Hair Makeover: easihair pro and scar

You might remember that a couple of months ago I shared my favourite hair secret right here on this very blog. For the past 6 months, I’ve been wearing clip-in Russian hair extension to give my hair length and volume – and help me keep my hands off my hair while I try to let it grow for a while. If you want to know more about clip-in extensions and how much I love them, you can read this post. I’ve recently had another hair makeover, with easihair pro and my longtime salon scar.

Hair Makeover: easihair pro and scar

I am so obsessed with having long, thick hair that I have decided to commit to it more permanently. There are lots of things I love about clip-in hair extensions, but when I heard about easihair pro tape-in extensions, they had me at hello. There are pro’s and cons to having hair extensions, whether clip-in, tape-in or keratin, and I’ve tried them all. When it comes to hair extensions, there’s really no “better” or “worse” option. It really depends on you, your hair and your lifestyle. For instance, I’ve never been a wash-and-go type of girl – I blowdry my hair every time I wash it and I love creating different styles with curls, braids and texture. I have lots of my own hair, so it looks extra lush when I’m wearing extensions.

Adding length and volume with hair extensions

I also have a tendency to colour my hair a lot, which eventually meant that I had to sacrifice my length due to damage. I like to follow the latest hair colour trends and so I’m constantly colouring and changing my hair. I wasn’t happy with having short hair, so I decided to try clip-in extensions. I love the idea of being able to mix up your style with different lengths and colours using clip-ins, but at this stage in my life, I’m looking for a more permanent style. While clip-ins are excellent for adding occasional length and body for a function or specific look, I love that tape-ins are applied once and stay in for about 3 months (depending on how fast your hair grows).

Deciding between clip-in extensions vs tape-in extensions

Clip-in extensions are applied at home, and removed before bed. They can be applied in a variety of different ways and used to create lots of different up- and down styles at home. The process of putting them in your hair and styling depends on how proficient you are with them. Sometimes it would take me 5 minutes and sometimes 40 minutes, depending on the style I was creating.

Tape-in extensions are applied in a salon (and it’s incredibly important that they are applied by a stylist who knows exactly what they’re doing, as these extensions are not the cheapest. As I’ve noticed when going to salons, selling is service, so it makes sense when staff encourage clients to purchase hair products or go for a particular style that they think will complement you) and washed, styled and worn as normal in up- or down styles until they need to be removed and moved up closer to the scalp in the salon. The whole process takes between 45 minutes and 2 hours in a salon.

I found clip-ins to be more visible, as the clips are bulkier than the tape. The tape-ins are pretty much invisible, and if you run your hand down the back of your head you can’t even feel them at all. But to be honest, both can be pretty much invisible if you put them in and style them properly.

The cost difference

Clip-ins cost between R1700 – R3700 depending on the thickness of your own hair, and you can keep them for years as long as you look after the hair properly. The extensions only need to be washed about every 10th wear, unless you’ve been around smoke and they smell like they need a wash. They dry naturally overnight, without any heat.

The cost of tape-ins very much depends on the length and thickness of your own hair. The best way to know would be to book a consultation with a stylist. For instance, if you have short, thick hair and want to add lots of lengths, you are looking at 6-8 boxes of extensions. If you have relatively fine long hair and are looking to only add body (which you can achieve with just 1 box of extensions) you are going to spend less. For the amount of hair I have and the length I wanted, I needed 8 boxes of extensions. Obviously, tape-ins are washed every time you wash your own hair, and they need to be heat dried in order to dry the tape. They can then be styled as normal, using lots of really good heat protector spray. The warranty is 6 months on the hair, but it can last up to a year depending on how you look after them. They can last well over 9 months to a year if you look after them properly by using the right shampoo, brushing gently using an extensions brush and taking lots of care when using heat.

FAQ’s about tape-in extensions

• Q: How long do they take to apply? A: Between 45 minutes and 2 hours (much less time than keratin, which can take up to 5 hours)
• Q: Is it real hair? A: Yes, easipro hair tape-in extensions are made from 100% Remy Human Hair, which is cuticle-intact (ie. super sleek and in excellent condition)
• Q: Can you see the tape? A: No. Unless you go looking. The extensions lay seamlessly on your head, virtually undetectable.
• Q: Do you throw them away when they’ve grown out? A: No, they’re reusable. Your stylist will remove them, re-tape them, and re-apply them.
• Q: How do they put them in? A: The extensions come pre-taped, so your stylist literally just applies them to your hair. No tools or messy bonding agents necessary for an application.
• Q: Do they damage my own hair? A: No, they’re non-damaging. They don’t stop your own growth, or pull your hair at the root due to their weight.
• Q: How do I match my colour? A: Your stylist can help you. easipro hair comes in 30 different colours, which are tri-blended and bi-blended, meaning they can match with natural hair colours, which are never one-dimensional. My colour is off-the-rack, and it’s called Coffee Cake.

Most importantly, they give me so much hair confidence. I personally feel like a lot of my identity is tied up in my hair, and the more I have, the better. It makes me feel like a real live mermaid and I have been so happy with the quality. Right now, I will wash my hair once a week, and just use dry shampoo to touch up my roots. I style my hair after blow drying it using a Silver Bullet curling wand, and spray the roots with Paul Mitchell Bedroom Hair. I go to bed wearing a French braid and touch up my curls in the morning after a good brush. I’ve been using easihair pro’s range of products, which I have really loved.

If you have any other questions about extensions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below. If you’re ready to have mermaid hair of your own, you can contact scar and ask for a consultation with Tammy. I can honestly, hand on heart, tell you that I 100% love my easihair pro extensions like I love my own cats.

Contacts

scar

www.scarhair.co.za

+27 (0)21 422 5900

Ask for Carlos for colour and Tammy for an easihair pro consultation.

easihair pro

www.easihairpro.com

www.fascinations.co.za

easihair pro salons

www.fascinations.co.za/stockist-salon-search