Transform lockdown locks before Christmas with Zen hair and Jack Ball

A second lockdown may have just taken us all to new levels of meh this month, and if you haven’t sorted out your Christmas manes, you may want to book an appointment when freedom is yet again granted to us. But where to go and what hair to use?

I’ve always been a lover of long, flowing, princess-esque hair. Ever since I was a little girl subtly brainwashed by the lengthly flowing manes of Disney damsels in distress (hey, Rupunzel had it going on), I wanted locks of loveliness – all the way down to my waist. The natural look can well and truly sod off.

Sadly, for mysteriously unknown reasons, my own hair would stop growing once it reached just beyond my shoulders, and it wasn’t as thick and full as I wanted, so one day I  treated myself to a full head of luscious extensions and never looked back.

Since that first moment of ecstatic hair swishing in the mirror after I admired my newly attached tresses, I was addicted.

That was over 10 years ago now, and since then I’ve tried all kinds of extension attachment methods and types of hair. Some were a bit dodge and some were stunning, but I was always on a quest to find the best possible result.

I had always heard good things about Zen hair and every time I used their extensions I walked out of the salon happy, gleefully swinging my freshly attached glossy locks from side to side as if I was auditioning for a Pantene advert.

So when I had to redo my hair to look fabulous for the Christmas season (lockdown or not), I immediately contacted Zen to see if they could assist.

This popular hair extension company beloved by celebs offers 100% virgin remy hair in three different categories – Pure Series, Luxury Series and Ultimate Series. I opted for colour 02 in 22 inches of the Ultimate Series- the most luxurious and high quality option.

After making the order online, three packs of hair arrived promptly by courier and I was amazed at how silky and shiny the hair was. All I needed now was a professional to apply it in the most flattering way possible – and trust me, finding a good hair extension technician in London is not as easy as it seems.

Freshly transformed tresses with Jack

My temporary tresses were applied at a chic Chelsea salon by the talented celebrity hair stylist Jack Ball, known for his incredible hair transformations of the rich and famous.

Zen’s U tip extensions were applied to thin sections of my hair by the warm-natured and extremely likeable Jack using gentle heat. The bonds (aka the bits which stick to your hair) are made from synthetic keratin mimicking the molecular structure of natural keratin found in human hair and skin.

I was surprised at how quickly Jack worked – to attach each of the extensions took just over a couple of hours, and when the look was complete, I was in awe of the results.

On a pre lockdown trip to Bodrum with my new extensions

My hair looked thicker and fuller than ever, yet with no heavy feeling or scalp tightness.  There was also no tell-tale bulky extension bonds when I stroked my hand over my head.

I couldn’t have felt happier with the results. The extensions felt virtually undetectable and could be styled in all manner of ways without the dreaded fear of extension exposure – ain’t no body got time for that.

Ready to slay straight after leaving the salon.

After Jack expertly curled my hair in minutes with a straightening iron, I was ready to prance off glamorously into the night like a modern version of Rupunzel – minus the irritating man trying to climb up my hair.

Jack’s 5 hair extension commandments 

  1. Always make sure you use sulphate free shampoo.
  2. Always dry your air to 90 percent before brushing to prevent breakage, as hair is 8 times weaker when wet.
  3. Always condition hair extensions as if they are your own hair. I recommend Truss UK.
  4. Get a really good extension brush. Pro Accessories do a great one.
  5. Bonds should never be more than 8 weeks in the hair to prevent matting and breakage 

Mitra Msaad

Editor in Chief