I was a Hair Extension Virgin

January 2026

#hairextensions #hairexperiences #hairextensionhelp #Hair #Innovation

Welcome to my very first blog where I will write and share information on hair extension experiences, products and any new research I come across. This information will be based first hand knowledge and research (cited) so that I may help you in any way I can with respect to tape-in hair extensions or hair extensions in general.  

If you are not one of those girls with luscious thick hair that bounces when you walk, or looks like a nice thick knot above your head when tied up, I get you.  I had nice boobs, a cute enough face, intelligence, wit, ambition, humour, and a great cook…but not thick bouncy hair.  I envied those girls. They had a certain confidence about them; how they tossed their tresses, how they used their hands to make circles with their strands when flirting, or humblebrag about how much time it took them to dry their hair or the amount of hair dye their hairstylist had to use to get the colour just right.

I was one of the unfortunate ones. My curls only lasted until I was in my mid 30’s…slowly losing their bounce, changing in texture and density.  

I tried hair extensions for the first time in my 30's. I needed more hair to feel whole again.  I wanted to feel confident again. My first set were Keratins. On a sunny Saturday morning, I sat in a hairstylist's chair for 3 hours as she glued the extensions onto my hair and about $600 later I had more hair.  I went to work on the Monday thinking "everybody is going to know", but seriously I felt FABULOUS in my new hair. I kept touching it and admiring it. I went to the bathroom at least 5 times that day just to look in the mirror. I was IN LOVE. All I could think about was, "so this is what girls with thick lush hair feel like, no wonder they have so much confidence".  Most importantly no one said anything other than, “Hey nice hair”.  I smiled. 

I wore the extensions for about 8 weeks and I just didn't want to remove them; and that was an experience I will never forget. I tried to remove them myself and basically I ended up cutting most of them out. I had no idea what I was doing. I figured my hair would grow back. I didn't wear extensions again for quite a long time because the $$$ and the installation took forever and it was hard to find a hairstylist that knew what they were doing. Years later I needed to get extensions again and this time for a wedding. I needed to feel and look my best as there would be people there I hadn't seen for years...people that I really didn’t like. I needed to look fabulous and feel confident.  

For these extensions I purchased a long hair weft off the internet and watched a YouTube on how to make your own extensions.  As a total DIY girl I followed directions. I cut the hair weft and glued the weft directly onto extension tape tabs. VOILA!! I had hair extensions that didn't cost me a fortune. With my bag of goodies in a plastic bag I went to the stylist and she applied them. 

She asked me, "where did you get these?". I replied that I had made them myself.  I went to the summer wedding with my extensions and as I remember it was a hot summer night. My hair was thicker and longer...and I sweat and itched the entire night. I tried not to make it seem obvious but it was excruciating. It was like wearing a shirt where the tag keeps scratching your neck or a tiny pebble in your shoe. On Sunday morning I couldn't stand the itching so I removed them myself. It appears that the hair extension glue was not totally dry even though they sat out flat on a towel for about one week.

The removal was a Hair-O-ing experience. I was so scared that I thought all my hair was going to fall out from the glue. I struggled to get them out for about 2 hours. Luckily I was ok. My hair didn't fall out and I vowed that my next extensions would be purchased and not made. I saved enough money and purchased my first real tape-in set from a website that Kim Kardashian’s hairstylist was affiliated with. I cleaned and meticulously retaped them.  It always took forever.  And when I say forever it was a whole day affair…removal from my hair, removal of the glue, cleaning, conditioning, drying, retaping and storing for the reapplication.  I wore that set for about 3 times and then I put it away as an emergency set.  I knew there had to be a better way of processing my extensions and that is how I came up with the EXTENSION EXPERT, BY MAILIMORPHE.  

I swear by this simple innovative tool I created.  It took me about a minute to think of the idea waking up one early morning, however with COVID the whole idea was on hold and the real development process took me a long time.  I had to find and interview designers that specialized in new innovations, factories, agents, paperwork, and most importantly funds.  After I created a prototype for about $250 I wasn't sure I could market this tool. Most of the money went to a company that specialized in plastic signs and the Home Depot. I haphazardly used the prototype to process my hair extensions and said nothing to no one. I had dreams of someone coming to steal my idea and in my dream I would dig a hole in the ground and hide it in my backyard where no one would think to look.

I’m so glad I created this tool. Using this tool it literally, and I mean literally takes me one quarter of the time it did to process my tape-ins. There is no need to spread the extensions everywhere in my bathroom or a towel; I can directly clip them to tool and have them nicely organized. I then bring the Extension Expert with me in the shower and I shampoo (and condition) the extensions. I dry and retape the extensions on the tool. If I'm not ready for my next install I place them in the storage bag provided in the Extension Expert Kit and I hang them in the closet. When I'm ready I simply take the bag with the extensions off the closet rack and take them to my hairstylist for reinstallation. My stylist loves how organized I am and she takes no longer than 30 minutes to reinstall them.

For the most part I feel comfortable telling most people I wear extensions if they ask. Personally I would never ask someone if they wear hair extensions. Nowadays most people brag about their plastic surgery, cars, homes, jobs and “treatments” so really I shouldn't care. Hair extensions for me is a feeling.  Extensions make me feel pretty, confident and I don’t have to think about my hair all the time. It's kind of like wearing high heels, jewelry, makeup, perfume or a nice suit. Why should they be any different? I wear them for myself. I'll probably be buried in them along with some Chanel red lipstick.

Let's share extension stories, so tell me about your first experience with hair extensions. Why do you wear them? How do they make you feel? Have you had a good or bad experience? I don't need to know names or brands, just your stories.  Send me your stories to malimorphe@gmail.com or on our social media pages.  With permission, I hope to include them as part of this ongoing blog.

Truly, thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you.  

Creator of Malimorphe’s Extension Expert.