>Style Dare: DIY Hair Extensions

>This post originally appeared on HerNashville.com.

This week’s style dare is more of a guilty secret … one that comes with a story.

A few years ago, I was at Walgreen’s when I spotted it: a long, clip-on Scunci ponytail that was exactly the same color as my own hair. It was only $15.99 and, on a whim, I bought it. I’d probably never actually wear it, but I figured it might come in handy for a costume party some day.

I tried it on a few days later, and, wonder of wonders, it was sort of amazing. The faux hair looked and felt just like real hair, and when I clipped it onto the back of my head, it looked like my own ponytail would have looked if I had taken the time to roll it and brush it out for some volume. Take a look…

Since then, I’ve actually worn the ponytail from time to time, like if I was having a bad hair day and going on a date night, for example. Occasionally, I’ve even rolled my own hair and pulled just the top part back with the Scunci ponytail, leaving the rest of my hair down beneath it for a big-haired, retro 60s look.

And lately, I’ve been wrapping the ponytail around itself and clipping the whole thing to the top of my head for a glamorous J. Lo-esque topknot.

Like so.

Ever since I bought my fauxnytail, I’ve noticed that many, many celebs do the very same thing when they have a special occasion. There is no way in hell, for example, that all those starlets with the now-trendy bouffant topknots have used their own hair to achieve it. And if they did, heaven help them, it’s going to take a lot of work to get it back to its shiny, super-straight state.

Very few celebs are open about their wigs and extensions, but Jessica Simpson has made a career out of it. She and hairstylist/BFF Ken Paves have created the HairDo wig and extension line, which includes everything from full-on wigs to clip-on chignons to bangs.

Bangs!

I looked at the line the other day and decided that I had to have the bangs for myself. Once again, I wasn’t sure I’d ever wear them out anywhere, but I’ve been thinking about getting bangs for ages, and I wanted to see what they’d look like.

When my bangs arrived, I was disappointed to find that they were waaaay darker than my own hair (I had stupidly read reviews telling me to go darker than the sample pictures showed). However, I was able to get a good idea of how bangs would look on my head.

Check it.

Bangs!

Bangs with my hair down!

Not only are these fake bangs making me think really hard about cutting real ones, they’re also making me want to go darker with my own haircolor.

So I’ll put the question to you, readers. Should I get bangs? And should I go darker? Tell me.

I dare you!