5 Things to Know About Clip In Hair Extensions
Can you believe this year is already almost over! I don’t know about you, but I feel like I have SERIOUSLY lived in 2021 --- through the pandemic that never seems to end, a long-waited dream destination wedding, and a move with my husband to a new country and a new life. This year has been scary, crazy, hard, and exciting, and I for one am ready to celebrate the wins, reflect on the lessons and ring in 2022 in style!
This will be my first New Year’s partying in a new country, and I can’t wait to kick it off in Beirut. We have plans that I’m crazy excited about, so if you don’t follow me on Instagram, make sure you do so you don’t miss the fun! But for now, I am working on the last-minute details of my look, and the major piece of that puzzle is the hair!
I have mostly been wearing wigs, weaves, and braids since I moved to Lebanon, but I wanted to mix it up and try something new. I have experimented off and on with clip in hair extensions but always had trouble finding a good texture match and blending them in. But when Perfect Locks approached me, I decided to give them a try, and I have to say I’m hooked! Perfect Locks is a premium hair company specializing in top quality hair extensions of all types – wigs, weft bundles for weaves, and clip in or tape in extensions. All their products begin with premium quality 100% Authentic Virgin Indian Remy Hair that is ethically sourced and goes through a rigorous process from assembly to coloring. They sent me a package of their Relaxed Straight Lace Clip in Extensions for review and I had so much fun playing with them.
Here are 5 things I learned about styling clip in hair extensions that you need to know!
5 Things to Know About Clip In Hair Extensions!
Make sure you find the perfect match for your hair.
Clip ins look way more natural than lace front wigs or closure weaves, but only if they blend with your hair! Since you clip the pieces in between layers of your natural hair, if they don’t match color and texture, it’s not going to work! Perfect Locks has a lot of different color and texture options to choose from, and they can also help you texture match your hair if you send them a picture. I chose Relaxed Straight since it seemed the closest match to what my natural hair looked like when it was blown out and flat ironed. Even though all the colors and textures look beautiful, don’t be tempted! If it doesn’t match your natural hair, they will not blend. If you want to experiment with different colors and textures, stick to wigs or full head weaves so you won’t have to worry about blending color and texture.
You can customize your clip ins to get your dream look.
Clip ins are versatile, and part of the styling process should be making them work for you! You can play with the placement of each clip in for a different look, have them cut for a length you love or to create layers, or even get them customize the color. You can do that yourself or take them to a salon and have them professionally colored or highlighted. The possibilities are endless.
If DIY styling isn’t your thing, you can have a pro install them
I have played with clip ins before and found them so challenging to work with! Granted that set was not a great texture match for me so it just looked crazy. But clip in extensions have to be installed and also styled, flat ironed, or curled to get the final look. Even if you find your perfect match, you may want to get some help with installation and styling, especially if you aren’t big on DIY styling. Last time I was at a hair salon I saw a woman getting beautifully custom colored clip in extensions and they were installed flawlessly! I think for when I’m wearing them for a special occasion, like New Year’s Eve, I’ll enlist a pro, just to make sure everything looks perfectly naturally.
You can use as much or as little as you want
You might be tempted to use every single clip in that comes in your set, but you don’t have to! My Perfect Locks set included 7 pieces so you can customize the installation for the best placement. It gives you the option to add them all over for lots of volume, or just a little bit for some extra length. If you overdo it you will risk losing the smooth, natural look so be sure to keep that in mind.
Clip ins can also work for updos
Did you know that you can use clip ins for updos and other styles? In addition to adding pieces for length, you can clip them in to add volume or height to your updos. The trick is to clip them in upside down against the roots, so the hair is facing up instead of down. Then just continue pulling your hair up into the style you want! Clip ins are known for being versatile so have fun with them!
Have you tried clip in extensions? Be sure to check out Perfect Locks and stay tuned for my New Year’s Eve look! And thanks again to the Perfect Locks team for gifting me my set of clip in hair extensions!
Every Beauty DIY You Need to Know to Look Great Now!
