How To Install Your Clip-In Extensions

If you have ever wanted to add instant fullness and length to your hair in a short amount of time, clip in extensions are definitely the way to go.  You can put them in your own hair in the comfort of your own home and take them out of your hair with lots of ease.  It is so easy in fact, that I am going to show you on a video!  First, I am going to explain it to you first.  Clip ins are simply wefts (tracks) that already have the clips on them.  They are pre-measured to fit different sections on your head.  The clips look like small combs that slide into your hair and you simply close the clip to make it stay.

FAQs:

1. How long do clip ins last?

Roller Set On Natural Hair

This client has 100% relaxer free and color free hair.  She has had a silk press before but decided that she wanted another style with no heat on her hair so she chose to get a roller set.  She liked the idea of it having lots of body and being a little straighter but not as straight as it would look had it been silk pressed.  Keep in mind that a roller set on natural hair will not look like it would on relaxed hair, especially if the hair is somewhat kinky or extra curly.

Full Sew-In With No Hair Left Out

This client came in to get a sew-in.  It was her second sew-in that she has ever gotten.  She enjoyed having the first one so much and how easy it was to manage and maintain that she wanted another one.  The hair came from L. Jones Hair Collection and it is actually the same hair that she used for the first sew in.  Yes the hair is that good that you can reuse it for up to two years and it will still look good!  She originally had two bundles of hair for the first sew in because she had a versatile sew in and had a little bit of hair left out.  For this one she did not want any hair left out so she ordered an additional bundle of hair to add to the two she already had for more fullness.

She wanted to have the full bangs this time and have it frame the face slightly.  With this style she can flat iron or curl this hair as much as she needs to without worrying about her natural hair being damaged.  She will shampoo it just like she would her real hair but the weave is so much easier to style and maintain so it will be a breeze for her to keep this look up.  That is what makes sew-ins so addictive.  Not only are they super easy and super cute, but they also help give your real hair a rest and gives it chance to grow.  Once I took her other sew-in down, I shampooed and conditioned her hair really well before putting this one in with Silk Hydration by L. Jones products.  In just a few months her hair had grown a significant amount so she is excited to see how much it will grow after this one is taken down.

To maintain this all she has to do is tie it up with her scarf then put her satin bonnet on.  In the morning she can just comb it straight down.  This hair is Brazilian loose wave so she also has the option of wetting it and letting it wave up.

How To Stretch Your Relaxer Past 6 Weeks (week 25)

Well, well, well, what can I say? I have finally made it to the light at the end of the tunnel.  This is the last week of my stretch and almost the last video for this series.  It has been a long six months, although I did not start getting antsy until month five.  I think the closer it got, the more I was ready for it thus making the wait much more painful that it actually was.  This week I decided to just straighten my real hair as I did not want a relaxer right after I took braids down.  Take a look at the video for this week and meet me back next week for the finale!

Silk Press On Natural Hair

This client truly has natural hair in every sense of the word.  She does not have any relaxed hair nor does she have any hair color, whether it be permanent or semi-permanent.  She came in for the first time to have her hair silk pressed for a special event.  She typically does not wear her hair straight all the time but instead does it every now and then or when she has something special to go to.

I used all Silk Hydration by L. Jones products of course.  The first thing I used was the Silk Hydration by L. Jones Extreme Clean Clarifying Shampoo.  This is excellent for removing any residue or product build up from the hair and allow me to start with a clean slate.  Next, I used the Silk Hydration by L. Jones Extreme Moisture Moisturizing Shampoo.  The moisturizing shampoo has liquid silk in it and adds lots of moisture to the hair.

For conditioning I used Silk Hydration by L. Jones Daily Conditioner, let sit for a few minutes, then rinsed with room temperature water.  Lastly, I began sprayed very generously with Silk Hydration by L. Jones Leave-In Conditioner.  This REALLY helped with detangling the hair as well as moisturizing the hair and acting as a heat protectant to the hair.  The leave-in made the blow dry process go by very quickly.  After the hair was dry I trimmed it before I began to press it with the ceramic flat iron.

To maintain her hair all she has to do is wrap it every night.  It will stay straight until she shampoos her hair again.  If she gets around any humidity or sweats in her head, her hair will begin to revert back to its original state.

