Get your camera’s out stylists - and be sure to submit your latest and greatest ‘do’s to the new Donna Bella Milan hair extensions contest! Send your final hair extension pictures in to Info@donnabellahair.com and we’ll put you in the running for a free set of extensions, from Donna Bella Milan!

Be sure to spread the news around, and don’t be shy - send us your best mug!

Some habits are hard to break. We’ve posted here many times stating the importance of giving your scalp a break between visits to the extension salon - but we never thought we’d see such silly antics over $40 worth of hair extensions from a local beauty supply store.

According to the Dallas News, three unidentified woman entered Wigs and Beauty Supply in the 5700 block of Lovell Avenue on Monday afternoon, September 22nd. One woman headed to the back of the store and another woman, according to the assulted store owner, seemed to function as a sort of lookout at the front. A third woman walked along the wig aisles.

The 47-year-old store owner watched the third woman take items off the shelf and put them in a tan bag, police said. When the owner confronted the woman, she opened her bag to reveal hair extensions and a wig worth about $40.

When he told her to put the items back, she grabbed him by the throat and pushed him against a wall. She reached into her waistband as if she had a weapon, police said.

One of the other women yelled, “Mom, let’s go!”

Wow. I’d thought I’d heard it all - but it looks like the cops will be dealing with a new set of addicts who’ll do anything for $40 worth of hair extensions.

The blazing heat of summer is past, September glow is upon us, and the fall change is right around the corner. Road trip to Vermont anyone? Fall is not only a beautiful time in the changing seasons, but style has its most dramatic shake up as well.

Hairstyles for the fall range from short and clean, to a shaggy mess, with everything in between. As expected, extensions are still a huge part of the hair fashion mix this year, with super long extensions being a favorite choice for many Hollywood beauties.

Beauty Launchpad magazine has an interesting article this month on 9 trends to look for this fall. Here’s a clip from the article:

“This fall is about having an edge to your styles in order to balance out the super-feminine fashions,” informs Dean Banowetz, Joico celebrity spokesperson and lead stylist for Fox’s
smash hit American Idol. “They’re classic yet edgy, and detailed without being fussy. Length isn’t a factor for fall—both short and long hair are hot topics—but the training required to bring any length and style of hair to life is a must. To this end, classic haircutting shapes are key.”

Click here for the full article.

When something becomes popular, it’s very common for that item to have knock-offs and imposters mixed right in with legitamate offers. Hair extensions are no different, and as an industry has a fair share of dangers and fakes.

We’ve stated it on the blog before, and we’ll say it again here: Be absolutely sure your stylist knows how to correctly apply your hair extensions. Ask if they’ve been trained, by whom (which company) and be sure to ask around for other opinions.

Dodgy stylists aren’t the only ones to blame here either - often scalp damage can be avoided if only the client listened during the application or follow up process as to best care practices. A good stylist, however, will go above and beyond to ensure that the client understands proper care. Proper care of extensions really is key to a healthy head.

Things to ask and look out for, if this is your first time getting extensions:

1) Hair: Where did they get it, is it Remy? Is it a reputable brand that you’ve heard of or was able to find online?

2) Application: Have they been trained by the manufacturer on proper application and care?

3) DIY extensions: Talk to a trained stylist before you buy - make sure the manufacturer provides detailed instructions for DIY application and long term care.

4) Is the salon known for great hair extensions? Just because a salon offers extensions, doesn’t necessairly mean they have any business doing so - this is the “trend” factor - and where an increasing number of younger girls particularly, are having bad experiences. Is the salon reputable? Is the stylist qualified?

This is your head we’re talking about, and your money - DO NOT BE SHY about asking as many questions as you want. If the salon or stylist is put off by your inquisitiveness, then that’s a major red flag, and you should head for the door. Like with any major purchase, it’s critical that you understand what you’re investing in, do proper research so that you are informed, discuss your thoughts with a certified and trained professional, and be sure to take care of your investment after a successful application.

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.

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.

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.

