Hair Extensions

Celebrities like Cheryl Cole and Jennifer Lopez are long time addicts of hair extensions. The attraction is the great length, body, height and volume extensions add to natural hair. In the words of Tracy DiMarco from hit American reality TV series, Jersylicious, “the higher your hair the closer you are to heaven”.

When extensions first emerged they were made of synthetic hair which can be a nightmare to manage. Fabric conditioners were needed to keep the extensions soft, and combing was next to impossible. Blow drying had to be done on a cold air setting for the synthetic portion of the hair and hot air for the natural hair, which was time consuming and irritating. So the only head this hair looked great on was Barbie’s!

Recently natural hair for extensions has become much more readily available, making it easier and cheaper to have extensions done in your local salon. Using real hair instead of synthetic strands makes the extensions less noticeable, more flexible and puts less tension on the hair. They are applied strand by strand and the hair line and parting areas are avoided for discretion.

There is such a wide range of hair available today. Remy hair is a top quality, virgin, non treated hair, which means it has never been dyed, straightened or permed. Spanish hair is also a top quality hair commonly used. Natural hair extensions can come in 3 forms:

·         A bag of hair held together by a string (with loose ends)

·          A bag of hair in strands individually pre-bonded with a keratin glue (U-tip)

·         Stick tip little strands that look like shoe laces at the top (I-tip)

One bale of this hair weights around 50 grams and comes in a ponytail which would be about as thick as a 20 cent coin. It should be perfectly straight and shiny, with all strands the same length.

How it works...

To get the best results, you must make sure your hair is coloured or highlighted before you have extensions put in. First you must have your hair matched for colour with the correct extensions, which will be easy for any good hairdresser. If you have highlights in your hair you will need more than 1 colour, which may cost extra.

While washing your hair prior to having extensions put in, do not use any conditioners, oil treatments or serums, as this can prevent keratin from bonding to your hair and cause slip. The day you get your hair extensions done, make sure your hair is freshly washed and blow dried nice and straight. 

There is a choice of two systems for attachment of extensions to the hair. Both look exactly alike...

·         Micro Beads, sometimes called Micro Links, are little silicone or metal beads clamped onto the hair, strand by strand. Micro Beads can be removed by unclipping the bead or link on top of the strand of hair.

·         Pre-Tipped keratin bonded extensions are put in with a glue product strand by strand. Keratin bonded extensions have to be removed with acetone.

Maintenance...

Provided the hair is real, you may wash, colour, cut, blow dry or style any way you wish. You will need a special wide-bristle brush to avoid shedding.

Extensions can last anything from 2-4 months. Since extensions are not growing from the root they are starved of oil from the scalp so to keep them looking healthy it’s necessary to apply a conditioning treatment at least once a week. 

If you’re blonde and wondering how to get your roots coloured with extensions, you can only have a T-Bar or Masking done when the extensions are in. Colouring cannot be applied to the bonds, which is why you need to have the perfect colour when the extensions are first bonded.

When blow drying your hair, it’s a good idea to use a cold or medium air setting, as you do not want the glue to melt. 

To view availability in the best salons for hair extensions, click here

Tantastic - Spray Tans

Summer is nearly here but instead of getting the winter white legs out for a good scorching, get a spray tan instead! Spray tans are very popular at the moment because you don’t have to expose your skin to any harmful UV rays.  Also, we are all used to seeing them on MTV with the Jersey Shore and let’s face it we all look better with a tan!  

The process is very simple. When you arrive in a salon to get a spray tan you will be brought into a little room and asked to undress.  You may leave your underwear on but they can get covered in tan - most salons will leave a paper thong in the room to change into and a hair net! The therapist will ask you to perform various poses when they are using the spray tan gun. The therapists are all professionals and will make the process as comfortable as possible. Remember that when you leave after your first spray tan you will be very brown and the tan will possibly be a bit muddy looking - this is only the colour guide and comes off in the shower the next day.  

Before going for your spray tan, here are some tips!
·  Exfoliate and do any shaving the night before to remove the dead skin and ensure the tan goes on evenly.
·  Do not wear deodorant, perfume, moisturiser or make up on the day.
·  Wear loose clothes that you don’t mind getting a bit of tan on and bring flip flops so your shoes don’t get any tan on them.

