Victoria Strands

This is a very innovative way to put in hair extensions –virtually undetectable. Genius even. HOWEVER, it’s BEST for women and men that have serious hair problems like alopecia or bald spots/​severely damaged hair from other processes. DO NOT use this system is you have relatively healthy hair, full all over, and you are just looking for more volume or more length. I went to Victoria Strands looking for that, and the owner promised that the system would not damage my hair. I was so hooked on the system being undetectable and natural looking, that I didn’t realize that while my hair was growing out, it was also breaking off when the owner took the extensions out or tightened the system. Unfortunately the owner did not indicate breakage was happening as well, and I continued to go for years. When I finally took it out my hair was in worse condition than it was before. If you use Victoria Strands for severe problems –do so, but stop after you’ve solved your hair issue. Thousands of dollars later, and after years of not going to her and taking care of my hair myself, my hair is finally strap length, the way it’s supposed to be.

Before I get started, here is some important background information. The review is long, but Victoria Strands costs $ 1500; this review can save you time and money if you read it beforehand. I was a loyal customer from Oct 07 until June 09. I even flew to NY to get my hair done by Vickie while living overseas-​over 3000 miles away! Let’s just say I loved the process and felt that it was as good as hair extensions could get. I was one of her biggest fans because the process was «natural»: no glue, bonding, nets, wigs, or any of that crap. Nothing but thread and human hair. My rating system: I start with 5 stars then subtract 1 for every unacceptable detractor from service/​product. Vickie has created a natural system, relatively speaking, but probably not truly organic: the hair isn’t reused/​recycled and the thread may not necessarily be natural fiber. She’s genius in that regard because I have seen women with SEVERE hair loss grew hair back with fullness and length-​a wonderful feat for anyone experiencing this. It transformed my short, thin hairstyle into a luscious mane-​easy to wear, natural looking and lightweight. It wasn’t bulky or telltale like other extensions and wasn’t obvious to the touch (very hard to come by these days).
The 1^st star is subtracted for time management. If you have an appointment at 8 AM on Saturday, don’t think for a minute that you will start at 8. As a matter of fact, plan to spend the WHOLE DAY there. It’s a long, labor intensive process and she is a 1woman show, but I know Vickie and the process well enough to say that if she focused on starting ON TIME and working efficiently (not stopping every 10 minutes to talk or do something else — she has a hard time multitasking), you could be done in 6 hours or less. I often had to spend the night there or come back the next day (I’m not the only customer this has happened to). Her customers understand that she works long hours and has issues with time management, but I attribute this to unprofessionalism. If she could focus on the task at hand, she would be more efficient and successful. She hasn’t trained anyone else to do what she does and frequently forgets appointments or will have you waiting on her.
The 2^nd star is for maintenance/​extension removal. Many people experience growth with this process but my issue was that the removal process tore a lot of my hair out. Instead of using a tool/​implement to carefully remove the threading, Vickie YANKS the hair out causing breakage to natural hair that is coarse, dry or weak. If you have Caucasian hair it might slide out easily, but black hair can be damaged this way. If you get this process, do not let her rip it out. Another important note: YOU CANNOT LEAVE THIS PROCESS IN FOR MORE THAN 3 MONTHS! You really shouldn’t leave ANYTHING in your hair that long, but that’s a different topic for a different day. She will tell you that you can leave it in for a year, but keep this in mind: if you have black hair (coarse, tight curls with kink), you will either have to perm it 1^st OR get it redone as often as once every 2 months. That is because over time, it will start to dread where the weft/​stitch meets the hair. TRUST ME. My new stylist had the pleasure of removing the remnants a few months back. Let’s just say I had to get a «hair cut». You have to go back regularly (at least every 2 – 3 months) to get more hair added (it sheds quite a bit) and to get the stitches/​wefts «tacked» down.
The 3^rd star is for salon cleanliness/​customer service. Vickie tries to please her clients so the space was outfitted to service one person at a time for privacy. She tries to fit as many people in as possible to make more money, so her studio, less than 800 sq ft, becomes a tight space with people waiting for consultations while another is sitting in the chair with half a head done and another under the dryer waiting well after it has stopped. And then you might have an assistant there and possibly her son, family members or friends to distract her in some way. As for cleanliness, let’s just say that Vickie would get raked over the coals if Tabatha Coffey from «Salon Makeover» ever showed up at her salon. Hair is EVERYWHERE (floors, seats, toilet, sink) and the bathroom is rarely clean. She leaves her personal care products in there (toothbrush, toothpaste) and the dryer in the bathroom leaves it hotter than Hades. I had to order some hand soap for her because there was NONE in the bathroom when I started going there. Food is constantly lying around and hair brushes RARELY get cleaned. I figured it was a trade off to have a great hair extension process. Vickie was working long hours and needed help, so I would help her clean, do some emails/​professional correspondence. She’s nice but has little business acumen or professional wherewithal. Now I know the long-​term results for my hair and I decided to part ways with Victoria Strands. Make an informed decision before parting with $ 1500.