Natural Beaded Rows Hand Tied Extensions are an investment, and there's no point in investing in yourself if you aren't going to take care of your hair with great product. Many over-the-counter products have plastic fillers, old product or are watered down and will completely wreck not only your natural hair, but also your extension hair. And while we can treat that hair, sometimes once the damage is done, there's no turning back. So this week, I want to share with you everything you need to take care of your extensions.

Before I started doing hair, I never believed that there was a difference between professional and over-the-counter products. In high school, I started using Herbal Essence on my hair (because it smelled amazing) and at my next haircut, my dad called me out (yes, my dad still cuts my hair). I told him he was crazy and that I've been using the same shampoo and conditioner he gave me. He knew I was lying. I totally had no idea how he could tell until I started doing hair. I've had to cut people's hair because of the damage from cheap hairsprays (they're loaded with alcohol). It's actually really sad when it happens. I've also seen store-bought shampoo take wax off of Walmart floors. I've personally experienced extreme dandruff with cheap dry shampoos (sometimes you're desperate when your flight is cancelled and your stuck out of town overnight. Do yourself a favor, and throw it all in the trash. 

Let me start by saying that I'm not someone who loves the feeling of product. I NEVER use a hairspray (ew) and while I have hundreds of products on my shelves, I only use a select few. I've got my routine pretty much perfected, and I hope this helps you in your journey with extensions. 

Shampoo, Conditioners and Masks

First and foremost, you need an AMAZING shampoo and conditioner. My absolute favorites are MarulaOil Shampoo and MarulaOil Conditioner. I have never stuck with a shampoo and conditioner so long (going on 5 years now). They leave your hair hydrated and smooth, but don't weigh it down. I always make sure that I rinse my conditioner out really well, and I've never had an issue with it feeling heavy or like it's still in my hair. When I switched to this shampoo/conditioner combo, it was the first time I was able to stretch out washing my hair every 2-3 days (pre-extensions... now I wash my hair every 5-7 days). Since I go so long between washes now, I do wash my hair twice just to get that extra few layers of Dry Shampoo out. I swear by this line, and it's what 90% of my clientele uses. I also like to add in the mask once a month to help keep my split ends away. I use it in place of my conditioner, and let it soak in for about 10-15 minutes before rinsing out. 

Products to use when your hair's wet

My two must-have wet-styling products are MarulaOil Serum and Neuro Prime. I used Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum for 10+ years, but ended up making the switch over to the Marula Serum about a year ago. It helps with frizz and fly-aways, but I don't feel like I have any product in my hair. About two months ago, I started adding in a heat thermal protectant (I use one when it's wet and one when it's dry). EVERY time I lighten my hair, I end up with mass breakage about a month later, so I know it's thermal damage. So far, I haven't noticed any breakage, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I use one pump of the serum and one pump of the prime, mix them together and apply mid-strand through my ends.  I'm only using one pump of each every 5-7 days, so the product lasts FOREVER. Totally worth the money. The other product that I use when my hair is wet (not every single time) is a leave in conditioner. If my hair is feeling a little dry or tangly, I'll spray a little leave in conditioner as soon as I get out of the shower and it will help with everything. Some days, I just don't feel like I need the extra condition. The one time I ALWAYS use this product, is anytime I am going swimming (ocean or pool). I spray this in my dry hair, and it acts as a barrier to help prevent the water from absorbing into my hair and drying it out. 

The must have - oil!

If you have extensions, you know that an oil is a must to keep them hydrated. Your extensions don't get the natural oils that your own hair gets, and my go-to is, of course, MarulaOil. This is the ONLY oil I recommend on your extensions (it won't discolor your hair). This oil is highly concentrated, so a little goes a LONG way. This oil is dispensed with a dropper, so I recommend 2-4 drops (yes, drops, not droppers) of oil when your ends start feeling a little dried out. I like to use a full dropper on my ends about 15-20 minutes before I wash my hair to give them an extra dose of hydration. The oil is water-soluble, so it won't build up on your hair like other oils. 

Heat Thermal Protectant

Once my hair is dry, I separate it into two sections (bottom row and down then top row and up). I give a light mist of a heat thermal protectant - Neuro Protect - over that bottom section and start styling. Two things - one, don't over spray the product until it's wet... totally defeat the purpose and it will cause more damage. And two, don't try to spray with every curl, you'll forget. Just give that entire bottom section a mist at once and the same with the top. I use this every time I style or touch- up my hair. If you're using a really light spray of it, it will not weigh your hair down. PS. Make sure your hair is 110% dry before putting any heat to it. 

