You like my hair? Gee thanks, just bought it…

Hello again. It’s been a while since I wrote a new blogpost. In fact, it’s been more than just a while, it’s been years already. Nothing better to begin a new post with than something I could talk about and write about for days.

Many of you believe I was crowned on january the 11th of the year 2020. And even though that is true, I do have to correct that a little bit. I’ve been wearing my crown since november the 13th… of the year 2018. My invisible crown. For those who already guessed it, yes, today I’m talking about my RANA Hairextensions.

“Never have I ever…”
We all know the game. And if I would have played it on the age of 18 and the questions would be about extensions, I wouldn’t have to drink one time. You could pretty much compare me to Jon Snow, because I also… knew nothing.

One thing I did know a lot about were first impressions. Because I’m blonde, I like pink and I’m a Miss, I must be stupid.. Think again I’d say. The same counts for extensions. We all know first impressions, stereotypes and so on. And I have made myself guilty of having some of my own. But because I know first impressions aren’t always true, I also knew that just because some people think extensions look fake, aren’t good for your hair… doesn’t mean they’re right. And just like stereotypes about blonde girls, the stereotypes about extensions weren’t true. I know that.. because I used to think so myself.

“Why did I want extensions and how did I end up going to RANA?”
That’s a question that’s been asked many times before. I already had quite long hair and I’m all about the natural look. And that’s why I wanted extensions and went to RANA . Sounds weird? Not to me. This is just another proof that extensions don’t look fake… if of course, you choose the right hair extension specialist.

There are many hair-salons that offer hair extensions too. It’s important you choose for an expert. The extension-business is a business of its own. Placing extensions is very different from cutting, or coloring hair. You need expertise for it. And so do you, if you want you hair to be taken good care of. RANA is a specialized salon that offers extensions for ALL women. Which is why they have different systems to choose from. I chose the invisilock-system (more about that later), but for other women wefts are a better option. Extensions are custom made…for you!

I’ve always had quite long…but very thin hair. I dreamed of having more volume and I soon came to the conclusion only extensions could help me with that. So that’s why I wanted them. The reason why I went to RANA may be even shorter. I went there, simply because I care about my hair… a lot. There are so many salons out there. That makes it hard for people to choose. I didn’t specifically choose for RANA, I chose for my hair. And if you choose for the wellbeing of your hair, I can guarantee you’ll automatically end up in the chair of Caroline.

I trusted Caroline with my whole heart…and my whole hair. I didn’t know her, not even a little bit. She was a complete stranger to me, with expertise for extensions. That changed over the years. Don’t worry, the expertise is still there, but just like she turns short hair into long hair, she turns strangers into friends.

“There’s a first time for everything…”
And so is there for getting your extensions placed for the very first time. I must admit, I was a little bit nervous. I remember it very well. I knew what it was going to look like, but had no clue of how it was going to feel like. I chose the invisilock-system. If you check the website you’ll see that you can choose between many different techniques. The invisilocks caught my eye because I believed they’d suit me best, since I wear a lot of ponytails, buns, braids,…
I chose the invisilocks… and sticked to them… like literally ;-) they’re being placed with keratine ;-).

The first nights with extensions are weird, I’m being honest with you. They don’t hurt, trust me, I’m the biggest crybaby out there, but it does feel weird sleeping on them for the first 2 to 3 days. After that, you’ll never want to take them out again. I know that, because I’ve had them for almost 2 years now. I’m getting them replaced every three months, because they grow out with my natural hair. If there is one downside to the story it’s probably that you’ll get addicted to extensions ;-). I can’t imagine my hair without them. Ever since I got them, I’ve done so much more with my hair than I ever did before. My curls stay for daaaays, when before I couldn’t even keep them for 5 minutes. I’m serious!

“Fake it ‘till you make it? I don’t think so”
As I said before, I don’t like a fake-look. I told Caroline that and she assured me my extensions wouldn’t look fake at all. For starters, because they aren’t. It’s 100% real human hair. The second reason is that they’re been placed professionally. If you didn’t know I had extensions, would you notice? I’m quite sure you wouldn’t. People who do know it, even can’t see them. They make me feel more confident and I love to change my look from time to time.

Right now, as a Miss, I’m a big fan of my long curly hair. But I can already see myself in a few years from now, with shorter hair, and still…with extensions. That’s another thing a lot of people don’t know. When people think of extensions, they immediately think of very long hair. And right now, that is the case for me, but it doesn’t have to be. You can get extensions for longer hair, for fuller hair,… but I also know girls with shoulder-length hair. It looks amazing and very full…because they also have extensions. You did not think about that, did you?

Extensions aren’t another word for “fake”. They’re another word for “fabulous”.

“See you soon!”
It’s april now, I’m stuck at home and I’,m not really doing that much. I can’t wait to go back to Caroline and Bastiaan (the man behind Rana) in june. Not only to get my extensions out and get new ones in. We might all be in quarantine, they still look super great. I look forward to the human contact. Talking, laughing together. Another reason why I can’t wait to go out again? Because then I can finally show off my princess-hair again of course ;-).

In the meanwhile, you can check out my instagram for pictures with my Rana-Extensions.

Thank you Caroline and Bastiaan,

I hope to see you back soon

X Celine van Ouytsel, Miss Belgium 2020, a happy client since 2018