Hair Extensions at the World Beauty Fitness and Fashion: an Interview with Champion Jenna Davies
We asked WBFF Pro Champion Jenna Davies to give us the skinny on being a competitive fitness pro and all that the beauty side entails. After her Great Lengths hair extensions at salon The Radical Hair Design, in Dural, NSW, she filled us in on what it’s like to work out, compete, and live the daily ‘pro life grind’ with hair extensions.
Jenna, first to get to know our audience, can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Jenna Davies I run a digital marketing company Jenna Davies Marketing PTY LTD and I’m a WBFF Bikini competitor. I’m on a mission to change this world through helping others live their best lives and bring their dreams to life. Through healthy eating, working hard in the gym and for their professional and life goals, I work hard to show people what it takes to be their best.
I’m about to compete in my 4th WBFF Australia show, it’s a bodybuilding federation for men & women and I’ve been working hard for 16 weeks to bring my best package to the stage.
Instagram: @jennanne
www.jennadaviesmarketing.com
How did you get into fitness and when did you start competing?
It’s not your usual story, I wasn’t always athletic or sporty. In fact, I’m still not. I wasn’t skilled in any team sports growing up, I rode horses and danced in the back row. To be honest I probably still can’t catch a ball.
When I was 20 I went to Europe for 3 months, having partied and eaten my way from country to country, I came home 8kg’s heavier! I started with a personal trainer to work the weight off, at the time I’d just graduated from university with a Bachelors in Business & Commerce degree, I majored in Marketing & Management.
With an inquisitive mind, I decided to extend my studies and became a qualified personal trainer so that I could better understand the changes happening in my body.
From there, I went on to work in the pharmaceutical/FMCG industry and worked in the weight loss category. I knew I wanted to help people live their best lives so I started my own business as a marketer, focusing on health & wellness businesses to help them increase their reach and scale.
In competitions, can you tell us a little about the expectations in aesthetics on stage? What are the pressures?
WBFF stands for World Beauty Fitness Fashion. They say 50% of the judging criteria is based on “marketability”, meaning how well you can sell their federation. Winners are people they feel best represent their brand, they liken themselves to Victoria’s Secret but “with muscle”.
Aesthetics are important! They celebrate individuality so unlike other federations, you have more freedom to express yourself for who YOU ARE to try and stand out from your competition on stage.
Personally I love to really accentuate my features, I choose bikini designs that flatter my physique and of course I love really lush, thick locks to play with on stage. Posing is part of the package, long hair gives you something to play with, you can flick your hair to capture attention or hold your gaze with the judges as you run your fingers through your hair. There’s not much else you can do to really stand out so I love having healthy and thick looking hair!
Have you ever had extensions or clip ins before? Where they conducive to your lifestyle? Why or why not.
I’ve had clip ins and absolutely hated them, I found they became displaced easily and I was so conscious of them the entire time they were in. I knew I loved the length and body so I moved onto tapes.
Tapes have their place I guess, personally I live a very active lifestyle. I love scuba diving and swimming in the ocean on weekends and going out on jet skis. I do a lot of cardio on prep and I’m sweating everyday. I found the tapes felt heavy and warm on my head and took ages to dry, only to dampen again with sweat.
How did you find out about Great Lengths and what did you hear about the brand?
My hairdresser Gemma, at the Radical Hair Design in Dural raved about Great Lengths. Gemma saw my tapes and knows me well, she was insistent on Great Lengths. At first, I was so hesitant because of the investment but then I learned more about the hair and realised that the quality was far superior to anything else I could find.
As a blonde, maintaining depth and variety in colour was so important to me, I didn’t want long, block colour blonde hair. Most other companies only let you choose 1 or 2 shades that you have to buy by the packet. I didn’t love the finishing look of my old tape ins. It didn’t feel true to me.
I was excited to order 6 different shades of blonde hair to get the perfect, natural match!
When you made the decision to get your hair extensions done, where did you go and what questions did you have?
Radical Hair Design in Dural and I can’t recommend them enough. They listened carefully to what I wanted and what my “hair goals” were. They placed the hair according to my natural cut & shape, and of course in a way that was most manageable for my lifestyle.
Now that you have them in and have had them for a few weeks during your normal work out routine, what have you discovered?
They are so easy! It’s like my own hair. I can run my fingers through my hair freely and brush it so easily which makes washing and drying them a breeze. Plus, they are super lightweight so they dry fast even after a sweaty workout.
I was worried bonds would look piecy but they don’t, in fact I’ve been able to create a more natural look with face framing and bonds placed in the right spots.
How have the extensions affected your ability to maintain your fitness level? Any nice surprises?
Not at all, I love rocking a thick high pony in the gym and they’re easy to throw in a bun for cardio, they move with my hair as there’s no 2-4cm tapes that have to flip up and down.
The nicest surprise was how nice they look all the time, because they’re so fast to wash & blowdry. I wash my hair 3 times a week so they always look fresh. I couldn’t do this with tapes. It took me ages and I just don’t have the time.
If you met another athlete looking into extensions, what advice would you give them?
My advice to other athletes or active girls is to be realistic. If you are a low maintenance girl wanting a full, lush look, you want something that moves with you! Great Lengths keratin bonds can be tied up anywhere on the head easily, up high, at the nape of your neck or in a middle pony. Plus, the time you spend washing and blow drying tapes could be used for steps, cardio or resting haha. Minimise down time with faster drying extensions because to hustlers, time is money!
Great Lengths Hair Extensions in the Hills District
Jenna Davies had her hair extensions applied at a Great Lengths Hair Salon, The Radical Hair Design, in Dural, NSW. The Radical Hair Design has two fully qualified extensionists providing the best hair extensions, Great Lengths, with expert care to their clients from the Hills District. If you seek hair extensions in Dural or the surrounding suburbs of the hills district, reach out to them here.
