Archive for the ‘International Style’ Category

Can hair extensions be ethical? In short: Yes…

Monday, July 7th, 2008

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.

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A 5000 Year Old Fashion Trend

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Some trends come and go, but few can claim to have been popular for over 5000 years. In this case, the age old trend is a type of hair extension weave recently discovered in a tomb in Egypt. The mummy’s hair had weaved into its own hair long strands and it’s been discovered that the hair types match. This means the Egyptian fashionista must have grown her hair out, cut it, grown it out some more, then had her cut hair weaved in. Genius.

Director of Hierakonpolis (the site where the millenia old weave was discovered), Renee Freidman, noted:

“In ancient Egypt if one lived to be really old, like 70, they made you a local saint, so old age was respected no doubt for the knowledge and memory that person had (in a society where most people were dead by 35-40), but clearly looking one’s age has never been the in thing in life or death.”

So keep it up ladies! This age old tradition has never (well, maybe) been more popular than today.

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China’s Passion for Hair, Beauty, and Fashion

Monday, May 7th, 2007

Beauty Launchpad’s article of the month examines the current short and edgy hair craze in China. While extensions and change it up style are all the rage in the West, in the East, girls and women alike are taking style cues from China “idol” Li Yuchun. Here’s a snippet of the article by Chen Nan Yang:

From China’s bamboo forest villages in Yunnan to the high-rises of Shanghai, Mongolian Cow Yogurt Super Girl—a hugely popular American Idol-like TV program—has created quite a stir. And when Li Yuchun, a music student with a tomboy haircut and girl-next-door beauty, won the coveted title, she spawned a new short and edgy hairstyling craze among young girls living across the vast expanse of Mainland China.

Super Girl also created a significant shift among young Chinese girls who previously never wore a definitive hairstyle before they turned 18. Today a 15-year-old Chinese girl may wear a fashion-forward, sometimes even exaggerated, hairstyle. China’s passion for beauty and fashion is also being influenced both near and far, driving a new wave of ideas across cultural and financial boundaries.

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