What's IBE you're wondering to yourself? The most magical, transforming, confidence, and ego booster, that a woman can get besides getting carded at the liquor store or getting picked up at a local bar by some cutie that's young enough to be your son. IBE is known as Invisible Bead Extensions, and have I done a ton of research on these gals for a long time, and I am here to tell you that this my friends is a game changer.
Okay, you're probably still wondering what I am talking about. They are hair extensions, but not just any ordinary hair extensions, they are top-of-the-line extensions that help to promote hair growth. So today's post isn't going to be so serious, more fun, and DEFINITELY Bougie. So girls, get your pen and paper out because I'm going to take you on a hair journey, and by the end of it, you're going to be asking me who, where, and when you can sign up!
So it's no secret that during my postpartum journey, I struggled mentally and physically, but just to throw a monkey wrench into the mix and to make this mama feel good, after my last pregnancy my hair thinned out. I'm not sure if the hormones from breastfeeding, the stress, and all of the processing I had done to my hair throughout the years finally caught up to me. I will never say my age was a factor, a bougie woman will never admit that age is a factor! I don't know about you, but I'm still 28 years old, the girls always get confused every year, that I'm still the same age lol.
I would take a shower and literally clumps of hair would come out in my hand, it had gotten to the point where I had to cut my luscious locks from my long hair to shoulder length because it made it appear as though it wasn't thinning so badly. Here are two pictures of me when I colored my hair and it was long and then when I cut my hair short, you can see the difference in the photo!
So the short blonde hair lasted a while and I was happy with that, but I truly was missing my long hair. After a while though, it got to the point where I had to wear it up all the time because it was thinning in so many spots, that it was just easier to wear it up in a knot.
Finally, after our trip to Disney I had had enough and was going to do something about it. Well, I did what most would do and ordered the Halo extensions to see if I could get away with an easy fix. OH MY GOODNESS. Let me begin to say that I looked like a cheap version of Al Bundy's wife, and she looked much classier than me. Her hair was amazing, I just needed a cigarette hanging out of my mouth and some spandex leopard pants and I fit the part! My oldest thought I had lost my mind. Now that I think about it, that seems to be a common recurring theme that keeps coming up...she may be on to something. Okay, back to the hair. So I need to confess, that I have had extensions in my hair in the past, but there are quite a few options out there. There are the hot fusion or Keratin bond, cold fusion or micro-bead, I-tip method, tape-in method, sewn-in or braided, clip-in, and then there's the halo. The only extensions I have yet to have tried are the sew-in braided ones, other than that I have had every single one.
The Keratin Bond, was my first experience with extensions when I had my first job as an RN, and I loved them, except I found they did a number on my hair. I also had no clue how to take care of the extensions or what to do with them, and as you will learn from this post they are precious. As long as you care for them, they will last! The keratin extensions, I found fell out randomly as well. I remember I was dating someone and he was running his hands through my hair, and well let's just say he came out with a couple of strands of my extensions in his hand! So romantic. lol. There goes 100.00 I thought to myself, not at all embarrassed that he has my hair dangling in his hand.
The Keratin and I-Tip method have multiple attachment points throughout your entire head, roughly over 100, the IBE method has approximately 30. This greatly reduces the chances of hair damage and quite honestly, the purpose of putting the extensions in, is for hair growth. Those extensions I found did a lot of damage to my hair. Here is a picture from invisiblebeadextensions.com comparing the I-tip method and the IBE. You can see that the IBE method on the left is a cleaner look, fuller, and more naturally looking.
The second set of extensions I had were the tape-in method. This is a nice alternative, if you aren't sure you want the full commitment to extensions, but want to try it out for a bit. However, you cannot go on vacation with these ladies because they don't do well in the sand or water. I didn't like these at all and found that they only lasted a couple of weeks, although the manufacturer says that they will last 6-10 weeks. I remember, the feeling running my hand through my hair and I thought that there was some hard plastic in my hair, nope that would be the tape holding my hair in place.
Here is a picture of me with the tape-in extensions in, as you can see, they're so much fun, but trust me when I say they don't last 6-10 weeks, and the damage done isn't worth it.
The next set of extensions I got, which I loved, and strongly recommend for any event are the clip-ins! First, they are so fun!, Second they give your hair so much volume, and what's not to like on your big day or night out, having beautiful hair! LOVE LOVE LOVE. One problem is they only last a day, you do need to take them out at night, or you will wake up with the biggest matte in your head! Good news ladies if you are skilled, you can put them back in! Here's an inside scoop, get good at putting them in, and you won't need to go to your stylist each time, there are a TON of videos on YouTube. I tried that, so many times, it didn't work, but you may have better luck. The hair swatches that are out there now, are amazing and you can easily match your hair just on Amazon, I'll post the link here of the clip-ins I got My problem is I once again looked like Al Bundy's wife when I tried, it just wasn't happening.
Finally, we know my mishap with the Halo, I should have taken a picture, but you got the idea!
DUN DUN DUH. Drum roll, please. Ladies we talked about confidence in the last post and positive affirmations, the next is beauty.
It is important to remember that true beauty comes from within and is reflected outwardly. However, feeling beautiful both inside and out can boost your confidence.
I did a ton of research about hair growth and extensions and learned quite a bit about invisible bead extensions. It's important to find a stylist who has the appropriate training and education because the majority of the time the IBE extensions are in a regrowth phase. So ladies be careful who puts in your lovely locks.
Please do your research, ask around, and know that this is an investment, a well-worth investment, but it is an investment. You're asking yourself, Linds this is a bougie budget site, if it's so expensive, why are you talking about it? Well, let's talk about the breakdown...I was going every 4-6 weeks to get my hair colored and cut and it was costing me about $375 each time...so I'll say that's roughly nine times in a year that's $3150/year. Plus all the fancy shampoo and conditioner, showers washing my hair, and time spent at the salon. And...my hair is falling out and I just wasn't happy with it.
For the initial install prices of the IBE, they usually begin around $200-250 per row plus the cost of the extensions themselves. The color services will be an additional cost. Here's the good news, you will no longer have to color your hair, high highlight your hair because now you have your extensions that are providing that beautiful dimension. If you take care of your extensions, they last up to a year! When a client comes in for maintenance, meaning having the rows moved up, they will be paying costs similar to the initial installation. This usually occurs around week 7-10 weeks depending on your hair growth. My first move-up happened around week 7 week, and I had very little hair loss, actually I felt naked without my extensions. I'll be transparent, I have pesky grays that I go in between my move-ups and just for a quick touch-up on the top of my head.
Here is a video of the before and after my installation:
With IBE extensions there are so many different options for how many rows, what colors, straight or curly, long or short. You can transform your look!
The possibilities are endless! Since these ladies are going to be with you for so long they need to be named: we named mine Thelma and Louise because the adventures that we are going to go on together are going to be amazing! So if you are feeling like you need a boost, and I know a lot of you have talked about doing something for yourself, this is for you! I don't ever recommend a product that I'm not happy with and this one for sure has made this Bougie Mama feel like a Woman again! Muah!
If you are interested in IBE extensions let me know I have a local IBE Extension Stylist that would be happy to have a consultation with you!
Lindsay Leighton-Smith is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.”
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