New trend lets you add chicken feathers to your locks

People are putting chicken feathers in their hair.

Seriously.

Even dogs are getting it done.

It's the Featherlocks craze, in which a feather strip is looped around a few strands of hair, then sealed with a bead of silicone. The feathers aren't there to make a political or moral statement. They're the same kind of feathers used by fly fishermen that are now a fashion accessory.

It's probably no surprise that the trend started on the West Coast with celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Steven Tyler and (gasp!) Roseanne Barr. Now salons in some markets can hardly keep them in stock.

Kevin Davis, a stylist at Salon Fringe in downtown Norfolk, said three to five clients a day come in for Featherlocks.

The initial application takes no longer than 15 minutes, including consultation. Follow-ups are even speedier, about five to 10 minutes. Removal, which should be done by a stylist, is often free.

While they're on your head, the locks can be styled just like hair.

"It's something new without making a permanent alteration to hair," Davis said.

Featherlocks picks up on the popularity of bold hair color. We've all seen weaves, wigs and extensions in greens, blues and fire-engine reds. Featherlocks extensions come in vibrant colors and styles, and can be applied for a subtle effect or dramatic oomph.

At Salon Fringe, the cost of Featherlocks is one for $18, three for $51, five for $75 and $13 for each additional one. Compare that to the typical cost of a full head of hair extensions, $300 to $10,000. Or to a motorcycle, a tattoo or Botox - stereotypical choices for the midlife crisis set. So, yeah, a few strips of feathers is fairly cheap.

Amy Wyatt, owner of Bean There Cafe in Norfolk, said the locks made her nostalgic.

"As a little girl, I remember going to the state fair and getting hair clips with feathers," Wyatt said. "It's reliving my childhood fantasy."

That sentiment took me back to my high school days when I tried to look like one of the members of the rap group Salt-N-Pepa. I dyed my hair this brassy orange, shaved part of the left side of my head into a Caesar and got three parts cut in from front to back.

My mom shook her head and was glad she hadn't paid for it.

After I watched Wyatt get her feather extensions, I figured, why not? I got a deep purple one in my nondescript bob. My little girls flipped out when they saw it.

Later I got to thinking: "What if chickens raised us as ornamentation for their hair?" By the time I got out of bed the next day and went outside, I was shy about looking at the birds in my garden.

It's doubtful I'd ever chain myself to a chicken coop to keep poultry from being used as food. However, I do feel unsettled after learning roosters and hens are bred exclusively for their feathers and then euthanized, no matter the pampering that supplier Whiting Farms says it provides them.

Perhaps if I want to ruffle some feathers with my hair like I'm a teenager again, I'll just shave one side of my head.

A question about scarves

Q. My grandmother had (and I now have hers) several small silk scarves, beautiful designs, from the '40s probably, but they are maybe 12 inches square. What did women do with that size in those days, and what can I do with them now? Any ideas?

- Janie H., Windsor

A. The typical square scarf is about 18 inches, which is ample for a variety of uses. Less than that can be challenging. A 12-inch-square scarf was widely used as a women's handkerchief. If you don't wish to use the smaller scarves as a stylish hanky, they also could be used to dress up the handles of your handbags, as a drapery tie, as a table setting upon which to place a simple vase containing a modest floral arrangement, or as a jewelry box liner.

Jamesetta Walker, (757) 446-2211, jamesetta.walker@pilotonline.com