Colorful extensions an easier and safer way to go

Hairdresser Jeanette Summers, owner of Salon Nine 20 in Little Rock, remembers her first "crazy hair" client -- a young woman who wanted purple hair, a rinse, for her prom. Summers, who hadn't done this color before, was nervous but willing.

Since then, Summers has had only a few customers who have had their hair dyed in bold colors. But she has worked with these colors in extensions that she has added to the hair of clients, mostly female high school students, and some males. "I do a lot of those," she says, explaining that extensions are the safest route to go because there are no chemical changes to the hair. Extensions are her regular suggestion, in fact, to customers who want bold colors.

When someone asks her for crazy colors -- via dying or extensions -- "the one thing I always ask them is, 'Where are you employed?'" she says. She notes that there can be repercussions sometimes for certain employees who decide to wear their hair in unusual colors, so she wants to advise them beforehand about their choice.

Summers adds the extensions multiple ways: clips, gluing or sewing for customers with coarse hair; and for clients with fine hair, micro links or a tape-in with double-sided tape. She charges $150 on average; micro links run as high as $400.

The most popular colors among Summers' clients are fuchsia, purple and turquoise. And, "sometimes that really loud, almost Bozo red."

The time it takes to add colorful extensions varies, just as with color-matching extensions. If the client's hair is pre-shampooed and conditioned: no longer than two hours. If they're getting micro links, four to six hours -- "they've almost got to bring a lunch with them when they come, and I do too," Summers says.

Even with extensions, care must be taken -- "I want your hair to be healthy or healthier, once you remove them," she says. Other than that, she says, crazy-color extensions are "fun to do."

-- Helaine R. Williams

Style on 05/23/2017