The Best and Worst in Hair Extensions 2016

Honeys, hi again. I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and you are ready and roaring for 2017! As I do on the last day every year, or at least I try to be consistent (doesn't always happen) , I look back at celebrities with hair extensions that made an impression on me and these who, well, didn't.

Thebomb.com  (HOT)

Gabrielle Union - GabbyU's long micro-braids really made me feel to endure nine to twelve hours to get the style. (Well, not really lol). But who wouldn't entertain thoughts of wearing braids again after seeing the Being Mary Jane actress wear her braids in a bun one minute, up and down the next and elegantly to the left.


Tami Roman - If you're a fan of Basketball Wives of LA, you are already familiar with Tami Roman's  hair extension game. With an official virgin hair collection that bears her name, Tami has no other choice but to bring it when it comes to her hair extensions. I am loving this kinky curly on her. How about you?


Taraji P Henson - As the Lyoness of The Empire,  Taraji P Henson never disappoints in her role as Cookie Lyon and always keeps it 100 with different hair extensions . She wears 'em long and straight, short and curly, big and kinky. When you're not watching the chemistry between Mrs Lyon and her beloved Lucious, check out her mane!

April Furman - You Tuber April Furman is well subscribed on the channel and  for good reason. Furman, who posts as Ms MuffinsIsMyLovers, not only reviews wigs sent to her by hair companies, she also makes them for her Gone With the Wind online wig store. Furman is mad talented with  her colour work and is the mistress of wig slaying ! Check out this red wig that she created.

Sanaa Lathan - I swear , apart from gaping the very yummy Michael Ealy during the movie Perfect Guy, my eyes were on Sanaa Lathan's  hair extensions. Big, bouncy and beautiful, that's the girl's mane game and I am a huge fan.

Bombed! (Not)

Reign Edwards -  Reign is a beautiful  young actress who stars on the Bold and the  Beautiful as Nicole Avant. It's a pity though that the stylists on the show can't get her hair extensions right. It doesn't help that they put on weighty extensions on her thin hair. The colour and texture of the extensions are also off and it is easy for those who don't know about hair extensions, to see where Reign's hair ends and the extensions begin. I wish they would just give her character  a full lace wig or a lace front wig, end of.

DJ Duffey - Another Basketball Wives of LA reality show actress, DJ Duffey really rocks those finger waves on the show. Her hair extensions , well that's another story.  Check out this wreck job. It's time grown women abort their baby hair plans, especially on hair extensions. Baby hair is for babies!!

Lil Kim - When BET honoured here for her contribution to rap, I didn't hear a word Diddy said in his tribute to her. That's because I was so distracted by Kim's greasy, tacky and stringy extensions. Someone needs to hook Kimmy up with Bey's hair person. Or better yet, give me the job!! :)

Essiwigs - the launch

Honeys!! I hope all is well with you guys. I have some good news to share with you -- I finally launched Essi's Heads Up, albeit low key and on Facebook and Twitter. You guys all know how busy I have been making wigs for my growing clients. I decided to take it a little further to offer my custom-made wigs to a wider market. I have also included BSS products and my custom-made clip-in- extensions.
I invite you to interact with me , ask any questions , order your wigs and clip-ins -- all  at my new digs https://www.facebook.com/essisheadsup/
Here's a sample of my clients, not the mannequin (lol),  wearing their Essiwigs.

Cheap hair ...good hair -- Sensationnel Ultimate Too Lovely WVG

Hey lovelies! It's been a while. Trust all is well. I have been so busy making wigs and things for my growing clients. I am grateful to God for this talent honestly because not only do I love making wigs , it has also become stress relieving !
I wanted to share my latest hair find with you if only to show you the possibilities you can achieve with .... how do I say it? Cheap or inexpensive hair .
I know that Remy and Virgin hair extensions are all the rage right now, and I love my Remy hair too, but what of those who can't afford high end hair -- like the student, the single mother  who wants wear a weave and still have money left over to feed her babies? Or how about that career woman who loves hair extensions but has other priorities like buying her own home or a car? I think you catch my drift.
I settled on this hair Sensationnel Ultimate Too Lovely WVG  a blended weave (which means human hair and synthetic) after walking around the hair store for a while. I was working with a tight budget and all the hair extensions that appealed to me were too expensive.
I was prepared to just walk out of the store empty-handed when my eyes fell on Lovely, not for the right reasons though.
I remember thinking that although I loved the way the hair looked on the model on the pack, I didn't like it for me. Something about the wave  never appealed to me.
My challenge was to make it pop. If you know me and my love for hair extensions, you would know that I never let cheap hair or the style bug me. Once the price is right, honey I make it work.
I chose the 1b 350 (black and copper red) because I have been feeling red and colours  in that family for a bit.
I bought a dome cap and it took me a week before I finally sat down to make this wig. Confession : I was dealing with buyers remorse !!!  Still,  I was determined to make this purchase count.
Since the pack of hair came with no closure, I had to make my own. I chose to do an invisible side part which i achieved by sewing the hair in a one  slanted direction at the top. It turned out surprisingly well considering that this was the first time I was trying this pattern.
The hair is sixteen inches and even though I wanted to cut it some at first, once I put it on I decided to keep the length. I razored the front though  -- really didn't want all that hair in my face!
I put it on with a little makeup and I have to tell you that I am in love with this hair. I love the colour on me and the hair is so light that I almost forget that I am wearing two packs of hair.
This hair retails for 17 US and 14 US in some places. It sheds a bit so do look out for that.
I hope that this blog entry drives home the point that whether your hair is cheap or expensive,  your goal should be to make the best of your purchase -- this include maintenance of the hair. For now the hair seems to love the World of Curls activator gel. You may have your own activator product in mind so give it a shot.
Let me know if you tried this hair and how it worked for you. Your feedback on what I did with this hair is also welcomed.  Cheap hair? What cheap hair?

The weave package 

My wig made with the Sensationnel Lovely weave