In these strange times, it's so rare to see something advertised to you online that actually lives up to the hype. And when that does happen, it's our noble DUTY to tell people about it.
As a true Leo, I've always felt my hair holds all my power, and so, I've done a lot of different things to it. It's been every colour from bright blond to blue, straight, curly and crimped, but never short.
That's why recently, when I had to give it a chop to get rid of damage (hmm, wonder why?) I was not exactly thrilled. It was still pretty thick, and to be fair, below my shoulders, but I longed for the length… and I knew that would take years to return.
What are halo hair extensions?
Because I'm pretty sure social media reads our minds now, it wasn't long until my Instagram and TikTok feeds were full of girls transforming their looks with halo hair extensions - luscious locks attached to an invisible string that took mere seconds to install and remove.
It seemed too good to be true, and on first glance, it was. All the sites I clicked through to either looked super dodgy or were overseas with massive shipping fees. Plus, I wasn't sure where this hair was coming from - was it even real hair? How did that work?
Where can you get halo hair extensions in NZ?
Then I found Superior Hair, based in Auckland and with a full FAQ page on a very un-dodgy website that explained everything. Their hair is 'Remy' human hair, meaning it goes through less processing than the synthetic stuff, and lasts way longer. It's all ethically sourced, and the Kiwi-owned company has become the leading hair supplier in Australasia.
The lovely team there kindly offered me a halo extension to trial, and before I knew it, I was getting coloured matched in the salon and given a quick demo on how to put them in.
I opted for the 20-inch set - I'm going for mermaid hair of my dreams here - and we selected the shade 'Darkest Brown' as my best match out of the 25 different colours to choose from. When I got them home, I dyed them with the same colour as the box dye I currently use (sorry, hairdressers), which was super quick and meant they blended perfectly with my real hair.
How do halo hair extensions work?
Honestly, this system is genius. You clip up half of your hair, drop the nylon wire on top of your head like a headband, and secure the extensions at the back with the inbuilt clips. It doesn't budge. Then you just brush out your natural hair on top, and the nylon disappears into your parting.
The set also comes with two extra side pieces of hair that you clip in near your temple, to make sure your entire hairline is full and luscious. And because it's real human hair, you can wash, blow dry, curl and straighten it. They ship all over NZ, and if you want help colour matching, you can send in a photo or get samples posted to you to try at home. They've really thought of everything.
Are halo hair extensions noticeable?
One of the things that put me off extensions previously was the fear of them being noticeable - a weft peeking out, or an obvious difference where my real hair stopped. This is legitimately not a thing with halo extensions. They are, in a word, 'unclockable'.
It's like when you fake tan or get your eyebrows done, and people can't quite put their finger on what you did, but everyone's saying 'damn, you look really good today!'
I've worn my set on a few nights out, and each time, without fail, I found myself explaining (and demonstrating) how it works to a girl in the bathroom who'd stopped me to rave about my hair.
What to know before buying halo hair extensions
Apart from knowing you'll be constantly flicking and twirling your hair on a level that could border on annoying, there are a few other things to be aware of.
The halo is pretty comfortable, considering how much hair it holds, but I did find that wearing it for a full day at work and then out for the entire evening was a bit much. To avoid any headaches, it's probably best to put them in right before you head out for a special occasion (or a photo shoot in your garden).
It also took me a few tries to get the placement right - there are six different sizes you can customise the nylon wire to fit, but that does mean trial and error.
Plus, clipping in the side pieces so they stay put and out of sight required some practice (hint: tease your natural hair at the root). So while the results really are as good as they seem online, the first time you pop them in might not look quite as polished as the TikToks.
Unfortunately, if your hair is above shoulder length, a halo isn't going to be the best solution, but there are lots of other kinds of extensions designed to blend with shorter hair.
Are halo hair extensions worth it?
They are a bit of an investment. The Classic Halo set from Superior Hair ranges from $269 - $369, depending on the length you choose, but they'll last you ages, and it's a fraction of the cost of getting more traditional extensions installed and maintained, with none of the potential damage.
As women, we're pummelled with ways we can improve our appearance - injectables, juice detoxes, even Kim Kardashian's bizarre new face shapewear - and a lot of that just makes us feel bad. But sometimes, a product comes along that truly helps us feel amazing, and those are worth their weight in gold.
It sounds silly, but wearing the extensions kind of unlocked a new level of confidence for me - my long-haired persona had an extra spring in her step and a renewed enthusiasm for selfie-taking, and even had me changing up my style to match.
Living in a storm of increasingly unattainable beauty standards isn't easy, but it can be so refreshing to lean into the fun stuff about being a woman - by accessorising and amplifying the things we already love about ourselves. And for me, this was THAT.
Monika was provided with a Superior Hair Halo Extension for this review.
