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The Story: I’ve had hair extensions on and off for the past four years.  I have always viewed my hair extensions as an accessory… an enhancement… and something that made me feel a lot sexier.  I absolutely love having extensions, but I have been frustrated with the chemicals or hair damage involved in the process.  My favorite salon in Santa Barbara, Salon Patine {you can read about my absolute love for them here}, just began offering hair extensions and they claimed the process was the least damaging available, involved no chemicals or glue, and told me that the hair was reusable.  I knew I had to give it a shot…

The Hair Artist: Maria, the hair extension artist at Salon Patine, is everything a girl could hope for in a stylist.  She is fun, professional, upbeat, and exceptionally good at what she does.  She took an intensive hands-on course to become certified to apply the extensions; the course also involved instruction on how to properly cut the extensions into a hairstyle of your choosing {something that many people who offer hair extensions are not educated in}.  The best thing about Maria is that she practices what she preaches: she wears the exact same hair extensions that she applies.  Maria never had an interest in wearing hair extensions until she saw these specific extensions at a hair show and knew that if she thought she needed to have them, then so would other women.  I immediately adored her.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lafoU6qtbj4

The Process: I had my hair highlighted at Salon Patine on a Tuesday by Sarah {I wouldn’t trust my color to anyone else}.  Immediately after the highlighting process was finished, Sarah and Maria {the Hair Extension Artist} discussed exactly what colors should be ordered for my hair extensions.  The beauty of having your extensions done at Salon Patine is that your Color Artist and your Hair Extension Artist work side by side to make sure you have the perfect color match.  I went back to Salon Patine on Thursday {they can overnight the hair!} with my natural hair freshly washed and product-free.  The no-heat, no-chemical process {it involves a light aluminum bond clamped close to the scalp} was painless {and seeing instant results made me giddy!}.  Note on the aluminum bonds: copper bonds are available, but they can turn green on blondes! That’s why Maria makes sure to use only aluminum.  Maria’s sweet demeanor helped make the three hour process pass swiftly.  She is a perfectionist {which is exactly what a client should be looking for in a hairstylist}, so she made sure that each and every bond was comfortable and fell in a natural way that worked with my hair.  After all of the bonds were in place, Maria expertly cut {I wanted long layers} and styled my hair.  I was hooked.

The Details: Maria will ask you whether you are targeting body or length.  She’ll install the extensions within 3 hours.  After that, you’ll need to maintain your extensions by getting the bonds moved back near the scalp every two months.  The hair is reusable {which helps to keep costs down}!  You can treat it exactly like your real hair; you can curl it, flatiron it, and brush it {you should use an extension brush}.  I also like using dry shampoo between washes to give my roots some lift.  If I’m in the water or going to sleep, I put it in a braid to keep the hair in great condition.  If you want to feel sexier and have more options when styling your hair, you need to try these extensions {you’ll get addicted}.  Salon Patine is located at 3206 State Street.  Visit the Salon Patine website here.  Book your appointment by calling 805.898.1133.  Don’t hesitate.  You’re three hours away from a more captivating version of yourself. Let them know that Kiki sent you!

{all photos taken by my utterly fabulous & incredibly talented little sister, Kaitland xoxo}