Extensions of Yourself

Honestly, Melissa changed by life. I am so indebted to her.
I am in my 40s, and have super fine hair, that began thinning at the crown 13 years ago after the birth of my child. I have spent over a decade battling it. I have had every blood test known to man. In sum, it’s heredity, and a hormone imbalance that only menopause will cure. Even so, I’ve tried everything. oils, vitamins, massage, Nioxin, Minoxidil, bio-​identicals, Rx meds. I spent a fortune, with no results.
Honestly, I was very skeptical of extensions. The last thing I wanted was to further my hair loss with «friction alopecia.» I researched nearly all extension stylists in SA. I eliminated the «jack of all, master of none» or one’s that are self-​declared specialists who trained via YouTube.
I was almost ready to give up. And then I came across «Extensions of Yourself» and Melissa. What a difference!
First of all, Melissa is an educated, certified specialist, trained in a variety of methods, has seen it all, & knows her stuff. And it is quite clear that her goal is to help people, not make $. Her compassion is obvious as is her sensitivity to emotions surrounding hair loss. She truly understands what it is like to feel embarrassed about hair. I’ve never met anyone who «gets it» the way she does.
In a free consultation, she carefully goes over your options, the prices, and what type of service will best fit your life style. There is no hard sell. She was honest and explained to me that HairDreams extensions can be reused two times, so you don’t have to buy new extensions in 6 months. But others, like Great Lengths, are used once and that’s it, you have to pay for both labor, and new extensions every 6 months or so. Her point was: you can opt for cheaper extensions, but it is false economy if you plan on keeping them longterm. I had been to countless salons that pushed the lower end extensions, fully aware that it means more $$$ for them.
After the consult, Melissa encouraged me to think about it for awhile, even when I was ready to whip out my checkbook that very moment! So, I took my time. The cost was reasonable and under market for SA, far less than most salons. I added up all the money I spent on products, the time, the emotional toll it was taking. Two weeks later, I set up my appointment.
The hair salon is intimate. You get personal attention without having to deal with the group of gossiping women.

If you are considering extensions — Extensions of Yourself is the way to go. I am so grateful to Melissa and I love my hair. And that’s is saying something, coming from me. :)
UPDATE 6 months later:
STILL in, and still could pass for normal, healthy hair. In fact, when I told my husband I wanted to get my hair redone — he said «why? your hair looks the best it ever has.» Um… yeah, that’s because I have extensions in it you dingbat. lol
I plan to have them removed, and new extensions placed within the next few weeks. But I am doing this only because my real hair has grown out so much that the keratin bond is becoming visible and impeding my ability to quickly stye it. I could simply have Melissa redo the bond closer to my scalp and use the same extensions. But I am ready to try some longer extensions for the summer.
But getting 6 months out of extensions is pretty awesome!
I have seen Melissa a few times over the past months to get the keratin bonds «tidied up» and also get advice on how to handle styling long hair, avoid damaging the bonds etc. She has always been extremely patient.
But the main reason I felt compelled to write this update is: since having keratin bonds and Hairdreams extensions, my natural hair has gotten healthier and the thinning has greatly improved. So much so, that I no longer have to part my hair so strategically to conceal thin patches. I haven’t used «Topix» or other scalp concealing products in months. I rarely think about my thin hair and/​or my bald spots anymore. I’m not paranoid to bend my head down, pose for pictures, etc. What a relief!
Keep in mind, before extensions, my hair was noticeably thinning throughout the entire top of my head. I have a medical condition that causes it, and I thought it was hopeless. Don’t get me wrong — it is still baby fine. That will never change. But without all the products and constant brushing, curling, and manipulating to cover the scalp — the hair has rejuvenated. Within a few months after the extensions were inserted, I noticed some fine new baby hairs growing at the base of my forehead hairline. In other words, my hairline was becoming lower and fuller in the front. And the thin patches in the back are nearly undetectable now.
And I was so paranoid about extensions damaging my hair. Who knew they would actually help it?

I admit, after graduating Navy boot camp (where they require females to cut their hair so it wouldn’t touch the top of the collar), I was going through long hair withdrawals. Upon the first week of arriving to San Antonio, I was doing research on hair extensions — the process, prices, etc. It was then I came across Extensions of Yourself.
During my first meeting with Melissa, she gave a thorough consultation. She explained the process, explained that the hair she orders is natural, 100% human hair and made sure she blended certain colors and ethnicities to match my own. Most importantly, she broke down the costs. Now, for most, when you first see the price any normal person would be blown away by the cost. But keep in mind, her prices reflect the quality work she does and the quality of the hair.
Appointment day went smoothly. I was there from 10am and didn’t get out until 4pm. But she made sure we had 10 minute breaks every hour. She works tediously around the clock installing each section of hair. She’ll also trim your real hair so it’ll blend. Overall, I was very pleased with the results! For the first week, the links felt really tight, but a month in, they feel very natural — exactly what my real hair felt like when it was long.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with the results! I can’t wait to go back and see Melissa for a touch up. To address the one review, she does smoke during her breaks, but I can hardly tell and it doesn’t bother me. I’m sure if you told her you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke, she would be more than accomodating.