If you’ve had the pleasure of having Great Length hair extensions, you’ll know that you need to take a bit of extra care with them, just like your normal hair.

Below are some tips on how to maintain them and look after them properly to ensure you get the most wear out of your hair extensions.

Pro Tip: Always have your hair extensions applied by an experienced hairdresser, particularly when it comes to heat bonded extensions – you don’t want to run the risk of scalp and hair damage, very ouch!

5 Tips For Hair Extensions

1. Your hairdresser should tell you this, but you don’t want to wash your hair until 48 hours have passed. This allows time for the bonds to settle in and your hair to adjust to the new extensions. Before sleeping, pull you hair back into a loose ponytail to avoid your hair getting tangled, this will help to prolong the life of the bonds.
2. Aim to brush your hair twice a day with a specifically designed brush for hair extensions. Don’t use hard brush strokes or you could damage the bond and cause premature breakage. For the best care, separate your strands with your finges and slowly brush hair from close to the scalp downwards. This stops matting from occurring. Avoid hard bristled brushes, as they can pull strands out. If you have tangles, a wide toothed comb is best to remove these.
3. You can style your hair extensions with curling irons and hot rollers, but always ensure that the heat doesn’t touch the hair bond. Keep a 3-4cm width from the hair bonds. Don’t use a hair dryer close to your scalp, as you will damage the hair bond.
4. Avoid products that contain sulphur. Only use recommended products for hair extensions. For optimal results, when you shower, wash your hair by tilting the head back and applying cleanser from the top of the head downwards. Don’t face your head downwards to wash. Use a conditioner for hair extensions and if you have tangles, de-tangle from the mid-strand downwards, always avoiding the scalp area. If you use a blow dryer, use a medium-low heat and blast the hair with a cool shot once your hair is totally dry.
5. If you swim a lot in sea water or chlorine, your extensions will not last as long compared with those people that don’t swim. To get the most out of your extensions, wet the hair completely to help stop chlorine and salt water from sticking to your hair. Immediately following a swim, always apply an anti-tap water remedy to help eliminate damage from alkalinity in the water and then dry the area as above.

By following these tips you’ll ensure that your Great Lengths extensions last as long as possible.

If you’re considering having extensions, make sure to call me and arrange an appointment today!

DIY Spring Hairstyles

In the video below, you’ll learn how to wear your hair using the trending silk headband that has been seen recently in the northern hemisphere spring season. You can still wear this trend during winter, especially if you are looking to spice up your outfit or add a pop of colour.

In Australia, you can buy silk headbands from stores like Diva.

If you want to make your own, here’s what you’ll need:

• Silk scarf – use one you already have or buy one from your local dollar store or buy a couple of metres from your local fabric store
• Plain elastic headband (any colour)
• Jewel for middle – aim to use a brooch style for easy attachment
• Hot glue if you want to make this more permanent

If you are creating a permanent headband, you’ll need to make sure that the glue you are using is completely dry before trying to use the headband. Allow 24 hours for it to dry overnight.

The instructions for making your own silk headband start at 5:38 minutes.

Most of these hairstyles work best with long hair, but if you have quite thick, medium length hair or a long bob, these hairstyles will also work. The silk scarf can be worn in any length of hair, it just depends on how you wear it.

Long Hair Inspiration

Thinking of hairstyles you can do yourself in the comfort of your own home can be a constant battle, particularly if you’ve run out of ideas!

Below you’ll find 10 DIY hairstyles you can do from home. These are for long hair, but if you have collarbone length hair, you’ll probably be able to achieve most of these looks as well.

DIY Long Hairstyles

The Hair Tie

Simply split hair into two, tie in a knot a few times and secure in place with a few discreetly placed bobby pins!

 Hair Plaits – Side Part from Hair Romance

 Plaited Up Do

Naturally Curly Hair

 Quick Hairstyles for Long Hair

Easy Waves – No Heat

Twisted Bun Up Do

Hair Bow

Perfect Straight Long Hair

To get this look, completely dry your hair and apply a heat protecting spray. Take your hair straighteners and straight 5 inch sections, always pulling the straightener towards your face. Curve ends slightly around the face for this look.

Easy Up Do

All you need for this hairstyle is a elastic headband, either a single or double one and some bobby pins!

For the full details on how to achieve each look, simply click on each image and you’ll be directed to the tutorial!

Good luck and have fun – you’ll no longer be without any inspiration for styling your long hair!

Even though winter is here, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still rock a beach-inspired hairstyle! Styling your hair for winter doesn’t mean you can’t steal looks from the warmer months.

There are a few ways that you can achieve beach waves during winter, which I’m going to explain below.

Tools you’ll need:

• Curling wand and/or hair straightener
• Beach spray or mousse
• Heat protecting spray
• Finishing hairspray
• Long tail comb
• Hairbrush

Step By Step Beach Hair

Follow the steps below to get a great beach wave look!

