January 1, 2007- Happy New Year! Hair Alchemy will be kicking off 2007 by vending at Re-Construction, a monthly goth/industrial club event at Spot 6 in Chicago. We'll be selling clip-in color streaks, as well as full hairpiece sets in loose hair, synthetic dreads, yarn, and plastic, and maybe a dreadwig or two! If you'll be in Chicago on Saturday night, come by and be sure to say hi! There will be drink specials, dancing, DJs, great food, and several other vendors, makin' for a great night out!
December 1, 2006- Hair Alchemy will be visiting San Francisco again over the holidays, December 21-28. Availability is limited, so book your appointments as soon as possible!
October 1, 2006- Hey, aspiring extensionists! We're hosting Sara Hochuli (head of the Swiss extension powerhouse, Plastikhaar) as she lands in Chicago for the midwest stop of her teaching tour. These reasonably priced workshops will teach you the basics of extensions, by one of the most respected and prolific extensionists in the world. If you're interested in learning how to do extensions for others or just yourself, this class is invaluable! The workshop will be on November 18th. Sara will also be taking appointments at Hair Alchemy's studio on November 19th. Book your appointment or workshop spot today at the Plastikhaar USA website!
September 1, 2006- New location! We are pleased to announce that Hair Alchemy has a new studio location on Halsted Street in the South Loop area of Chicago. This location is bigger, nicer, and easier to get to. Please remember we're by appointment only, so call or email us before stopping by!
August 15, 2006- Hair Alchemy will be in the San Francisco bay area September 18-28, and will be providing all services during that time. Email or call us today to make an appointment!
April 1, 2006- Finally, a permanent home for Hair Alchemy! We are now a resident artist at Graf-Hick Studio, in Chicago, IL on the west side. This quiet little studio location allows privacy, a relaxing atmosphere, and best of all- easy parking. No walk-in appointments are taken, but same-day is sometimes available depending on the service- just call in and ask. Be sure to check out our partners, Graf-Hick Ink and Nail3e Design, offering tattoos and unique screenprinted clothing.
February 1, 2006- Another San Francisco trip planned for February 8-22. Contact us now to reserve your spot!
November 1, 2005- More big changes- Stone Garden Studio and its sister store, Nocturnal Dominion, have closed down for a while to relocate, with a probable re-opening date of April. Hair Alchemy will be opening its own extension workshop and hairpiece retail location in December. Until then, we are taking all mail orders (for hairpieces, dread extension kits, wigs, etc), and dread extension appointments by house call. If you're interested in loose extensions or would prefer a salon appointment, you can contact us now to schedule an appointment for the first week of December. We'll update again soon with our new address!
March 31, 2005- Big news! Hair Alchemy's salon location is now open. It is at Stone Garden Studio, in the Wicker Park area of Chicago. Stone Garden Studio is part of Nocturnal Dominion, an independent dark music and clothing store. Regular salon services (hair styling, skin, nails) are available at Stone Garden from our associate Lupe Castel. If you're thinking of dropping by for an appointment or consultation, please call or email ahead to make sure that a stylist is available.
December 2, 2004- We'll be visiting San Francisco again for about two weeks at the end of this month, from December 19 through January 5. We will be doing all our extensions, dread, and braid services during this time. Email soon if you'd like to set up an appointment!
September 7, 2004- The gallery has been updated again! New loose extensions, dreads, and some stuff in the Other section. New stuff is at the bottom of each section. Almost half of the Dreads photos are new, so check 'em out!
July 2, 2004- The new site design is up! Be sure to check out our new (giant) gallery, and the Aftercare pages for loose extensions, dreads, and braids, linked off of their respective pages. If you have a link to this page, please update the name and link location to Hair Alchemy. Thanks!
June 21, 2004- Happy first day of summer! If you're going to summer camp, on a road trip, or just want a low-maintenance style for summer, consider braid extensions or cornrow styles. They require very little care, keep your hair off your neck, and will always look good for any summer event.
May 25, 2004- We have added a new range of synthetic hair for loose extensions from a Swiss supplier. There are over 70 shades available from this supplier alone, in both natural and rainbow colors. Since they sell hair in smaller quantities, we can now offer 3 or more shades for a set of color highlights at no extra charge and an unlimited number of shades for full heads of synthetic extensions. Adding streaks of color to human-hair extensions is also now more affordable- a good option for those customers who want the realistic look of human hair with the vibrant colors of synthetic.
April 2, 2004- Just returned from a brief visit to San Francisco- look for a few new dread-heads in the gallery!
March 25, 2004- The Adler show was a smashing success. Huge thanks to all of the models, the makeup artists, and Atalee Judy. We hope to be back at the same event next year!
February 18, 2003- Hair Alchemy onstage again! We will be working with clothing designer Branimira Ivanova and choreographer Atalee Judy (of the Breakbone Dance Company) for an arts and culture event at the Adler Planetarium. The theme for this event will be "Mars", and this will be an opportunity for Hair Alchemy to showcase our most avant-garde and "otherworldy" designs! More details for this event will be provided as they become public.
January 19, 2004- We spoke today with the manager of a clothing and music store that just opened up on Chicago's north side. Turns out they're renovating part of their building and turning it into a salon! We were invited to bring our services to the salon when it opens. There will also be a cosmetologist working with us, so you can have all of your color, cut, and extension needs served at one place!
January 15, 2004- New domain! This is no longer "Hair Extensions by Rae Deslich", but now "Hair Alchemy". We think it's catchier. The old page design still has the old title, but once the new design goes up, everything (including external links to this page) will be changed over to the new name.
December 16, 2003- We were honored to participate in the Nocturna Winter Ball (which was held in place of the annual Saturnalia ball). Local designer Branimira Ivanova showed her collection, we did the hair for all the models, and the show was choreographed by Atalee Judy of the Breakbone Dance Company. Photos of the fashion show can be found in various parts of the gallery.
October 1, 2003- We are no longer located in San Francisco, California, but have now moved to Chicago, Illinois. Thanks to all my clients in SF- I'll miss you! If you're in the bay area and desperate for an appointment, email me (or watch this page for updates) to find out the dates of my next San Francisco visit.