·  Ladies do not put the bra back on unless you want strap marks!
·  For the best results leave on overnight and wash off the colour guide after it has been on your skin 8 hours, some tans developing times are quicker. We recommend leaving it on overnight
·  Paint a coat of nail polish on your nails the night before so your nails are not tanned too.
·  If you are going somewhere on a particular day we recommend getting your spray tan 2 days in advance so if it’s not dark enough, you can return it to the salon and ask for a top up.  Also, if it’s too dark give it time to tone down or give yourself time to get used to it!
·  Needless to say no water, no washing your hands or heavy sweating until the tan has developed!

After the tan has developed have a shower, bring the shower head down to your feet and rinse going upwards this ensures even removal.  The next thing to remember is moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!  Load it on every day, this keeps the tan fresh for longer.  The last thing you want is scaly looking skin, so no prolonged swimming or bathing because it will take the spray tan off you.

To remove your spray tan in a rush here is something you can do at home - mix up 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of baby oil and exfoliate your skin.  The best way to do this is to have a long soak in the bath first, then dry your skin and exfoliate! Shower the remains of the scrub off and the tan comes off, you can repeat if necessary.

There are loads of spray tan brands to choose from! Fake tan is actually made by a substance found in sugar beet called dha’s which react with your skin to create the tan. Each brand has different levels of these and colouring! So we have worked very hard at SalonAddict.ie to find you a wide variety of salons with all kinds of tan brands to suit every skin tone! Please see the list below to find your favourite brand of spray tan.

4th Avenue Beauty Salon - Karora

Allure Beauty Salon - Heshi, White to Brown

Baggot Beauty - Tan Organic, Viva Liberata, White to Brown

Beaumont Beauty Clinic - TanTruth

Beauty Laine - Vanity Tan
Beauty & More - Crazy Angel

Core Beauty - Liquid gold

Couture Beauty - Liquid gold

Ebano - Crazy angel

Elaine’s Beauty Care - Fake Bake

Face Forward - Tan California

Indulge Hair and Beauty - Tan organic

Light Wave Beauty - White to Brown

Midas Touch - Viva Liberata, Sun Fx

One to One - Green Angel

Pretty Woman Beauty - Tan Organic, Tan California, St. Tropez

Rathfarnham Beauty Clinic - Guinot, Revolutionary

Rosebud Beauty Clinic  - Intensive Spray tan

Rouge Beauty - Xen

Skinscape - Skin Truth

Studio 92 - Bronze Express, Fakebake

The Beauty Loft - St. Tropez

Wow Brown Tanning Boutique - Wow Brown

Eyelash Extensions - The Flirty Falsies!

Eyelash extensions were first introduced in the 50’s by Hollywood film makers to give actresses that doughy-eyed look for the camera. Nowadays extensions are still as sought after as ever but are much more accessible and come in a range of styles. Most women wear them for that extra flair but some like the lift they give your eyes which can deceive wrinkle lines, giving you a stylish, more youthful look. Applications vary so let’s have a look at what’s available:

Strip lashes are a full strip of lashes that can span the width of your eyelid. They vary in lash thickness, length, width and colour. We recommend these for 1 day use only. The application is glued on with latex-based glue which can be easily peeled right off at the end of each day of use. They don’t stand up to water well, so they’re not what you want for a day at the beach. Strip lashes are more suitable for drama queens that want to show off for that one big night!  They are now readily available for the bottom lash line as well as top.

Individual cluster lashes are applied with stronger glue than strip lashes, to last longer. Some salons will require clients to have a patch test done before application.  Clusters can be applied as sparsely or as thickly as you like and it’s fun to experiment with different styles. A couple at either side of the eye give that sultry feline look. They can also be built up to look as thick as a strip lash if you want them to really stand out.

To hold shape it’s a good idea to try to lie on your back in bed at night and stay away from anything like hot ovens or hair dryers. Cluster lashes are made from synthetic hair and they can bend and lose their shape if exposed to intense heat.

The lashes last up to 2 weeks and should fall out individually, leaving you with gaps needing refills. If you want to take them off a good tip is to coat them in Vaseline each night before going to sleep until they loosen up.

Clusters are fantastic for holidays and weddings, as they are generally not as dramatic as strips but still make an impact! 

Individually bonded lashes are single-strand eyelash extensions that are applied hair by hair onto each individual eyelash on the eyelid. During the process your eyes are taped shut for around an hour, but it can be really worth it. 

These should last 6-8 weeks and are absolutely gorgeous! Even if you used a magnifying glass you’d never work out these were fakes. They add length and thickness to your lashes and are perfect for all occasions, so say goodbye to scaldey eye because mascara just won’t cut it anymore!

To view availability in the best salons providing eyelash extensions, click here