DREAM GIRL Hair Extensions

You might wear hair extensions. You might be thinking of wearing a wig, or investing in easy to use clip-in extensions to add length and volume to your natural style.

Whatever you’re looking for, the chances are that if you’re looking at Dream Girl then your hair is something you care about.

When we’re young, we often think we can do whatever we want to our hair and it doesn’t matter. After all, it grows back, right?

Not necessarily. Dermatologists warn about the importance of caring for your hair throughout your life.

So here is Dream Girl’s guide, whatever your age, for looking after your hair.

Teens and 20s

This is when your hair is at its healthiest. It’s also when you’re most likely to take it for granted! Your hair mirrors your general health so if you try faddy diets, if you don’t have a balanced diet or drink plenty of water then it will show in your hair. For that radiant and healthy glow you need plenty of protein.

There are tips you can learn as early as possible to promote good hair for life.

• Don’t use too much heat as it will damage your hair, stretching and weakening follicles.
• When you wash hair make sure you wash the scalp as well. Sounds obviously but serum – what we see as greasy hair – gets on the scalp as well. To keep follicles as healthy as possible you need to wash and rinse the scalp when you wash your hair.
• Use sunscreen on your hair as well as your skin! It can get damaged as well.

In your 30s

There’s too major factors that can impact on a woman’s hair in their thirties. Pregnancy can cause you to have luxurious and thicker hair because of the increase of oestrogen in the body. However once you have the baby your hair can become finer and wispier.

Secondly you can get more stressed. You’re busy and you’re probably juggling a lot more things than you were in your twenties. Regular hair treatments are important to maintain all the nutrients and vitamins you need to keep hair glossy. Go for regular trims to remove split ends and worn tips.

In your 40s

You might have a little grey and want to colour your hair. This can cause damage depending on the chemicals and treatments you’re adding to your hair.

If you colour your hair then you need to opt for gentler products. Dye strips hair of key vitamins along with its natural layer of protection. You want a shampoo that cleans hair and a conditioner that suits colour-treated locks.

When hair is damaged it’s easier for it to split. You want to smooth the cuticles and mend split ends. Look for products with silicone in them.

In your 50 and beyond

Your hair grows slower as you get older and strands of hair themselves get thinner. Finer hair needs less treatment time if you’re colouring and styling.

It’s important when you’re older to spend more time replenishing hair with nutrients. You want hair to appear thicker so even if you’ve never worn hair pieces or hair extensions before you might want to add them just to give hair a little oomph.

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There’s this little film coming out this weekend. You’ve probably not heard of it.

What are we saying? Of course you’ve heard of The Great Gatsby! The best-selling book is set to be this year’s most luscious film. Baz Luhrmann brings his luxurious style to classic twenties fashion.

http://www.elleuk.com

Dream Girl loves a little twenties twist. Flapper fashion, chic chignons, bold lips and groomed brows. If you see Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan on the big screen this weekend and you want to recreate the style then bookmark this page because we’re going to tell you exactly how to do it.

How about the chic chignon? An iconic twenties style it’s practical and stylish working from day to night. It’s a little fiddly so we’ve kept these instructions as clear and simple as possible. You’ll need a little wave to your hair (which we’ll create without heat!) and hair needs to be mid-length to long. If your hair needs added length then try Clip-on hair extensions. You can even get ones with a wave  to make this style easier. You can choose hair extensions to match your natural hair colour using Dream Girl’s Colour Comparator so they blend in seamlessly. If your hair is a little longer, but you need a boost then use a pony-tail extension to create the chignon at the nape of the neck.

If you’re using hair extensions fit them now and ensure the clips are covered. Create a side parting. It needs to be a deep one so start the comb over one eye and make the marking there. To create waves without using heat you need to learn how to fashion a pin curl. Divide the hair into two sections, one at the top half of the head, the second at the bottom. Gather the bottom half into a low pony-tail at the nape of the neck.

