Beauty blogger shaves her head after damage caused by her extensions
Shaving your head is no easy decision, whether you do it for health reasons, to donate your hair to charity, because it's your style or because you just want a fresh start.
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Blogger Vanessa Martinez has a huge following and she recently gained tonnes of support from her followers when she decided to shave her head.
She explains that her hair thinned out due to the weight of her extensions and because she'd worn them for so long, she did eventually begin to get random spots of baldness.
She decided to take the plunge and cut all of her hair off, starting again and ridding her head of all the damaged hair. She says,
"I'm just making myself balder and balder, so why don't I just cut all my hair off and start over?"
Here's the moment it all went down:
Her fans were quick to compliment her on her new look. One wrote, "You are beautiful, a shaved head looks so good and empowering on you", while another said, "Omg you slay this look!!!" We have to agree, Vanessa is totally rocking it!
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Vanessa promises to do a hair growth series so her fans can follow along on her regrowth journey. We think she looks epic and we're in awe of her confidence.
We spoke to Senior Stylist Jack Merwick-Thirlway from Neville Hair & Beauty to ask his advice on extensions and how you can avoid damaging your hair. He told us,
"Make sure you always go to a professional stylist who knows how to put the extensions in correctly. A lot of damage can be done at this point in the process. You'll know after if they are wrong, as they'll feel like they're pulling on your scalp and bald patches will soon appear.
Pre-bonded extensions are the least damaging as they are the most lightweight.
If any moisturising products such as conditioner and masks touch the bonds (at the roots) it can damage them. This makes it difficult to treat the scalp at all whilst you have extensions in, which is why hair can start breaking and falling out. A poor quality scalp means weak hair.
It's not good practice to have back-to-back extensions, as the constant addition of weight was be damaging in constant rotation. This might be why celebs are looking more to short hairstyles or wigs."
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Struggle with thin hair? Here are our top volumising shampoos:
Best for reducing hair fall
Kérastase Genesis Bain Nutri-Fortifiant Shampoo,
£23.50£21.15, LookFantasticKérastase worked with hairdressers, nutritionists and dermatologists to create its Genesis collection, which combines powerhouse ingredients aminexil 1.5%, ginger root and edelweiss native cells in a luxurious formulation that reduces hair-fall due to two causes – breakage and a weakened root. There's two shampoos to choose from, a lighter weight option (Hydra Fortifant) for fine, greasy hair and a richer more nourishing version, Hydra Nutri, for thick or dry hair.
Best for adding thickness
Matrix Biolage Full Density, £10.85, LookFantastic
If you struggle with thin, lack-lustre hair, this shampoo will be a saviour. Not only does it make hair look thicker, it feels thicker too which is a great confidence boost.
Best for scalp stimulation
Aveda Invati Advanced Exfoliating Light Shampoo, £26, LookFantastic
Aveda's Invati Advanced system helps to reduce hair loss by up to 53%. Its blend of powerful Ayurvedic herbs help invigorate the scalp when massaged in, and certified organic amla helps thickens the hair from roots to ends. Now the brand has extended its line with the addition of a lighter-weight shampoo to thoroughly cleanse hair while leaving it weightless to encourage some extra oomf. It contains a micellar cleansing system to deeply clean and wintergreen derived salicylic acid for gentle exfoliation in order to remove build up and sebum that can clog pores (and impede hair growth).
PSA: You can save money when you shop with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Best for root volume
Kérastase Bain Volumifique, £18.95, Look Fantastic
Kerastasé is always a hot favourite when it comes to treating your hair across a whole range of issues. This one lifts hair at the roots for mega volume and bounce.
Best for plumping
Aesop Volumising Shampoo, £33, Selfridges
This lightweight formula contains Polyquarternium Cellulose polymers that coating the roots and hair shafts, instantly plumping and creating volume. Oh, and it smells amazing, too.
Best for coloured hair
Kevin Murphy Full Again Thickening Lotion, £23, Cult Beauty
This pro formula is enriched with rayon particles that thickness to the hair strands. Plus, it's sulphate-free (great for those who have coloured hair), it smells great and a little goes a long way so you can justify spending a little more.
We've found a load of Cult Beauty discount codes for you to take advantage of.
Best for damaged hair
Leonor Greyl Shampooing au Miel, £20.85, Look Fantastic
This luxury formula calls upon bamboo, vitamins and proteins as well as real Acacia Honey for a nourishing yet powerful treatment able to restore moisture and flexibility while boosting volume.
Best for anti-breakage
If you’re hair is stressed and tired from excess colouring, Plantur 21’s caffine-rich soothing shampoo gives your hair real energy meaning it won’t break so often. Build up the use to see results.
Best for stressed out hair
L'Oréal Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo, £2.49, Boots
Thin hair but love colouring it? Don't we all. Sadly, colourants can alter the natural protective layer of the hair, making the fibre more sensitive to external aggressions such as sun and pollution. To help protect your hair, a specific protective care is needed, which is where this bad boy comes in.
Best for flyaway hair
Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo, £25.50, Feel Unique
Contianing aloe vera leaf extract to heal, pro-vitamin B5 to balance moisture and glycerin to soften, this lightweight formula adds noticeable volume and texture, making it perfect for thin and fine, flyaway hair.
Best for irritated scalps
Philip B Peppermint & Avocado Volumising & Clarifying Shampoo, £32, LookFantastic
When your hair is sticking to your scalp no matter what you do, it's probably time to reconsider the shampoo you're using. This Philip B shampoo is one of the brand's favourites and gives that extra oomph at the roots.
PSA: You can save money when you shop with these LookFantastic discount codes.
