To Feather or Not To Feather?

Extensions are a trend that’s been around a while, but the newest hair fad is adding feathers to your hair extensions. Yes, they are actually feathers, usually rooster feathers, which women wear in their hair.

Girls wear these extensions to add color to their hair or to express themselves, showing more of their personalities. The feathers usually range from about 10-18 inches long and come in a variety of bright colors. They are added to the scalp, just like regular hair extensions. You can shampoo, curl and style your hair like normal, but be careful when brushing. If you brush too hard, you will likely yank them out. Not all salons carry them, so make sure you ask before assuming yours does.

Although feathers are the new fad in hair, not everyone agrees with them. “People do it because it’s trendy, but not all trends are good,” hairstylist Rene Baca said.

Think of other hair fads that you are probably glad you didn’t do like shaving the side of your head you part your hair on and leaving the other side long, the infamous mullet or the striped black and blonde hair. I bet you are happy your best friend talked you out of those.

When you’re a hairstylist, telling your client that the fad isn’t appealing doesn’t come easily. “You want to please your client but don’t want your name attached to something unattractive. Referrals are huge in this business.” Baca said.

What exactly does a hairstylist say? Well she can try to talk her client out of getting the feathers. She can offer regular hair extensions as a jumping off point. If the customer wants to show more of her personality, the stylist can suggest changing the color of their hair or doing a more daring haircut.

So the question is, “To feather or not to feather?” Keep in mind the majority of the population who wears this trend are teenagers and adults in their early twenties, still trying to discover themselves and find their voice. If you are out of that age range, you may want to think twice or even three times about doing it. If you need to show your personality more, there are better ways to do it than following a teenager’s trend. Do you really want to be 35 wearing fads that 20 year olds wear? That may say more about you than it does about them and their feather wearing selves.