Sometimes I’m gutsy. Not skydiving/bungee-cord-jumping gutsy; not face-lift/Botox/implant gutsy; not cosmetic tatoo gutsy … Hmmm. I’m revising this intro. I am NOT gutsy. Nevertheless, I did experiment with – drumroll, please – HAIR EXTENSIONS! Bet you didn’t even notice. (Only one person did – my boss/friend/colleague, Carolyn.)

In fact, I’ll wager that most will think my 3-hour adventure at the salon was a waste of time. But it was not! For a variety of reasons:

It was cheap. Wonder-stylist Jessica advertised on Facebook that she would attach the REAL hair extensions for the price of the hair only. When I stopped by the fancy hair boutique, she estimated the total cost which equaled what I usually pay for a cut ‘n color!

It was charitable. Charitable??? You ask. Yes! While some women grow hair and cut it to donate it to wig-makers for cancer victims, there are some who demand their extensions come from ethical sourcing. For example, the hair I purchased was sourced from Indian Temples that uses “the same traditions and standards” that have existed “for the past 100 years.”  Tonsuring is a Hindu practice, 1000s of years old, wherein people “donate their hair … as a sacrifice to the gods to … give thanks for or to ask for help. The temples … use the money from the sale of the hair to feed the poor and provide … needed resources within their communities” (~ from the Racoon International pamphlet.) Seriously. Of course, I didn’t know that, but I felt all fuzzy inside once I learned that my vanity was a good thing. (At least, I hope this is true. I’m sure I’ll soon learn of horrendous exploitation going on in the hair trade!) 

It was revealing. I have not worn long hair since I was 6 or 7. Okay, I played around with the whole “fall” thing back in 1968-1970, but that was it. While I didn’t want really long hair, I did wish for a more defined A-line (long on sides, short in the back.) Because my hair grows re.a.l.ly s.l.o.w, I knew I’d lose patience before the sides ever made it past my chin. BuT then along came Jessica and her offer to extend the length of my hair; thus I could see how the style looked on me and whether or not it elongated my chubby face.

Curious about the results? Well, here is the before and after. (And yes, the “after” is my new driver’s license photo – not as lovely as my last one, I might add.)

AFTER the Extensions



My “before” EXTENDED hair



The longest locks of my life!




Unfortunately, I must EXTEND the story a bit because I did NOT like such long sides – didn’t flatter my face like I had hoped. Unfortunately, the only thing that will make my FACIAL cheeks look thinner is to shrink them via the four-letter word that starts with “d” and ends with “t.” So I went back to sweet Jess and asked her to trim the extensions, which she did.

Silly as it may seem, I’d do it again but I won’t do it again. Make sense? I found out I’m just a short-hair girl, and I don’t even think I’ll keep this style much longer. In fact, I just might go back to the super bouffant of yesteryear. And order it in light brown. So long!