TV personality and writer Judi James needed to promote her latest book Supermodel, so she sought to make herself look as glamorous as possible. Not wanting to shell out tons of cash, she decided that investing in hair extensions to add volume to her short, dyed blonde crop would be the smartest idea.

"My hair is poker-straight and there was nothing to tie it onto, so having extensions was like tying it onto something shiny   the best hair salon for blonde hair  and straight," James recalls. "Four days later I was in the checkout at the supermarket, and when I ran my hand through my hair most of it came out in my fingers. The girl behind the counter nearly fainted. What made it worse for her is that I just shoved it into my shopping bag."

Not one to give up easily, James opted for an unusual solution: she went back to the hair salon and had the extensions put back on with Superglue.

"After that they stayed in, and grew along with my own hair," James says. "I can only compare it with having false nails with real nails growing underneath then, although I looked like I had low-slung lice. In the end they used some sort of glue dissolver to finally take them out, which didn't do my real hair any favors."

It wasn't that long ago that women yearning for longer hair would have to either wait patiently for their hair to grow, or invest in a wig or a weave. Not anymore. These days, you can have longer, more luxuriant hair at the click of your fingers - literally - all thanks to hair extensions.

But if you're worried that extensions will make your either penniless, completely bald or with an incredibly damaged scalp, take heart. If you do a bit of research and look into the type of extensions that are right for you, chances are you'll end up with natural-looking head of hair you really love, instead of having a shiny, Barbie-type wig stuck to your head - or having your hair fall out in clumps.