1) Can we talk? Absolutely be sure to have a sit-down, thorough consultation BEFORE you show up for your hair appointment. It’s a real change in your day to day hair care, and it is a lengthy process. You should budget 45 minutes in which to learn from your stylist (or explain if you are the stylist) how the extensions will under the hair, how the hair will be cut and styled, how it will feel and certainly long term maintenance.

2) Style: After your consultation, or during, make certain your stylist/operator knows how you will style your hair from day to day so they can fit the extensions to suit your needs. If this is not taken in to account, your styling of their extension installation could be unnatural and unflattering.

3) Put your head to bed: Hair extensions can go wonky overnight so it is good practice to put it up at night.

4) Brush, Brush, Brush: Look out for small cylindrical brushes and choose instead the big fatties (you know the ones - wide paddles) You could always try Tangle Teezer (www.hqhair.com) to gently pull out knots if things go awry.

5) Match, don’t Mix: Have your stylist help you match up the texture of the extension (beyond curly/straight) with your own hair, and not just the color, as this will make it easier to style down the road.

*Also, it’s always a good idea to have the stylist double check that your hair is actually the type you ordered - we’ve heard stories of people having “straight” hair put in and then upon first wash it turns out it’s actually curly hair that’s been straightened! Not good.

6) There’s the rub: Shampooing is critical for hair sheen, and overall health (and hygene!) but be sure to take it easy on those dangling strands. Don’t over-rub, or rub too intensely as you can damage or knot the extensions. Try massaging from top to bottom like you might a horses tail. We promise you can still have the herbal essence experience with extensions, just take it easy.

7) Oil! Be sure your products aren’t too oily, as this can cause extensions to slip. Conditioner is included in the list, and be sure to condition from the middle of the extension down to the ends, not at the root.

Gimme a Break! Be sure to give your scalp and your hair a rest between extensions. There are long term risks to using extensions too often without appropriate recuperating periods. We suggest a 3-6 month extension free hiatus to ensure hair strength and health. It’s always a good idea to have your scalp treated during that resting period too - all things in moderation right?

Although the long answer is a bit more complicated. At the end of the day, it’s all about where you get your hair, or rather, where your hair reseller get’s their hair, and what they guarantee. Make no mistake however, it’s a hot topic, and one that British pop star Jamelia has tackled in the upcoming BBC documentary Whose Hair Is It Anyway?, which examines the origins of hair used for extensions in the UK.

At Donna Bella, our hair is always 100% real human hair, and is authentic Indian Remy. While the documentary at first may seem critical of this practice of purchasing hair from Indian temple high priests who shave their patron’s heads, there is a glossy finish on the practice as these priests then take all the earnings and put it back into the temple community to feed and clothe the needy.

Regardless of what brand you use, we encourage all stylists and consumers to do their homework and learn where their manufacturer of choice acquires their hair. If they don’t know, demand that they find out and tell them you’ll take your business elsewhere. Like any hot commodity, hair is both ethically and unethically obtained, which is highlighted in the upcoming documentary.

Wow, just when you thought you’d heard it all - someone sells a used celebrity hair extension on eBay!!

According to the AFP of Berlin, A blonde hair extension that British supermodel Kate Moss reputedly lost in Berlin is being auctioned on eBay in an effort to raise money for an anti-drug charity.

The Berliner Zeitung newspaper said Thursday “Moss shed the hairpiece while trying to duck paparazzi as she returned to the plush Hotel Adlon after a night out in the German capital earlier this month.”

The “lucky” Photographer, John Farr, told newspapers that he had picked it up and has posted it on eBay with funds to be donated to a German anti-drug charity Keine Macht den Drogen (No Power to Drugs).

“I hope Kate doesn’t mind. I did not have time to ask her because she was in quite a hurry,” Farr told the newspaper.

Moss, 34, was in Berlin to promote her new perfume Velvet Hour.

Currently, the hair piece is fetching 800 Euros, you can check out the action here.

Celebrities; Sienna Miller, Kate Hudson, and Mary-Kate Olsen effortlessly pull off the hippie-chic look.

Bohemian chic is the perfect summer style for longer hair.  Let your hair follow the nonconforming fashion trends this season by going Boho.

To create a natural look of your own, hair needs to be clean, slightly damp, and un-brushed.  The best time to create this style is after washing so that your hair dries and sits naturally.  Flip your hair upside down and apply a styling product like volumizing mousse from scalp to ends.  Flip your hair back again and let it fall/part naturally as you gently scrunch and lift around the crown of the head and the tips.

Bohemians are usually creative and artsy; so finish the look with your own flare by adding random braids, twists, or vintage accessories. Don’t forget Boho style is all about nature, ease and noncomformity.

