How To Level Up Your Look With Hair Extensions While Shielding Your Luxurious Locks From The Desert Heat
Co-founder and CEO of Dubai based beauty brand, Razzl Dazzl Hair, Malvika Deshmukh reveals the secrets of clip-ins and how to shield your tresses from the sun
While sunbathing is an acceptable summer pastime, one can’t be too cautious when it comes to protecting your hair. Women owned and operated, Razzl Dazzl Hair promises to do just that–while adding some volume to boot.
Ironically enough, it was a bad haircut that first inspired co-founder and CEO, Malvika Deshmukh to start her own hair extension business with her sister, Mansi in 2014. After having 30 centimeters of her hair unceremoniously chopped off at a salon in Manhattan, a friend introduced her to clip-in extensions. Four years later, Malvika’s homegrown business went from her parent’s garage to a skyhigh office in Dubai. Today Razzl Dazzl ships to 120 countries globally from warehouses in the UK and UAE and caters to a circle of influencers and hair stylists. Woman made and made for women, the beauty brand recently relaunched with YouTube hair tutorials showcasing their nano titanium styling tools that make getting ready at home a breeze.
In the girl world of hair extensions, words like “ethically sourced,” tend to be thrown around, but don’t let the millennial pink facade of Razzl Dazzl fool you — the brand takes hair seriously. Malvika was adamant on finding clip-in extensions that were consciously sourced and of the highest quality: 100 percent real and 100 percent indistinguishable when worn alongside your own curls. The women-centric brand took time to seek out a manufacturer that understood its values.
Having established Malvika’s hair-expertise, we sat down with the extension maven to try on the locks for ourselves. Here are some tips and tricks for achieving and protecting the elbow grazing bombshell mane of your dreams.
What first inspired you to help women get beautiful flowing hair?
My own personal experience of having a bad haircut had such a profound effect on my confidence. I truly believe that self-care is imperative and having the right tools to look and feel beautiful greatly empowers you to step out and conquer the world. We’ve experienced such emotional reactions from customers over the years. It is truly gratifying to see women regain their self confidence with something as simple as clip-in extensions. My earliest memory is of a cancer survivor who was regrowing her hair after chemotherapy. She had sent us pictures of her hair transformation using our clip-in extensions with the most emotional message about how she had started to feel like herself before she was diagnosed with cancer. We now work with a charitable organisation in the UK that provides human hair wigs to pediatric cancer patients.
For someone who hasn’t tried clip-in extensions, what would be your recommendations?
Clip-in extensions are incredibly easy to use even if you’ve not had much experience with them in the past. I would recommend you first determine what you really want them for – length, volume or both? Pick a length and weight which will help you achieve the look that you desire. Our extensions are designed in sets of multiple weights depending on your hair type. We’ve designed a 5-step quiz that allows our customers to determine the right set for them. I also recommend that you always match your extensions to the bottom half of your hair to get the perfect blend. Most hair extension brands offer a colour match service to help you pick the right shade even if you’re buying them online.
Any particular tips you have for styling extensions?
My go-to extensions are definitely clip-ins since they are incredibly easy to use, not permanent, and completely damage free. They are really versatile, and allow you to create so many different looks. I believe that styling your extensions should require minimum effort for maximum results. If you have short hair, clip-in extensions blend in flawlessly if you add a little bend to your hair. I recommend using a thick barrel curling wand to create effortless loose waves. You can always gently comb them out so they look natural and soft. Clip-in extensions are also great to create dramatic half up-dos, braids and ponytails.
What are the golden rules for protecting and maintaining your new hair?
Always use a heat protectant spray before styling to protect your extensions and prolong their life. My personal favorite has always been the Tresemme Heat Tamer Leave-In Spray. I would also recommend keeping your extensions tangle-free after every use by giving them a good brush with a gentle detangler and keeping them in a protective carrier so they are safely stored away from sunlight or dust.
Human hair extensions are an investment in comparison to synthetic extensions, but they give you the most seamless transformation and will last you for over a year with proper usage and care. You should also wash them as less frequently as possible. Using minimal products on them will avoid product build-up and help keep them clean for longer. Use a sulphate free shampoo and conditioner to wash them. I also like to give them an Olaplex treatment every few washes to protect the hair strands from breakage, increase elasticity and prolong their life.
The summer heat can be so unkind to our hair! Any products you recommend to protect it?
A lot of people don’t realize that sun protection is as important for your hair as it is for your skin. Harsh direct sunlight acts on your hair similar to bleach. Harmful UV rays can weaken the structure of your hair and damage them by making them dry and brittle. Always use hair products infused with SPF in the summers. My personal favorite is the Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil. I also love the entire Grow Gorgeous Defense Range. Their formulas are created to counteract the effects of sun exposure and pollution – and they smell absolutely incredible.
My biggest personal challenge in the summers is managing frizz in high humidity. I absolutely love the Colorwow Dreamcoat Spray. I generously use it on damp hair after a shower and before blow drying. It leaves my hair insanely smooth and frizz-free for days. Keep the usage of hot tools minimal in the summer and use the opportunity to experiment with gorgeous braids and ponytails.
Photos courtesy of Razzl Dazzl Hair