LA has been on quarantine for over a month now, and we’ve got another month to go! If you are used to getting regular salon treatments, I’m sure things are starting to look and feel a little rough. Even if restrictions on social distancing start to ease up next month I don’t suggest you immediately run out and book a salon treatment. Safety needs to remain priority number 1, and beauty may just have to wait! But that doesn’t mean you have to look like you’ve been in quarantine for 60 plus days. Here are my tips for maintaining your beauty routine while stuck at home. I know this may seem trivial in the face of a global pandemic, but I know that personally I feel better when I look better. After all, beauty is a form of self-care and we all need some of that right now!
How to Do a Basic At Home Manicure
Nail salons will be a no go for a while. If your nails are starting to show the effects of the coronavirus quarantine, polish them up at home! If you’ve been wearing old acrylics or gel polish, soak it off with acetone and give your nails a few days to breathe. Shape them up with a nail file and buff the surface to smooth any ridges or nicks. Don’t forget to show your hands some love with a good exfoliation, hand cream massage, and dab of cuticle oil. If you can’t paint your own nails, I love these nail stickers from Color Street. They are super easy to apply and come in dozens of fun colors and patterns.
Easy DIY Quarantine Hairstyles
There is a lot of variance with what you can do with your hair while in quarantine, especially depending on your hair’s texture and length. Clip on ponytails or braided headbands are a foolproof way to glam up your look in just a few minutes. Just look for a set that matches your hair color and texture. You also can’t go wrong with a wig, especially for those super lazy days when you can’t even think about washing your hair. And if you have natural hair, a set of cute chunky twists is the perfect protective style.
How to do an At Home Facial
I’ve only had 2 or 3 facials in my life, so I can definitely live without them. I had an amazing one at Threo Spa in Pasadena, which I will definitely repeat once quarantine is over. Even though I’m not big on salon facials, I always do my own weekly skin treatments at home. Start with steaming your face to open pores before applying a mask of your choice. I have a few in rotation, depending on how my skin looks and feels that week. After the mask, I layer on a few serums and moisturizers, followed by a few minutes of facial massage with my rose quartz roller.
Hope these tips help you look and feel more like yourself. And remember, beauty is supposed to be fun! These are hard times, and you may need the distraction. Or you may feel like looks are the absolute last thing on your mind and that is totally fine. Focus on whatever you need to stay sane and get through this!
Getting Ready for Spring: 3 Must Try Hair Styles with SheaMoisture!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FindYourShea #CollectiveBias
I’m so ready to freshen up my look for Spring! Winter will hopefully be over in a few short weeks, but I’m relishing the opportunity to escape for a bit and enjoy some fun in the sun. I’ve been hanging out in LA a bit, enjoying the sunshine and getting inspired for when the good weather finally hits NYC.
I don’t know about you, but my hair has really taken a beating this winter. It gets super dry and frizzy, and extra breakage prone! I’ve been saving my strands with a combination of protective styling and products that bring the moisture. One of my go to brands is SheaMoisture. I love that the products have natural, yet effective ingredients, smell incredible, and they have a variety of product lines depending on your hair’s needs. Plus they avoid using harmful ingredients like sulfates, parabens, paraffin, formaldehyde, and petroleum. I like to balance taking care of and protecting my hair with having fun with it, so wanted to share a few fun low-maintenance looks that I’m loving for the season!
Interested in trying out the SheaMoisture hair products? Hover over the photo to click through and shop!
Messy Pigtails
This youthful style is chic again! Braids have a carefree, bohemian vibe this look is perfect for channeling that spirit. It’s also great for when your straight or stretched hair is a few days old and starting to frizz. Just be sure to keep them a little loose and messy, not too neat and perfect. And add a little headband or scarf to jazz it up
Beach Babe Waves
No other style is more iconic for summer! It has an easy breezy vibe and holds up well to wind and humidity. Just braid dry straight hair in medium sized sections, let them set overnight, then unbraid and fluff in the morning.
Sleek Bun
Sometimes it’s just too hot to deal with hair, so slick it back for a chic easy look. A middle part is most flattering for the shape of my face, but you can also play with a side part or even pulling it all straight back. Finish the look with a few hair clips or a pair of statement earrings!
