tennis shoes on with sweats or how much you feel like a mess, good hair covers up so much. Hair has always been my thing. After I had Zelda, my hormones were in full force (if you’ve had a baby you know what I’m talking about), and I decided it was a superb idea to cut my hair off. And I’m not talking about a trim — I mean to my chin. As in a take off 18-inches blunt cut. And then while I was at it, I went out and bought a rabbit. You know, cause why not?! You ladies know how it goes if you’ve had a baby. Additionally, you could probably see this one coming, but shortly after I cut off my hair I realized, “O.M.G. I want my hair back. How am I going to do this?” I started exploring extension options and all of them were beyond expensive. I don’t know what this world is where people spend thousands on their hair, but I knew it wasn’t for me.

Shortly after Zelda’s first birthday, I discovered Amanda from Blohaute. After Amanda came into the picture my life changed in so many ways. Not only is she a hair genius, she is one the coolest girls you will ever meet and I’m lucky enough to call her a dear friend. She gave me back my hair, and she did it with tape in extensions. If you’re not familiar with tape in extensions, or even if you are, I’m telling you this is what you want if you’re even considering hair extensions. Hair extensions are a whole deal (like lash extensions) and it requires maintenance, and it’s not cheap. Voluminous, long hair does make you feel confident, if you’re looking for a boost. People get them for a variety of reasons beyond length. You may want them to add volume, add some color or dimension or even for a special occasion. Whatever the reason, they are awesome!
The Hair: If you’re going to get tape in extensions the hair is everything. You must get beautiful hair. If you get cheap hair, you’re going to look like you have cheap hair. It’s simple — this is not something you want to skimp on. I use Bombshell Extensions and I absolutely love them. I’ve been using them for over two years and the hair is beautiful, it’s soft, and the color is rich. I cannot say enough flattering things about them!  There are other wonderful options out there too, but always make sure you do your research, ask questions and get color matched. Take the time to get the right hair, otherwise it’s going to come out quickly and end up being a waste of money.
Cost: Tape in extensions are the least expensive method. It doesn’t mean they’re inexpensive, but they aren’t going to cost you two or three thousand dollars or require you to sit in a chair for nine hours. The hair varies in cost depending on how many packs you need and what color you get. As a point of reference, my hair costs anywhere from $300 to $350. The actual install of the hair, again, will vary, but costs between $250 and $350.
Damage: One of the top questions I get asked about my tape ins is if they damage my hair. I can confidently say no, they do not damage my hair at all! The design of tape in extensions allows them to be super lightweight, coupled with the sandwich method used to place the one-inch adhesive wefts. They smoothly move down your natural hair as they grow out and are easy to remove if needed. It’s important to note that if you do need to remove one, do not pull it out! If you pull it out, you’re going to take your own hair with it. I know this is common sense, but it needs to be said. By simply applying rubbing alcohol to the tape it will dissolve the glue and the extension will slide right out, leaving all the rest of your hair intact!
Application: Application is everything. You need a professional who knows what they are doing to put these in for you. Another reason tape ins are ideal? They only take about 45 minutes to put in. Placement is so important and if it’s not correct, the tape in will start peeking through and begin to wreak havoc on your everyday life. It will be all you see and think about. Make sure you go to someone who knows what they’re doing. This is not the time to have your friend experiment on you, and don’t try to put them in yourself. Why? Because it’s going to look like that’s exactly what you did! The tapes are beautiful because they are flexible and invisible, so when placed in the hair correctly they move naturally and lay flat with your own hair. If you do have one that is driving you insane and needs a little adjusting, it is easy to do so don’t freak out.
After I get a new set of hair put in, I always get them cut and colored with my natural hair. You want them to blend perfectly with your own hair. You want to avoid a visible break from your real hair to the extensions. You can do this by having your hairstylist blend them. And then you’ll need to either color them to match your hair or tone them to get your perfect match. The goal is to make them one; you want everything to blend perfectly and naturally. Otherwise, it will look like you taped extensions into your hair, which is exactly what you don’t want to look like.
Here is a recap and some recommendations:
Buy high quality hair. I love Bombshell.
Have a trained professional put them in. I love Amanda from Blohaute.
After you put them in, get them cut and colored in your hair. I love Joseph Bartucci for the best cut, and Todd Kempton for beautiful color. Both are at Anthony Cristiano.
Remember you get what you pay for with this service. Last week I gave you the rundown on microblading, and what I said holds true here as well, you want to go to someone who knows what they’re doing. When you do, they wear beautifully. The maintenance is extremely low and once you do it you’re going to fall in love with the result, I know I did!