I've always dreamed of having long, thick, luscious hair. The reality is that mine is, and has always been, very thin and fine -- and the aging process sure isn't helping. While I have no problem growing it, the longer it gets, the more my hair looks like a scraggly mess -- not thick, and definitely not luscious. But when I met Jennifer and Vanja, owners of Locks & Mane Hair Extension Bar, my hopes and dreams were restored.
I stumbled upon Locks & Mane (L&M) on Instagram (as one does) and their before and after photos intrigued me -- and kind of made me drool. So when Jennifer and Vanja invited me to their Parisian inspired, trendy King West location in Toronto to check out their process, I didn't just walk, I ran.
The ladies of L&M have developed a proprietary method of attaching 100 per cent human hair to your own, for added volume and/or length, without the use of heat, chemicals or glues. They do use silicon-lined microbeads, but their signature method does so in a way that is fast, safe and affordable -- making it accessible to most women. I learned that with proper care and maintenance, my wussy hair would be free from any damage and was also assured that my hair colour could easily be matched.
When Jennifer and Vanja showed me how they performed this miraculous endeavour and then told me the price ($195-$235, depending on length), I was pretty hooked. It takes less than an hour to install, lasts about eight weeks (depending on care) and takes about 15 minutes to remove -- great for someone who doesn't want to commit.
But being the consummate researcher though, I felt I had to dig a little deeper to look at all my options before deciding. I turned to Love's In The Hair, which is also located in a trendy, central Toronto location. Owner Miranda prides herself on her personalized and high quality service, her affordability and the relaxed, down-to-earth environment. Her clients can often be found snacking, with beverage in hand, indulging in a Netflix binge or a TV marathon.
Love's In The Hair offers three different types of hair extensions, Hot Keratin Fusion, Euro-Lock/Micro-Ring and Tape-In -- something for everyone. All processes use 100 per cent human hair, have their own benefits and qualities and start at $270.
According to Miranda, Hot Fusion (aka Keratin or Bonded) is the most popular type of hair extension. Very intricate and time consuming, keratin tipped pieces of hair are heated and then applied to your hair in very small sections -- great for adding volume or length and lasting up to two to four months.
Euro-Lock/Micro-Ring extensions are similar to Hot Fusion other than the fact that the pieces of hair aren't heated, but applied with tiny rings that are clamped onto your hair. Therefore, no heat required. Perfect for someone like me who likes to avoid extremely hot objects near her very fragile hair.
Tape-In hair extensions are exactly that -- one to two inches long rows of hair that are sandwiched between your hair and taped into place -- ideal for adding length and can last up to one to two months.
Regardless of which of the three types of extensions you choose, Miranda recommends that you take proper care of them and has posted a number of tips and suggestions on her website.
So, what's a girl to do? Commit? Don't commit? Volume, length or both? So many options, but only one head of hair.
I think I might just have to sleep on it.
ALSO ON HUFFPOST:
