Hair Extensions in Des Moines

I decided to try out hair extensions.

My own hair is just rude. It stops growing right after my shoulders no matter how much trimming, collagen, scalp massaging or praying I do. It also doesn't help that I cut my hair short at the end of the year and lighted up the ends to dangerous levels, but that's beside the point.

I wanted hair extensions. Decide who you want your future self to be and show up as her, right? Well my future self is a VIXEN. A baby Beyoncé if you will. She has long beautiful hair to hold all her wisdom along with all kinds of confidence and grace. I'm happy to say I took a giant leap towards embodying this woman about a week ago.

I chose Paparazzi Hair Studio in the Drake neighborhood here in Des Moines. I want to support my local black-owned businesses so I set off researching different black-owned salons in the area. I chose Paparazzi because of the spirit and energy the owner, Tina Turner, portrayed on her social media. She is a warm, strong, and godly woman. This is exactly what I experienced as I sat in her chair for a good 6 hours working on my transformation.

While I was there, I learned that Tina comes from an African family where everyone seems to have become an attorney. She worried about disappointing her family after learning that law school was not for her. She's always had an affinity toward beauty and hair and found herself fixing the hair of her friends and family from an early age. She has a high level of confidence determining what hairstyles will match with her client's lifestyle and face shape. She opened Paparazzi Hair Studio in 2013 and has experienced great success. She mentioned competing in hair shows, where she has created works of art including birds that now have a home in her studio on 25th Street in Des Moines close to Drake University.

I enjoyed getting to know more about Tina during my visit. Like I said before, she is a warm and engaging woman. But her skills behind the chair are a phenomenon. I had a lot of questions about proper haircare because this was the first time I've had such long extensions added professionally. She instructed me how to care for my new hair, how to wash and dry it, how to wrap it at night, which products to use, and how often I have to return to have her maintain my investment. I'll share more about what I learned in the near future.

I chose 16 inch hair with a body wave to match my natural hair color (1B - Natural Black). Tina recommended also using 14 inch hair to create some layering and make it more natural. I originally wanted 22 inch hair but Tina reeled me back down to life and recommended a more conservative length to start off with. For the time being, I have Model Model IKON human hair extensions until my luxury hair extensions arrive in the salon in a couple weeks. She used a micro-bead installation that is versatile and will allow me to wear my hair up with undetectable wefts. She did a great job and I LOVE my new hair!

Check out Tina and the rest of her crew on Facebook and Instagram.

Follow along on my Instagram @sarahonlybetter for different ways I style my new hair.

Thanks for tuning in!

xoxo

Sarah