At the top half. Start from the front and divide hair into one inch sections. Curl the sections around the finger and pin in place. The end of the curls should be against the scalp with the roots pointing upwards, increasing volume. Spray lightly to fix.

The hair in the ponytail will also need a wave so once you’ve finished those pin curls repeat with the hair in the pony, or the extension depending on what you’ve chosen. Leave hair pinned for at least half an hour to train the hair.

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When the time is up, unpin the curls on the top of your head letting the waves fall around your face. You’ll see there’s a curve to the wave. You want to accentuate and encourage this wave, basically by extending the S shape, in the same way Taylor Swift has in this hairstyle. To do this we do what’s called a finger curl. At the deepest S of the wave pull it slightly to accentuate and secure with a pin flat against the scalp.

Meanwhile, undo the curls in the ponytail and backcomb slightly for added volume. Twist the ends together to create the chignon and pin underneath. Once you remove the pins from the finger curls you’ll have accentuated waves at the side of the head and gentle curls turning into the chignon. You can style the waved do without the chignon and still nod to the flapper fashion.

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Spray to keep in place and adorn with a jewelled clip.

For makeup the twenties look is bold features. Make sure brows are well groomed and use a brow pencil to colour in any gaps. You want a rosy, healthy glow so add rouge from the apple of the cheek up to the cheek bone. You don’t want bronzer, the twenties style is for a paler skin. Lips should be bold and eyes smoky. Don’t use gloss but a lip liner and lipstick.

And there you have it, you’re ready to step back into the Roaring Twenties, this year’s hottest trend!

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Who say the pictures from the Met Ball and thought “I’d love to try that hairstyle?”

OK, so perhaps not everyone wants to try Miley Cyrus’ platinum cropped and spiky do, but we often wish we could be a bit braver with our hair choices.

The theme of the Met Ball 2013 was PUNK: Chaos to Couture.

Punk’s a style of extremes. But fashion can be all about that as well. It can be about being theatrical, about dressing up and, yes, “rocking a look”.

The good thing is you don’t have to get the buzz cutters out to try out the same styles and make the same impact. You can recreate some of the stars’ styles on the red carpet by using Dream Girl products that are all about making a statement, but don’t require you to cut your own hair. 

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Katy Perry

Katy Perry’s look is pure punk: High on glam and impact.

What you need for this is thick locks. Use Clip On Hair Extensions to add a little extra length and volume. Match the colour to your own using Dream Girl’s Colour Comparator.

To achieve the frizzy look at the bottom of the hair you need to add a little kink. The safest way to do this without using heat is to invest in some crocodile clips. Simply twist the hair in inch segments and clip in place. Add a little spray and leave the hair in clips for as long as you can before un-doing. To frizz, comb through the resulting curls and then back comb slightly. Add spray in place.

Now, you can go full Katy Perry and add a tiara. Or you can tone it down and use a jeweled Alice Band. 

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Anne Hathaway

Anne’s cropped do is pretty fearless. If you don’t want to cut off your locks why not opt for a wig?

Opt for a 100% human hair wig from Dream Girl’s Chic Collection. Go for blonde with short hair. To achieve the desired style – Anne’s is shorted on the sides, longer on the top to achieve a quiff – visit your stylist. If you want to copy a star’s style then always bring a picture with you to your stylist. Fit the wig and then they can style the hair to match.

Once it’s trimmed, you need to backcomb at the roots at the front of the head to add lift. Let hair fall to the side for a loose quiff.

Match with smoky eyes. 

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Gwen Stefani

Gwen has long embodied the punk spirit. Her hair is platinum but this would work with any colour hair. The fringe is achieved by marking a deep side parting. Smooth hair using a serum. Gwen has a top knot here but you might prefer to go for a long pony tail. A pony extension clips over your own hair and achieves the same look. Simply choose a shade using Dream Girl’s Colour Guide and pick a length. 

