It doesn’t take a large survey of tween girls to realize that feather hair extensions are the latest craze. This new trend is popping up across North America, including in L.A. and Toronto, although very few hairstylists have been trained in Canada to date. Demi Lovato is one of many celebrities sporting the new trend and rocker Steven Tyler is another fan who has been seen wearing them on American Idol. Demand for the feathers remains high as people search online beauty shops and salon owners scramble to find suppliers.
I was able to act as a guinea pig, so to speak, for a local hairstylist just hours after she received her training. I couldn’t test out the blonde/black feather weave that she was wearing, but for the past week I have had a purple/black feather in my hair. I probably wouldn’t be able to find it if she had inserted a solid black feather, so this ‘purple streak’ seemed to be the most suitable option. It doesn’t make nearly as bold of a statement as the skater chicks who eagerly don bright pink streaks in their hair at Avril Lavigne concerts, but it certainly adds a unique touch to my ‘do. Pink hair is trending right now too, by the way.
Unless I put my hair half up or clip some of it back, it’s hard to notice because it blends in with the rest of my dark hair. The same goes for my naturally blonde friend (whom I share initials with), as she was given a light blonde feather extension that blends in with her highlights. The extension is expected to hold for 2-3 weeks, at which point it will simply fall out.
Growing up, I occasionally got a colourful hair wrap while at a theme park or all-over braids at a summer festival, but haven’t done anything like that for several years already. If I were to try out this trend again, I would definitely choose to get multiple extensions scattered throughout my hair so that it’d noticeable and look more playful.
Until posting this online, I’ve remained discreet about the addition to my hair, which has had no chemical treatment or colouring to date, and now I find myself tempted to experiment further. I also recommend it as a birthday party activity idea for girls – just envision how that group shot will look in the end!
