I have spent what feels like a lifetime (and a small fortune) attempting to inject more volume into my oh-so-fine hair, sampling all manner of supplements and specialist products, all to no avail. In fact, as time passes, things seem to be getting worse: much to my horror, while looking at photographs from only a few years ago recently, I realised my hair has actually got thinner! Thanks a bunch, hormones. A good friend (and fellow sufferer) recently decided to take action, delving into the glamorous world of extensions. I’d only ever considered this as a means of adding length, assuming that the process would damage what little hair I have. Her experience proved me wrong. Coveting my friend’s now voluminous hair, I was determined to give it a go myself.
Feeling somewhat trepidatious (what if they felt uncomfortable, or made things look worse), I headed to Selfridges to meet Becky Lennon, head of the extensions team at Daniel Galvin. I was in safe hands: she’s won Hair Extension Specialist of the Year at the London Hair & Beauty Awards and has been perfecting the art of extensions for years. During the initial consultation we discussed what I wanted to achieve (more hair!) and Becky colour-matched me with some hair (all ethically sourced from India). The process itself is straightforward – Becky takes small pieces of the hair which are infused with keratin on the ends, and uses heat to secure them to my own hair, leaving a small gap between the scalp and the bond to avoid any feeling of tightness and to ensure that the hair can move in a natural fashion. She then cuts the new hair in to match my current length, and voila… I have thicker hair and I can barely feel where the extensions have been placed, let alone see them. The one thing that takes a little getting used to is when I touch my hair: I’m so used to ‘zhuzhing’ it up with my hands but I can no longer do that without accidentally pulling on the extensions, which does smart a little.
Becky sends me away with some sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner, along with advice on how to look after my new do. In particular, making sure to brush regularly, so that the extensions don’t get matted. After her pep talk I walk away feeling confident that I won’t wake up to find the extensions lying forlornly on my pillow.
I’ve had so many compliments since my appointment; people are genuinely amazed at how natural the extensions look, and my new volume has given me so much more confidence to wear my hair with pride. I’ll need to have them changed after two to three months, but it’s a price I am more than willing to pay.
From £400. Available at the Marylebone and Selfridges salons (danielgalvin.com/hair-extensions)
