The history of hair extensions - look how you've grown

 The latest natural hair extensions prove just how far the product has come over the past decades. To illustrate we've compiled an 'extended history' in pictures, from the mid-80s to the present day.

Welcome back to the frizzy, dizzy, day-glo 80s, when the brazenly synthetic was super-cool, and leading the chemical bubblegum-pop look was one Ms. Cindy Lauper. When Cindy 'drove all night' she never redid her hair in the morning, she just tore it off and dropped it in the trash....

Hot on Cindy's heels comes Queen Madge, glamming it up in her Material Girl heyday. We don't know what material this extension is made of, but it's certainly not hair - a ponytail made from the severed tails of 'My Little Pony' perhaps...

Proving the boys were wearing extensions just as long, and getting it just as wrong, is androgynous 80's singer Marilyn. Deliberately fake may have been fine back then, but everything about this is wrong; colour, style, and most obviously, texture. These extensions don't look new or romantic...

Into the 90s now, and if plastic blonde 'dolly's hair' is what you want, what you really, really want, it doesn't get more aspirational than the hair pieces they screwed into 'Baby Spice's' scalp to create those iconic bunches...

No matter how much of Christina there is at any given moment, her hair will always be thin and fine. Here we finally we see some beneficial extensions, adding volume, length and texture. The obvious splashes of crimson let you know this is statement hair that doesn't care about looking natural, but a bit more colour blending wouldn't have hurt...

Here's the 'noughties' ultimate hair extension girl, and this pic demonstrates how going darker creates better volume and easier blending. Mind you, Jordan's hair would still be her most natural feature if it was made from liquorice shoelaces...

'Wor Cheryl's extensions give her the x-factor by adding volume while subtle colour changes through the weave help create a gentle, more natural style - letting her rock the Geordie Princess look with tresses as soft and curling as fog on the Tyne...

Looks like being heiress to a fortune in international hotels leaves you expecting too much from everything - even your hair extensions. Despite her stylist's best efforts, you can clearly see the line where Paris' deliberately short cut stops and the over-long extensions begin...

 From afar Angelina's hair looks fab - long, glossy and full of volume. Unfortunately on closer inspection you can see the bonds in place. Remember, the rule is a two-finger width all around the hairline and along the parting, so however the hair is placed or falls the bonds can't be seen. Brad's clearly noticed - and he's not impressed...

Welcome to present-day hair extension perfection. Ms Diaz' naturally tousled and totally casually 'off-the-beach' style demonstrates what modern extensions can do to enhance your hair without taking over. When Cameron remembers her tights go over her legs instead of round her wrist, her look will be complete...

If you're tempted by the trend to extend, here's what The Chapel's resident hair extensions guru, Wayne Bonner, has to say.

"Hair extensions offer the ultimate in hairdressing versatility, they get immediate, often spectacular results, which is why I spent so many years learning how to get them right. However, extensions need good maintenance and they're not for everyone, especially those with damaged or weak hair. A consultation is always essential to ascertain this, as well as to discuss the best types of extension for your hair. I'm truly passionate about great extensions, so I find the whole process a pleasure and I'm extremely pleased that all the natural hair we use here is ethically sourced."