Alternate Styles For Natural Hair: The Twist Out

Today's featured hairstyle is the ever so popular twist out.  It is very popular with a lot of natural haired ladies and I absolutely understand why.  It is super cute.  This natural client chose not to have any heat on her hair today but wanted something that would last for a few weeks.

First thing first, I started by prepping the hair by using Silk Hydration by L. Jones products. First thing was the clarifying shampoo to remove all of the residue and product build up off the hair and start with a clean slate.  Next was the moisture shampoo to add all of the moisture and silkiness back in.  After that I used the daily conditioner then the leave-in conditioner.

Next I twisted her hair up.  I used Nairobi foam wrap and a soft hold gel to twist it.  The only bad thing about a twist set is that the dryer time is excruciatingly long.  I am talking a minimum of two hours, and even longer for thicker hair.  This client was dry after about two hours and some change.  When getting twist sets, the hair has to be completely dry or else it will frizz up.

After her hair was dry, I put a little oil on my hands as I untwisted it.  It turned out great and she loved it.  She handled the dryer time like a pro, and had her laptop with her to pass the time.

For maintenance she can re-twist it at night or simply put a satin bonnet on at night.  In the morning she can fluff with her fingers.  Some people like it more the older it gets.  She will spray with Silk Hydration by L. Jones miracle potion no9 to avoid it becoming extra frizzy.

Silk Press on Relaxer Free Hair

This is a silk press that was done on relaxer free hair.  Notice I did not say "natural" hair simply because she does have a chemical in her hair, but instead of a relaxer that chemical is in the permanent hair color.  I always advice my clients to pick one chemical, either color OR relaxer.  Having both can very easily lead to damage and breakage.

To begin, I prepped the hair with Silk Hydration by L. Jones products.  For those of you who may be new to this blog, I have my own line of products that I make myself at home.  I use them on my clients as well as on myself and have enjoyed the results that I get from the products.  On this client I used the clarifying shampoo to remove all of the dirt, oil, and any residue on the hair.  Next, I used the moisture shampoo to add the good moisture back in.  Then I put some of the daily conditioner on for a few minutes before rinsing.  I call it "daily" conditioner because it is light enough to use everyday if you needed to without leaving a lot of build up on the hair.  After that, I followed up with the leave-in conditioner and was very generous with it.  The leave-in helps detangle and it also adds moisture and provides a layer of protection from the heat.

After the hair was prepped I then began to detangle the hair and blow dry.  Although this client has very curly hair, it was very easy to detangle, especially when I put the leave-in conditioner on.  I blew it dry completely and added a very small dime-sized amount of oil.  I then began to flat iron it into its layered shape.

Once I was done I sprayed it with Silk Hydration by L. Jones Miracle Potion no.9 which controls frizz and add shine while making it smell amazingly wonderful.

To maintain this style she can wrap it and put her satin scarf on.  No sleeping cute required!  Her silk press will remain straight until she wets it again to shampoo it (approximately 1-2 weeks).

How To Stretch Your Relaxer Past 6 Weeks (week 24)

Welcome to week 24 of the series!!!  It is getting closer and closer to touch up time and I absolutely can not wait.  In two short weeks I will be freshly relaxed and will then be able to see exactly how much my hair has grown.  Now I see why I go six months and not a day over!  At my six month point I can no longer take it and have to have my chemical.  People ask me all the time why won't I just go natural  and the reason why is because I love my hair straight but at the same time I want it healthy.  Even if I were to go natural I would always wear my hair straight anyway so what would be the point?  I know that I can have the chemicals and still have healthy hair, so relaxer it is!  This week I decided to go back to my removable sew in because I am tired of dealing with my hair.  However, next week for week 25 I am going to not turn to my weave due to I want my hair to be down for week 26 when I get my RELAXER!!! Can you tell how excited I am??

Check out the week 24 video.

Natural Looking Full Sew-In With Very Little Hair Left Out

This client wanted a sew-in but wanted it to look very natural.  She wanted a simple bob that was easy to take care of and easy to maintain.  Her natural hair is about neck length in the back and a little shorter on the sides.  Her sew in will allow her natural hair to rest and grow while it is braided up under the sew in.

