Having naturally curly hair can make your style look shorter. This can be frustrating if you prefer to wear your hair nice and long. But don’t worry, you’re not doomed to a life of shorter hair styles. Here are five easy ways for you to make your 3B/C hair look a little longer.

1. Contrasting Colors

This is a psychological thing, but if your hair is dyed and contrasting colours at the roots and at the ends, it will look like it’s a bit longer. You don’t even need to do anything with your hair other than dye it. It’s worth experimenting with different colours to find out what you think compliments your hair the most. A lot of people fail to consider how colors affect people’s perception of their hair lengths, but it’s quite a big factor. Worth reading more on.

2. Clip-in Hair Extensions and Weaves

Sometimes the simple methods work the best. All it takes is a few extensions and you’ve instantly created the illusion of having longer hair. If you don’t really have the time to do any of the more elaborate methods here this is probably what you should do Just find something that matches the look of your own hair and viola, all of a sudden it looks like you have longer hair. If you want to go all out, you might like to look into a curly hair weave, which can do wonders for your hair. The kinky curly weave is a great example.

3. Scalp Massage

If you give yourself a scalp massage after you wash your hair, it can help it to maintain more volume. Voluminous hair always tends to look longer than hair which has no volume, so this is worth doing to make your hair look a bit longer. It can be a bit time consuming, but if you added this into your daily hair care routine, you’d be sure to notice the effects before long. Definitely worth trying.

4. Hair Care Products

On the subject of volume making hair look longer, you might like to invest in a conditioner or shampoo which has been specifically designed to make hair look voluminous. There are a lot of volumizing products on the market and it’s best to shop around and find one which best suits you. Here is a useful shopping guide.

5. Straighten It

Straighten your hair and you’ll find that it looks longer. Of course, doing this will mean that you will have to lose your natural curl, which might not be so appealing, but it is still an option. Worth keeping in mind is that straightening it too often can have a detrimental effect on your hair, causing it to lose moisture and become unhealthy.

So if you want your hair to look a little longer, these are the tips to follow. Everyone has a different approach to haircare and these pointers might not be applicable to everybody. Choose the options which you know best suit you and how you know your hair to behave. What tips do you use to make that curly hair look a little longer?

By Hollie Jones

Hollie is a freelance writer and co-writer for the Hollie and the Ivy blog. She is passionate about many things, including upcycling, interior design, crafts and weddings. Writing is one of Hollie’s favorite things to do and so she takes a lot of pride in writing articles on her favorite subjects.

Hair Extensions Without Busting the Budget

Forget designer handbags and couture frocks, these days style-conscious women are spending big on the latest luxury accessory, human hair extensions. Women are paying up to 1,000 dollars to have someone else’s hair stuck to their heads. In a few hours a client can have the sort of length it would take years to grow. That’s why it’s so attractive,” said Eric Roman, an upmarket Parisian hairdresser who honed his hair extension techniques on top catwalk models.

My advice on hair extensions has always been . . . good products in good hands they are safe. But like so many other parts of the hair business, there are lots of ugly hair extension stories to go around. It seems the media these days has a love, hate relationship with hair extensions either you hate them or you love them. In the space of 15 minutes this morning while scanning my hairstyle news sources I ran across two articles. The first left nothing but scorched earth and certainly had nothing good to say about extensions. The second was full of glowing praise.

Women intuitively know that hair is a very important part of every outfit and can make or break your look. When going out on a special occasion we always try to enhance everything possible. One of the simplest and easiest ways to glam up any outfit is with clip in hair extensions.Whether you’re just using a few pieces to add a touch of volume or if you’re going all out with a thick set to add significant length and volume, the possibilities are endless. The best part about the hair extensions method is that there is absolutely no long term commitment and no damage to your natural hair!

I personally just wear my clip ins over the weekend, they are so easy to install and remove and require much less maintenance than the permanent methods. After a night out, I simply just hang them in the cupboard on a specially designed hair extension hanger to air out, this way they are ready to go for the next time I need them. They don’t need to be washed after every use either, just wash them when needed as this will help extend their life span. Always use a hair extension shampoo and conditioner that is sulfate free. You will be able to find the appropriate shampoos and conditioning treatments at your local hair salon or from any online hair extension store.

