Guinea Pig: STELLAR Tries Keratin Bond Hair Extensions From Platinum

I’ve had short, fine hair since the beginning of time. I wore clip in extensions all throughout my teenage years, worked the awkward shoulder length look for about a year, and then finally decided it was time to take the plunge and get pre-bonded hair extensions.

I initially tried out micro-beaded extensions, mainly because there wasn’t much info out there about the different types of extensions and which ones are the best for your hair. The micro-beads didn’t work for me at all. I lost an awful lot of bonds during the course of wearing them because the beads were heavy on my thin hair, and I ended up having a lot of matting between my root and where the bond began. I knew I didn’t want to have micro-beads again, but still wanted the thick, long look pre-bonded extensions gave.

That’s when I decided to pop into the new Platinum Hair Extensions HQ on Dublin’s D’Olier Street. Platinum specialise in keratin bond extensions, something I didn’t know much about before I went in. I had my free consultation with the owner, Onagh, which you conveniently don’t have to pre-book, and this is where she had a look at the condition of my hair and decided how many bags of extensions I would need.

I went back for my official appointment a week after my consultation. One of Platinum’s amazing girls, Becky, had the tricky task of looking after my hair for the day, which was in desperate need of a transformation. I had to have my current micro-beaded extensions removed, my hair coloured and the new Platinum extensions applied. Overall, the process took about six hours.

My hair pre-colour and extensions still to be removed.

Extensions removed but pre-colour.

It took Becky approximately one hour to remove my micro-bead extensions, and then we went straight for colour. Unfortunately, I’m very guilty of going far too long without getting my roots done (as seen above), so Becky advised that I have a full head of ‘babylights’, which would brighten up my colour but allow for a softer and less harsh regrowth. For the babylights, Becky used Alfaparf pre-lightener mixed with Olaplex step one to protect my natural hair and kill any nasty yellow tones that were existing from my previous colour without causing any damage.

After the development of the highlights, she applied step two of the Olaplex from the roots to the tip of my hair and then toned it using Platinum silver solution (this gives blonde hair an icier finish, rather than yellow). She finished off with Platinum’s hair mask and Platinum’s all in one protection spray.

My hair post-colour.

Now for the fun part. People travel far and wide for the luxurious quality of Platinum’s keratin bonded extensions. Keratin is a fibrous protein forming the main structural constituent of hair that helps make it strong. In simpler terms, it’s the stuff in your hair treatments that keeps your hair in great nick. Platinum’s keratin bonds are 80% keratin, meaning they allow water and oxygen to penetrate into the hair underneath your extensions, keeping it healthy. 

The thicker your natural hair, the more extensions you’ll need for a natural look. As my hair is quite fine, Becky recommended we apply four bags of extensions, which is 100 bonds and the equivalent of a 3/4 head. For my icy blonde look we used a mixture of three packets of the shade 60a and one packet of the shade 61.

One of the best things about Keratin bonds is that they’re small and as discreet as extensions can be. To apply, Becky wraps the bond around a piece of the natural hair and seals it with slight heat. For the areas around the face, Becky applied half bonds (cutting the original bond in half) and used the same method. This means when you put your hair up, the bonds around the face aren’t as noticeable.

A full keratin bond.

A half keratin bond.

As keratin bonds are smaller than micro-beads, they sit more comfortably in the head. A row of keratin bonds looks like this:

After we had all the extensions applied, Becky cut and styled them to my liking with an InStyler. And finally, the finished result:

How amazing!

Although I was in the chair for six hours roughly, Becky, Onagh, and the rest of the Platinum staff made the day fly and gave me the Platinum VIP treatment – from endless coffees, massage chairs (I swear) and good old fashioned chats. If you’re looking to pamper yourself and transform your hair, pop into Platinum HQ on D’Olier Street for your free consultation. Also, it’s not just amazing hair these gals specialise in, they’ve also officially just launched their own range of magnetic lashes for just €14.99. Your hair and your lashes sorted in one visit – is there anything these gals can’t do?

• Guinea Pig
• Hair Extensions
• Platinum