I’m writing to you from Norman, Oklahoma. It’s one in the morning. I just woke up from falling asleep at 8:30 pm. Naturally, I made myself a mock chicken tender meal from Snap Kitchen that I brought from Dallas in a cooler… with carrots, hummus and tea.. in hopes to stay away from Pickleman’s asiago chicken pizza and Pizza Shuttle’s cheesy bread. Every other time when I’m in town I eat a whole thing of cheesy bread or that chicken pizza to myself. If you have lived in Norman…you get it. I am wide awake. My sleep schedule will always be out of whack. I’m trying CBD oil in my tea lately and I am loving it, especially for instances like now.

I am in town because I got my extensions moved up and I also added a little bit more of color. Not going to lie to you guys the extensions are snug and I’m waiting for this CBD to kick in. THEY ARE TIGHT BUT I LOVE IT.

I wanted to update you guys on my extension experience. I have had hand tied extensions since April 8th and if you haven’t read up on them … you can find more information about them in my last post here. I am still new to this… so is this method in general. If anyone trying to seek more information it is my mission to be that inside source of hand tied extensions for you…. a relatable one. Not one of those girls on The Bachelor who look like they got paid to promote them.

THE PAST 8 WEEKS WITH MY EXTENSIONS

Over the course of about 8 weeks since I got them done I loved my hair. It was new, thick and full just like I always wanted my hair to be….BUT I quickly learned that my getting ready time was going to double with this hair. It does take a long time to blow dry your hair, especially because your whole head HAS TO BE DRY EVEN TO THE FOUNDATION OF THE EXTENSION. Pain is beauty people. I love having more hair… even if it costs me more time to get ready.

DID YOUR HAIR LAST THE FULL 8 WEEKS?
No, it started to slip on my right side. It was annoying BUT I AM THE BLAME for this… I wear bags predominately on my right side and each time I’d put my book bag (for work) on my arm it would pull my hair. I will be more careful this time around and I may try to go before 8 weeks now because my hair is so fine that it slips more easily.

HOW WAS YOUR HAIR GROWTH WITH THE EXTENSIONS?
Honestly, I didn’t notice any breakage. For the first time I was actually able to keep track of my hair growth with the help of my extensions. 

DID YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YOUR EXTENSIONS WERE HANGING OUT?
 No, fortunately I have a lot of hair and I feel like I did a good job covering them up.

What do you do after you workout with your hair?
So now after I workout I blow dry my hair. I sweat a lot and since the extensions cannot air dry I have to blow dry them directly after my workout. 

Are you going to do anything different this go around that you didn’t do last time?
Yes, I am using a silk pillowcase. I’ve been using this one for two weeks and I love the price point (only $20!). I’m going to be more careful when I brush my hair and make sure I’m not brushing in a hurry. Lastly, I am also going to be more careful with not tugging my hair with heavy bags.

Did you notice any separation of your real hair and your extensions near the bottom?
If I didn’t brush my hair – YES. I keep a small brush in my bag at all times to blend the hair together.

PRODUCTS I USE ON MY HAIR –

HAIR MASQUE :

SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER:

SILK PILLOWCASE:

Any other questions about hair let me know 🙂

JENNA

Hellloooooo and happy Monday. I am coming off of a great weekend and fabulous past week. It was long and busy, but oh so great. Oh and by the way my bags are already packed for Coachella and I leave this Thursday for my favorite place in the U.S. Enough of that let’s get right to it people. Let’s talk about HAIR. Something I have never talked about on my blog.

*DISCLAIMER I AM NEW TO HAIR – NOT A PROFESSIONAL – ALSO, I AM NEW AT HAIR TERMINOLOGY

**Another thing if you don’t want to read my history and just want your main questions answered scroll to the bottom 🙂

Last week I got Habit Hand-tied Extensions/ wefts also called Bombshell extensions. This is a hair extension method where the wefts are added to your hair by beading and then hand-tying the wefts to your natural hair.

