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Hello Gals and Guys!
Today we talk about the benefits of hair extensions – all the fab things that can be done with them! Anne Veck Oxford is one of the only salons in Oxfordshire to offer high quality and ethical hair extensions–> we are the regions exclusive supplier of Gold Class hair extensions and we also offer Balmain and Lox Box! We do gentle heat fused bonds, tape extensions, clips in…. But enough of this (not so) humble brag, let me tell you why extensions really are somewhat magical!

1.Instant Hair Change! With no damage! Want that extra length and vavavoom thickness? Clip in some of our awesome Lox Box extensions and feel transformed… Until you want something else, and then change to that too! You can also indulge your inner child and get some crazy colour extensions, but not worry about damaging your own hair with bleach and colour!

2.Splits ends no more! Well, sort of… this isn’t technically true because split ends do not just disappear when adding hair extensions. However, I did say hair extensions were somewhat magical: so what extensions do help with is hiding those nasty split ends. Abracadabra, suddenly your hair looks and feels so much healthier when you hide those split ends under gorgeous, soft hair extensions. Even more so when using our Gold Class, ethically sourced and hand picked, hair extensions! Win-win!

3.Extensions are not just used for length! They can also be used for thickness. So if you have always craved this hair but sadly have not got that Disney princess swish, fret not, because air extensions are a great way to get that vavavoom volume you so crave. And the great thing about taped extensions, is the hair can be reused and if taken care of well, the tape re-adjusted after a month of growth… gorgeous and sustainable…!

Have I convinced you yet? If not, feel free to ask your in salon stylist any other questions you might have, and you will see, hair extensions are fab! Or ofcourse call us on 01865 727077 to book a consultation – £25 but reimburesed if you go ahead with any service.

xxxDFG
www.dirtyfrenchgirl.com

DFG asked Anne about her approach to working with all types of hair and about “Black Hair Matters” and”Blackfishing”.

“I generally use the term Afro hair but also very curly and textured when it seems appropriate. There are 3 distinct hair categories based on people’s heritage: Caucasian, Asian and African. The term textured hair is generic. I can put texture in my hair while I’m cutting or styling it, it doesn’t mean I have extremely curly hair.

Of course there is the Afro hair style and Afro hair meaning a hair type. Most people who can grow an Afro have African heritage and Afro type hair! Hair is primarily composed of keratin, a protein, which grows from the follicle. Keratins, and other proteins, are formulated in the cells of the hair follicle. All of the proteins become a part of the hair shaft and contain sulphur atoms. When two sulphur atoms pair up and bond, they form a disulfide bond. If the two sulphur atoms in the same protein are at a distance, and join to form the disulfide bond, the protein will bend. This is how curls are created.

Everybody is born with specific hair textures and it may change over your lifetime. The amount of curl, wave, or straightness is dependent on the number of disulfide bonds between hair proteins found in the hair shaft; the greater the number of links, the curlier the hair, and the fewer the number of links, the straighter the hair.

Getting even more technical, we have hair types 1,2,3 &4. Each contains subdivisions A,B,C. Types 4 B & C include very curly hair, including Afro but people of different ethnic heritage can have these hair types. This is very simplified explanation.

Of course, it’s all a bit more complex than this, the chances are you will find more than 1 type of curl pattern on one head of hair. We should all try to just focus on the most predominant pattern. Maybe we should try not to focus too much on ambiguous terms and call it all hair! I’ll continue to use the term Afro most of the time because it makes sense to most people and is accepted and used by my clients. In her book ‘Good Hair’, Charlotte Mensah uses the term Afro hair throughout. If it is good enough for her, it is good enough for me!”

So what do you think about “Blackfishing”?
“Cultural appropriation is when a tradition, such as clothing or a hairstyle, is taken from a culture and used in a different way. It can offend people when people do this without making it clear where the traditions come from, or when they don’t acknowledge how important they are to certain cultures. This can make some people feel as if their culture is not being respected.

“Blackfishing” is an example of this, for example when white people use artificial tanning, make-up or hair styles in order to appear to have African, Arab or Hispanic ancestry or to appear mixed race. Recently quite a few celebs have been accused of it.