After wash day is complete, you are ready to style!
Check out SheaMoisture products at your local Walmart. They’ve got everything you need to hydrate & replenish dry, damaged hair whether your hair texture is curly, coily, or kinky. Plus you just can’t beat the super affordable price. Let me know what you think and any of your favorite Spring hairstyles I should try!
How to Be Your Own #HairGoals with Prose Customized Hair Care
Let's be real - we are all on the quest to have the best hair possible. However you define your best hair is up to you - whether that be short and straight, long and bouncy or kinky curly. Great hair starts with health and I've been through HUNDREDS of products looking for the ones that would keep my curls hydrated, shiny and strong enough to resist breakage and maintain length.
My products arrived a week or 2 later with a detailed guide to the ingredients chosen and why they would be good for my hair. Some of the key ingredients were argan and jojoba oils for moisture, hyaluronic acid and collagen to repair and restore, and oat lipids and sunflower seed extract for color protection. My instructions are to shampoo and condition 2x a week, use the mask once a week, and 2x a month leave the mask on overnight for some ultimate hair rehab.
I noticed a difference right away and my hair has been getting even better with continued use. I mean take a look at these curls!
The shampoo cleansed without leaving my hair feeling stripped, and the conditioner and mask are rich, creamy and super hydrating. In short, it works wonders for my hair because it's made for my hair.
Spring Ready Hair with Stylebox Salon!
So I'm sure you noticed my new look on Instagram and my stories lately, so I'm finally spilling the tea! I'd been wanting to color my hair for sometime, debating the shade, the process, and how it would effect the health of my hair overall. Luckily I had found an amazing salon and a stylist I trusted to get me to the color of my dreams!
Stylebox Salon is a new gem in Brooklyn, with friendly and attentive service, talented stylists that serve all hair types, and a fantastic bar so you can sit drink and be merry, as they say on their site! They use amazing vegan products and even keep the bathroom stocked with organic tampons!
The process started with choosing a color, so I settled on a full head of caramel blonde balayage. I'd been obsessed with the technique forever but only ever seen it on straight or wavy hair, so wasn't sure it would work on kinky textured hair.
The brighter blondes were kind of calling me, but I decided to play it safe since it was my first time coloring. Nicole carefully painted tiny stands of my hair, keeping them separated with foil. Then I hung out with a bellini while it processed!
My hair is super porous so it processed pretty quickly. However it decided on its own that I should be a redhead. My hair turned a shade of red that wasn't anywhere near any of the colors in the book! Luckily Nicole expertly toned the color down so instead of leaving looking like Ronald McDonald, I ended up with this!
And here's a close up of the finished style!
Overall I ove it and my hair feels healthy as ever! I may make a second visit in a few months to try and go lighter, but for now just going to see how my hair feels.
Have you guys tried balayage or are you debating? And check out the full Stylebox Menu for all their service options!
Kicking off NYFW with Texture on the Runway!
NYFW kicked off with a bang!
My first show of the season was Texture on the Runway, hosted by NaturallyCurly.com and Sally Beauty. This show made hair the star, and the clothes were just there to finish the look.
Each of the participating brands had a segment, showing off inventive and inspiring hair styles created using their product lines. The details and creativity of their work as like nothing I’ve seen before! After the models worked the runway, we were given some styling secrets from the glam squad responsible for each look. Check out some of my favorite moments from the show:
But the best part wasn't the amazing style and beauty. It was the hefty, stuffed to the brim gift bag!
Weighing a nearly a whopping 10 pounds, it was loaded with full-size products from all the participating brands, including Ardell, Cantu, Shea Moisture, Carol’s Daughter, Aphogee and Mielle.
I can't wait to incorporate some of these into my natural hair journey, and I am newly inspired to start playing with my natural tresses in the near future. Even though the season is just starting, I can tell this one will be a hard one to top. After all, nothing beats the sense of community that comes with celebrating culture and natural beauty.
What shows and events are you most excited about this season? Make sure to follow me on Instagram and Snapchat so you don’t miss a thing!
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