I first found out about the habit extension method and Chrissy Rasmussen of Habit Salon (aka @hairby_chrissy aka the powerhouse lady behind the technique of hand-tied extensions ) because a “Bravolebrity” Kim Zolciak-Biermann. On an episode of “Don’t Be Tardy” a couple years back Kim flew her girls out to go see Chrissy in Arizona and since then I’ve been obsessed with that small beauty salon.

Now, the salon is not so small anymore and everyone and anyone is getting their hair done there. Hand-tied extensions are seemingly the best extension method/technique out there. I did my research. I had VIRGIN HAIR. I never have colored my hair or cut off more than three inches at a time for the past 10 plus years. I opted out for damaging my hair this long why would I take the fast lane to more breakage now with other cheaper ways? Now obviously there will be some breakage…because you are putting something on your natural hair… but this is the least damaging method on the market right now.

This past December my bestie Katie then gave me the extra nudge I needed to take the leap of faith because she was wanting to get hand-tied extensions as well. We both were ready for a change after the holidays. Katie has more hair knowledge and luckily stumbled upon our hair stylist Brandie Campbell of Muse Salon in Oklahoma City through mutal friends. We then booked our appointment four months out. (Make sure you find someone who is hand-tied certified.)

Brandie has been nothing but awesome since day one. She got us on her schedule ASAP. She then asked about our hair goals and was professional and prompt as could be. After sending pictures of what I wanted my hair to look like she suggested that I would get the longer 22 inch extensions and I then put my deposit down for my hair.

Last week Katie and I drove up to Oklahoma City and did the darn thing. Our appointment was from 9 am to 3 pm. Brandie knew I was a hair virgin and knew I wanted a small change for my first coloring. She added subtile balayage to my hair and it is the perfect sun kissed look I was looking for. Although that may seem long Katie and I had a great time watching/learning the process and chatting with Brandie. She was sweet enough to buy us lunch and I also drank all of her water bottles out of her mini fridge because I am intermitent fasting and it’s making me even crazier for water- GOD BLESS HER. We will be going back to see Brandie for our move up appointment in 8 weeks.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER:

What are habit hand-tied extensions? – This technique is where the wefts are added to your hair by beading and then hand-tying the wefts to your natural hair.

How long do they last? – Depends on your hair type, hair growth, how well you take care of your hair, if you don’t swim, don’t use heat on your hair everyday, brush it every day, moisturize it, put your hair in a braid every night when you sleep, etc. My hair stylist said it should last for about 8 to 12 months. There will be a move up appointment in between because your hair grows out.

How much are they? – Depends on your “hair goals.” The price will increase the longer you want your hair. Remember you are paying for your hair so the price includes that, installation, cut and color. For reference I got 22 inches added. If you are interested in how much I paid send me a direct message. Another price reference I was in the salon from 9 am to 3 pm. You are paying for quality of work. Here is a sample pricing page from Habit salon.

How often does your hair get moved up? – About every 6 to 8 weeks.

-Katie and I will probably find someone for move-ups in Dallas for this over time.

How many wefts did you get?– I got two rows. I have seen someone with short hair with one row of extensions (she got the row for volume) and it was also cute! You don’t need extra long hair for these!

Do the extensions mix well with your natural hair? – Yes, last week my hair held a curl for about 5 days. That’s the longest my hair has ever held a curl. Not joking. Brandie said my natural hair will follow suit with my extensions – and she wasn’t lying. I braided my hair every night (you are supposed to when you sleep) and when I took the braid out my curls where STILL INTACT. EVEN AFTER BRUSHING.

Do they damage your hair?– Guys when you do anything unnatural to your natural hair it will damage over a course of time, but this is the least damaging method out there.

What are you doing now with your hair routine that is different from before? – I am brushing it every day (with a Wet Brush). I am blow drying my hair now and not air drying it like I used to. Yes, this has added more time to my routine. I am braiding it every night and lastly I am using a different toning shampoo and conditioner (Pravana).

Any other questions? Let me know and I’d be glad to answer. More fun content headed your way 🙂

MAB JAB