Hair Sprays and adding Volume

Like I said earlier, I'm not huge into putting hairspray on my hair, but my two favorites for clients are the Extra Body Finishing Spray (medium-firm hold) and MarulaOil Perfecting Spray (light hold...great for frizz and flyaways). I LOVE a good texture spray... they're somewhat newly popular, but they add volume and texture, but not the hardness or stiffness of hairspray. My absolutely favorite texture spray is Invisiblewear Undone Texture Spray. Another favorite to add volume is the Invisiblewear Pump Me Up. It's a little bottle of a light-mist powder that gives a lot of fluff without the weigh down. Another client favorite is the Neon Sugar Tease. It will give you great hold like a hairspray, but it combs out 10x easier than a hairspray. 

Dry Shampoo and Conditioner

My two saving grace products are Neon Dry Shampoo and Dry Conditioner. These are the BEST I have ever used. They smell AMAZING and work GREAT. I'm a brunette, and I love that they don't make my hair white or powdery. Also, if you're using dry shampoo to absorb the oil at your scalp, you need something to add a little love to your ends. Try this combo. I promise you won't regret it. Pro tip - apply your dry shampoo before bed to start absorbing oil while you sleep. Totes worth it! Also, when you apply your dry shampoo, spray enough at your roots so that you barely start to see it, then let it sit for a few minutes. After that, rub it in almost like you're shampooing your scalp. Letting it sit gives it a bit of time to absorb all the extra oil. 

The other must-haves for extensions
A good quality brush is essential for your extensions. I love the Paul Mitchell Paddle Brush. I LOVE that it has a cushion, so it will collapse if there is too much hair or tangles (remember to brush from the ends to the scalp) but I still feel like I can actually get the brush through my hair. I'm not a huge fan of the silk cap (I find that my hair ends up harder to style when I wake up), but I find a silk pillowcase necessary. Cotton will absorb the natural oils from your hair and also cause friction when you sleep. I got my silk pillowcase from amazon. My absolute favorite hairties, Goomees, are available at the salon. They don't leave that gross crease in your hair and they last forever (as long as you don't lose them or someone doesn't steal them). 

Trust me, I get it... that's a lot! But also, these are high quality products that are SO worth the investment. These products are very concentrated, so you will find yourself using way less and the products lasting way longer than your old shit. Protect your investment and use great products... it's worth it and so are you!

XOXO,
​Angie

On this blog post, I want to share with you my experience wearing extensions in the ocean and/or pool. But first, what the heck is Tortuga?! It's a 3-day music festival on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This is my second year attending, and I had a blast. I got to see Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, Kenny Chesney, FloRida, Dustin Lynch and many more. I headed to Florida a day early to enjoy some time on the beach. And yes, I got in the ocean with my NBR!

First things first - never ever get sunscreen on your extensions - It will turn them a weird peachy color (which is actually pretty) but also DOES NOT come out. I did not turn my extensions peach, but just giving a friendly warning since we're talking about the sun and water. Chlorine and salt water can be drying to your hair extensions, so if you plan on getting in the water, a leave in conditioner will be your best friend. Spray a little on your midshaft and ends - and this will help prevent some of the water from absorbing into your hair (it acts as a barrier and conditions your hair). I wear 22" extensions, so my hair can get tangled pretty easy if I'm swimming for an extended period of time, so I prefer to put mine in two quick braids if I'm going under. I'll leave my hair down if I'm just letting the ends get wet - no issues at all. When I get back to the room, I brush it all out and then wash my hair like normal (it actually felt really soft) and that was it. 

As far as styling my hair for the three days of the show - SUPER easy. On day one, I wore it all down with my favorite style right now - a mix of waves and curls. On day two, I pulled it half up and re-curled the two pieces of my own hair around my face and added a cute scarf and that was it. On day three, I started with it half up but it was hot, so huge bun for the win. I had my extensions out for nearly three weeks, and I forgot how much less time and effort I put into my hair with extensions. Yes, it takes me an extra 20-30 minutes when I wash it, but I'm only doing that once (maybe twice) per week. I'm saving SO much time every morning because the extensions hold curl/wave so well and I just need a few quick touch ups each day. I only spend about 5 minutes on my hair each day that isn't wash day. 

If you're heading to the beach this year, YES! you can totally keep your NBR in for your trip. 2-3 minutes of prepping the hair will save you any hassles, and you can still keep your beautiful long locks in with your bikini. Happy warm weather, y'all!

XOXO,
​Angie

Salon Owner.
Extension Specialist.
Education Director.
JPMS National Educator.
Marketing.
Dogs.
Family. 
Concerts.
Uhm... life?

It's a question I get asked ALL the time. "How do you do it all?" Secrets out... I don't even get close to being done what I wish I could every week, but I've learned a lot of tips and trips along the way that have helped me maximize my time. Hopefully these will help you organize your busy life a bit.

Before we get started - I'm a recovering work-a-holic. No, seriously. I used to brag about how busy I was. And it's incredibly hard to let go of when you love what you do, but being so busy that you don't have time to take care of your mind and body isn't something to be proud of. I'm here to tell you... it's okay if not every single hour of the day isn't "productive." Your mind and body need time to recover every day, so take time to yourself each and every day. You're worth it!

Ok, so first and foremost, you definitely need a schedule, every week, with designated times you're going to get specific shit done. The biggest game changer for me was waking up earlier... I know, crazy! But honestly, that's when I get the bulk of what I do behind the scenes done. I started waking up between 4:30 and 5:00 am (or earlier) instead of 7am, and it's amazing what that 8-10+ hours working ON your business(es) will do for your life. This is also the perfect time to get in a quick workout, some meditation and something healthy into your body. If you're looking for a guide to setting up your morning routine, check out this book: The Miracle Morning. This is how I started developing a morning routine that worked for me. Shifting a lot of work to the morning has allowed me to enjoy my weekends and not feel as guilty when I make time for whatever I want to do. 

OK! Confession: I'm ADDICTED to planners. Like seriously, obsessed (I'm a nerd who wants all the school supplies with me 24/7). I have to physically write everything down and the planner I go back to every year is the Freedom Mastery Planner (check and make sure it's the current year). I also really liked the Corie Clark Purposeful Planner, but it's a little too bulky for everything else I need to carry in my bookbag, but it's definitely an amazing planner. It was great for a personal planner, but didn't work out as well for my business planner, and I don't want them separate. Side note, I HATE that there isn't a full page for Saturday and Sunday - they're condensed into one page, and I no likey.
*Pro tip: One of the things that I use my planner for is writing down everything that I accomplished in the time slots instead of it just being a schedule. It's a friendly reminder that from 10-12 I worked on my social media and from 2-3 I wrote out thank you cards, etc. It reminds me every week of how many things I actually got accomplished instead of focusing on what wasn't crossed out. Try it out and let me know what you think!

I also use a Digital Calendar, so I always know where I have to be. I use Fantastical 2 (yes, I paid for it... desktop and iPhone versions), but I love them both. I have everything color coded and keep a lot of details in the notes (bill due date reminders, flight deets, class deets, if I paid a deposit on that appt, location of events like showers and weddings - where they are registered, etc). It's what keeps me where I need to be and helps remind me of upcoming events if I need to buy a gift, etc. Every Sunday, I sit down and look at my calendar for the week, fill it all into my planner and then plan my week and what I'm going to get done in my office hours times. Yes, it takes a second to write down, but it helps me keep prepared for each week and lets me focus on the most important tasks at hand. Do whatever is your top priority each week first, and worry about the small shit last. 

Another HUGE key in what keeps me going is what I eat every day. As much as I LOVE to eat (pizza, bread, pasta...carbs!), I definitely know how food impacts the way I feel, so I've had to train my brain to eat to fuel myself. The best advice I can give you: MEAL PREP. Not only will this save you time, it will also keep a majority of your meals healthier AND save you some money. So, once you get your schedule done for the week, know what days are your long days, your late days, the days you aren't going to be home at all, etc. Build your menu around that. I plan to cook a full meal 3-4 nights a week. That leaves enough for leftovers, eating out or heating up something quick (like a frozen pizza). My super long days behind the chair, I plan those nights for leftovers or throw something in the crockpot before I leave. After I plan 3-4 dinners each week, then I make my grocery list. If you haven't done grocery pick up, you seriously need to check it out. It is, by far, the BEST thing that has happened to my meal prep. The hour and a half I would spend in the store, I now spend prepping lunches or chopping up veggies for the week. SO much less food waste and it saves me a ton of money. Do it. ASAP. And if you have a reliable grocery delivery in your area, do that!

All in all, I definitely don't believe that the to-do list is ever done, but I definitely have learned there is a time to turn it off every day. We overestimate what we can get done in a day, but underestimate what we can get done in a year. Be proud of what you get done every day, take time for yourself, take care of yourself and have fun in everything you do!

XOXO,
Angie