As a child, I dreamed of mermaid-like hair. My entire life, I’ve had light brown roots that I highlight to bright blonde and a length that never quite extended past my clavicle. Although I didn’t hate my hair, I envied women who could grow long locks at home that looked amazing in curls, messy buns and braids.
Four months ago, I saved up some moolah, bit the bullet, and strutted into Nichole Beck Hair Salon of Chicago to partake in a consultation in hopes of getting a natural-looking extension option that I wouldn’t look back at and sigh, “Oh, dear, why did you do that, honey?”
My biggest concern was that though I loved the idea of having a full head of long locks to style to my heart’s desire, I didn’t want the extensions to ruin my hair. We’ve all heard a horror story or two about someone, somewhere who got hair extensions and later became dependent on them because they left the natural hair frail, damaged, and sad.
Enter: Natural Beaded Rows, Danielle K. White’s method for hair extension, which was created by Danielle K. White (founder of DKW styling, and owner of the podcast). Big Money Stylist. In her quest to find a hair extension option for her fine, short hair, she tried almost all available hair extensions. Her hair began to become damaged, making her more dependent upon extensions. She learned from her experience that more hair attachments can lead to more damage. So she set out to find a way to give her clients long, beautiful locks that didn’t compromise the integrity of their natural hair. The solution? NBR extensions are made from 100% natural hair, sewn together with a string and attached using a string and a bead.
I met my goddess of a stylist, 26-year-old Shannon Mahoney, who gave me a “no-BS” rundown of price, time commitment, and upkeep while assuring me that the investment was fully worth it. “NBR is the best of the best right now,” she stated. “The minute I started listening to Danielle’s podcast, I was hooked. I believed in her method and wanted to be part the NBR team. I attended Danielle’s conference, which included three weeks of pre-training that ended with a three-day convention of hands-on work.” She went on to tell me, “I had them in myself for about eight months. My hair is naturally thick so I was able to experience the same thing my clients had. I actually barely do my own hair, so a personal con for the extensions was having to get them done every six to eight weeks while I’d rather get my hair done once every six to eight months. I just chopped all of my hair off, but once it gets past my shoulders, I’m putting those suckers back in!”
And alas, after four months of sporting the hair of my dreams, I’m ready to reveal my honest, unfiltered review of one of my biggest investments to date.
First impressions
Shannon and I discussed length before I had my extensions done. I wanted my hair to fall mid-boob so we did a quick assessment and settled on two 18-inch rows. She glossed and dyed my natural hair during a routine color. Two days later, my eyes were sparkling and I was ready to sport the hair I had always wanted.
My stylist took around two hours to cut my hair, attach the extensions and secure them to my head. I was amazed at how well the extensions blended. She also cut a bit into my hair to make it look even more seamless. 20 minutes later, I feel like my hair is black. It was amazing, but it was not. me?Never before had I had long hair. I didn’t even recognize I am in the mirror. Who is this gorgeous, sexy woman? I don’t know her!Either I had made the best decision of my life or it was the worst. I immediately wanted more cut off because I was overwhelmed with the length and volume, but Shannon, as all hair-apists do, calmed me down and reassured me, saying, “If you want to cut it, we always can, but see how you feel in about a week.”
Guess who didn’t want to trim it after that first week? As the buyer’s remorse resolved and I became acclimated to seeing myself looking glorious AF as I passed mirrors and store windows, I fell madly in love with my new head of hair.
The woven strands of hair (AKA weaves) felt a little tight but not painful during and after the application. It almost felt like I was wearing small plastic headbands for the first few days. It took about a week for that sensation to subside as my natural hair grew out of my scalp.
Cost:
NBR is an investment. That’s what I mean. When you hear the numbers, you’ll likely freak out, as did I, but I’m here to tell you that the return on investment (for me, anyway) is worth it. Take a deep breath and be ready to take on the challenge. The natural hair I bought will last one to two year depending on how well I take it care of it. It cost $1,20o. $250 is required for each move up (taking out the extensions and moving them up to the scalp). This takes place at the six- to eight week mark. This doesn’t include color, and so far, I’ve gotten a refresh on my color every other move up. Because I budgeted for it ahead of time and didn’t jump into the cost commitment lightly, the investment is tolerable for the joy that it brings me. So if you haven’t yet picked yourself up off the floor, now is the time to return to your seat. I don’t have any more bombs to drop on you from here on out, I promise.
They would cost me around $50 to have them removed. I’m not there yet, but if I wanted to have them removed to rock a lob, it would be easy to make it happen.
Styling:
The first two weeks of styling (blow drying and straightening, curling and curling) were quite difficult. I have only had experience with styling hair that was about shoulder-length for the past 25 years. I knew that I would need to dedicate more time to learn the difficult lessons that long hair required. I had to say “adios” to my $5 drugstore hair products, as Mahoney recommended that I use a sulfate-free, paraben-free, professional shampoo and conditioner to protect the integrity of the extensions. Shampooing felt foreign, and I couldn’t scrub-a-dub the way that I normally did and had to shampoo carefully around the two rows of wefts. Brushing long, wet hair required more attention with a Wet Brush.
Blowing dry takes me 35 minutes, but it is the most difficult. I have mastered the technique and now air dry my hair for a while before slicing it into three sections: the top layer of my hair, the first and middle sections of my natural hair, as well as the under and second weft. I gently brush my hair from roots to ends using a round brush. I then use my Wet Brush for any tangles.
If I decide to straighten it at this point, it takes 5 minutes. Pulling out my curling iron and adding waves takes around 20 minutes.
The extensions are stylish and hold their style. LotMy natural hair is longer than my extensions, which is great for days when I don’t want to wash my hair just to refresh it. On that note, I’m washing my hair much less frequently than I do sans extensions. The extensions are natural hair, but they don’t produce their own oils, so they do a great job of absorbing my natural oils. I swear by dry shampoo and always have some on deck just in case, but honestly, I haven’t had to use it very much—and that’s waiting five days to rewash my hair.
NBR extensions are my absolute favorite feature. The sectioning is flawless. NBR extensions are placed in an angled formation, which is different from other types of extensions that place the wefts horizontally. I can wear my hair the way I want without extensions. With these extensions, I’m able to wear my hair in so many different styles. I can still wear my hair in a high pony (praise God!), low pony, and half-up.
Time commitment
I think that the weekly styling is probably about the same as it was pre-extension because I’m washing and styling my hair far less often. By getting NBR, I’m committing myself to a two-hour appointment for move-ups every six to eight weeks and adding two to three hours to that appointment if I’m touching up my color.
If you’re on the hunt for a natural-looking, seamless hair extension and aren’t afraid to spend a pretty penny, NBR is for you. There are, of course, cheaper options that exist for hair extensions, but I simply don’t want to risk damaging my natural hair and would rather pay for a quality product. I searched #NBRChicago on Instagram to find my stylist.
Yes, NBR hair extensions are something I would recommend to a friend. I’ve gotten so many compliments and, even better, many comments such as “I had no idea those were extensions, they look so real.” I absolutely feel like myself with these puppies in and, to me, that’s worth every penny.
Source: The Every Girl