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There are a lot of weird and wonderful celebrity events.

They give us a glimpse into trends and styles that we all know we’ll be giving a try.

At this week’s White House Correspondence Dinner, American celebs took to the red carpet and unveiled a new trend that’s a nod to a much older one.

It looks like the seventies are back in town!

If you’re too young to remember the decade that brought us Charlie’s Angels then worry not. Think big hair. Big, big hair.

OK, this isn’t great for those with short fine hair but as ever Dream Girl is here with some cunning ideas for how you can replicate the look yourself.

Use hair extensions to add length, a hairpiece to thicken and add volume at the crown or even a wig to add instant length. Explore Dream Girl’s online store to find out more  Use our Colour Comparator to match the right product to your natural hair colour and off you go.

Here are our favourite looks from the night, and the trend.

Sofia Vergara

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Styled with loose, outward, romantic waves, Sofia’s hair is a recreation of Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu’s stunning hairstyles from their movie adaptation of Charlie’s Angels back in 2000. In this case, Sofia’s brunette hair and soft highlights sets her apart from the “Angels” and keeps her look fresh and modern.

Rebel Wilson

Image justjared.com

Rebel Wilson may have taken a tumble during The White House Correspondence Dinner, but she looked fabulous in the process!

Representing Brits everywhere, Rebel went for a much softer look with large curls. Rebel made do with her full fringe and kept it relevant by sweeping it to either side, framing her face. If you want to try a fringe but don’t want to commit go for a Velma Fringe.

Hayden Panetierre

Image glamour.com

Hayden Panetierre sets herself apart from the other ladies with not only her stunning yellow gown, but also her boho inspired braid. Boho is still a seventies trend, ideal if you don’t want hair to go too big. Her brunette hair combined with her blonde highlights gives the impression of sunshine and her braid ties her outfit together to create a look that dazzles without blinding.

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This week we decided an experiment was in order.

There are some who might never want to wear hair extensions or a wig, but they do fancy giving their hair a little lift.

Not all of us are born with luscious and thick locks. Some of us have fine hair that frizzes at the slightest hint of a gust of wind. We don’t want a permanent change but there are days when we want hair that’s slightly thicker and just has a bit more oomph.

This is where hair pieces come in.

You may think a hair piece is only worn by a man of a certain age. Think again. More and more, women are turning to them to give them a little bit more confidence and a spring in their step.

It might not just be because your hair is fine, it might be thinning, you might want to cover a patch of finer or skin. A hairpiece is an ideal solution.

With Dream Girl you can choose between a hairpiece made of synthetic or human hair. Once you’ve made your choice choose the right colour so the hairpiece can blend seamlessly into your own hair. You can also pick different lengths, depending on whether you have medium length or long hair.

So how do you wear it? This week we felt like we needed a little lift. The sun was shining and we wanted glossy hair to match. The hairpiece we picked clips just over the crown and then towards the back of the head. This means that it adds volume at the crown, making hair appear thicker, and then tumbles down the back of your mane.

Waves make it easier to blend extensions in with your own hair, creating a natural look. Not being blessed with natural waves we simulated them by twisting inch sections of hair and then securing with a clip. A little spray and we left hair for about twenty minutes to create the desired kink.

What did we end up with? A thick wavy mane that added real oomph to our usual style. The hairpiece was secure and fitted comfortable. By clipping it underneath our natural hair at the crown the clips were easy to cover and blend in. The colour was a great match and we had the hair we always wanted.

At Dream Girl we’re firm believers in loving everything about yourself, from top to toe. Yet, there’s no point wishing for thicker hair and then not doing anything about it. A hairpiece is an easy way to add lift and volume if you don’t want the permanence of hair extensions.

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At this time of year we like to have a spring clean.

It comes from a long tradition where we cast off the shackles from winter, see the muck and mess we’ve left since Christmas and have a good tidy up.

