Great Lengths®
ABOUT
Great Lengths® Canada was actively introduced to Canada’s hairstylists in the late 90’s, with the operative word being "actively". Great Lengths® had been around for a number of years, but there really was not much demand for hair extensions in the early to mid 90’s. For the most part, hair extensions at that time were mainly poor quality with installation methods that left much to be desired, leaving the clients hair dry, brittle and broken.
Great Lengths® quite literally changed the hair styling industry. In the beginning, there was much skepticism and the very idea of hair extensions being a mainstream accessory seemed ridiculous. Salons frowned on our predictions of huge opportunities for salons to expand and grow their businesses beyond their wildest dreams. They were slow to come around to our optimism for the future of hair extensions.
But, we were not promoting just any hair extensions – we were singing the praises of the "Rolls-Royce" of hair extensions - the one and only "Great Lengths®". And today, we try our best not to say "we told you so!"
The image of Great Lengths® has not changed over the years. It has not been tarnished by changes in production methods or cutting costs at the expense of quality. Let’s face it. When it comes to hair extensions, it is always about the hair. The hair must be top quality, it must perform, it must last, and it must always look fabulous.
Welcome to Great Lengths®!
COMPANY HISTORY
David Gold owner and founder of Great Lengths® Human Hair Extensions started his business in the textile industry creating iron-on transfers for T-shirts. After a few years of making iron-on transfers David was asked to expand his technique to more than just plastic transfers on cotton T-shirts. After much research and experimenting they developed a product that could be applied to any material and actually mimic the molecular make-up of that product!
Shortly after this discovery, David went to a salon for a haircut, and he was amazed to find many women in the salon were having their hair "thickened", adding more hair by gluing it to their own! The hair was not great quality, it matted, tangled and fell out but even with these challenges women kept coming back to the salon for more.
David became enthralled by the possibility of creating a hair extension system where the hair didn't fall out, or tangle. He developed a new bond made of synthetic polymers so similar to human hair that they actually mimicked "real hair". Now he had the challenge of finding top quality hair to use with his extension system, which led him to the very exclusive temple hair in India. This hair is gathered in a long braid and cut off as a sacrifice to the temple, this ensures the cuticle remains intact on the hair, and is all running in the same direction. Great Lengths® hair is still processed coloured and blended by the hands of skilled highly trained individuals at their facility just outside of Rome, Italy.
THE COLOUR PROCESS
Traditionally in hair salons or hair processing factories, bleaching substances are used to break up the pigment molecules in the hair stripping away the color. Bleaches and peroxides can be very harmful to the hair structure, the more bleach or peroxide used, the more damage caused.
Great Lengths® uses a much gentler and consequently, much lengthier process to color the hair. This process allows the hair structure to remain intact and healthy. David Gold used his connections in the textile industry to develop a solution to coloring the hair without damaging it. The method is the same as that used to color cashmere wool in the gentlest of ways. The hair is soaked in a "de-pigment" bath where the natural color is gently released over a period of about 15 days through a system of reverse osmosis. The hair is then soaked in a "natural" vegetable based color bath where it absorbs the new color molecules slowly and gently.
This process allows the hair to maintain its integrity and quality, ensuring the hair will withstand the most rigorous of lifestyles!