Some women don’t like the idea of hair extensions, generally because they have never seen how amazing they look in them! When it comes to events like their wedding day or a school prom almost every woman considers getting a professional do their hair. Hair stylists are often times the stimulus to try hair extensions for the first time. Once a client has worn them on their special day, seen how goregous she looks in the mirror and experiences mucho compliments she is hooked and it’s hard not to fall in love and use them again!

Clip in hair extensions are very affordable compared to permanent methods. Depending on the quality of the extension you purchased, how often you wear them, how you care for them will determine the life span of your extensions. This can vary from a few months to a few years, so take care of them and they will be very cost effective. I recommend always spending a little more and make sure you purchase 100% remy human hair. With these extensions you can cut, curl, straighten and color just like your natural hair. Cheap hair and synthetic hair extensions just aren’t worth the hassle as you’ll be forever removing tangles and the lifespan will be much shorter.

Changing the Way We Think About Pops of Color

If your mantra is “new season, new hair color”, you are probably busy searching for new looks and hair color ideas. Well, you’re in the right place, as we are compiling those new trends for you here. On the one hand, there are no major changes when it comes to hair color trends however, there is a notable shift in the focus of color. Recently, natural looking tresses with a “pop” of color is what is defining hair color trends for this season.

If you are planning to book an appointment with your hairdresser for a new hair color, make sure you check out the trends below for these fun possibilities.

Balayage

If you are a hair color aficionado, then this isn’t the first time that you’ve heard of the “balayage” technique. This hair color technique has been combined with “ombre” coloring and is referred to as “blended ombre”. It is a highlighting technique that originated in France. Balayage is characterized by painted highlights that are very close to the natural color of the hair, which produces a more gradual color transition in the strands. This technique can create the perfect sun-kissed effect on your hair!

Ecaille aka Tortoiseshell Hair

Ecaille or tortoiseshell hair is emerging as the top hair color trend recently. It has been around for some time, but it has finally decided to take over ombre and step into the center stage. This highlighting technique provides a beautifully contrasted blend of colors with its use of dark and rich caramel tones along with some golden highlights.

Babylights

You might find the name funny or weird, but babylights is a new favorite amongst celebrities and supermodels. In fact, it is the ideal kind of hair color for fall due to the use of light hues and color tones. The reason why it works so well for the warm weather months is because it looks as if the sun lightened it! It is all about subtlety. With babylights, the highlights blend more with your base color as the tiniest bits of hair are sectioned out to be colored. Most of the color that shines through is your natural hair color. A few well placed babylights can also make your hair look healthier and the color more dynamic.

Soft Reds

As hair color trends are shifting towards more natural looks for fall, vibrant reds are being upstaged by softer red tones like auburn, or reds with a hint of gold. You can take inspiration on this particular hair color from celebrities like Amy Adams, Isla Fisher, Jessica Chastain and even Kate Middleton.

Golden Highlights

Golden highlights, whether bold or subtle, add dimension, interest and warmth and seem to be a mainstay in the hair color industry, regardless of the trends. So, if you are in dilemma as of what to do, ask your hairstylist if golden highlights will work for you!

Dip Dye

The great thing about the dip dye job is how fun and temporary it can really be. If you’re not looking for any real color marriage, then a fling with a dip dye is the way to go. For those of you with shorter hair, we recommend dying the under layer of your hair to get the full affect of the dipped dye job – something on the top layer of your hair and be somewhat dramatic and could have a juvenile affect that is best to steer away from when you’re trying a trend. If you’re in the market for a dip dye job and you have longer hair, we suggest two different routes – the safe route or the wild ride.

For the safe route try something like ombre, if you’re a natural brunette, it’s a slow development from the darker roots into a very light blonde at the tips. We’ve even seen natural blondes try the look out with deep mahogany red at their tips. Any way you look at it, the dip dye job is fun and funky. If you’re in the market for the wild ride, then go crazy with funky colors like red, blue, green, and pink. If you have darker hair, mix it up with fun vibrant colors, don’t let the blondes have all the fun.