Feather hair extensions. Say what now?

It's a hair extension trend that has been catching on like wild fire lately but I am not impressed with Feather hair extensions. More like hair accessories, feather hair extensions  have been seen in the hair of rocker Steven Tyler and singer Kesha, who  have both credited for making the product sought after. Go figure!

The feather hair extensions come in various colours much like hair extensions as we know it. Colour range from violet, to brown to neon pink and green. Whatever colour outfit you are wearing on a particular day can easily be matched with these  feathers.
Feather Locks, touted as the orginal feather hair extension (can't believe someone wants to debate that)   has been known to sell out on a daily basis.  Their feathers ,  its website says,   " come from the highest quality source and incorporate texture and color to add highlights to your hair."
The company's Facebook page is liked by 25,381 as of today  Mint, Ocean, Lemonade, Lava, Dune and Lipstick are just some of the "shades" they offer to buyers.
Collections include Tie Dye, Holiday and Premium feathers.

Much like hair extensions  feather pieces can be added to the hair using the strand by strand technique  (a small section of the hair  is threaded into a clamp close to the scalp and then closed) or by clip-ins (Please read my post on clip-ins).
The pieces are sold in lengths ranging from 8 to 16 and come in packs of 1 to 100 pieces.
The variety is wide ranging . Some  stores sell shiny feathers, others glittery and I swear I saw a 3 D version
The price of the feathers vary  but the figures have increased given its popularity.Rooster breeders are said to be overwhelmed with the demand for feathers , hence the price hike.
Personally, if I am going to put any feather in my hair as an accessory  two  is enough and five  is pushing it. 100 feathers? Well put me on a stoop and wait for me to  crow!!
Please try not to laugh to much when I tell you that the feathers can also be washed, blow dried and heat-styled  just like human hair pieces.
Some feathers can be braided into the hair but it is recommended that the braid be done every three to four weeks.

It would take me a lot of convincing to get wear these feather extensions in my hair without feeling ridiculous about it. Maybe on a dare.....okay maybe not.

My top 5 favourite celebrity hair extensions

Whenever I see a photo of a celebrity , whether it is in a magazine, a website or television, the first thing I look at is the hair. I can pretty much tell by now who is wearing a weave, a wig -- be it full lace or lace front wigs  or a hair weave . Mentally I note my favourite hair extensions on the wearer and my least favourite. Today I present my Top 5  favourite celebrity hair extensions picks.  Look out for my Top 5  "What were they thinking" celebrity hair extensions in an upcoming blog.
Number 5 - Serena Williams - When she wore braids I was one of the many people to turn up my nose at the ghastly sight. But Serena has really pulled herself  together (okay, her stylist did) and now wears some  impressive hair weaves and wigs. There was  that  recent citing of the popular tennis star in what looked like a bald patch  in her lace wig, but her hair extensions in these photos  are what placed her on this hot list.
Number 4 - Gabrielle Union - Dwayne Wade's new main squeeze, Gabrielle has admitted that her full and beautiful lengths are made possible through hair extensions.  I love the way the The Daddy's Little Girl  tosses it up now and then colour-wise. Some days her lengths may be black , other days she does honey-blonde - either way she wins!
Number 3 - Vanessa Williams - How many of you thought Vanessa  was rocking her real hair? My two hands would have been up with you if I didn't read an article  about her love for clip in pieces . She wears the pieces, she said, to  add body to her naturally thin hair. The clip ins also allow the singer and actress to do some beautiful colour blends.
Number 2 - Chaka Khan - Call it a messy top, I beg to differ. Chaka's hair seems to grow wider every time we see her and therein lies the reason I love it so much. Talk about hair extensions with attitude, Chaka  literally turns the volume all the way up and occasionally adds punches of red colour to keep her look funkified.
Number 1 - Beyonce - It should come as no surprise that B would be at the top of my list. I mean this is a woman has, in my opinion,  singlehandedly changed people's perception of wigs - in particular lace  wigs.  Google the words  ( lace/lace  front wigs)  and tell me whose photos come up. Women who once dismissed wigs as fake hair have been singing their praises since B made them so stylish.

