Nikki (from Reno, Nevada) and Riawna (from Oxnard, California) first met at Fred Segal Beauty in Santa Monica through the Assistants Program, which enables junior stylists to perfect their craft in a leading salon.

Nikki and Riawna shared an interest in hair extensions, but they saw an industry plagued with quality issues - low grade hair, poor color matches, hair breakage, hair falling out, extensions that didn't sit right with natural hair. Some practitioners would cut corners, while others simply didn't have the skills or the understanding necessary to do the job.

CapriLee's Mission:

Riawna and Nikki set out to perfect the art of adding hair extensions.

As a first step they sought out the best available system. Their search led them to Great Lengths, whose superior hair quality and patented keratin bonding technique continue to set it apart from all competitors.

But even here they found room for improvement.

Not All Great Lengths Are Equal:

Great Lengths is a great system, but if it's not done properly the results will be disappointing at best.

According to Nikki and Riawna, most Great Lengths practitioners fail to do the system justice. They place extensions too close to the scalp, or attach them to flimsy or badly prepared sections of the client's natural hair. The result is hair breakage, lost extensions and unhealthy, badly damaged hair when the extensions are removed.

Nikki and Riawna made it their mission to become the best of the best at using Great Lengths, and their rapid success has been recognized. They were voted #1 Referred Extensionists in Los Angeles, and won Best Extensions of the Year in 2007.

CapriLee's Approach to Great Lengths:

Nikki and Riawna have developed their own system for applying Great Lengths hair extensions, and one of the benefits of their method is speed - it's much faster than normal. A normal Great Lengths procedure can take as long as six hours, but Nikki and Riawna will do it in 90 minutes, while at the same time achieving superior results.

They don't take shortcuts. They're able to achieve their amazing time savings through teamwork and expertise. Nikki and Riawna understand Great Lengths, they understand each other, and they work together on the same client.

Preparation:

Before they do anything, Nikki and Riawna carefully analyze a client's individual hair type, color, texture and condition, to determine the best match in extensions and ensure a safe and healthy application.

They prepare each client's hair meticulously. Nikki and Riawna always start the Great Lengths process with a healthy haircut on the client's own hair to safeguard its integrity.

Then they carefully section the client's hair. This has to be done cleanly and accurately so that when the extensions are put in they are uniform.

Technical and Aesthetic Precision:

Each strand of extensions is bonded properly, optimally placed to ensure both a secure attachment and the most natural looking result.

Color Matching:

Color is hugely important. Great Lengths extensions come in a wide range of hair colors, and 9 times out of ten Nikki and Riawna can match a client's color straight away. For the one exception out of ten, they will color the extensions prior to application for a perfect match with their client's hair.

Blending and Styling:

Once they've finished applying the strands, Nikki and Riawna texturize and blend the real hair and the extensions to give a natural, flawless, seamless look.

Maintenance:

To finish, they thoroughly explain to every client how best to maintain her extensions.

Great Lengths is recognized as the elite of hair extension companies. The quality of Great Lengths hair is superior and its patented Keratin Bonding technique (when applied properly) actually protects the client's own hair. It does this because the keratin bond behaves like natural hair, expanding when wet so that breakage doesn't happen.

Great Lengths keratin protein is not a glue. It's a polymer compound whose molecular structure allows it to be attached to the hair without causing any damage to the hair shaft.

With Great Lengths, there are no long wefts of hair. Individual strands are applied to the client's hair, one by one. The GL Tool, a high frequency wand, instantly melts the keratin tip on each strand, bonding the extension safely and securely to the client's hair.