Hair Plumage: Feathers

Writing about hair feathers makes it impossible not to break into "her name was Lola, she was a show girl, with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there...."

That aside, I've always been one to put shit in my hair. When I was younger it was braids and beads, then I moved onto extensions and now it's hair feathers.

I got these from eBay for £7,99 which included the micro beads and made sure they were high grade genuine mixed feather hair extensions. If they're anything else, you're at risk of them frazzling under heat and not lasting anywhere near as long. You'll also want to make sure you get some hair extension pliers (like these) to secure them in place. I personally wouldn't recommend using normal pliers as they can crush and fold the micro rings, making them difficult to remove later on.

The easiest and most effective way to fix the feather extensions into your hair is when it's wet. If your hair is damp and the ends have begun to dry, you'll want to wet them down so the micro bead can easily slide up the hair. Another helpful tip is having someone on standby to help but you can do it yourself too just with a little more swearing involved.

Another thing to note is to use small sections of hair that are all in the same area of your head. If you have a stray hair in there it's going to pull like hell and probably rip out when you brush your barnett next! The smaller the section, the less likely your hair will become tangled and knotted too.

So, you'll want to slide the micro bead up the length of your hair and get it as close to the root as possible. From there you'll want to slide the feather into the loop and crimp it into place with your hair pliers.

You'll also want to think about the placement of your feathers. Will the microbeads show when you have your hair up? What about if you tuck your hair behind your ears? I personally like them to be noticeable but not always obvious and blend in with my hair. I tend to place them around my face and neck.

Once they're in you can style your hair as normal and enjoy the flashes or feathery plumage you have. They last around six months and after that you'll want to take them out so your hair doesn't become dreaded and matted. They're simple to remove, just use your hair pliers to crimp the micro loop open and they'll slide right out.

I'm personally quite obsessed with my hair feathers, having had them three times over the past year. It's an alternative way to mix your hair up without having to dye it and adds some interest to your fro.