Of sew-ins, headaches and "sew" easy clip -ins

In my December 13 entry I blogged about clips ins following my experience as a ENV clip-in store demo model for a day. These days I am creating and wearing my own beautiful clip-in pieces.
I would love to hear from veteran hair-weave wearers on this,  but lately I have really been  experiencing a lot of headaches from  my sew in hair weaves.
 No matter how loose my braids are I still end up with really unbearable headaches hours after a sew -in.
Two weeks after I permed my real hair I really started craving a weave but I dreaded that sew in. I thought about curly clip ins but I didn't want to pay the price for it .For months I searched desperately for the wig clips, as they are officially called, but with no luck. It is amazing how a simple conversation with a friend brought my search of those wig clips to an end.
The clips come in packs of two and were surprisingly inexpensive. I bought my wet and wavy French Wave hair  and late one evening took my time and sewed on my clips neatly to the weave hair wefts. One of the benefits of making your own clip ins is that you can actually cut the wefts to suit the style that you want - whether you want a long the extension long at the back or shorter at the front. You can also double up on wefts by sewing one on to the other before adding your clips, if you require more volume.
The finished product looks professional and if you really take your time it looks store bought . Honestly though, if  you can sew a button on a shirt , you can sew on your clip in.
Another benefit of the clip-in hair piece  is that you can wash your own  hair as often as you like since you only have to take the extension off , wash your hair, and replace it. Best of all it is easier on the scalp than sew ins - once you don't go to sleep with them, in which case they are as comfortable as sleeping with rollers!
Wig clips come in different sizes to satisfy those with thick, medium and fine hair.

I am really on a roll these days and have trying to hold myself back from stocking up on hair and clips. Apart from my wet and wavy clip-in I also made a straight long one. I am thinking next about a bob clip- in and a blonde hair piece Hey the options are endless,  why should I  stop at four?

Read my December 13 entry for more about clips-ins and how they work.

Your hair extension questions answered - You asked for it!

They say in business the customer is always right. Well in the case of blogging, the readers, too, are right.   Ever since I started this blog I have been bombarded with  questions from readers pertaining to hair extensions. Today I will answer some of your questions.

Rhona asked -  I want to buy hair extensions but which  lasts longer synthetic or 100 per cent human hair?

Rhona, it all depends on how you take care of the hair, be it synthetic or human. However, sweat and the sun can do  a number on synthetic hair changing the look of the hair considerably and cause it to mat.  100 per cent human hair can stand up to most conditions once you are using the right products. If you are going to try synthetic hair extensions I won't recommend that you wear them  for more than six weeks.

Matted hair extensions

Cicely asked - I just changed the colour of my own hair, can I dye my old synthetic hair extensions to match it?

Cicely, that's a no. Unlike human hair extensions, synthetic pieces cannot be coloured. You may want to go hair shopping though since the variety of hair colours in the synthetic  range is wide compared to human hair.



Jessica asked - Because of hair loss I   have had to shave off all my hair. Can I wear a half wig to hide my bald head?

Jessica, try a lace front wig instead for full coverage and a natural look since hair wigs are to be worn in the middle of the head and are for wearers who have hair.
 If you are worried about people seeing your bald head while you try the wigs, there are places you can go to to have your lace front wigs fitted in a private room.

Melissa asked - What thread is the best for weaving hair? Nylon or Cotton ?

Melissa, I have used both and I have always been a cheerleader for team nylon!  Unlike the cotton weaving thread, nylon thread does not knot up when weaving and also does not swell, like cotton thread, after you shampoo your weave. Another bonus is that the nylon thread gives a neater look because the stitches are almost invisible.

Nylon weaving thread

Cotton hair weaving thread

Karen asked - I want to weave my hair but I hate spending all those hours with sew in. What are your thoughts about gluing in the hair tracks?

