Beauty Works Hair Extensions Review: 6 months on & how I maintain them

I've had a love for hair extensions since I was about 15 years old, and I think I always will. Clip-ins were always my go to, until December of last year when I decided I wanted something a bit more permanent. I decided to get bonded weft extensions after doing some research and speaking to others who already had them in. I went to a consultation at a salon that I had been following on Instagram for a while, and had heard such great things about them. I think it's important to feel confident about the salon and stylist you choose. At the consultation, me and the stylist chose a colour match, the thickness and length. Beauty Works Celebrity Choice was the brand and range that I chose. I already felt confident with the brand because for almost a year before I wore Beauty Works clip in extensions. I decided to have 120g of hair added, because personally I don't like super thick hair and find thinner hair easier to manage. I also wanted a more of a 'natural' look so that it would be difficult for people to tell whether or not I'm wearing extensions. As for length I chose 20 inches. I am a big fan of long hair! This is the second longest length that they do, the next up being 22 inch. 

The process of actually putting the extensions in took no more than about 45 minutes. I had 2 wefts applied, so more will take longer. The hair was sectioned and the micro-bonds applied to small sections of hair around the head. The wefts were then sewn into these bonds and around my head. I have to be honest, the process is a little uncomfortable as there is a lot of pulling of the hair and can sometimes hurt very slightly, but it's bearable. Below I will insert photos of how my hair looked immediately after having the extensions fitted: 

The better you maintain the extensions, the longer they're going to last. They can be pretty high maintenance, but if you want your moneys worth then it's worth doing. These type of extensions are supposed to last up to 9 months. For salon maintenance, you must get the wefts moved up every 4-6 weeks depending on how fast your hair grows. I roughly get mine moved up every 5 weeks. As for home maintenance, you'll need to plait the hair before you go to sleep every night. This is to stop the hair from matting. This can be super annoying, especially after a night out where the last thing you want to do is stand in the mirror brushing and plating your hair. And I have to admit, I don't do it every night religiously, but I do that majority of the time and it definitely makes a difference. The products I use to help maintain them is the Beauty Work Miracle Spray. I use this after the shower, when my hair is still wet. I also use it before putting heat on the hair and sometimes before bed and sleep with it in on the ends just to help bring back some moisture. Once a week I put a argon oil hair mask on to again help stopping the extensions from getting dry and breaking. For washing, I wash them once a week, sometimes twice if I feel like it's needed, but I try and stick to once. I wash them with the Beauty Works Shampoo and finish with the Beauty Works Conditioner. This is my hair after having a re-tighten at 4 weeks: 

I have now had the hair extensions fitted for 6 months. I have lost some thickness, which is to be expected. As for length, I would still say that they are long, if not still 20 inches. The hair is a lot more dryer and has definitely lost it's shine, but all this was expected from wearing extensions for so many years. For this first few days they can feel quite painful on your head and sleeping is uncomfortable, but this passes as you get used to them. I have inserted a photo below to show how they look now (obviously they aren't styled or anything here):

These type of extensions are an expensive commitment. I paid £250, this included the hair, application and styling. For maintenance move ups it is £40 every 4-6 weeks. All salon prices are different though, so best to speak directly to them. I would definitely recommend these extensions. I plan on having a break from them soon, but I will be going back to them as they've maintained so well over the last few months and are comfortable to wear. 

All products mentioned:
Extensions https://beautyworksonline.com/professional-extensions/weft-extensions/celebrity-choice-weft/20-celebrity-choice-weft.html

Miracle Spray https://beautyworksonline.com/haircare/hair-products/10-in-1-miracle-spray.html

Hair done at Mirror Mirror salon.

Foxy Locks Hair Extensions Review: Six Months On

Late October last year I decided to invest in hair extensions. My natural hair had become pretty long, but the ends had become dry and weak and it didn't look how I wanted it to anymore. I decided to get a lot cut off to try and get my hair healthier again, but I have always been obsessed with having long hair. When I was 15/16 years old I was addicted to hair extensions; I wore them every single day. But I never wanted to spend a lot so I ended up with cheap ones which went thin very quickly. Now at 18 years old, I have learnt that to have the natural looking hair extensions I wanted I needed to invest a little bit more. Then I was recommended Foxy Locks, a more affordable alternative that provides great hair extensions that last. I purchased the deluxe 20" set, which is 165 grams of hair. Considering that I have finer hair I thought that this would be the perfect amount. They cost £78.00 - very affordable! When it came to choosing the colour I found it pretty easy because my friend who originally recommended Foxy Locks to me had a similar colour and she wears the brand herself. So, I put her hair extensions up against my hair and it was a match! The colour I purchased was Latte Blonde. 

When I first received my Foxy Locks

The lighting in the above photo is not great therefore you cannot see the colour accurately (see photos below).  I would describe the colour as a blend of light and dark blondes, perfect for girls who have their hair highlighted. The extensions arrived in a clear package that was split in to two. One of the sections contained a strip of hair that you could remove to check that the colour match was correct. This is so that you can send the hair extensions back if they do not match your own hair as long as you do not open the other half of the packaging with the security sticker. Very useful! The hair was really thick and silky soft - as you should expect of brand new extensions. They were the perfect length and even when curled my hair still looked long. 

6 months old

The 20" deluxe set comes with 2 four clips, 2 three clips, 2 two clips and 4 one clips. At the beginning I didn't even need to wear all of the clips, but as the hair has thinned slightly I now wear them all for extra thickness. 

My Foxy Locks are now over 6 months old and as you can see by the photos they are still in great condition. Some people suggest that clip in hair extensions can only last up to 4 months but I believe these will easily last up to 10 months, possibly even a year. I have not been overly protective of them. I've tried to use heat protector on them as much as possible, but I haven't always. I didn't wear them every single day, which has contributed to them still being in such good quality. But you could definitely wear them daily and still have them in fabulous condition 6 months on if you look after them. I would suggest to always hang them up after wearing them and brush them through. You do not need to wash them all the time. In the last 6 months I have only washed them twice. They do not knot easily and always feel so soft.

The ends of the hair

The extensions have thinned, but not much. In my previous experience with hair extensions they quickly became dry and extremely thin with split ends. In Foxy Locks' case this has not happened. The hair never feels or looks dry. 

Recent photo with Foxy Locks in

Here I curled the ends of my hair which helps give the extensions a really natural look. They blend really well with my natural hair whether straight or curled. Foxy Locks hair extensions can be found here: http://www.foxylocksextensions.com/ and my exact extensions can be found here: Latte Blonde

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