The Oprah Winfrey Show
Oprah's Best Life Series
Harpo Films
For One More Day
The Great Debaters
O, The Oprah Magazine
Subscribe Today
Oprah Radio
Oprah's Angel Network
Oprah's Book Club
If, no matter how you try, bad hair days just seem to multiply, then you might be the perfect candidate for the newest generation of hair helpers: extensions, clip-on ponytails, and even full wigs. No longer just the props of Vegas show girls or little old ladies, today everyone from pop stars to supermodels are turning bad hair days good with synthetic hair pieces.
Hair extensions can give you that "Hollywood look," says specialist Dayna Gamba of Shag Salon in South Boston.
There are two different types of hair extensions—permanent and clip-on. The permanent are either sewn or bonded to your natural hair and last up to five months.
"Permanent extensions are a great way to add fullness, length or even highlights to your hair," Gamba says. This red carpet look doesn't come cheap though, Gamba says. The cost for that full head of hair runs as high as $2,000.
Less expensive—and some say easier to wear—are the new clip-on extensions. Costing as little as $50, they use tiny, nearly invisible clips to attach to your real hair in seconds. You layer them, building volume, until you arrive at the look you like.
For an even quicker fix, try a clip-on ponytail or bun. Pull your own hair back and pin in place, and clip on a brand new look! Costing between $25 and $100, they can add instant glamour and pizzazz—and they stay put. You can dance the night away!
Finally, when it comes to truly instant glamour, don't overlook the power of a wig. It can also offer you an instant change of color, style or length. Now if you're thinking hot, heavy, mannequin-fake hair, guess again. Today's synthetic wigs are whisper-light, many are capless and most are heat-set into a permanent style that requires nothing more than popping it out of the box, giving it a quick shake and "voila"—it's an instant great hair day!
With additional reporting by Carol Sorgen.
Reviewed by Norman Levine, MD On June 01, 2007
SOURCES: American Academy of Dermatology's SkinNet: "Causes of Aging Skin." American Academy of Dermatology website: "Skin care and Cleansing." Bouchez, C. Your Perfectly Pampered Menopause, Broadway Books/Random House. Rhoda Narins, MD, president, American Society of Dermatologic Surgery; clinical professor of dermatology, New York University Medical School. Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD, clinical associate professor of dermatology, University of Minnesota Medical School; director, Crutchfield Dermatology.com. Darrick Antell, MD, plastic surgeon, New York. Holly Mordini, director of global artistry, Smashbox Cosmetics, Hollywood, California. Nick Chavez, salon owner; author, Perfect Hair Every Day. QVC.
