Operation Longer Hair at Errol Douglas

Hair extensions have long been on my beauty wish list, but the fear factor of ending up like an extra on TOWIE, despite investing a considerable amount of cash on the process, have kept these off the agenda for me until now.

Following a disastrous visit to a new hairdresser, who decided that a trim meant hacking the hair I had been trying to grow for around 9 years into a shoulder length bob, plus an impending holiday; I realised there was no better time than now to invest in some new locks.

Having been recommended the prestigious Errol Douglas salon in Knightsbridge by several colleagues, I decided that an endorsement was the best form of selection and made my first appointment for a consultation.

I entered the salon with a head full of questions, along with a few reservations about damaging my own hair and how restricted I would be in terms of products, washing, and styling, which had always put me off in the past.

I was introduced to the lovely Emily, who is the hair extension specialist at Errol Douglas and explained what I was looking for. We talked through the things I like about my hair and what I wanted to avoid and flicked through some magazines to make sure we were both on the same page; of which I had every confidence as Emily was a great listener!

Based on my concerns and what I wanted to achieve, Emily suggested I try the new Transformation Connections from Great4Hair as these would tick all of the boxes. She explained that no glue or heat is used in the extension process, meaning they are kind to hair and super versatile when it comes to maintenance, as normal products can be used, and the extensions can be styled with heat in the same way that my natural hair can be. It sounded almost too good to be true. Another huge plus was that you can reuse the hair, so after a couple of months you can have any lost pieces reapplied and achieve a fully refreshed style without the need to re buy the extensions.

I was totally sold – there was nothing left to do but choose the colours and type of hair I wanted to add and get my appointment booked. I was shocked when I was told that it was only going to take 2 hours to apply the full head of extensions, which apparently is another USP for the Transformation Connections…It seems, gone are the days of having to sit uncomfortably for hours in the hairdressers chair.

Two weeks later and the day had arrived: it was time for my wispy, lack luster hair to be transformed into the thick, bouncy, billboard-worthy waves that I had been dreaming of. I literally skipped into the salon on Saturday morning and couldn’t have been more pleased to see Emily, who was ready and waiting for me.

The salon has a real family atmosphere despite it being very busy, and I could tell that many of the clients around me had been going to the salon for years, which is always a good sign.  There is also an in-house caterer preparing fresh juices and snacks, which was a welcome addition on an early Saturday morning.

After a quick explanation of the procedure, we were off and ‘operation glam’ was well underway!

The extensions are added by parting the hair and threading a small section through a hula hoop shaped bond at the top of the extension. Once this is in place, a device that looks a bit like a pair of pliers, squashes the ‘hula hoop’ flat, et voila! the extension is in place.

This process is then repeated numerous times throughout the sections, until the desired thickness is achieved. To get a better idea, check out the video here >

Two hours later and the transformation was complete. My flat shoulder length hair was now thick and full of body. I was thrilled!

After a quick trim and check, my new longer locks were tonged into tumbling waves and I was ready to hit the town head home on the tube!

Over a month on, and I am more thrilled than ever with my new hair. Having spent 3 weeks in the US, where I subjected it to the sandstorms of Coachella music festival , the pool and blazing sun in Las Vegas, as well as several aggressive blow drys in LA, I have certainly put the extensions through their paces.

My main concern before getting the extensions, was being able to manage them, as styling my hair (other than running some GHD’s over) is certainly not a strength of mine, however to my delight, they seem to have made it even easier to manage than before.

As promised, I have been able to wash, brush, blow dry and heat style my hair until my heart’s content with no issues whatsoever. In addition to this, the bond and weight from the lengths seem to have made my own hair less frizzy and the natural wave when left to dry naturally has returned, meaning I could easily let it dry in the sun whilst I was away and get a beachy effect with little effort.

One of the key questions that Emily had asked in the consultation was how I like to wear my hair, which has proven crucial in the overall look achieved. Being away on holiday (and lazy) I wear my hair up in a ponytail quite frequently and Emily has accommodated this perfectly when applying the extensions, as there are no bonds on show when my hair is tied back; a tell-tale sign of someone with extensions.  Numerous people have also commented on how natural it looks and some even surprised at how much my hair has ‘grown’ whilst I have been away!

Overall I couldn’t be more pleased that I finally went through with it and my only real regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.

I can’t comment on other types of extensions as I have never tried them, however I could not recommend the Transformations Connections any more highly, both in terms of result and ease.  As for Emily; she is the only person I would return to from now on and certainly deserves her ‘specialist’ title – she is a superstar!

Great4Hair Extensions at Errol Douglas start from £800. For more information check out the website >

The Luxe Life was a guest of Errol Douglas & Great4Hair