Hair brief!

So one more day of work and then I'm looking at a WHOLE week off, yay :)

And the first thing I'm doing is heading to the bright lights of London and getting the barnet sorted!

I think I mentioned a few posts ago that my natural hair is long now, not as long as my extensions or anywhere near as long as I'd like but there is some length there and really after months and months of waiting, I should be showing it off.

However at the moment, as you can imagine with just two haircuts in almost two and half years, it ain't in no state to be shown off so I'm mustering all the courage I have and going to a "top" hairdresser in London who I can only find rave reviews for. If I walk away as happy as the reviewers claim to have then I will share her details with you.

Anyhow, I have spent a little time tonight making a little list of points that I would like to bring up at the consultation (normally my mouth goes dry but not this time I will be holding tightly on to my list and I intend to use it)

The points are as follows . . .

1/ I don't want to lose too much length! Yes, I probably need to lose two or three inches right now but I really don't want to. It has took me so long to get my hair to this point. I'm not sure that I could go through all the waiting, hair pills and so-called miracle products (expensive!) again.

2/ The front needs sorting out! No hairdresser has ever perfected the front sections of my hair, the bits in front of my ear. I'm thinking it needs graduating and it has been done before by many a hairdresser but for some reason always looks disjointed. There is no hope of my hair ever looking styled unless somebody can find a way of giving the front some good shape and creating an illusion where these front sections seamlessly flow down to the baseline.

3/ I want chunky ends. I want my fine hair to look as strong as possible but sadly, I know this may not be possible unless I concede point 1.

4/ I also intend to ask the hairdresser for some advice as to colour. At the moment, I'm not booked in for anything as I know chemical colour can be detrimental to growing hair. My hair is a very dark brown at the moment which I think, makes it appear quite healthy considering its true state. However, I'm finding the dark colour, which is probably only a shade darker then my natural hair, can look very harsh in photos and I wonder what others see. It maybe that the colour will be softened once my hair actually has a cut and is more styled but colour talk is going on the agenda!

Here are a few pictures I've pinned that I may show (I always take five or six pics to the salon but I'm not sure if one has ever made it out of my bag) the hairdresser.

This is one of Rachel Bilson but I've actually pinned two or three. I really like her hair and general style.

Similar to Rachel's . . .

Something a little different, if my face is deemed not suitable for the 'Rachel'. . .

And worse case scenario, if the length has got to go then I want a long bob Olivia style but please remember (and don't worry, I will remind the hairdresser), I don't really want to Bob anything.

Hmmm, I wonder what my new hairdresser will come up with?!!

To be continued, I guess . . , eek!

What do you ask for at the salon? Do you always know what you want or do you leave it up to the hairdresser to decide? I hope you are all well.

PS I would love your pinning links. Going through a Pin, pin, pin phase at the moment! My Pinterest is here if you wanted a peek :)

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The Halo: First Impressions!

It is common knowledge by now that I am a self-confessed hair geek. Yesterday, I was in my element as I got to play with my new Halo.

The Halo is a basically a one piece, quadrupled weft to hair heaven. Yes, indeed, there are going to be a whole lot of positives in this first review. There are no clips, glue or tape. It simply attaches to your head with one very small wire.

This wire is not really a wire in a conventional, industrial sense. It is actually very thin and transparent which potentially means less damage to the hair (none of that sticking or pulling nonsense). Of course, damage isn't an issue if the weft is going to fall out anyway.

This, folks, was my main concern with the Halo especially when I first saw the little wire attached to the weft. My joy at opening the parcel (delivered the next day, free of charge! Oh and I had a 10% Twiiter promo code!) was tainted with the doom of the 'this is never going to work, more money down the drain. . .'  thoughts. Argh . . !

Thankfully, I was wrong. I've now worn the halo and I can declare, yes, it really does stay in. Even when you shake your head really vigorously, the ultimate test of any extension! Mel did it a lot better then me!

Phew!

What is more, the final look really is amazing given the simplicity of the concept. The hair is Indian remy and it feels very silky and soft. The ends are already beautifully tapered and give the extensions a styled look.

I was worried that one piece would be difficult to blend and unbalanced. I suspected that the weft would either be too thin, too heavy or too blunt to blend in to my hair but once in, it blends really well and I still look, like me. I've always being a bit cynical about how generic one pieces could look. I guess, I'm a bit of a control freak and like tape or clips because you have the potential to customise your style a little more but actually with the Halo in, I don't really want to alter the style or change how the hair falls at all.

Sidenote: I took a gamble with the colour match and ordered Darkest Brown. *Happy Dance.* It is a perfect match for my natural hair colour. Personally I think that my Darkest Brown Halo is a little lighter (and possibly has some hints of chocolate in it) then some of the other Dark Brown hair extensions, I have or have dyed. This works for me as my hair has lightened a little lately but I would suggest to others, taking a little time and emailing a pic to the Halo team to get colour matched for free.

Now I've raved about the staying power and the beauty of the Halo, time to consider the application. Hmmm . . .

Given, it is quite easy to get the Halo on to your head, you more or less just place it there. However, covering the wire and getting the natural look took a few goes without a tail comb but with a tail comb, I did it first time and very quickly.

Really, get a tail comb for this one. It is so much easier and the combs are so cheap. Mine cost me nothing, I just used my Boots points! I think I manage to conceal the wire ok, I'm just a little nervous about it showing in the gap for my parting. However, somehow with a tail comb and just pulling the hair over, it appears to have disappeared and I've just backcombed a little at the crown to be sure. The only thing I may need to work on a little is how much hair to pull over the weft on the back of my head as this is where the difference between the length of the extension and natural hair is most apparent.

All in all. I'm very happy with my Halo so far and can not wait to play with it a little more. I want to investigate the styling options further, I know you can leave the wire forgotten in the weft and wear the hair in a bun and ponytail etc which I will try but to be honest, I like to wear my extension as an extension and then pull it up in to a ponytail or bun from there, it feels a little less contrived but we'll see. I might have to compromise with this when it comes to a halo as to take the halo out, you would normally pull it in a ponytail and tug a couple of times so I'm not sure if styling will make the wire slip. Saying that, I have managed a ponytail of some sort ( The Slovenly Saturday style, to be precise) for a couple of hours this morning. No grips and it remains in place, yayyy!

- For those interested, here are some links to some helpful You Tube videos on the Halo:
From Amy, Dazzledust25
From Louise, MakeupLoveer
From Mel, 30somethingmel

Have you tried the Halo? What hairstyle are you choosing this Christmas? Happy Saturday!

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