Hey y’all! Today I wanted to chat with y’all about my Natural Beaded Row extensions (NBR extensions). I’ve had these extensions in since June and I am in LOVE! I live in Austin and I go to Tiffany at Bowie Street Collective. She is seriously so awesome y’all– I could go on and on about her amazingness! Not only is she awesome at doing hair, but she’s one of those people where you go into her salon and you instantly connect with her and conversation is so easy! I was telling her the other day it’s so hard to find a hair person you want to go back to haha, but she makes it super easy! Anyways, I know I posted pictures on my instagram story the other day and some of y’all had some questions so I figured I would answer them here.
*DISCLAIMER: I received this service by Tiffany at Bowie Street Collective here in Austin, TX in exchange for my honest opinion and review of NBR extensions. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For questions regarding the application, process, and details of natural beaded row extensions, you should talk to an NBR expert, as I am not an expert in this area*
1.) What are NBR extensions? NBR extensions are sewn in extensions. Picture this: 1-2 sections of hair, a tiny bead then clamped onto small pieces of your own hair from each section, wefts placed on top, and then sewn in.
2.) How much fake hair do I have? In June, I started out with 2 rows. This was actually way too much hair for me, so the next time I went, I went down to 1 row. It was so much easier to maintain because it was basically half the hair and still looked amazing. I just went to get it redone, and Tiffany did 1.5 rows and I think I will stick with this amount because it’s fuller than just 1 row, but not as much to maintain as 2 rows.
3.) How many rows do you need? It just depends on the person. Contact a consultation with Tiffany and she will tell you what she thinks is appropriate based on your hair type and what you want.
4.) How much hair do I have on each row? I have 5 pieces of hair on each row. I have 1 row, and then another half row which is considered a mini row.
5.) How often is the maintenance? Personally, I get mine tightened every 8-9 weeks, but it just depends on how fast your hair grows. I would say mine is on the slower side, so I wait a little bit longer. It is recommended you replace the hair every 6 months. Mine from June was actually still in good condition, so I probably could have gone another 8 weeks and it would have been fine. Also, when I went down to 1 row, I still had a lot of extra hair left over to use.
6.) What is the price? So initially, I invested $1500. This was for all of the hair, 2 rows, and color of the extensions. Honestly, it was definitely worth the investment. I can’t imagine not having this hair now. Tightening costs anywhere in the $100s to $200s depending on the amount of rows you have. Also, it will be extra to color the hair. Contact Tiffany for specifics with pricing.
7.) What are the pros/cons?
- Pros– I could go on and on about this amazing hair. It blends so easily with your natural hair that no one even knows I have extensions in. You can also change the color of the hair without changing your own hair color. For example, I had Tiffany do the ends of the NBR hair ombre and blend it in with my natural hair without coloring my own hair. I loved it!
- Cons: Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but I feel like people tell me they spend just as much on other extension types (maybe not as much as an initial investment, but maintenance of other extension methods, etc) and no offense, but I think the NBR extensions blend in the most naturally compared to tape ins, fused extensions, etc. The only other con I can think of is when I first got them in, my head hurt for a few days. I expected this though, especially because 2 rows of new hair was added to my crazy thin hair. This will be my 3rd tightening, and now it only feels a little strange the first night I sleep on it.
Let me know if y’all have any other questions:)
Now onto the fun part, before and after pictures:
My natural hair (front & back)
Here is a picture of my 1 row:
