Micro Bond Extensions Review: I Went From A Grown-Out Bob To Long Mermaid Waves In One Afternoon
If shorter styles were recently the moment, XL lengths are enjoying a resurgence in response – both the natural kind and those artfully created using micro bond extensions.
Inspiration is everywhere – from the MET Gala, which was awash with ultra-long fairytale strands, to Nicola Coughlan serving up Pre-Raphaelite lengths in her recent SKIMS Campaign. Then, of course, there’s Instagram. After a quick scroll, I find myself adding Dakota Johnson’s bohemian waves and Anya Taylor-Joy’s long platinum mane to my mood board.
I’m not ashamed to say that when it comes to my hair, I’m easily influenced. Hailey Bieber debuts a bob, I book in for a chop. A Nordic blonde pops up on my Pinterest, and I’m reaching for the bleach, hellbent on emulating her.
With my Bieber bob growing out painfully slowly, and some breakage from my most recent blonde escapades, the idea of hair extensions started speaking to me. The concept of having long, flowing lengths without the wait was super appealing, but I had some concerns about damage and ensuring the end result didn’t look artificial.
With this in mind, I booked an appointment with Danielle Pink, director of Vixen & Blush, a sleek, open-plan salon – all glass and natural light flooding in – tucked away on London’s Rathbone Square, conveniently close to Tottenham Court Road station. Vixen & Blush began as a one-chair salon over a decade ago before growing to become the go-to destination for natural hair extensions.
The consultation
We kicked things off with a FaceTime consultation, during which Danielle and I talked through what I wanted to achieve – length being the primary focus but also fullness – while ensuring my hair didn’t feel too heavy.
There are essentially four extension routes to choose from: tape, micro rings, micro bonds and clip-ins. We settled on micro bond extensions, as these are a more permanent and comfortable method and super discreet, too.
It’s worth remembering that Vixen & Blush is a specialist salon, offering extensions exclusively, so it’s important that you are happy with your hair colour before booking in. The appointment normally begins with a hair wash, but as I’d had my roots freshly touched up the day before and briefed my hairdresser not to apply conditioner to the roots, we got straight into a more in-depth consultation.
My hair is around 14.5 inches long, and we wanted to add another 2-3 inches in length so that it would fall just below my armpit. The number of micro bond extensions varies from ¼ of a head to ½, ¾ or a full head. But, as Danielle explained, if you are adding length, not just fullness, a ¾ head of extensions is always the minimum recommended amount. I also didn’t want to feel overwhelmed by too much hair.
Next up: custom colour matching. Vixen & Blush is unique in that The London Hair Lab, an independent company that supplies extensions in a wide range of multi-tonal shades, actually sits within the salon.
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