Extensions

Extensions are one of the most magical hair tools a hairstylist can have. Short hair can instantly become long, toned hair can have streaks of bright purple, and thin, flat hair can turn into voluminous locks. If you can’t grow your dream hair, you sure can buy it.

I exclusively use Hot Head Tape In Extensions. I have stuck with this brand because of their dedication to quality hair. They use real human hair, which means it is the best quality hair that can be bought. The hair is attached to a piece of industrial strength tape and that is sandwiched between two extensions around the actual hair. This gives long, lasting extensions that look natural and leave the least amount of damage. They don’t pull or tug out your hair and requires no heavy weaves or wefts.

As I always say, with great hair comes great hair responsibility, and as you might expect, there is some maintenance that comes with extensions. Here are my recommendations:

• For long-lasting extensions, use Hot Heads shampoo and conditioner. It is the ideal product to keep your extensions at their best.
• When you get your extensions, braid them every night when you sleep to keep out tangles and dreads.
• Don’t sleep with wet hair. Over time, long sitting wet hair can cause mildew to grow in the extension.
• If you have finer hair, you may not need to wash or style your hair as often.

With anything there is positive and negatives but I truly believe there are more plus with these extensions.

Extensions are an investment; they are a little pricey but the hair lasts a good amount of time if properly taken care of. To give you an idea on timeline, the extensions get moved up every six weeks and your hair last 3 move ups. That means gorgeous hair for four and half months before you have to buy new hair.

How do you feel about using extensions to get your dream hair? If interested, book a consultation with me to further discuss the possibility of extensions. 

Love, Paige Noelle

Part 1: So You Wanna Grow Your Hair Out

We’ve all been there. We’ve all done the chop at one point and felt instant regret afterwards. About two years ago, I got off the plane from my month-long trip to Spain and chopped off the locks, and luckily that time around, I loved the chop. My short hair was sassy, cute and easy to style. Despite that, the chop regret is slowly catching up to me. My desire to grow my hair back has been provoked by none other than long hair itself. I looked back on old photos from cosmetology school and high school and was in awe of my old length, and let me tell ya, that’s the easiest way to provoke chop regret.

As a hairstylist I am a little impatient with my hair growth. I am also a cancellation away from getting chopped.  So here’s what I’m thinking: First, I am going to make you guys keep me accountable, and second and more importantly, I am going to try a new system of products or tricks every month to grow my hair. I will be detailed in my weekly routine so you can decide what works best for your personal hair schedule.

What is my plan this month?

I will be trying the “Don’t Despair, Repair” hair masks from Briogeo. The purpose behind these hair masks is to protect and repair my hair, because as we all know, to grow long hair it needs to be healthy. I am going to use this hair mask once a week. Luckily enough, four come in the pack. There are a few unique things about this mask:

1. This mask is a two-step system. First, you slather your hair in the mask. Second, you place the prepackaged cap on your hair.
2. The cap has the second part of the mask infused to the inner lining. The cap traps the heat from your head and opens up your cuticle, which lets the mask repair your hair. A big bonus is that you can wash out the cap after you are done and can reuse it.

The other product and the biggest change I will be making to my routine is incorporating shampoo back into my hair care plan. I will be using the “Scalp Revival” shampoo from Briogeo. The purpose of bringing shampoo back into my routine is to experiment with the benefits of scalp exfoliation. This specific product has charcoal and coconut oil, which I am hoping this will stimulate my scalp and encourage hair growth. I’m also betting that this will be a huge game changer for the change of season dry scalp that happens to me every year.

The final product I am adding to my hair care routine is the one I am most excited about! I will be trying the Briogeo “Scalp Revival” scalp treatment. This is an oil treatment formulated with charcoal, tea tree, biotin and witch hazel that you put in your hair after you shower. These ingredients add up to one happy and healthy scalp.

The combination of all these products I am hoping will give me a healthy scalp, healthy hair and eventually the mermaid hair of my dreams. Keep following along for updates and don’t be shy and feel free to ask questions in the comments or direct message me. 

Love, Paige Noelle

Going Darker?

Hey Y’all,

We are in the midst of winter, which means it’s time for darker tones and lots of warmth! In my previous blog posts, I have talked a lot about the process and steps it takes to go lighter, and just the same, going darker is just as much of a process.

When you lighten your hair, you remove your natural pigment, so in order to get to a natural brunette, you must put the pigment back. These pigments have the underlying colors of red, orange, and yellow tones. It sounds a little scary but if you don’t put these pigments back, the result will be muddy and grainy color.

When you go darker with pre-lightened hair, the cuticle is already lifted so you may loose your color quicker then you expect. Each time I take my hair darker, the fading process is my favorite because it brings warmth and a natural sun kissed glow to my face. And who doesn’t want this in the dead of winter?

If you are wondering about going darker and embracing your winter glow, the first step is to contact me for an appointment. One important step I recommend is coming in every 6-8 weeks for a gloss if you take the leap towards darker hair, so we can maintain fading. We can talk about what the process looks like for you and any extra steps that need to be taken in the future.

Love, Paige Noelle

Coloring your hair for the first time

Are you excited?! This is always my first question to a virgin hair guest who is about to make a hair transformation. It is exciting but can also be nerve-racking.

