Hankering for a change of pace with your hairdo, but aren’t interested in the commitment that comes with a cut, a perm or all-over color? Given the excitement and level of interest that local hair salon owners report from temporary hair embellishments like feather extensions, you’re not alone.
Swink Style Bar and Vain, very different, but equally innovative and on-trend salons, both offer the service, which is an affordable, quick and cool option for shaking it up a little.
Feather extensions -- actual feathers of all colors, attached to the hair with small crimp beads -- are by far the most popular of the two services, according to Vain stylist Kelly Wisniewski, who charges $25 for the first bundle of four to five feathers and $15 for any bundles after that, including the cost of having them put in.
“Our clients are having a blast with feathers,” says Vain owner Victoria Gentry. “They are such an inexpensive and fun way to change up a hairstyle,” she adds. “Especially after this dark winter, folks are ready to strut some spring plumage. We haven't introduced a service in a while that has had this much excitement.”
That sentiment is echoed by Swink owner Natalie Angelillo, whose salon was the first to introduce the feather phenomenon to Seattle last November. “We have a huge range of clients who come in for feathers,” she says, “from high schoolers to 40-year-olds. It’s such a fun thing, and people are going crazy for it,” she enthuses.
Customers can choose to play it up with shades that would put a peacock to shame, or go natural with browns and whites. Swink charges $30 for three feathers, with each feather an additional $10, and also offers a feather application plus dry style for $45.
The feathers are completely natural and can be curled, flat-ironed, dried and styled like the rest of the hair. They stay in until they’re removed. “I’ve had some since November,” says Angelillo. “I thought I’d just have them in for the holidays, but I love them and have switched up the colors a couple of time since then.”
Feathers are low-maintenance, says Wisniewski. “Just be gentle and nice and use a brush instead of a comb,” she advises. Both salons remove them for free, and Swink will reinstall feathers originally bought from them for free as well.
If you like the idea of hair bling, but might not be a feather person, both Vain and Swink also offer hair tinsel, which, as the name suggests, are thin strands of tinsel tied or braided onto the top layer of the hair and run $30 for eight to 12 strands.
Available in a wide range of colors, hair tinsel can provide a subtle hint of shimmer or a strong statement. “We’ve had women come in for hair tinsel in Husky and Seahawks colors,” says Angelillo.
Well, whatever tickles your fancy. (The Seattle Times Company)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Feather Hair Extensions: Jennifer Love Hewitt
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