My number one priority before installing the sew in is to take care of the natural hair first.  I shampooed her hair first with Silk Hydration by L. Jones clarifying shampoo, followed up with the moisture shampoo, then did the intense moisture treatment.  After that I applied a generous amount of leave-in conditioner before I combed it down and placed her under the dryer.

Once she was dry I then braided the hair up then sewed the hair onto the braid using L. Jones Hair Collection hair.  She got two bundles of Brazilian 8 inch straight.  Once it was done I cut it into its shape and very lightly layered it.

The only part of her natural hair that was left out was only the part that was around her part and her edges on the sides.  All of the back was braided because she will not be pulling it into a ponytail so there was no need to make it versatile.

To maintain her hair all she has to do is wrap it at night and put her silk scarf on.  And by the way, she did not get a fresh relaxer either.  As a matter of fact, on this day she was about 12 weeks post relaxer.  Since so little of her hair is left out it is very easy to blend. Her sew-in should be taken down after three months to shampoo and conditioner her real hair again.  The hair from L. Jones Hair Collection is such good quality that it can be used for up to two years so once she takes it down, the hair can be reused.

Do Relaxers Dry The Hair Out?

Is your relaxer drying your hair out? If so you may be experiencing some damage from it.  When used correctly relaxers are not supposed to dry your hair out.  In fact, a lot of relaxers are now including lots of moisture right inside them to make sure that does not happen.  Some tips I would give to ensure that your hair does not begin to look dry, frizzy, or brittle after receiving your relaxers are:

1. Make sure you are not getting them too often.  I recommend getting relaxers approximately three times per year to avoid over-processing of the hair.  Any time over-processing occurs the hair becomes dryer, weaker, and is more prone to breakage. Space them out to keep your relaxed hair healthy.
2. Watch the heat.  Your relaxed hair is already permanently straightened so it does not require a lot of extra effort from your styling tools to make it straight.  Keep your flat iron and curling iron on the lowest setting that your hair will allow.
3. Wrap every night.  Wrapping the hair protects it in so many ways yet is one of the simplest things you can do!  Wrap your relaxed hair up every single night to help avoid any damage.

This client of mine just got a fresh relaxer and I did not put any oil in her hair.  It still looks shiny and has lots of body in it.  I didn't even use Silk Hydration products this time!  When doing relaxers I use the entire line of products including the neutralizing shampoo and conditioner so Silk Hydration was not needed.

This client also got a fresh trim and I just curled it in its layered style. The only think she needs to do is wrap it every night for maintenance and put her silk or satin scarf on.

How To Stretch Your Relaxer Past Six Weeks (week 23)

I swear these weeks are beginning to run together! At this point I am so ready to get my relaxer and the only thing stopping me was coordinating a date with my friend (who is also a licensed hairstylist) to do it for me.  Well, the good news is that we finally have a date scheduled tentatively for two more weeks!  That means I only have two more weeks left of "super big when its wet hair" and that also means two more weeks of this series.  I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from people that have watched the series and I am so happy to know that some of you have learned a lot from the series about your hair.  Since I am completely over my hair at this point I chose to do weave again this week. Check out the week 23 video.

Can Kids Get A Silk Press?

The young lady in the picture above is nine years old and has healthier hair than some of my grown clients!  She is relaxer free and her mother lets her come and get her hair silk pressed.  Her mother also allows me to keep her hair trimmed as well.  When she does not have a silk press her mom keeps it in a lot of ponytails all over her hair so it is safe to say that she does not have any heat on her hair until she comes to me.  A lot of the time I see mothers of young kids who keep the hair in ponytails or braids all of the time and there is nothing wrong with that at all.  However, it is still important to do trims on the hair as well in order to stop the ends from continuing to split up the hair shaft which results in the hair having to be much more than it has to be.

I started by using all Silk Hydration by L. Jones products including the clarifying shampoo, moisturizing, intense treatment, and leave in conditioner.  