I want to tell you all how hair coloring works and how to be prepared for your first color appointment. If I don’t answer all of your questions, please comment below and I will do a follow-up blog.

How long will the appointment take?
I always prefer to give myself two and half hours per client, however, this varies depending on length, thickness, and what we will be doing with your hair. For virgin hair, I tend to move slower as I want to make sure the client doesn’t feel rushed and is happy with the finished product. More time means more opportunity to perfect every strand of hair.

Should I wash my hair before or leave it dirty?
If you have read any of my other blogs, you will know that I am partial and love dirty hair. However, it truly doesn’t matter! Dirty or clean, the color will stick. I only request that your hair isn’t wet or damp so I can see it in its natural state prior to coloring it.

If you are doing any lightening on the root, I recommend not washing your hair for three days before. The less irritated the scalp, the less the bleach will bother it. Typically, the first time coloring your hair won’t be a coloring job that big, but it is something to keep in mind for future color appointments.

Should I bring in pictures?
Yes, please! Pictures are great! I can’t read my clients’ minds or envision what they see, so a visual aid is incredibly helpful to determine what the goal of the appointment is.  For instance, what you consider to be a warm blonde and what I consider to be a warm blonde could be very different, so bringing in visuals is often more helpful than verbal descriptions. Beyond that, I just love to see pictures of the styles you like and dislike. Having a clear understanding of the direction my clients want to go with their hair makes for a successful hair journey.

What type of maintenance are we talking about?
In my dream world I would see every client at the most every 8 weeks. However, like  I said, that is in my dream world! I understand that life is busy and demanding, and our hair isn’t typically our top priority. Despite this, keeping up with color and cuts is important for all hair, but especially hair that has big color jobs. I always say hair is the one accessory that you can’t take off ;)

Here’s a breakdown of how often you should come in for an appointment depending on your color job:

• Natural Bayalage: 12 weeks
• Bright Bayalage: 6-8 weeks
• Highlights: 6 weeks
• Root lightening: 4 weeks
• Grey coverage: 4 weeks
• Demi-permanent gloss: 12 weeks
• Cut: 8-12 weeks

Is it going to damage my hair?
I don’t usually recommend making several dramatic changes in one appointment because it can lead to damage, but there are solutions we can do to limit the damage. One of these is using a bond builder. My favorite is Olaplex. When hair is lightened or colored, its bonds break down so the color can penetrate the hair strand to remove its natural color. Olaplex is added to your color to build the bonds back up and seal them down. It makes hair feel healthier and thicker. I recommend it even when simply lightening the hair a few shades. It is an extra charge because the product is extremely expensive, but I find it to be worth it and never color my own hair without it.

For all you virgin hair folks out there, let me tell you that coloring your hair is a blast. I love being able to change and highlight certain features about someone with just a change of hair color. The possibilities are endless with some patience and a whole lot of lightener. And just remember, life is too short for boring hair :)

Love, Paige

Grow your Hair Fast!

Here is what I believe to be every girl's dream: to cut her hair and have it grow back in a month. I agree that would be ideal, but unfortunately, I don’t have the magic potion for that. Instead, I have something a little different! Today I will share about my favorite hair mask that quickens hair growth. 

A pumpkin seed oil and peppermint essential oil mask is my favorite for hair growth.

Let's break down why this works:
Pumpkin seed oil is one of the most underrated miracle hair growth supplements; it encourages fast hair growth and the thickening of hair. Pumpkin seed oil can actually be used for many health benefits and can be taken in a pill form. I prefer to use it directly on my scalp for hair growth, but for those of you with thinning hair who are looking to thicken it, the supplements would be recommended. Because it has many mineral antioxidants and nutrients including vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, and iron, pumpkin seed oil not only helps with hair growth but also nourishes healthy hair follicles, which are the root of all hair growth. With hair loss or Androgenic Alopecia, pumpkin seed oil or peppermint oil will help with dandruff or clogged hair follicles, giving you a clean scalp - something that is necessary for hair growth.

Peppermint oil.. talk about tingly! When placed on the scalp, you will feel tons of tingling that is really just stimulating your scalp. That is what encourages hair growth. During this tingling, the peppermint oil is also balancing your scalp's PH. And keep in mind that a healthy scalp is one that produces healthy hair, so these natural ingredients will help not only help hair growth but will keep your hair healthy as well.

How to make the hair mask:

1. I like to measure out about half a cup of pumpkin seed oil and 5-6 drops of peppermint oil. You want it to be at room temperature. Combine the two oils to make the mask.
2. Place the mask on your scalp and massage it in. I usually flip my hair upside down and take my time brushing my hair gently while the brush massages my scalp.
3. I wear a shower cap while I sleep, and sometimes I tie on an old headband to keep the oil from dripping.
4. Shower the next morning. When washing out the mask, remember that the peppermint oil will diffuse into the steamy shower air, so I recommend keeping your eyes closed (trust me, I learned the hard way).

You can do this as many times as you like, but I only do it once a week.

This is the first of many things you can do to help your hair grow. Be on the lookout for another blog coming soon that will continue on this topic! Until then, I hope you all have beautiful hair days!

Love, Paige