REVIEW - Halo Hair Extensions 'The Halo'

Did anyone else used to glue in their hair extensions? With that tar like glue which smelt like fish? That's my first memory of hair extensions - helping my sister glue hers in before she headed out, I must have been about 13 at the time! Anyway. I soon learnt that clip ins were the way to go for me, but the boffins at Halo Hair had another idea all together - no clips, no glue, no fuss - and so, 'the halo' was born...

So what is a 'halo' exactly? Well, it's five layers of hair weft stitched together to create one thick hair piece which can then be attached by a wire. Yup. A fine, little wire.

Attached to the weft is an adjustable loop of clear wire, which you knot to fit your head perfectly. No stinky glue, no clips digging in and pulling your hair, in fact - nothing damaging at all.

Just pop the halo on around the crown of your head, pull your own hair through and style it as usual. It feels surprisingly secure and so light weight you can easily forget you're wearing them! Halos come in both human hair and synthetic forms - human hair can be heat styled, dyed etc whereas the synthetic versions can not.

Here's my usual, shortish hair. When straightened it comes roughly 1" below the collarbones.

And here's my hair with a 16" halo. I think you can only tell it isn't my own hair because the colour is off (the extensions are jet black, my hair is naturally around 1b - natural black). Now, indoors, it aint that obvious, but in daylight and under the flash of a camera you can certainly tell.
You can email a picture to Halo to get an accurate match, I was matched to black but the difference between black and 1b is so subtle it's hard to tell in pictures! 
The 16" Halo I'm wearing costs £89.99 - which is roughly the same as a full set of decent quality clip in extensions. That may seem steep if you're used to cheaper, lower quality sets (trust me, with extensions, you get what you pay for) plus Halo Hair pieces come with a lifetime guarantee - any breakages? No worries. Send them back for a fast repair any time.
Now, as a trained wig and hair piece maker, I'm super fussy with extensions - but Halo get the thumbs up! Thick enough for my CRAZY thick hair, quality hair itself, lightweight, super fast and easy to apply, affordable for quality hair with a lifetime guarantee - what more could you want?! 
Product provided for review purposes. All opinions 100% mine and 100% honest - as always!
Bloglovin | Facebook | Twitter

Professional Hairdresser Live 2013

Professional Hairdresser Live is the IMATS of the hair world - with top brands exhibiting, hair demos, catwalks and hair royalty milling about it's easy to see why it draws such crowds. I made my way into Manchester's G-Mex, immediately spotted Errol Douglas tapping away on a laptop in the organiser's office, picked up my pass and headed into the exhibition area - already amazed at having seen such a legend of the industry!

I wandered around, taking in the stands before watching Mr. Douglas open the show. He talked a little about how he's proud to have just become president of the Fellowship of Hairdressers (how medieval does that sound?!) and how he wants to keep the UK the home of the best hair professionals in the world.

I then made my way around watching demos at the stalls. Everywhere you looked there was somebody being hands on with hair - popping in extensions, back-combing wildly, delicately braiding or shaving funky patterns into gent's heads. It was a real visual feast and I know for a fact anyone passionate about hairdressing would have been utterly inspired!

The aesthetics of 'Doll Hair' really appealed to me, the model even sat with her arms and legs in that 'doll pose' the whole way through - what a star! I've always loved a brand that goes all out with their image as well as their products.

The first show I watched was presented by Warren Holmes, Nicky Clarke's international creative director. He talked through some catwalk styles while three young hairdressers who usually assist completed the looks on their models. He chatted a little about the industry, naughtily trash talked a rather popular at home ombre kit and home box dyes in general (I guess we're all 'guilty' of those!) and really put the focus on the stylists on stage and their rather impressive work.

Nipping over to the bridal stage, I wasn't at all surprised to find it utterly rammed for the demonstration by GHD! They created a couple of gorgeous, modern styles with a bit of a dishevelled feel. The majority of the bridal styles I spotted at the show were definitely more low maintenance that of previous years - with the focus on stunning accessories instead.

The Fellowship stage hosted a constant stream of 'collections' from various salons and companies, everything from the highly editorial to the extraordinarily low key. A great stage to sit by for a bit of a chill out, while still being inspired by some great looks and excellent speakers.

GHD stole the show a little, with their awesome wagon/ truck/ tanker studio and swanky bar complete with styling pods, plus demos which filled up within minutes.

The funky scissors at Cool Blades distracted me for far longer than necessary for somebody who doesn't even cut hair! I love the designs and the prices seemed more than fair.

I can't explain how strange it is to see people in the flesh you aspired to as a kid (I did work experience as a hairdresser!) Pro Hairdresser Live is simply unmissable for anyone interested in hairdressing - not only can you stock up on products and equipment, watch demos and learn from the best but you find yourself stood by hairdressing royalty everywhere you turn. If that isn't inspiring - well, I don't know what is.

Pro Hairdresser Live is also on tomorrow at Manchester's G-Mex, online registration is closed but you can still get tickets at the event.

I was invited to attend Professional Haircare Live by their PR team. All opinions 100% mine and 100% honest, as always!

  Bloglovin | Facebook | Hello Cotton | Twitter

Playing with Blue Hair Extensions!

I finally put the extensions I dyed to good use last night and popped them in to see how they looked. With my turquoise hair, they were just too obviously extensions for my tastes so I waited patiently until my turquoise faded enough to go midnight blue.

