In march of this year I wanted my long hair back. I had been following @hairby_chrissy from @habitsalon in Arizona for awhile and I loved her hand tied hair extension process. I was sick of having beads and tape showing. But I didn’t want to fly across the country to get my hair done.
As the universe would have it someone I met at a social media conference shared a hairdresser on his story that did the hand tied method! This is the power of social media and the laws of attraction but that’s for another day. This is someone I never would have connected with otherwise. It took us a couple weeks to get in touch with each other but we did a consult over FaceTime and I had an instant connection with Jess @hairby.jesstaylor. I think this is super important when you’re turning your hair over to someone. I know this may seem silly to some, but your face, which includes your hair, is the first thing people see. I’ve always wanted to make a good first impression. It does matter.
The scheduling process was super easy and the beauty of Bua Salon @buasalonny is that they keep wefts onsite so you can get the perfect blend for your hair. So you don’t have to worry about ordering the wrong hair color or having it come in and not being the color you wanted. I loved that part because Jess could perfectly match my hair in real time. I also loved that the wefts were rooted dark so it would blend seamlessly from my dark roots.
My hair was sectioned off and each row had a “track” put in with micro beads. The process was very similar to the old school “weave” process that African American women have been using forever. But instead of a braid as the track it was mirco beaded across. Then the weft was clipped on with a duck clip and then sewn in with a needle and thread. The tracks will feel tight to your head and Jess told me that’s what you want. It should feel tight. I needed three rows. This seems to be the standard.
My hair blend was near perfect so I didn’t need to tone it. Sometimes an all over toner is needed to make your real hair and new hair blend together. A quick hair cut to make the layers blend together (you don’t want a mushroom cap on your head!) and some beachy waves thrown in with a big barreled curling iron and the hand tied extension process was complete.
The whole process took about four hours. Any style of extension is going to take time. I thought it was a very reasonable amount of time for the amazing, very real hair I got.
Maintenance is very important with any hair extension. You should never commit to them unless you’re willing to maintain them. Maintenance for this style is anywhere from 6-12 weeks. I made my next appointment for 6 weeks. I didn’t have experience with regrowth with this style of extension so I just went with 6 weeks, which is what I did in the past for other extension methods. The way my hair stands now I *think* I could go 7-8 weeks but we’ll see in the next couple weeks how much regrowth I get.
I loved this salon. Jess @hairby.jesstaylor the owner and I have developed a friendship out of our chance encounter through social media. I admire her so much. She is a real mentor to all the girls (and one guy) that work for her. They were like one big family there which I loved. The vibe in her salon is all positive and and very welcoming. And working with her photographer Henry @_.henrock was just as an enjoyable experience. He was so kind and fun and just another great human to be around. These things matter to me. I love working with people that have those kind of souls that you want to be around and connect with.
To find out pricing (every person is different) and schedule a consult you can call Bua Salon @buasalonny at 516-766-1044