It’s on the front page of every newspaper in the US - and around the world: the troubled US economy. As consumers, and for many of us as business owners, we’re feeling the pinch everywhere - from the grocery store, price gouging hikes at the gas pump, electricity bills, to raising rents. Like every slump, there’s a mountain high somewhere in the future, but in the mean time, it’s survival mode for many.

Beauty Store Business magazine has a series on the economy and the beauty industry this month. Here’s a clip from their most recent article:

The three best ways to survive any slump, real or anticipated, are to:

• Know your business well so you can fine-tune it to increase profits (see “Knowing Your Numbers,” below).
• Take advantage of federal income tax laws to minimize the bite of taxes and help pick up a bigger portion of your cost of doing business (to be discussed in Part 2).
• Employ cost-cutting strategies to help you weather the storm (to be discussed in Part

The article covers the “how to” of survival and is a must read for any salon owner or beauty industry professional

Get it here.

“Why are black hairs mixed in with my blonde extensions?” This is one of the common complaints we hear from stylists that use other hair extension companies. Here’s the answer: Although it happens to all types of hair, the black hair problem is most prevalent with Indian hair. The reason is because within the last few years, Indian women have started using a product on their hair that has substantial amounts of coconut oils.

Over the years, while growing their hair to 18,” and sometimes much longer, the coconut oils have a lasting effect on the hair. It would only be considered a negative effect to manufacturers like ourselves, because it makes the coloring process much more tedious and difficult.

The coconut oil creates a seal or repellent inside the cuticle, not allowing the hair shaft to take new color deposits. Another reason for black hair in your extensions is the black hair strands are synthetic. You might ask how those synthetic strands made their way into your 100% human hair package. I’ll answer that question in another blog.

Even if that black hair does not burn or shrivel up when using a flat iron or curling iron, does not mean it is human hair. There are now new synthetic fibers on the market that are heat resistant. Also a topic worthy of it’s own blog. Another reason for black hair mixed in with your blonde extensions is the hair donor had damaged or old hair.

Damaged from previous hair color. Woman coloring their own hair before selling/donating it, is much more common in China than it is in India. Bleaching hair in China has become very trendy. It used to be only in the larger coastal cities that women would bleach their hair. But because of T.V. and media, even in the rural western cities, which is where most raw hair comes from, women are bleaching their hair. As we all know, bleach damages the hair and makes it more difficult for us to further lift and deposit colors.

Why do Donna Bella hair extensions not have this black hair mixed with the other colors? Donna Bella has always prided itself on the fact that we buy and process our own hair. Besides Great Lengths, Socap, Hair Dreams etc., most hair extension companies buy their hair already packaged. They have no idea where the hair came from or how it was processed. The manufacturers may tell them it is Indian or European hair, but they have no idea because they don’t spend time in India and China quality controlling their products. Donna Bella Inc. does. If any of that poor quality or synthetic hair makes it into our raw hair, it is always sorted and taken out before it goes into the final package.

A very long explanation, but now you know why some hair extension companies have black hair mixed in with their other colors - and knowing is half the battle.

A lust for hair extensions is what finally brought Jocelyn Kirsch and her 25-year-old lover, Edward Anderton, to justice thus ending the couple’s identity-theft scam, federal authorities said recently.

Her hair extensions, valued at $2,274 at Philadelphia hair salon Giovanni and Pileggi, were attached to Kirsch, 22, a former Drexel University senior, over 7 1/2 hours in late November. The duo also gave the hair stylist a $250 tip - and a bad check.

“Captured by the hair, that’s the joke. But it was the greed of the hair extensions,” U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan said recently.

Most of the couple’s fraud occurred over the Internet, where they purchased items by opening up credit cards, using personal information from friends, co-workers and neighbors in a condo development, the Belgravia, in Center City. But their in-person appearance at Giovanni and Pileggi showed they had become careless, federal authorities said.

“Once that check bounced, then there was an ability to go back, actually identify the victim and tie to that a name.”

From there, Philadelphia police were able to get descriptions of the suspects and stake out the UPS store in West Philadelphia where one of the victims told cops the couple had opened a mailbox - in her name. One day later, on Nov. 30, the two were nabbed by University of Pennsylvania cops.