A juicy class project
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ORANGE JOURNALISM A juicy class project |
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Senior SJSU student Alley Zezoney recently paid $2,500 for longer, fuller hair. A trend started by female celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Carmen Electra and Jessica and Ashlee Simpson who wanted a quick fix for long hair, has now turned into a societal craze amongst teenage girls and young women that has reached the Bay Area as well. And as did Zezoney, these females are throwing down the big bucks to get it. A variety of methods for applying hair extensions to the natural hair exist. According to Cosmetology school student Katrina Spangler of San Jose, the most popular extension application process on the market today -- which also happens to be among the priciest -- is the Hairlocs Hair Extension System. This technique uses 100 percent human hair from Europe. The Hairlocs come in small sections that are attached close to the scalp with tiny shells that are color matched so they blend naturally with the real hair. The procedure is done by a certified stylist who applies the Hairlocs using a unique cold application. Zezoney chose to go with Hairlocs for her extension method as she heard it was one of the best available, and looked the most natural. At Tangles Hair Salon of Los Gatos, Stylist and Hairlocs Extension Specialist Danielle Dentoni averages between five to eight hair extension clients a week. This is a lot considering each procedure can take up to three or five hours depending on how much hair the client wants put in. “Hair extensions have become very popular, very fast,” says Dentoni. “I probably have tripled my hair extension clientele from what it was a year ago.” Dentoni says that she believes that the fast-paced trend is a result of celebrity’s interest in it, but says that word of mouth has played a major part in the increased demand she receives for hair extension appointments. “A lot of my new clients that I get are referred to me by their friends who are already my clients. They see how great their friend’s hair looks and they want it too, and they are willing to spend the money to get it,” says Dentoni. And money they will spend as Hairlocs sell for anywhere from $15 to $20 per individual Hairloc. Most girls need between 50-100 Hairlocs to complete the procedure too, so add that up and it gets pretty costly very quickly at $750 to $2000 . . . and that’s just to buy the hair. To have the Hairloc professionally attached to your head could cost you another couple hundred dollars as salons such as Dentoni’s charge about $60 an hour to apply the hair. For Zezoney her extension experience also included the price of dyeing and cutting her hair with the newly added Hairlocs to ensure that everything blended for a natural look. According to Dentoni, this is a common procedure once the Hairlocs are added because while Hairlocs use a very high quality of hair, without matching the color and shape of your hair, the extensions are much more noticeable. Spangler, who is currently training to become a Certified Hairlocs Specialist herself, says that the hair typically last about two to three months before anything needs to be done to maintain them. “Once the person’s hair starts growing out, the Hairlocs become much more noticeable. So either the person will wither return to the salon to have them pushed up or else removed,” says Spangler. Dentoni’s salon charges $60 to push up the Hairlocs, and they also charge a small fee if someone comes in to have them removed as well. Zezoney has a few months to go before she decides whether or not to remove hers or continue to pay to maintain them. But for now, she is satisfied with her decision to get them and feels that, so far, it has been a quality investment. “I have very fine, short hair, and I wanted a fun change, but I didn’t want to wait for my hair to grow out because that would take ages, [ . . . ] so I saved some money and I am happy with what I got out of it,” says Zezoney. Related Links: Back to Orange Journalism Home Page Orange Journalism: |
