Hair Extensions in London @ ColourNation

Hair Extensions London: Have you always dreamed of long, natural, sexy hair?

Exerts from the Feb 2012 Hair Extensions Article in the Sunday Times Magazine by Katie Glass. I’ll get hair extensions. I’ll look like Cheryl Cole; men will want to sleep with me, my life will be better.. Why not? So I did. And they work.... Once the preserve of Wags, porn stars and Jordan, extensions have upgraded from chavvy to chic. Everyone from Cheryl Cole to (allegedly) Kate Middleton has been seduced. Natural-looking and reassuringly expensive, they make you appear younger (by babying-fying your face) and thinner (by out sizing your body)... Extensions say ‘i’m sexy’ and ‘i’m rich’ I wanted some obviously.”... "In a Swivel chair at the ColourNation salon off Oxford Street, Brad takes my hair in his hands... With 15 years in the industry, Brad does all the big names. "You know Lucy from Towie? That's my hair."... Brad's clients range from 16 to their sixties, from trendy teens to wealthy older women... "Men love long hair," trills Evgenia Nokhrina, 29, her golden extensions sweeping her waist. "My boyfriend loves it. I have a male friend who was mesmerised by it. Girls are very jealous." Her colleagues don't know it's fake. An interior designer, she spends £1,200 on them every four months. "It's addictive. I'm not very curvaceous, but as soon as I had my hair long, I felt more feminine, more beautiful. This is my trademark now." Businesswoman Pam Hague-Wilton, 44, spent £1,600 on her first set two months ago. "It was a tenfold return on my investment. It makes me feel more confident, more feminine, more relaxed. I see myself differently. My husband loves it - he was thrilled. I'm a bit of an instant-gratification person - I want long hair so I go and get long hair!" "I want really, really, long hair," I tell Brad. But he says hair-extensions virgins shouldn't attempt more than 18in (because of the work of looking after them, and the weight). He tries some hair out against my head and I picture my new life... It takes five hours for Brad to equip my head with £1,400-worth of somebody else's hair... more than 200 tiny bonds - attached with high-tech  cold-fusion technique that seals the extensions to my own hair with ultrasonic waves. It feels like i have paper clips in my head. I like to think I'm not an idiot, but the minute the hair goes in I become one. I walk around swishing it at passing men. For some reason they love it; perhaps because behind the glossy shag-me  mane they cannot see my face. Male friends coo: "You look so much more feminine." - Katie Glass. Sunday Times Magazine 12th February 2012 - Read more here. (Please note prices will depend on what you want to achieve, a free consultation is needed for us to assess what you're trying to achieve, the condition of your existing hair and what length and quality of extensions will be needed.)

We offer a full range of human hair extensions and in a wide range of colours, enhanced by our Wella Hair Colour technology (so we can match the exact shade you want if needed). We offer revolutionary Cold Fusion Technology (CTF) for the best attachment method on the market today. No Heat, No Glue... No Damage. Book your FREE consultation today on 0845 88 88 333 (int +44 (0)207 580 3669). View our Greatlengths Hair Extensions Gallery or watch our hair extensions video below. We also run Hair Extensions Demo Events throughout the year where you can watch hair extensions application live and ask questions of the Extensionist and models who have real world experience of wearing extensions. Click for more information on our next event.

Hair Extensions: How long can you wait?

Typical human hair growth is 1cm / month so to achieve lengths of 50cm or more will take more than 4 years. Most people just don't have the time to wait to achieve this look. In addition many people's hair is not capable of surviving the stress and strains needed to achieve these lengths. Thankfully there is a solution. In a matter of hours we can give you the length you dream of.

Hair Extensions: History - The old Bonds

Traditionally there have been two main systems for attaching hair extensions.

1. The first Micro Bead consists of small, normally, metal beads to which the hair extensions are 'sown'. This system is time consuming, and the beads can be quite irritating against the scalp for some clients, it can also damage your hair with the friction of the bead against your hair.
2. The second is Keratin Heated Glue (a natural protein in hair) which is heated and bonded with the client’s hair. To form a strong bond the hair extensions often have to be 'rolled' with client hair to ensure a tight, integrated bond.

Greatlengths uses a patented pollimer bond which is similar in molecular structure to your natural hair.

Hair Extensions: The NEW Bond - Great Lengths Cold Fusion Technology (CFT)

Great Lengths Cold Fusion Technology (CFT) is different, 30 years in development, it is designed to eliminate the two biggest causes of damage to your hair, Heat & Glue. It uses ‘cold’ ultrasonic pulses to bond ‘pollimer bonds' around your hair. (The ultrasonic pulses are not audible to the human ear and are not painful or uncomfortable in anyway.) The bond can be made flat so that it will sit comfortably against your scalp while being virtually invisible and easily forgotten once wearing. You'll also notice that this flat bond will spread the hair out giving a flat even spread of hair where as traditional 'rolled' extensions can make the extension more of a 'tube'. The Great Lengths Hair Extensions system also allows smaller, finer extensions to be crafted for areas like the temple and fringes where larger extensions might be more noticeable. In this way the hair extensions remains firmly fixed while in use and then in two easy steps can be slid off without damage to your own hair by your stylist. (Please note: we all naturally 'shed' some hair every day, this will be the hair you see in your brush after styling or that comes out after washing, the hair extensions bond will hold this 'shed' hair within the bond when normally it would have been brushed out - this is perfectly normal and in no way suggests the bond has damaged your hair.)

