FEATHER HAIR EXTENSIONS

Hi everyone :) Phewwww, has it ever been a crazy week at work! I'm so excited to be back at my keyboard - I've found a great (and affordable) product for us all to try. I first saw these feather hair extensions on Anna Saccone's blog The Style Diet a couple of weeks ago and was really excited to try them. They are made by Picasso Hair Feathers and are 100% cruelty free. I didn't realize that hair feathers could be cruelty positive, but apparently roosters are killed in the making of some brands. With Picasso, you can rest assured that the feather came from a rooster's butt to your head with no pain to the bird!

Picasso extensions are kink-free and super easy to care for. All you have to do is wash and style your hair normally and they will last 4-6 weeks. Just be careful to set your hot styling tools to 100-180 degrees before you style the extension. I ordered two individual strands to test them out first and I was so impressed that I bought another package of 5 feathers in Puppy Love (light pink, hot pink and brown). Both shipments were delivered within the week. Better yet, shipping is free to Canada and the United States!

There are plenty of helpful video tutorials and FAQs on the Picasso website but I thought that I'd do a photo tutorial of my own on this page as well. My mom graciously offered to be my model, so check out how to apply the extensions below:

STEP 1: Your extensions will come all sealed up neatly in a little bag. Take them out of the shipping envelope and remove the feather bundle from its package. There are some styling instructions on the insert, so make sure you save it for later.

STEP 2: Decide which colour extension (or extensions) you want to apply. My mom and I both applied light pink ones in each other's hair tonight. I prefer the neutral-coloured extensions like brown, grey and pink, but they also have all sorts of bold colours if you prefer a bit of drama.

STEP 3: Decide where you want your extension to go. You want to be sure that the metal clasp is hidden under a layer of hair so that it doesn't show when you wear your hair down. You also want to make sure that it isn't too close to the nape of your neck, because then it might show when you wear a ponytail. Pin up a section of your hair and you're ready to go.

STEP 4: Choose a thin strip of hair - about the same thickness as the extension itself - and loop the little plastic applicator over the strand. Now here's the trick that I missed the first time that I applied one of the feathers. Pull on the end knob of the plastic applicator. This will tighten the loop. Once the loop is tight around the base of your hair, give it a tug and pull the hair strand all the way through the metal clasp. The plastic loop will fall off and both the feather and your hair strand will be inside of the loop.

STEP 5: In order to secure the extension, grab a pair of pliers and squeeze the metal clasp shut. Be sure to give yourself a little bit of wiggle room between the metal clasp and your scalp. The first time I applied one of these extensions, I fastened it a little too close to my head and it pulled for a day or two.

STEP 6: Last but not least, snip the end of the extension to match the length of your hair. Another great thing about Picasso extensions is that they are guaranteed to be at least 14" in length. I hadn't had a haircut in a very long time (which I finally took care of this evening - phew!) and the extensions were still long enough to match my ends, so they are great for girls with extra long hair.

Voila! Easy peasy :) This is the final product - aren't they lovely? I like that they peek out from underneath your hair to give you a little oomph, while still being subtle enough to wear to work.

Have any of your guys tried feather extensions?
Talk soon,
Vi