Image: Examiner.com

Curling Wand Steps

1. Prep your hair first. This look works best on two-day-old hair. Use a beach spray or mousse to give your hair some texture. You should also apply a heat protectant spray, particularly if you’ve just washed your hair.
2. Using your long tail comb, section the hair, parting from ear to ear. Then split the parting into two, so you end up with four sections, two on each side.
3. Take your curling wand and start on the right side of your head, working the way around. Use large vertical sections and curl hair from mid-lengths down, aiming for a 6-8 second hold. To get the best curls, your arm should be above your head so that you have a completely vertical wand.
4. When you get to the top of your head, change the direction of the curling wand to horizontal.
5. Repeat until all your hair is curled. Leave them to cool completely.
6. Once your hair is cooled, run your fingers through to separate the curls and then spray with a light finishing hairspray.
7. Shake the hair out and style how you want.

Hair Straightener Steps

1. Prep hair as per step one above.
2. Section hair into four parts, two on each side. Twist each section individually, and then twist them together. Secure with a hair tie.
3. Starting on the right hand side, grab the joined twist and run your straightener over it a few times.
4. Don’t release the twist until it is completely cooled. Repeat until all twists are done.
5. Once the twists have completely cooled, undo them.
6. Run your fingers through your hair and use a finishing hairspray to set.

Both these options will produce beach curls, but will provide slightly different looks.

You can see more on how to do these both via these videos below.

Curling Wand

Hair Straightener

Quick Hairstyles in Under 5 Minutes

If you’re in a rush, which is most of us ladies, most days, having a couple of different 5 minute hairstyles on hand will make life so much easier!

Below is my top 5 go-to quick hairstyles – especially during the week when I don’t have a lot of time to make it look fabulous!

Hairstyle 1 – Donut Bun

This one is super easy if you have one of those donuts that you can wrap your hair around and through, or alternatively, if you’ve got an hold sock lying around, you can use that to wind the hair around. Full details plus 9 other hairstyles can be found at BeautyRiot!

Hairstyle 2 – Messy Side Braid

This is probably one of my fave hairstyles. The messy side braid is easy to achieve! Just use some texturising spray or sea salt spray to give it a bit of texture and braid away! If you need a few more details plus 7 more 5 minute hairstyles, check out AllWomenStalk.com!

Hairstyle 3 – Half Up Pouf

This hairstyle is perfect for any length of hair – provided it’s at least chin length or longer 🙂 Spray in a bit of hairspray, secure a small section of hair to your crown (a clear elastic works best) and pull hair gently out to create a pouf. Alternatively, you can tease the hair, but that takes time! Full details plus 9 more hairstyles can be found at DailyMakeover.com.

Hairstyle 4 – Knotted Half Updo

I love this one, it’s so simple, you can even do it in your (parked) car! Grap a section of hair from the top (you can grab half your hair or just a small section, up to you!) and split it in two. Tie a knot with the two sections and then secure in place with a cute hairclip or some very grippy bobby pins! Voila – done! Full details here plus 4 more super quick hairstyles at LatestHairstyles.com.

Hairstyle 5 – Pin Backed Fringe

This works well if you are growing your fringe out and it’s driving you insane! You can do this any which way, just keep the the pin close to the front of your head to give you a bit of height! Get this hack plus 14 more at Brit.co.

There you go – 5 quick hairstyles to keep you going through the week! Let me know how you go with these and if you want more!

Ponytail Wrap

Ponytail’s are one of the quickest go-to hairstyles for those of us with medium to long hair! I love a high ponytail for something special on date night, but I also love a low side pony for a casual look.

This 5 minute tutorial is for the latter – the low side ponytail!

What you’ll need:

• Hairband – same colour as your hair or clear
• Hairspray
• Optional: Topsy Tail

Follow these steps:

Step 1 – Tie your hair into a pony tail. Pull it slightly the side and keep it low.

Step 2 – Grab a small section of hair from the beneath your pony tail.

Step 3 – Wrap this section of hair around your hair about 3-4 times, depending on how long your hair is.

Step 4 – If you have a Topsy Tail, use the smaller one and poke the pointy end through the middle of your pony tail.

Step 5 – Thread the end of the small section of hair through the loop on your Topsy Tail – the hair should be on top of the inside loop.

Step 6 – Pull the pointy end of the Topsy Tail and it will pull the section of hair through your pony tail – no bobby pins needed!

Step 7 – If you don’t have a Topsy Tail, you can use your index finger and thumb to pull the section through – but don’t tie your pony tail too tight otherwise you won’t get your hair through!

Step 8 – Finish off your hair with some hairspray and arrange your fringe however you want.

You’re all done! Nice and simple and super quick if you have a Topsy Tail!

You can watch the video to get all the details here:

What’s Your Fave Hair Colour?

Every year, we see hair colour trends come and go. Which is why you need one place to be able to turn to when you need some hair colour inspiration!

And who better to show you what colours are in than the beautiful celebrities that we all know and love?!

From Platinum to Rose Gold hues, you’ll find every colour under the sun is available. The trick for you is to figure out which one you want to rock.

I personally am loving the Rose Gold colour that Jessica Chastain sports – it’s beautiful. And don’t forget that ombre hair colours are still in right now – you can easily achieve this without actually colouring your own hair by using hair extensions! Contact me if you’d like to try this out!

