Around a month ago, I was chatting to a colleague and noticed she’d had her long hair cut to shoulder length. "I like your new haircut," I told her, to which she replied: "Oh no, I haven't had it cut; I've had my extensions taken out."
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I couldn't believe it – her hair had looked so natural and not once did I think it was hair extensions. I was genuinely amazed. I told her I would love longer, thicker hair, like I had back in my twenties.
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As a 44-year-old mum of two, my shoulder-length hair has got much finer in recent years and grows so annoyingly slowly. The thought of getting glamorous extensions was seriously appealing. Realistically, I’d probably never have gorgeous long, flowing hair again and that made me a little sad.
"You should do it!" she encouraged me. "I loved mine and felt like a total princess". Yes, she is much younger than me, but why shouldn’t extensions be for all ages?
I had so many questions… did the extensions hurt? (No). Is it real hair? (Yes). How long can you keep them in for? (Two or three months before the bonds need changing and the hair lasts around a year).
I went home and told my nine-year-old daughter Zara about my idea. Her excitement was off the charts. Her wise words were incredibly cute: 'I think you should go for it Mummy; you only live once. YOLO!'
I mean, how could I not with those go-getting words from a child? I wanted to show her that you can do anything at any age.
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My hair before the extensions were put in
So off I went to The Extensionist salon, founded by Olia Cutz, in London’s Battersea to get my new long hair put in!
I was pretty nervous, I'm not going to lie. Was this really a good idea? Would I look stupid, like mutton styled as lamb? It was too late; I was at the salon and the hair was HAPPENING.
To be clear, this was my first-ever venture into the world of hair extensions. I did not understand how it all worked or what would happen. It was like my first day of school – except in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and a magazine.
To start with, Olia asked me what type of extensions I wanted and the look I was going for. My answer: long, brunette, wavy swishy amazing hair please – hair that looks natural and that people can’t tell is extensions. I didn’t want anyone to be able to see the bonds.
Armed with my brief, my hairstylist Olia went over to the display of extensions, which I was pretty fascinated with. They seemed to have every shade and texture of hair.
Having the extensions fitted
Initially, I’d been a little freaked out at the thought of having someone else’s hair on my head, but after having the extensions for a few weeks now, I never think about that – the new hair is my hair.
Olia came back over to me with what I can only call an exact match of my hair. She held up the wavy, brunette extensions which came from Brazil. They were stunning, and even had the same texture and weight as my hair, which is fairly bouncy and wavy.
I had washed and dried my hair that morning so was all ready to go with the hair fitting process.
There are different types of bonds used to attach extensions to your hair. Olia advised me that micro ring extensions would be best suited to most of my hair. She also used a few ultra-bond extensions to the top of my scalp using a fusion heat wand.
The whole process took around two and half hours, and the time flew by. I was so interested in watching the whole application process, and as more and more hair was fitted, my appearance started to transform.
Seeing myself with such long hair again instantly made me feel younger; sitting there I was transported back to my carefree twenties, it was brilliant.
When all the extensions were fitted, Olia trimmed the hair to the length I wanted and graduated my own shoulder-length hair into the Brazilian locks to make the style look more natural.
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My new look - I loved it!
I asked, "What upkeep I needed to do with the extensions?"
Olia said I should buy a sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner and use a clarifying shampoo that removes buildup once a week. For brushing, a tangle teezer style brush is recommended. It’s also advised to sleep with your hair in two plaits to stop tangling, and when drying wet hair, to dry the roots and bonds thoroughly.
Then, voila, my new hair was ready!
There was an awful lot of swishing and posing in the salon on my part – I was like a kid with a new toy, obsessively staring at myself in the mirrors. I couldn’t believe how natural it looked. My hair wasn’t just long – it was so thick as well.
Stepping out into the world with my new do was totally bizarre. I felt like everyone must know what I’d had done and they’d all stare – but of course they didn’t.
My gorgeous new extensions
Walking from the salon to the train station, I Facetimed about 10 people to show off my hair. Their reactions were so funny. "Your hair! Oh my god, it’s amazing!" was the main comment.
Then it was straight to the school run to pick up my daughter…
She had been waiting all day to see her new princess hair mum. I hoped she would like it. Kids are brutally honest, and if she said it was bad then I was a bit stuffed as it’s attached to my head.
I walked round the corner to her classroom and pow, it’s Mummy's new hair!
Thank goodness she loved it. I was pulled into the classroom to show her male teacher (not embarrassing at all) then paraded in front of her friends. I felt like a show pony, but I didn’t mind.
My colleague had warned me that the extensions may feel a bit heavy in the first week and to expect a little discomfort on the head when lying down. This was true, but it was minimal and soon passed after a few days.
The extensions did take some time to get used to, but I soon adjusted, and I absolutely LOVE them. I’m a convert. They make me feel amazing and it is so good having long hair after all these years.
The best bit is my new hair provides instant glamour. Because the hair has a natural wave, like mine does, all I have to do is brush it and I suddenly have this wow hair.
Glam mummy has arrived!
The next step was walking into the HELLO! office. I likened it to strutting through the doors on Stars in Their Eyes (can we bring back that show, please?).
I did the obligatory hair swish as I marched in and approached my desk, then pretty much announced it to everyone: "Look at my amazing hair!" No modesty here!
It made me chuckle seeing some of my friends' reactions.
A few people said, "Wow, your hair has grown fast!" I could have played along but I had to confess. Everyone wants to know all about the extensions and the process, just as I did at the start.
I’m definitely going to have them put back in when I need the bonds changed at two to three months – I’m not ready for the long hair glamour to end just yet.
To other fortysomething women out there wondering if hair extensions are for them, I’d say go for it. It really has made me feel like a new person and given me that spring in my step.
I’m so glad I went out of my comfort zone and did something new. As my daughter says, you only live once...
Princes for a full head of hair extensions start at £450. Visit theextensionist.com.
