If shorter kinds have been just lately the second, XL lengths are having fun with a resurgence in response – each the pure variety and people artfully created utilizing micro bond extensions.
Inspiration is in all places – from the MET Gala, which was awash with ultra-long fairytale strands, to Nicola Coughlan serving up Pre-Raphaelite lengths in her latest SKIMS Marketing campaign. Then, after all, there’s Instagram. After a fast scroll, I discover myself including Dakota Johnson’s bohemian waves and Anya Taylor-Pleasure’s lengthy platinum mane to my temper board.
I am not ashamed to say that relating to my hair, I am simply influenced. Hailey Bieber debuts a bob, I e-book in for a chop. A Nordic blonde pops up on my Pinterest, and I’m reaching for the bleach, hellbent on emulating her.
With my Bieber bob rising out painfully slowly, and a few breakage from my most up-to-date blonde escapades, the concept of hair extensions began talking to me. The idea of getting lengthy, flowing lengths with out the wait was tremendous interesting, however I had some considerations about harm and making certain the tip outcome did not look synthetic.
With this in thoughts, I booked an appointment with Danielle Pink, director of Vixen & Blush, a modern, open-plan salon – all glass and pure gentle flooding in – tucked away on London’s Rathbone Sq., conveniently near Tottenham Court docket Street station. Vixen & Blush started as a one-chair salon over a decade in the past earlier than rising to change into the go-to vacation spot for pure hair extensions.
The session
We kicked issues off with a FaceTime session, throughout which Danielle and I talked by what I wished to realize – size being the first focus but in addition fullness – whereas making certain my hair didn’t really feel too heavy.
There are basically 4 extension routes to select from: tape, micro rings, micro bonds and clip-ins. We settled on micro bond extensions, as these are a extra everlasting and cozy technique and tremendous discreet, too.
It’s price remembering that Vixen & Blush is a specialist salon, providing extensions completely, so it’s necessary that you’re blissful along with your hair color earlier than reserving in. The appointment usually begins with a hair wash, however as I’d had my roots freshly touched up the day earlier than and briefed my hairdresser to not apply conditioner to the roots, we received straight right into a extra in-depth session.
My hair is round 14.5 inches lengthy, and we wished so as to add one other 2-3 inches in size in order that it could fall just under my armpit. The variety of micro bond extensions varies from ¼ of a head to ½, ¾ or a full head. However, as Danielle defined, in case you are including size, not simply fullness, a ¾ head of extensions is all the time the minimal really helpful quantity. I additionally did not wish to really feel overwhelmed by an excessive amount of hair.
Subsequent up: customized color matching. Vixen & Blush is exclusive in that The London Hair Lab, an unbiased firm that provides extensions in a variety of multi-tonal shades, truly sits inside the salon.