Just remember, if you are planning to try out a completely new hair colour, make sure you see your local hairdresser to do this for you. Sometimes, when you’re making a drastic change to your hair colour base, it can cause a few issues, namely, the colour doesn’t come out right or even worse, your hair falls out. Don’t risk it, always check with your hairdresser BEFORE making any major changes!

Check out the slideshow for all the hair colour trends for 2014. Don’t forget to watch out for Jessica Chastain’s rose gold hues as well – and let me know if you agree with how amazing it looks!

Braid/Plait Half Updo

This is a great hairstyle if you’ve got no more than 5 minutes but want something a little different than your usual hair do.

This hairstyle works best on medium to long hair. It’ll work on clean or unwashed hair equally as well. I love simple styles like this, don’t you?!

What you’ll need:

• clear hair elastic

• small bobby pins

• texturising spray or cream

• hairspray with light hold

Follow these steps:

1. Part your hair where you normally part it. Side or middle, either will work.

2. Grab a section on either side of the part. Aim for each section to be about as wide as two fingers (a couple of inches).

3. With each section, loosely braid them, heading towards the back of your head where they should meet. Use the texturising spray or cream and apply it to the ends so the braids don’t come out.

4. Once you’ve braided both, use your clear elastic to secure the braids together at the back of your head. You can tie this high or low, it’s your choice.

5. Use a couple of bobby pins, slide these underneath each braid, close to your scalp (so you can’t see them). This will keep the loose braids in place and stop them falling out.

6. Spray with a bit of hairspray and you’re done!

Hairstyles like this are so simple, you could literally do this in the car on your way to work – but not while you’re driving of course!

Photo Credit: TotalBeauty

The Pin Curl Twist

This hairstyle works best on medium to long hair and you’ll need hair that is a bit dirty, so about day two after you last shampooed would work best!

What you’ll need:

• plenty of bobby pins

• hairspray

Follow these steps:

1. Grab your fringe section and brush it out, about 2-inches wide. Secure it to the back of your head with a couple of bobby pins (criss cross style). Loose the front with your fingers if you want something a bit softer.

2. You should have sections of hair over each ear and at the back. Using your index finger, run it from your left ear up to the crown of your head, grabbing the hair as you go. Place this into a low ponytail below your left ear. Make sure it’s smooth. Twist the ponytail twice and towards the back of your head. Pin in place with bobby pins and then repeat the same process on your right side. You want to connect the two twists in the middle with more bobby pins.

3. Where you’ve placed all the bobby pins (hopefully in the middle of your head!), hold it in place with you left index finger and middle finger and then roll a messy section of hair (about an inch) up and around your fingers and create a coil. Pinch it in place, slip your fingers out and hold in place with a bobby pin or two. Don’t pin to the twists or they’ll come out. Repeat with the rest of your hair until it’s all up.

4. Finish the hair with some hairspray and adjust as needed!

Photo Credit: TotalBeauty

When it comes to long hair, a ponytail can you be your saviour, particularly when you are having a bad hair day or just can’t think of what to do with your hair.

I’ve always loved a slight retro twist when it comes to ponytails, so here’s a great tutorial on how you can achieve this look.

Simply follow the steps and you’ll have your own retro ponytail in no time!

Tutorial – Retro Ponytail

1. Split your hair down the middle, or in it’s natural part. If you have a fringe, style how you would normally.
2. Taking your four fingers, place them against the top of your head, where your fringe is and brush all your hair back from the back of your fingers.
3. This will create a back part. Section your hair on both sides and clip the front parts out of the way.
4. With a teasing brush (not comb!) take a one inche section of the back part of your hair, starting from the crown. Hold the section of hair slightly forward and tease the hair, using a rocking motion with your brush – don’t tease the hair up and down, simply use the brush to tease the hair with down motions only. Take the next section of hair (one inch) and repeat.
5. Next you want to smooth the top of your crown with the outer brush bristles, being careful not to brush out the teasing you have done. It’s up to you how much of a ‘bump’ you want, so make it look how you want. More bump, more retro!
6. Now, take the sections of hair that you have teased and gather at the back of you your head. Push up slightly for some height and secure in place with a couple of bobby pins. Go higher than you want as it will drop slightly as well.
7. If it doesn’t look high enough or it’s uneven, go ahead and use your teasing brush handle to pull up sections to make it look how you want.
8. Now, take a hair elastic and two bobby pins. Put one bobby pin through the hair band on one end, and the other bobby pin on the other end, so that you have a straight line between each bobby pin.
9. Gather all of your hair, including the front section and use the bobby pin hair band to secure in place. Put one bobby pin into the ponytail and then wrap the hair band around a few times and then secure in place with the remaining bobby pin. This will ensure that your teasing isn’t messed up.
10. Remove the bobby pins holding your ‘bump’ in place.
11. Grab a small section of hair from beneath the ponytail and wrap it around the hair band and secure in place with a bobby pin.
12. Now, curl the ponytail, starting with the top layer. Curl this section upwards and the remaining sections downwards in the same direction.

The video tutorial below shows you how it’s done as well! If you have hair extensions, this is a great hairstyle for your hair.