The drop/fall: Old style extension bonds would often see a few extensions fall or drop within the first few days, this was normal but might mean a return to the salon for maintenance, with CFT drop/fall is pretty much a thing of the past unless you physically try to pull them out.

We include a complimentary blow dry (worth £45) in our initial pricing so that a week afterwards you can come back in and our stylists will check that your extensions are still sitting as they should be.

Hair extensions should last around 6 months (and sometimes more) depending on how well you care for them.

Hair Extensions: Hair Quality

We use 100% Indian human REMY/REMIS hair for our extensions.

• this is the most commonly available
• easiest to manage hair extension hair
• the more cost effective
• the strongest hair
• with Greatlengths there is no colour fade
• a wide range of colours are available from neutral tones to more vibrant options. Choose in salon from our wide range of colour samples.
• can be straightened curled treated as natural hair.

The REMIS system uniquely protects the hair cuticle keeping all the scales facing the same direction (cuticle layers are aligned in the same direction) so no tangling occurs later, which helps to maintain a more natural look. The REMIS system is the only system that respects the natural flow of the hair keeping its properties unchanged. (This is really important because if the hair is applied upside down it will be like back combing the hair.) By using REMIS hair we ensure Super Quality, Full Body, Long Life and natural Luster. To maintain the high standards we require for all our hair, each lock of hair is carefully selected by specially trained technicians in a purpose build facility in Italy. To maintain the integrity of the hair we apply our strict screening process ensures that all hair comes to us in its natural state with no chemically treated or coloured hair being accepted. The hair is kept in a pony tail from when it is cut, to when it is processed which guarantees REMIS hair.

Other types of hair:-

• European / russian hair extensions are generally much more expensive, harder to source and actually will not stand up as well to modern hair styling compared to the stronger Indian Hair.
• Chinese hair extensions have a round hair shaft rather than the oval shaft of Indian hair so provides less coverage. Often the cuticle is stripped off to make it finer but this makes it more prone to tangling. Most hair extensions at the cheaper end of the market comes from China and we have even heard of horse hair and other substitures being used in really cheap hair.

The Hair Extension bond: On the top of each lock of hair GreatLengths attach a thin sheet of Patended Pollimer Bond. The Patented bond is mollecularly similar to your natural human hair it ensures that the hair extension blends perfectly with the natural hair, improving the application process by making it simple yet precise. We make sure the keratin bond is the same colour as the hair lock and it has a particular shape which has been designed specifically for use with the Great Lengths patented hand held Cold Fusion applicator. This ensures the sealed bond remains completely invisible, without flaws and without damaging your hair. Unlike some other systems bonds, Greatlengths bonds can be cut-down and customised to work with fringes and close to the parting.

Hair Extensions: Where does the hair come from?

Indian hair is generally sourced from temples. In India, women believe that sometimes prayer alone is not enough to gain God's favour, they believe that by shaving their head and sacrificing their beauty (hair) to God, God will grant their prayers. The temple takes this gift (hair) and sells it to hair extensions companies. This may seem harsh until you realise that in India there is no social security and the money which is earnt by the Temple in this way is used to feed the poor who look to the temple for food and support. The women themselves believe their hair is given to God for their payers to come true, if the temple can use their hair for God's purpose they consider it a blessing.

Hair Extensions: Our Prices

If you've never considered hair extensions (perhaps thinking it's only for movie stars and the like) we offer a range of options which should suit most budgets. Pricing is very difficult to give without seeing you for a consultation. This is because we need to see what your own hair is like and what you're trying to achieve volume, length, fashion or a combination. Each consultation will produce a tailored solution that's unique to you.

Please call us on 0845 88 88 333 (int +44 207 580 3669) for your free no obligation consultation where our stylists will explain the options and discuss prices.

Rest assured we only use 100% human Indian Remy hair extensions. All our prices will include a free complimentary blow dry, to check your extensions approximately a week after application.

Hair Extensions: Contact Us

We offer a FREE, NO OBLIGATION consultation so call us today on 0845 88 88 333 (int +44 207 580 3669) to discuss your needs or to find out more email salon@colournation.com.

View our Greatlengths Hair Extensions Gallery.

Hair Extensions: After Care

1. When brushing use a soft bristle brush and work from the bottom brushing gently upwards.
2. Do not use a hard brush and do not brush harshly.
3. When sleeping gently tie your hair up and never sleep with wet hair.
4. Don't try and colour your own extensions it's best to let us handle that for you.
5. Running your fingers gently through your hair will avoid tangling.

tips

1. Avoid tugging or pulling.
2. Use a soft brush and brush from the bottom up gently.
3. Natural extensions can be set, curled and coloured (in our salon).
4. It's perfectly acceptable if one or two extensions slip out within the first week or two - if you have any concerns contact the salon.
5. Use salon approved aftercare products to protect your extensions.

**Assumes 6 months of wear and an average service (some clients who take great care wear for 9 months or more but 6 months is recommended)