Extensions Granted

Project Growout proceeds apace. No, I still have not purchased a tripod, which accounts for the slightly out-of-focus, taken-in-the-mirror portraits, though I have naught to blame for the dorky expressions save my own anxiety in front of the lens.

Duchesse's great post about avoiding stylists with Gran Goggles prompted me to share the lastest in my own hair saga.

Next to my weight, my hair is the feature I obsess over the most frequently. It's fine, thin, mostly straight, often described by stylists as "baby hair." It goes flat without layers, looks stringy once it hits a certain length, and is generally wimpy.

I'd been growing out the pixie from a couple years ago, and was at the point where I needed a fresh pair of eyes to address a cut that was veering dangerously close to Ruth Anne territory. I also wanted to soften the color and add highlights, which nobody does better than Brian, so last Wednesday I found myself back in his chair. What I was going for color-wise was this:

(The end result was a bit redder as you can see above, but my hair tends to take color that way. It will probably take a few coloring sessions to tone the red down.) Brian cut some layers into my chin-length bob to add some dimension and movement. He then suggested that I try some extensions to add some volume, not length, to the sides. ("Just a few.") I was a bit hesitant, but as it's always been my impossible dream to have thick, luxuriant hair, I crossed my fingers and gave the go-ahead. The effect is subtle but I can definitely see the difference. The strands of hair extensions are bonded to a very thin strand of my own hair with a small piece of something that looks like wax, which is heated with something that looks like a curling iron (but does not burn) to adhere. The attachments are secured to the underneath layers, and so are totally invisible.

I drove home, my brain dancing with Sugar Plum fantasies about growing my hair out past shoulder length with a little boost from these Hirsute Helpers.

One week in, and I'm still on the fence. I'm not used to the feel of these. Forget about running one's fingers through one's hair...it's easy to catch on the attachments and it pulls uncomfortably like a bobby pin that's caught a stray hair in the wrong way. I have to use a special brush designed not to catch and pull on the extension attachment points. They're supposed to last 2-4 months; I'm not sure if I'll last that long.

According to Brian, actresses and performers these days rarely are photographed without some type of hair extensions, whether "permanent" like mine, or clip-ons. That includes models in hair product commercials! (Just as it's perfectly legal for models in mascara commercials to be wearing several sets of false eyelashes.) I had 6 on each side. Some get as many as 200!

Have you tried hair extensions? If so, how did you like the results? Did it take some time to get used to them?

SJP photo from Elle.com
~