No, those colorful streaks in every girl’s hair are not neon extensions circa “Lizzie McGuire” (Editor’s note: Although, Hilary Duff still seems to be a fan of the trend). They are feathers. Yes, feathers – as in, from a bird (a rooster, specifically). And they have been flying into the ‘dos of women across the country ever since this Colorado-based trend first hatched in January.
This Wednesday, you, too can join in on the trend at the Hair Feather Bash outside of Woodruff Library, hosted by fashion-savvy freshmen Lisa Li and Katherine Backus. The feathers, which come in a variety of colors, from rainbow shades to earth tones, are priced at one for $7, three for $14 and five for $20—significantly lower than the $35 to $70 pricing at most salons! This is the second Bash the duo has hosted. The first event took place on Wednesday, April 13th, and was such a big hit that the girls decided to host a sequel.
Bored with my own hair but too afraid to dye it, I decided to stop by the last Bash for a style upgrade. The colorful feathers were snatched up first, so by the time I arrived only the natural ones remained. Lisa inserted three tawny feathers just below my side part in about five minutes: cute and entirely painless!
“I think it’s a great way to spice up your hair!” Lisa says. “It’s just kind of a fun way to add color to your hair without having to dye it.”
So far I’ve enjoyed the trend; I usually forget that there are rooster feathers attached to my hair unless I brush it too vigorously. The feathers are washable, curl-able, straighten-able and blow dry-able. Lisa and Katherine report that they should last at least four weeks, and if they fall out before the girls will reinsert them for you, free of charge.
Since my feathers are so similar to my hair color, they’re not as visible as I’d hoped they would be. I definitely plan to be first in line at the next Bash to get some brighter ones—after all, the early bird gets the worm…
Lisa and Katherine, both from Denver, were some of the first girls on campus to sport hair plumage (Katherine got hers over winter break). The trend was huge with all of their friends back home, and after winter break Katherine got tons of compliments on them from Emory girls. The two realized there was high demand for the feathers at Emory too, but not nearly as much affordable salon access as there is in Colorado. “Atlanta doesn’t really have any of those places; we heard about girls who paid about $40 for just a few feathers,” Lisa says.
One late February night in the library, the girls got the idea to see if the feathers would fly at Emory. “It was the night before a really big test, and both of us were talking about the feathers,” Lisa told me. “Instead of studying, I remember looking online for the feathers and how to put them in. We got really excited!”
First, Lisa asked questions at the salon where she got her feathers. Then, the girls ordered the long, thin rooster hackle from a Wisconsin farm that distributes feathers for crafts and fly tying. Finally, they posted a Hair Feather Bash Facebook event and business began before they knew it.
Hair feathers have been seen in the locks of stars such as Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff and Ke$ha. The rooster tails have been used as bait by fishermen for years, but their sudden popularity at beauty salons has actually left bait and tackle shops with a shortage, a New York Times article reports. The blog “Love Twenty” recommends purple feathers for blondes, turquoise for brunettes, and green hues for redheads. What color will you get on Wednesday?
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/fashion/21NOTICED.html