Lighter & Brighter With Great Lengths

Happy Tuesday darlings and happy happy summer. It's time for your daily dose of pretty!

As a lover of all things beauty related, you know I’m a huge proponent of healthy hair..especially since I love wearing my hair long but have been struggling with it getting to grow. If you have been following along with me for a while now, you know that I am a huge fan of extensions and have worn them on and off now for over 15 years. Last Christmas I finally tried Great Lengths in collaboration with Casey Baumgartner. (Extension Girl ) You can and should read the full post here. Great Lengths have been the BEST extension experience of my life of all the various companies I have tried with Casey helping in this fabulous experience too. It's imperative you have a superior product BUT it's also equally important to have an experienced well trained extension stylist. So of course we know the obvious..I love extensions for creating length and fullness as I struggle with both the older I get. But this season I wanted to really play with color....I had been daydreaming of going drastically lighter and brighter. When you have long hair and are not really willing to compromise the length or style--the only way to really get that change you are longing for is with color.  I typically take my extensions out in the summer months...for various reasons really. (weather, travel, ..all the summer outdoor activities...) But not this summer dears! 

I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to my hair color. While I do love indulging in weekly manicures and regular massages, monthly trips to a colorist just aren’t for me (especially since my hair grows out so fast). And I am so not interested in putting bleach anywhere near my locks that I am working so hard to nurture and protect. So when Great Lengths and I decided to work together this season, it was a no brainer on what I wanted to get from my new set of extensions. I immediately called Casey and sent her some photos and before you know it, I was in the chair for my consultation and we ordered my new summer look. Casey is the expert at blending and making the hair look incredibly natural. She is also so amazing at connecting and communication skills...and I really appreciate that because she knows my lifestyle and my vibe and can really lead me to make the best decisions for my hair. Example...one photo I showed her she was like "Samantha..really? You are going to commit to being here every 3 weeks getting your new growth touched up??" and I was like " Oh my goodness...no...no way....can I commit to that" . She's the best! Brutally honest but the best! Love her to bits. 

Just look at these summer hues... exactly the depth and drama I am craving!! And all without bleach..

Sooo...I am about to show you my before photos ....I had been extension-less for 2 weeks and was struggling. I now you can relate extension wearers. It's the worst feeling....like you may as well just strip your clothes too and take that walk of shame like Queen Cersei in Game of Thrones...

Okay..maybe you think I am being a bit of a drama queen...but until you have worn extensions, you are not allowed to judge me. Walk of Atonement for reals. 

(Okay...so before's.... (straight and curly) And super dark even though these are in B&W.)

And afters....

Everyone has an intimate relationship with their hair, and I'm no exception my dears. It's hard to fully articulate the reasoning behind it, but I've relied on my hair to present a lot of who I am to the world. My hair is my my version of a security blanket—and if my hair looks good, nothing else matters. When you look good, it's easier to feel good. Especially in a culture that places so much emphasis on conventional beauty standards. And to be able to add all this dimension with color and protect the hair that is actually attached to my head....SCORE!

So we go......you get the behind the scenes of my lightening and brightening experience!!!

Of course the dark side has its perks, but with summer upon us, I just wanted to get my hair as bright as the sunshine. Casey did amazing giving my hair that summer hair glow. What do you loves think?!

So to give you a little knowledge about Great Lengths...

They started in London back in 1991. Over twenty years on, Great Lengths can be found worldwide in over 50 countries and is still today the leader in the world of hair extensions. The Great Lengths concept originates from the textile industry taking inspiration from the heat transfer system which bonded fabric to fabric on a molecular level; this was an attractive idea for Great Lengths who then started testing, and later adapting it to hair extensions, creating and patenting a method that molecularly bonded extensions to natural hair aiming to an extremely resistant but gentle attachment.  In addition to the bonding investments, Great Lengths has developed its brand by giving priority to quality. Great Lengths hair is in fact treated with the same sophisticated method of cashmere and adopts its same concept of removing the pigments rather than breaking them up through the bleaching process which is certainly faster, less expensive but too aggressive.  

Never before has this method been utilized for human hair processing and, coupled with the exceptional integrity of the Indian temple hair, it truly provides a reliable and unsurpassed hair quality, so good that the hair withstands the most rigorous of lifestyles including subsequent chemical treatments without color fading. Color fastness is a result of the cashmere process as color pigments find a proper space to occupy in the de-pigmented hair rather than just covering hair surface where bleached.

Great Lengths supplies incredibly healthy hair extensions, totally ethical, traceable and  in a wide range of rich and vibrant colors which guarantee versatile satisfaction and creativity to you and to hair stylists.

Get inspired here. 

And a little bit about Casey...

Styling hair is just in Casey's blood. Her great-grandfather and grandfather were both barbers, and her mother did her family's hair all throughout Casey's childhood.  So it's no wonder that Casey has had an interest in and curiosity about hair styling from a young age.  Even in high school without any official training, friends trusted Casey's eye and attention to detail.  They would book her for services from cuts to color (often times executed with aluminum foil and a toothbrush!), with confidence. She's come a LONG way since those days! Today she holds certifications in 2 different types of extension application through Great Lengths (Thermal and Cold Fusion), has graduated from Duncan Bros. School of Hair Design, and put in her time as an assistant at Rhett & Co. in Tulsa, OK.  In 2005 she broke out on her own as a Stylist and joined the team at Salon 111 in the adorable Jenks, OK. Her move from working as a traditional hair stylist to an extension stylist was a natural one.  Always one seeking a challenge, Casey wanted to take everything she'd learned and apply it to extension work. She spent years perfecting her skills in cut and color, adding to this an innate eye for tone, depth, and hair placement puts Casey in an elite group of stylists who can create undetectable extension styles. When asked, there is no hesitation from Casey on her favorite part of creating an extension look for her clients, "Watching people light up when they see the result!  It's amazing and so fulfilling to see how it can truly change how someone feels about themselves.  Often times it satisfies lifelong insecurities."

When not creating ridiculously amazing hair, you'll find Casey hanging out with her family, in particular her husband, Scott, and son, Lane.  They might be at a live music event, working on a DIY project around their house, or just playing with their adorable dog, Brownstone.

I was thrilled to interview Casey and you can look forward to that very soon! It was my first video interview and I am so excited to start entering the video world if it goes well here on Go French Yourself. In the meantime keep up with Casey here

And admire my lighter and brighter color.......this set of extensions is my absolute fave to date!

Casey is offering a 10% discount to my readers through December as we know sometimes extensions are not an impulse purchase for some and you need some time to really make a decision around this. You all are soooo lucky!!! Take full advantage!!

Check out Casey's website and blog here. It's one of my favorites and call her directly at 918-855-3577 to book your consultation and extension service. Mention this blog post for the discount!! And tag me in your before and after pics. I just cannot wait to see!!

XOOXOXOXO
SAM

Thanks to Great Lengths and Extension Girl for sponsoring this post.