They're still a bit obvious since my actual hair has a different texture and is a touch greener (clearly didn't fade the turquoise quite enough!) but I think I'll get away with it...Maybe I'll spray them with dry shampoo to take away some shine.

I'll have to wait until my hair is longer before I can wear a full head of extensions - otherwise I'll look like a crazy Tina Turner! Ah well, a hat hides a multitude of hair sins laziness.

Do you wear extensions? Any brands you'd recommend? I'm eying up some more Halo ones!

TUTORIAL - Dying Hair Extensions

After receiving these gorgeous extensions from Halo Hair, I wasn't sure what to do with them...I attached them to a wig, parodied a Will Smith song, then stuck them in the cupboard. Y'see, stunning as they are, grey toned blues look awful with my skintone, and these extensions were veeeery grey-blue. Time to whip out the dye!

1. Gather your extensions, a bin bag, your bleach (if needed), dye, dying gloves, tint brush and comb.

2. Cut open your bin bag and lay it flat over a table/ floor. Bleach your extensions according to the instructions. Remember that extensions are treated differently to actual hair, so they may develop at different speed or give an odd colour result - strand tests are a good idea!

3. Apply your dye with the tint brush to BOTH SIDES of the extensions, comb through, rub in - whatever you need to do to ensure an even coverage. I used Directions 'Turquoise' mixed with a little Directions 'Midnight Blue'.

4. Run some warm water into your sink and gently work shampoo into the extensions. Rinse, run clean water, repeat. Repeat until the water runs clear or (like me) you get bored.

It's best to hold the extensions by the track so that you don't end up with a nasty, ragged hair ball.

5. Hand your extensions up to dry (I use trouser hangers with the clips), straighten/ style if you need to.

6. Marvel at your handy-work!

 7. Pop 'em in, style, take photos, attempt not to look like somebody pooped in your coffee (I failed at this) and blog!

This will ONLY work with human hair extensions. To test whether yours are human hair or synthetic, hold a few strands over a flame - if they melt, they're synthetic.

Do you wear extensions? Do you dye them?

Gettin' Wiggy with It

 Through my mail box came a red slip
“Y’all weren’t in, we got yo’ shit”
Boom! To the depo - get my parcel
Oooh
Got ma shit
Gonna get wiggy wit’ it
‘Halo’ hair
Blue streaks - ’Clip n Go’ - trés chic,
My 16” human hair heaven
Aw, damn, y’know my hair is short and my hair is green
Nuh uh uh
Long weft in there, bit obscene

Must solve this hairy dilemma!

Whipped out my swishy black wig ‘cos I’m a diva

Get ma sexy hair did

Got my long extensions like a scene kid

More hair than Chewbacca dressed up as Cher

Haha

Pin it to my head and look fierce, take some pics

Oooh

Yeah,  I can whip it like Willow, bitch!

Ha haaa

Big Lily style’s all in it!

Gettin' wiggy with it

(Na na na na na na na)

(Na na na na na na)

Gettin' wiggy with it

(Na na na na na na na)

(Na na na na na na)

Gettin' wiggy with it

(Na na na na na na na)

(Na na na na na na)

Gettin' wiggy with it

(Na na na na na na na)

(Na na na na na na)

Disclosure : This parody style 'review' was brought to you by Halo Hair, Will Smith and my lack of shame.

Halo Hair come to Manchester!

Last Friday, Debenhams Manchester was a scurry of activity and excitement as Halo Hair's first stand popped up in store. I nipped down to their launch party to check out their products, have a chit chat with the ladies running it and find out more about the brand. 

The stand itself is sleek and compact, with products clearly on display and neatly arranged. You can find it to your left as you go through the doors nearest the tram line. There will be a few girls with perfectly styled, beautiful, awe-inducing hair milling around - you can't miss them!

The first thing I spotted were the feather hair extensions, strung up and gleaming brightly against the black surface they hovered over. I'd seen feather extensions before from other companies, but they always looked stringy, thin and well...naff. However, I actually really like the Halo ones! They're full, colourful and don't look like something I'd instantly hand to the nearest 7 year old girl. I love the peacock ones and hope I can get some soon; they'd be amazing for festivals. 

Another product which took my fancy were the halo hair band style extensions. A thin, clear band with hair 4 wefts layered over each other which sits around your head like, well, a halo. You then use your natural hair to comb over the band to hide it - no slides, no clips, no glue and SO quick to do! Perfect for adding a bit of volume and length. 

Halo Hair also sell clip in extensions (double wefted) if you fancy a new style, rafts of volume and an all together glam look. The Halo team will colour match you in the store (there are 15 colours available in store, more online) so that you can be confident that your extensions look natural. The lovely Claire from over at The Beauty Scoop had a full set installed and told me that they're surprisingly light and comfortable, you can read her thoughts on Halo Hair here.

You may or may not know that I'm a trained wig maker and hair stylist (I know, looking at the state of my hair you wouldn't believe it!). Part of this included making hair extensions by hand, installing them, styling them...So I'm very fussy when it comes to extensions because I know what to look for in quality ones. I would happily buy and recommend Halo Hair extensions - they're very well made, the hair is of high quality and I've no doubt the Halo girls would help me out with a good colour match. Not only that, but they're extremely well priced - you would honestly pay more to make your own! 

All extensions at the Debenhams stand are human hair; synthetic hair is available from their online store. Find prices online at Halo Hair.