CANDY LOCKS - Virgin Hair Review

Hi Hi Hi!!

Here with another hair review for you all and this one should be interesting because I decided to get a little adventurous with my hair, which is something I never do. I like to stay within my comfort zone when it comes to my hair. But I have to say, I am very pleased with the risk I took this time. What's this 'risk' you ask? I decided to try out a VERY different texture of hair this time 'round.... groundbreaking!..... I am so dramatic.

Candy Locks is a virgin hair company currently based in Ghana, with plans to relocate to Nigeria some time in June. Right now their location does not really matter because they ship internationally with majority of their clientele based in Nigeria, UK, Canada and the US. They sell Virgin Brazilian, Peruvian, Malaysian (textures body wave, straight, loose wave and deep wave) and South American curly hair . They also provide lace closures and will introduce silk base closures to their stock very soon.

That's the satin bag my extensions came in! I just love it! And do you notice it's shaped like a 'Candy'... get it? They get an A* from me for their presentation and if you're a regular reader, you already know how I feel about product aesthetics. Ps: in case you didn't know it's best to store your hair extensions in satin bags/pouches/wraps, this not only protects them from getting dusty and all jacked-up from the different elements in the air, the satin aids in preserving the hair.

This is 1x18" and 2x20" Candy Locks Virgin South American* curly hair. The hair came in it's natural state so there were two bundles in 1B-2 and the third was a colour 4.

First impressions
I was not confident that the extensions would provide me with my desired volume, just because I typically install at least 4bundles, and we all know the longer the hair the less 'fuller' the bundle is. But this concern went right out the window after I installed and you'll see why in a minute. I also noticed the hair was a lot softer than I expected. Because of the curly texture, I sort of already assumed it'll  be quite 'coarse'. But it was really soft and light. You can already tell that mentally, I really wasn't ready to believe this hair was going to work for me, but I am very glad I did not allow my numerous doubts take over.

So you already know, first thing's first I needed to dye the hair. I ALWAYS dye my extensions, always! Just because I like my extensions a lot lighter than when they come in their natural state. Also, you should never straight install virgin hair when you get it. Even if you aren't going to dye it, I always advice you co-wash it. Co-wash is just washing your hair with conditioner. I typically apply the conditioner straight to the hair when it's dry, let it sit for like 15-20mins, then rinse it out! I never leave the conditioner in for too long, in this case, because I find the hair to be weighed down after.
I was already going to try out my developer method again (if you have no idea what this 'method' is about, read click here to read that post), but Kaydee (lady behind Candylocks) sent me an email suggesting that I use a regular box dye, because developer tends to really put a strain on the extensions and may cause it to feel dry. So I immediately abandoned my initial idea and popped out to Ebeano supermarket to buy some hair dye.

To achieve my desired colour, I used two different colours of dye. I wanted the bottom half of the hair to be darker than the top. So I used 2 boxes of Creme of Nature hair dye in 'Cinnamon Brown 7.34' for the bottom half.

I then used the 'Ginger Blonde 10.01' to achieve the lighter shade on the top half. This dye actually contains bleach, so I will advise you deep condition the hair right after you have rinsed out the dye. My post on how I dyed my last extensions should help in some way. Oh and my favourite conditioner to use on my extensions is Herbal Essences.

Ta-da! The finished result. Was I pleased with the way the colour turned out, nope! But did I still install, ABSOLUTELY. You can see I kind of achieved the two-tone hue I was going for, just that the contrast is not as obvious as I wanted, not to mention the colours were all wrong. I just wasn't pleased with the actual colour and my application.

In terms of application, I just wish I had gone a little higher with the dye, a little closer to the wefts and wasn't as precise with where the dye ended. Because I don't like how harsh the demarcation line is between the dyed bit and the hair's original colour. And I feel my stylist could've done a better job with how he placed the wefts at my 'part'. See how 'wide' it is, my stylist has got this trick where the part is always very 'closed-in' almost looks like you haven't got a part. He's always been spot-on, but I feel if he had closed the part the way he usually does, it would've looked slightly better! I will definitely be going back in with the dye, might turn this an auburn-red perhaps.


Review
I absolutely LOVE this hair. It does tangle a little bit, but that should be expected with this texture. This hair is for the most part a 'wake-up-and-go' in the morning type situation, but you do need to care for it differently than all the other textures. Because you have to maintain the curls, this hair needs some TLC probably every other day, but it's nothing that will take you way out of your regular morning routine. It needs moisture, and moisture does not translate into slathering on hair serum or 'Pink Oil' (really hope that none of you lovely readers still use this). The best type of moisture for this hair is Water! I decided to give my water a little extra something and threw in some vegetable glycerin. So I mix my water and glycerine in a spray bottle, and just spritz my hair every other day or so. After I have covered every strand (please note not to drench your hair, I'd advise you use a spray bottle, just so you can evenly distribute the water) I then scrunch the hair all the way round in handfuls. 'Scrunching' is simply holding the hair in a fist in your hand and pushing it upwards. This short clip from CandyLock's instagram page should provide the desired visual as I am pants at describing such things with words

So yeah, in summary I loved this hair, it was so stress free and required minimum manipulation which can only be a good thing.  My concerns about it not being 'full' enough were unecessary because as you can see in the picture above, it turned out just right. The quality of the hair is exceptional and I will recommend it to you all. Only regret I have which is becoming quite annoying for me is that I should have conditioned it a little longer after I dyed it. So I strongly advise that you deep condition for at least 30mins after you have dyed your extensions, this applies to me too. There was shedding, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Contact Information

How to order: Place an order by sending an email to askcandylocks@yahoo.com
Textures offered: Virgin Brazilian, Peruvian, Malaysian (textures body wave, straight, loose wave and deep wave) and South American curly hair n.
Lengths Offered: 10" - 28"
Price Range: $240 - $720 depending on the length and number of bundles
Instagram: @CandyLocks_


Hope you enjoyed this review, if you have any additional questions concerning how I dyed the hair leave a comment below and I'll be happy to answer them. If you've got any more questions for Candy Locks just shoot them an email to the address provided above.

Laters,

Ez xxX