Afro hairstyles can be created on wigs or hair extensions pieces that are not really textured or Afro. This means there is still a HUGE gap in the hair industry’s professionals’ knowledge on how to work with textured hair. Even in Hollywood (interesting example here, ‘Euphoria’ star says it ‘feels dehumanizing’ when stylists on set ‘don’t understand Black hair’), so I strongly believe that more needs to be done.
Because Black Lives Matter and so Black Hair Matters, here at Anne Veck Oxford we strongly believe textured hair is not an “exotic” speciality and all our stylist are trained or currently in training to know how to style, cut, colours and treat textured, Afro hair. We welcome clients with all hair types!”

xxxDFG
www.dirtyfrenchgirl.com

What happened when I shaved my head! I have had almost every hair style and colour under the sun!
Long Shakira waves, perm, Amelie Poulin bob, pixie cut, V shaped fringe, blue, red, Leeloo orange, crimped, mohawk… the list goes on! But one style I had always craved but never dared give a go was shaving my head (I don’t mean shaved smooth like a baby’s bottom, but leave about 1cm of hair all over…). I was scared… what if it did not suit me, what if I felt exposed, what if my skull is shaped weird, what if (and this was my biggest and maybe dumbest fear) I don’t look feminine anymore.

But, come November 2021, with all this covid rubbish, I thought life is too short for what if’s, it will grow back, and if I really hate it I have many many (many!) hats and I can get some fun wigs!

This is what happened:
I loved it and all of my fears were wrong!

My neck now appears longer, and my head slimmer (everyone keeps on asking if I lost weight… I really did not see this one coming). Not going to lie, it makes me feel super elegant! And I LOVE wearing big earrings, and knowing that everyone can actually always see my fabulous bling (sort of like extra boojie hair).

I can play with colours and there is very little risk! Every month/month and a half I go back for a shave and a bleach and a pink toner. In month time, my pink will fade, so I can re apply a pink, or try a yellow, or a green… or whatever I want! If I don’t like it it fades, or I am back in the salon and they sort it for me! It is a lot of fun with basically no risk!!!

I am spending a lot less on shampoo and conditioner, so I can splurge on more expensive products in the salon!!! I mean this one is pretty obvious! A lot less hair, so I use a lot less to wash it. Just means I can now always get the fab Davines products I had my eyes on but could not always consistently afford!

I do a lot of exercise… and it is just so practical. If you love to work out or be active in anyway, its really revolutionary not to have to think about your hair anymore !

And my biggest fear… was my biggest surprise. I was worried I would not be feminine or like what I saw in the mirror. I have never felt more elegant and feminine in my whole life! Like the song “I am woman” by Emmy Meli, being a woman is really whatever you make of it, and whatever you want, which I guess I had sort of lost sight of!

So, any of you think you might give it a go? One word of advice, maybe wait until spring, I shaved my head in November and did not anticipate how cold my ears would be !!!

Have a great day. Oh and schedule that appointment at Anne Veck Oxford now!

xxxDFG
www.dirtyfrenchgirl.com

Winter and your hair! Brrr… the cold… it does not do wonders for our lovely locks!
With the lowering temperatures comes less humidity, hair damage caused by scarves and coat static and heating which harms our hair by sucking the moisture out and can cause it to break!

So what can we do to avoid looking like a dried out hay stack for New Year- other than tying our hair into contained pony tails and buns for the entire season (which works wonders, but leaves or ears exposed to the cold and it is nice to be able to treat ourselves to more than one hair style per couple of months!)

With less humidity in the air, our scalp produces less oil! But do not worry Anne Veck and Davines have this sorted! Davines has a range of awesome hair masks to choose from, to keep your hair moisturized and shiny throughout the winter months. You can have a look at our online shop HERE, or email us at oxford@anneveckhair.com with any questions, but also do not hesitate to stop in salon to ask us questions in person.

Another thing to bear in mind, which I think we ALL forget, is that if we are producing less oil, we do not need to wash our hair as often! But many of us (me included) wash our hair out of habit rather than need, so on top of the dryness caused by the cold, we are drying out our hair and scalp by washing it too often! Anne recommends maybe waiting an extra day before shampooing your hair in winter, and using the Davines MOMO Shampoo, specifically designed to give our hair that extra moisture.

I hope this helps you keep your hair safe!

xxxDFG
www.dirtyfrenchgirl.com