After rinsing her conditioner out I began detangling and blowing out her hair.  Next came the pressing with the ceramic flat iron.  I get a lot of people who ask what is the difference between just flat ironing the hair and a silk press.  The difference is that a silk press requires a lot more effort versus flat ironing relaxed hair.  The technique used to blow dry and flat iron a silk press is different in order to get unrelaxed hair to look like it has a relaxer.  Relaxed hair is already relaxed and straight so flat ironing it does not take hardly any work at all.

To maintain a silk press the only thing required is to wrap and stay away from lots of humidity.  It will revert back to its original natural state once it gets wet again.  After I got done I also sprayed some Miracle Potion no. 9 on it to control frizz, add shine, and make it smell wonderful.

Series: How To Stretch Your Relaxer Past 6 Weeks (week 22)

Welcome to week 22 of the series! I must admit that it is getting harder and harder for me and I absolutely can not wait until I get my next relaxer.  I can still straighten it with no problem but the new growth is getting uncontrollable.  I know I have every bit of four inches of new growth at this point which is an awesome thing!  This is your proof that relaxed hair can and will grow as long as you take the necessary steps to keeping it healthy.  If you just can not see yourself going past six, eight, or even ten weeks without getting another relaxer then you will be stuck in a cycle of your hair continuously shedding, breaking, looking thin, and not growing like you want it to.  There is no way around it ladies, you simply can not have your cake and eat it too.  I have many clients who tell me that they want their relaxers but the also want healthy hair yet they can not fathom the idea of stretching.  What I say is to just use me as your example.  If I can go six months then surely you can go three to four.  It does take a bit of work and a little bit of sacrifice but nothing worth having comes easy right?

Take a look at the week 22 video and good luck on your stretching!

How To Grow Your Natural Hair Long

This is one of my favorite hair journeys.  This client had given up on her hair and thought there was nothing that could be done other than putting weave in it.  Even though she did not have a relaxer she said that she was having a hard time getting her hair to grow and just look healthy.  This was her very first visit which was the beginning of March 2014.  I gave her a silk press and trimmed her ends which gave the results below.

From the pictures above you can see that her hair length came to the top of her neck which, at the time was a lot longer then she thought it was because in its natural state it looked much shorter.

These pics were taken at another visit four months later.  In just four months she already had significant growth.  Her hair went from the top of her neck to completely covering her neck and this was after another trim had been done.  If you notice in these pictures her color is now gone after we trimmed more.

All I have been doing within these four months is doing a shampoo and deep conditioning with Silk Hydration by L. Jones products including the clarifying shampoo, moisturizing shampoo, intense treatment, leave-in, and miracle potion.

The next set of pictures was taken more recently which was two months after the last set of pictures and six months after the first visit.  Her hair is now right at her shoulders!  Her hair is growing like a weed and is very healthy.  While at home she wraps it and does not put any more heat in her hair.

She is going to continue to let her hair grow to see how long it will get so we will continue to update her hair journey as she reaches more milestones with her length.

How To Maintain Your Full Sew-In

This sew-in was done one month ago and this client came in to get a good shampoo and conditioning.  This is a full sew in with a silk closure so none of her hair is out.  She used hair from my very own L. Jones Hair Collection.  The hair still looks and feels absolutely amazing!  A lot of hair tangles tremendously after you shampoo it but the hair from my collection can be shampooed as often as you prefer!  People who see her on a regular basis could not tell that this was not her real hair which is the goal of weave.  It should look as natural as possible.

These pictures were taken right after it was shampooed and dried and before it was curled to show how natural it looks.  If she wanted to wear it like this she could without any problem but she chose to curl it up.

I curled it in the layers that I cut it in.  To maintain she can either wrap it or put on her satin bonnet.  This hair holds curls really well so unless she gets it wet it will still stay curled whether she wraps it or not.

This picture is showing the lace closure at the top to show that it blends right in with the rest of the hair, lays flat, and is completely undetectable!  When maintaining your sew-in shampoo and condition every 1-2 weeks, blow dry, and style.  Weave is so much easier to maintain than your real hair which is why it is so addictive.  I do not recommend leaving your sew-in in for more than three months.  It will still look great but do not forget that your real hair still needs to be properly cared for.  After three months it needs to be taken completely down so that your hair can get treated. Then you can put your weave back in.