It doesn’t have to be perfect and it should be fun!

Telling that special someone, it’s not all yours.

Don’t laugh.  Whether your extensions create more volume or give you that extra length; there comes a point in every relationship where you might need to have “the talk.”

When? For new wearers this is a frequently asked question. Within days of getting the extended locks they naturally feel like your own.  You are comfortable and confident leaving those around you, including your partner, clueless to the makeup of your gorgeous “do”.  However, one day, maybe soon, in a moment of spontaneous intimacy… hands will run through your gorgeous head of hair to perhaps notice the tiny bead-bonds holding it securely to your own.

This might feel strange and unexpected to the inexperienced.  So pre-mentioning the additional hair and giving your significant other a heads up is recommended.  You’ll realize this conversation can turn into a learning opportunity, your now educated partner appreciates and understands your beauty secret.

With hair extensions becoming more common, affordable, and accepted, perhaps one day this kind of “pillow talk” will be unnecessary and nonexistent for those of us with lucious locks.

She Knows author Kori Ellis summarizes the best summer tips for protecting your hair from those harmful (but wonderful) sun rays. From covering with a scarf, to creams and products with spf included, she gives a quick and dirty (dirty is good according to the author) breakdown to summer hair.

Here’s a blurb - click here for the full article.

While the lazy days on the beach and relaxing in the sun may feel like paradise to you, your hair may not share your view on the matter. The salty water, wind and sand may turn your hair into a tiny disaster. But don’t panic — it’s all solvable.

Thankfully, today there are plenty of products to protect both your hair and scalp from the sharp and harmful UV rays.

Scarf it up
The best protection is a cute and trendy scarf or hat. Like this, your hair is protected all the way — and you don’t have to worry about your scalp getting burned.

Cream it in
If you want the freedom of letting your hair loose, you should consider putting some leave-in conditioner on before you head off to the beach.

A day in the life of a phony hair wearer…” but it’s human hair and only my stylist knows.”

I am your every-day girl. Spending my first hard-earned-every-day-girl-bonus on something I’ve always wanted; affordable hair extensions! My locks, with the help of other’s, reach close to my waist. It’s long, thick, and it’s glamorous. This is the hair I’ve ALWAYS wanted and it’s dirty?

That’s right. As a client with over 22+ inches of extensions, weighing in at 3+ pounds of hair, I get most of my compliments on lazy hair days. Fellow extension wearers, take advantage of the less maintenance days and less bathroom time. Pass on washing, blow drying and styling your amazing hair.

That’s right, go 3-4 days without washing your hair and still get the “Ohhhs” and “Ahh’s.” I have my favorite hats and my most beloved scarves as “must-have” accessories on these days of low maintenance. You’ll notice the most famous with extended hair also spend several days out of the week in simple cover-ups and easy hair accessories. GO on, give your self a few “good hair days” no work required.

You may need quicktime to view this video - which you can download for free here.

Another common concern we receive from new stylists making the switch from other hair extension companies to Donna Bella is, “when I buy hair from other companies, the extensions are so smooth and silky when pulled out of the package, but then after a few washes, the hair becomes a dry, tangled mess.”

Here’s why that happens: A little manufacturing trick that has become very popular within the last 5 years is what we call “coating” or “dipping”. After the human hair has been hackled and sorted, it then moves onto the coloring process. After the hair has dried, some companies will “dip” their hair in a silicone solution. What this does is put a slippery, shiny protective layer on the outside of each hair strand, making it look and feel very high quality.

Unfortunately, this silicone solution doesn’t last very long. What happens is the client goes home extremely happy with a new beautiful look. After a few days of wear and a couple of washes, that silicone comes right off, conveying the true quality of hair.

This “dipping” process is very common for manufacturers and hair extension companies to use especially with non-remy human hair. Non-remy human hair is a much lesser quality human hair because of the way it was collected. Non-remy human hair is collected from the floors of salons and homes after it was cut from the person’s head.

The problem with this is that once that hair hits the floors, it’s impossible to tell which direction the cuticle is facing. In other words, which end is the root or top and which end is the tail or bottom? The collector carelessly puts it all into a bag which is taken to market for resale. Why is the cuticle so important? I’ll tackle that topic in another blog entry.

Let’s get back to my original point, the reason why hair may have been beautiful right out of the package, but quickly becomes a dry tangled mess. Remember a lot of the new hair extension companies popping up don’t even know why this is happening to the hair they sell.

The reason is, they have no participation in the manufacturing process. They just get online, locate a “hair manufacturer” and start buying. As we say at Donna Bella, the test of time is our best friend. This is how you, the stylist, can determine the difference between Donna Bella and our competition.