Hair extensions - Cheryl style

Sep 26 2009 by Liz Lamb, The Journal

Hair extensions are more popular than ever thanks to Cheryl Cole hitting screens again in the new series of X Factor. Liz Lamb finds out more about the celebrity-led trend.

WHATEVER Cheryl does the rest of the world follows. Now that the Geordie songstress is back on our television screens on The X Factor the trend for hair extensions is stronger than ever.

The Girls Aloud star is the Queen of extensions and North hairdressers have seen a rise in the number of women wanting to recreate her luscious, long locks.

Other stars who are fans of faking it include Katie Price, Keira Knightley and Victoria Beckham.

Jade Thompson, who works at Saks, in Sunderland, used to run her own business offering hair extensions at the height of their popularity when Posh Spice sported long hair.

She has now witnessed the trend re-emerging thanks to Cheryl.

The 23-year-old says: “People are definitely wanting to have hair extensions again.

“They want to look like their favourite celebrity and they come in saying they want their hair like Cheryl or Jordan.

“It’s really led by celebrities. When Posh Spice had hair extensions everyone wanted the same, then she got her hair cut short and so did everyone else.

“Now we are getting women coming in who have had a bob, which was fashionable last season, and now they want to be long again.”

Saks in Sunderland has been open for 33 years but recently introduced a hair extensions service, largely due to Jade joining the team.

The hairdresser learned her trade with a company in Durham before leaving to run her own business.

She then trained in other hairdressing techniques at the Saks Academy in Darlington.

Simon Folkes, owner of Saks Sunderland, says: “We have been offering the service for three months because Jade joined the trade.

“I see her as a huge, young talent and wanted her to come and work for us.

“She’s best person I have ever seen at applying hair extensions.”

Jade used to run her own hair extension business X-Tend before deciding to join Saks so she could train in all aspects of hair dressing.

“I worked for a business in Durham for three years and the lady there trained me up,” says Jade.

“I left there and set up on my own.

“After a while I became really confident with what I was doing and I really wanted to go into the hairdressing side of it so I joined Saks.

“I’m really pleased to be doing hair extensions here because I really enjoy it.”

Jade has spotted two trends this season for fake hair.

She says: “We have women coming in who want their hair big and bouncy like Cheryl’s or they want to extend their fringe, that is becoming very popular.”

“They are not just for long hair.

“Extensions can also make your hair thicker so some people just want to keep the same length but want it to look thicker.

“Or they want to use extensions to create colour.

“Someone might have blonde hair but want to put some darker extensions through it.”

The salon supplies both synthetic and real hair extensions but 95 % of women prefer real hair for a more natural look.

They use Racoon International, one of the leading providers of hair extensions in the UK, and use Asian and European locks.

In the last few weeks the salon has seen a rise in the number of women wanting their fringe extended, much like the style sported by Sarah Harding from Girls Aloud.

“It’s getting more and more popular,” says Jade.

“You can straighten and curl it like your real hair.”

The process of applying the extensions can take up to four hours.

Jade says: “First we detox the hair and then start putting them in. We bond it into the natural hair with a special hair glue.

“They last three to four months depending on how you care for them.”

There are some dos and donts too.

You can’t go in a sauna or get your hair wet while swimming or apply conditioner.

“We recommend a homecare programme for each customer so they can upkeep the style at home and we give customers advice on how to care for their hair,” says Simon.

“We recommend they call in during the four months for a blow dry so we can check the extensions.

“We have had people coming in who have had hair extensions but they haven’t been put in properly and it’s damaged their hair so we have to try and sort it out.

“We really want our customers to get the best out of our hair extensions.”

Saks 36 Holmeside, Sunderland - 0191 565 8596 www.saks.co.uk

A HISTORY OF HAIR EXTENSIONS

The wish for beautiful hair has been around for as far back as the Egyptian times when both men and women wore wigs.

In 1800 fake hair was frowned upon and women left their hair to be natural until the Romantic era was in full swing when women wore elaborate Apollo knots. In the mid Victorian era hair pieces were used a lot more extensively. In the early 20th century Edwardian women wore false hair additions to create the pompadour hairstyle.

Then it wasn’t until the 1940s when long hair came back into fashion.

The sixties saw big hair return with extravagant human hair pieces.

Wigs made from real or fake hair were also popular well into the early 70s.

In the 80s big hair was in – but only as natural hair.

We are getting women coming in who have had a bob, which was fashionable last season, and now they want to be long