It feels like the right time to do it as well. It’s getting warmer (finally), it’s light when we get out of bed and when we get home.  We can shrug off our styles that are designed purely for warmth and start having fun again.

In fact it’s a sensibility that has become so engrained we start bringing it into every bit of our lives. We don’t just deep clean the living room; we do the same with our skin. Out with the old, in with the new.

So if you’re going to spring clean your hair and beauty here are Dream Girl’s top five tips

1. Throw away your old makeup

Foundation, eye shadow, powder; you might hope it lasts forever but it doesn’t. Along with makeup brushes you should be replacing your makeup around once a year. Don’t and you could risk getting bacteria into your skin, causing spots and other skin complaints. Wash brushes regularly by soaking them in hot soapy water to remove any grime. If you need to stock up explore Dream Girl’s range of cosmetics

2. Give your hair brushes a bath

How can you expect to keep your hair clean if you brush it with a dirty brush. Loose ends, dust and dirt; it all gets onto our hair brushes and that’s why they need a regular wash. Trim away any loose strands of hair on your brush with a pair of scissors. Then soak in a tub of hot soap water. Wash with a nail brush and then allow to dry

3. Check all your accessories

It’s important to make sure everything you use with your hair extensions gets a once over regularly. We’d always recommend talking to a salon if you’re thinking about hair extensions but if you don’t do you need more glue and thread? How is your brush holding up? A good workman is only as good as his tools and for your locks to be luscious the whole year round to have to make sure everything is in good condition

4. Trim your hair

Your hair needs a regular trim to keep it looking healthy and shiny. Whether you use hair extensions or not, the daily way we style our hair, tie it up, brush it and rub it damages its delicate follicles and ends. We can minimise the damage we do but hair still gets stretched and can split. The only way to get rid of split ends is to trim them away

5. Treat your hair to a condition

A deep conditioning treatment will help restore the loss of nutrients and vitamins your hair has lost. Hair can get dry and even if we’re using the right products to keep hair extensions looking glossy and shiny, everyone needs a little TLC from time to time. A deep treatment will give back to your hair what you’ve lost.

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The prom is a rite of passage. There might be some who say it’s an American tradition and not one UK students should worry about. But it’s here and it’s here to stay.

Getting ready for the prom is important. You want to get a dress you feel comfortable in and you want your hair to look right. It’s about expressing yourself and wanting to look your best.

Dream Girl can’t help with the dress but we can with the hair.

Whether you want to wear your hair half-up, down, make it wavy or poker straight we’d suggest one ingredient you might need is clip-on hair extensions. Longer and fuller hair makes locks more manageable and creates a more eye-catching and special look. They’re easy to use and help create that wow-factor.

You can either fit your clip-on extensions at home, or pop into a salon and ask them to do it. Salons and stylists will be on hand to help to recreate special prom hairstyles so it might be easier to do it all in one trip.

To choose hair extensions the first thing you need to do is look at Dream Girl’s Colour Comparator and Colour Guide. You need to decide what shade to go for. Obviously, you could opt for something like one of our Fancies that’s a bright colour to catch the eye. More likely, though, you’re looking to enhance your own hair so pick a shade that’s as close to your own natural hair colour as possible.

The next step is to choose how long you want your hair extensions to be. You can choose either 14”, 16” or 18”.

Once your hair extensions arrive you’ll find they are easy to fit yourself, if you want to do it in your own bedroom. The clips are different widths to fit securely and offer added coverage at different parts of your head. Start at the nape of the neck and work up to the crown. Then fit the smaller extensions at the side of the head. Our clip-on extensions are designed to cover the clips naturally but just arrange to make sure not of the clips are visible.

Then you need to choose your style. You can opt for an up-do or a looser natural wavy finish. Perhaps a long braid or a half-up do. You might want something classic, or something slightly funkier – it depends what your personal style is.