Karen , I am all for gluing hair pieces in to save time, plus it makes for a   flatter and realistic looking weave. Bear in mind however that you won't be able to use your weave pieces again for a sew in given the mounds of glue that will be left on the wefts. Also, you should NEVER attempt to take out your tracks yourself  or you can also pull out your own hair.

Gluing or bonding hair

The tracks of her weave - don't try this at home!

I know it's been a while since we have done this together. But don't for one minute think that my love affair with hair extensions has come to an end , au contraire. In fact I have been busy watching, albeit with disgust, some of the weird things that have been happening in the world of hair extensions.
What's up with all that hair stealing in the US? I know hair extensions are in demand but if I want "hot" hair extensions I would certainly take a flat iron to it. Anyhoo, that's another blog altogether.
Earlier this week I was minding my own business when I happened upon a hair extension style that defied all common sense.
Any seasoned weave wearer would tell you that exposing  weave tracks is akin to committing a felony. There was the culprit  at a public office  that sees almost the same people-traffic as the bus station  on a daily basis.
Her jet black (1 B ) curly weave was shoulder length and looked decent  and neat if you were viewing said culprit from the back.
It was when she spun around to ask me for a pen that  I realised I was in on a real life weave crime scene. My eyes never quite left the  stark blonde (27) eight inch straight weave piece she affixed to the the front of her weave during her pen conversation. Nor was it lost on me that she looked like a parrot when she pressed me further for help in filling out a form.
People let's get this straight, if you're going to add a bang at least ensure that the hair you're going to use is either the same texture of the rest of  your weave  or at least same colour!  And please don't stick your weave on and make believe that people are making believe that the weave track they are seeing , by some stretch of their imagination , is a part.
Weave tracks are to be hidden, either by your own hair or by a store bought closure (read my blog on Wigging Out to see what a closure is).
I am worried now because on my way out of the public office I saw yet another chick wearing the same style, same blonde weave piece with the track in full view.
I have tried different weave trends  before, just to see how they work, but honestly this is one  trend that I hope will never catch on! Don't believe me? Check out my photos. 

Wigging out!

So I made my first wig last weekend. Yup, the only things store bought were the hair pieces and the wig cap a friend of mind tossed my way after she bought a wig kit and couldn't figure out what to do with it. Poor her; lucky me!
The wig cap featured an elastic band at the nape and netting throughout that made it breathable. Anyone who has ever done a sew in weave would find working a wig cap elementary, as I did.
At first I had to admit that I made a mess of things. I took my time sewing on the hair pieces row by row (I used the Ultimate straight brand in 12 inches). But when I was done and I tried it on I realised that something was horribly wrong - the back was the front and...well you get the idea.
Serves me right for holding the wig cap in my hand and sewing on the pieces blindly rather than placing the wig on a mannequins head, which is the right thing to do in order to line up the hair pieces properly.
I should have known that something was up when the ear pieces of the wig cap touched the back of my ears rather than my temples. But you live and learn.
I got it right with wig cap number two.
I chose to create a wig with bangs because it's easier to do. Having not worn bangs in ages (my current wig collection is devoid of wigs with bangs), was another reason.
When I was done, I clipped in my Ken Paves bang at the top for added volume to my bang and for a neater closure than exposed thread. You can also buy those closures if you choose or sew the hair around into a perfect circle closure.
Church last Sunday was the perfect place to test my new wig. A lot of my lady friends couldn't tell what was different about my hair since I cut it to about a 9 inch - almost the length of my hair - and the hair was the exact colour of my real hair - 4/27.
One woman thought that I merely added my clip in pieces to my real hair, another commented that my hair looked fuller but no one guessed it was a wig -- that's a good sign in my book. One woman, upon revealing my hair secret, immediately placed an order to have one made out of Afro Kinky hair.
Making my first wig which I call Essiba, since wig makers always give their wigs names, was liberating and marked another milestone in my hair extension growth. I am already envisioning what my next wig would look like . Right now I am toying with the idea of an Outre French Wave in a 4/27 or 4/30. I will keep you posted on how that goes.
Until then here's how the wig turned out and what a closure looks like.