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For a classic look, how about a half-up do with waves? Like this Carrie Underwood style. Either choose clip-on extensions with a natural wave, or create a kink by twisting hair extensions and then clipping up to create a wave without using heat. After a few hours uncurl and then take hair your hair to tie up. If you have a fringe you might want to sweep to the side. Backcomb hair at the crown to add lift then pin hair in place.

For something a little funkier what about a braid, straight off the catwalk. We wrote about spring plaits in last week’s blog. A fishtail braid is on trend and will add an intricate and special twist on a classic look. This Blake Lively style is ideal, and the accessories finish the look perfectly.

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Your prom night is a special night. You want to look your best but it’s all about expressing yourself and your style.

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There are some traditions you just can’t mess with; hanging your stocking up for Santa, no matter how old you are, eating too many Easter eggs and wearing plaits as spring starts.

There’s just something that makes us feel we want to wear our hair in plaits as the evenings get lighter and longer and we want to spend more time outside. Even plaiting our hair makes us feel more cheerful.

OK, for many of us the weather might not have caught up with the fact that it’s spring but that doesn’t mean we should break with tradition.

No matter how long your hair you can try these styles of plaits, either by using a pony tail hair extension - either on a drawstring or on a comb, whichever suits you -  which you clip over your own hair. Failing that you can use Clip’N Go Hair Extensions so that you can try a new style over night. Or, if you already have long hair extensions you can try this style right now!

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The French Braid

It’s elegant, it’s chic and it’s a classic.

Recreate the French Braid by starting at the crown of your head. Put your fingers just behind your ears and draw a line around your head, separating your hair into two sections. take the top section and divide into three strands. This is where your braid starts.

Begin to plait, taking a small section of hair from the side of the head as you go, so you’re gradually tying back the hair as the plait gets nearer and nearer to the nape of your neck.

Once there you just plait your hair normally. If your hair is mid-length but you want a longer braid then braid as normal until you reach the nape of the neck. Tie hair into a bun and then clip over a pony tail extension. Use this to form the longer plait.

A new style for pigtails

Pigtails can look a little girly, but this is  a fresh twist to bring them up to date.

Draw a comb down the middle of your scalp, dividing the hair into two. You’re  going to create two fishtail plaits so start at one side and tie the other together to keep any lose strands out of the way.

For a fishtail braid you need to separate hair into four. Begin by taking the section on the furthest left across the other three and over to the right. Then, take the second strand on the right and take it over to the left. Take the second strand at the left and take over to the right. I know, it sounds confusing but it’s an intricate plait and it might take a bit of practice. You’re taking the strand that’s second furthest out on one side and putting it across the other strands to its on the opposite side.

Once you get to the end tie and start on the next plait.

The Heidi Braid

Heidi was a character in a book when we were little and it’s quite an eye-catching hairstyle. However, to brig it up to date you want to start with one long plait. Begin the plait just above the nape of your neck. If you’re hair isn’t long enough, clip on extensions can do the trick.

Plait and then secure at the end. Then wrap the plait across your forehead, like a fringe and secure.

If you’re looking at any of Dream Girl’s hair extensions then make sure you use our Colour Comparator and Colour Guide to make sure you get the right shade to suit you and your natural colouring.

Sleek, up-do or grunge; which spring look will you go for?

With the Fashion Weeks out of the way until autumn we can start thinking about trends.

Similar styles and ideas filter through the different designer shows. This is as true for hair as it is for couture.

There are three key trends that we’ve seen on the catwalks for this season; sleek, up-do or grunge.

Here we pick our favourites from the shows give you some ideas for how you can try them yourself.

Sleek

IMAXTREE

A sleek style is one that’s in perfect shape. You know where every strand of hair is going.

This is our favourite and it comes from Milan Fashion Week. It’s a reworking on a look that’s rapidly becoming a classic. You need long hair so if you need a little added length opt for hair extensions or clip-ons to add a little volume. If it’s quality you’re after you want to try Remi Silky. With this model the style looks best when it’s a little wavy. If your hair is straight then use pins to twist and pin around an inch square of hair. Use a little spray and hold it into place for around ten minute. Release and you’ll have a cute wave. This is the best way to do it without applying heat.

If you don’t have a fringe then use a Velma Fringe for the look.

Ends need to be sleek so use a little serum at the tips.

Match with liquid eyeliner for that vintage look and a healthy pink pout.

Up-do

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There were so many incredible up-dos it’s hard to pic a favourite.

But this, from Viktor & Rolf in Paris wins because, heh, who doesn’t want a halo?

It’s a cute, flirty spring look that is ideal for work when you need to look a little smarter and great for a night out.

First you need two long pigtails. Use clip on extensions if you need added length. Part hair in the centre and comb using your fingers, too tidy and this style will look more Heidi than catwalk! Plait hair into two long pigtails. Alternatively buy Synthetic Braids. Then twist the plaits around your head, pinning into place. Pull out a couple of strands to be loose. Spray and you’re done. Match with a natural look.

Grunge

Matt Lever

There’s a difference between grunge and unkempt. Grunge needs to look more tousled. It’s a move away from the over-styled and blow-dryed look we’ve had for the last few years.

How do you style it? Well, kinda however you like. This side parted style from Kenzo sums it up beautifully. Hair still looks healthy and gorgeous. You can add length with some hair extensions and then ruffle with your fingers to create a little texture. Do that either by a little backcombing and using texturising spray or hairspray. Scrunch hair at the roots for volume and even more texture.

Use slides to pin hair back from the face, but still in front of the ears, if you want to change things up a little.

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OK, hot weather outside is not something we have to worry about right now.

But for your hair, heat is something you really need to worry about.

Apply any kind of heat whether styling or drying and you run the risk of split ends, dry and coarse hair. If you’ve invested in Hair Extensions to enhance your look by adding length and volume you could risk damaging the 100% human hair in the same way you can lose the lustre of your own locks.

Protecting your hair should be your top priority. So what tips do you need to remember?

Here’s Dream Girl’s advice

*Turn down to a low temperature

Heat isn’t good for your hair. That’s all you need to know. The hotter an application and the longer you leave it on your hair the more damage it will do, from root to tip. This means anything from curling tongs to straighteners, even hair dryers.

The heat draws the moisture out of your hair. It makes it brittle and dry making it much more liable to snap and causing split ends. Once that happens the only thing you can do it cut it, it can’t be repaired.

Where it is possible take the heat out of your hair. Allow it to dry naturally or using a towel after you wash it. Weaning yourself of straighteners is important. In the long term it actually makes your hair even frizzier as it dries it out.

It’s one thing causing damage to your natural hair. Unless you do irrevocable damage to the roots you know it will grow back. Not so for hair extensions. If you cause heat damage then the only solution is to have them taken out and reapplied – that hair straightener could prove to be an expensive habit!

*Prevention is better than cure

You protect your skin from harsh temperatures with moisturizer, it’s no different with your hair.

Dream Girl has a range of After Care products designed especially for Hair extensions which include a Daily Conditioner and a Shine Spray with added Vitamin B and a sun protection technique. Think of it as sun block for your hair.

*Re-wear and repair

It doesn’t matter how careful you are mistakes happen and you can damage your hair; sunlight, swimming pools. If hair is feeling a little worse for wear and it is dry, to ward off split ends treat yourself to an intensive conditioning treatment. Products with oils and moisturizers are best for replenishing hair that has been damaged.

If that doesn’t do the job then book yourself in at the salon. An intensive professional treatment will be designed specifically for your hair type and will help to restore the proteins you’ve lost.

When hair is dry and damaged it looks coarse and brittle. Hair needs to be protected from heat in the same way skin does. Protection is better than cure so invest in the right products to keep your hair moisturized  Book yourself in for regular treatments to keep hair as shiny as possible. If your hair is healthy it shows.

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