5 Keys to a successful hair extension business

Are you ready to start your own business? A hair extension business can be very rewarding both financially and emotionally. Not only can you work from home and make money but most importantly you are providing a service that can change a womens life. That might sound ridiculous at first but think about how you would feel if all of a sudden you started balding, your hair started falling out in clumps and you couldnt go out in public without feeling extremely self concious and embarassed. Then imagine that you find someone that can give you your confidence back, they are reassuring that its a common problem and not to worry because in an hour or two you will be loving your hair again and that you dont have to worry anymore.

1. Do it for the right reasons.

When running a hair extension business the most important factor to remember is that its not about you, its about giving the best possible service and product to your customer. They are relying on your expertise, your professionalism, and your experience. If your one of those people that is just looking for the cheapest hair so you can maximize your profit than read no furthur because this article isnt for you. This is written for people who understand the value of quality and customer service and building the foundation for a long lasting business.

2. Invest in training.

All great hair extension artists start out with a great training program. If you want to be successful you need to invest in training. Do your research. Find a company that supports its students, and most importantly offers great quality extensions. Even if you are an amazing extension artist, if you are using cheap hair your customers wont stick around and you’ll gain a bad reputation. Do you want to be the dollarstore of extensions or a company known for great service and quality. By offering great quality hair your customers wont be able to go anywhere else.

3. Set yourself up for success

Like with any business you need to invest in setting up your business. This means investing in tools and a basic stock of hair to get you going. A big mistake alot of people make when starting out is just buying the tools and extensions as needed. Imagine going to a restaurant and ordering a meal and after taking your order the chef has to run to the grocery store to get the supplies. That seems ridiculous doesnt it? As a responsible business owner you should have supplies on hand so you can serve your clients better. It looks much more professional if you have hair on hand that you can show potential customers. You may also cater to last minute clients and upsell adding more hair during a regular maintenace appointment.

4. Be prepared to work hard and continually learn

One of the biggest mistakes I see from students is they take training and are so excited to start, they start taking clients before they are ready. After you complete training you should continue to practice on your mannequin head and friends until you build up speed, your sections are perfect and you have memorized your training materials. We often get questions from students that are covered in the training materials and that is not acceptable. If its covered in training materials you should know it like the back of your hand. That means you should review your materials as many times as necessary. After that you should continue to educate yourself by reading blogs (like this one) and actively searching out new resources materials to learn from.

5. Learn how to market yourself

To be successful in any business you need to learn some basic marketing skills. Learning how to market yourself will help to bring in a continual stream of customers. Marketing really isn’t as scary as it seems and once you start doing it you’ll wonder why you never did it before. We have complied a few articles to get you going in the hair extension business portion of this blog so make sure to look at those. There is also thousands of free marketing courses and resources online.

Why are my Nano beads losing their colour?

August 2, 2018August 2, 2018Leave a comment

Our beads are very good quality, but you may every once in a while have a client mention their beads have turned gold – or perhaps you’ve had it happen to yourself. This is caused by the paint literally being stripped off the bead usually from an additive in your shampoo. Yes, even if you have an amazing, salon quality, big name, shampoo, with the highest approval ratings, that all the celebs use, this can still happen. And it is no dis on the shampoo at all – we know there are super amazing shampoos out there (like in some of the Moroccan oil line) that have these additives.

Their purpose in shampoo ranges from to create a lather, or act as a thickening agent, or even to keep it from freezing during shipping. There are such small amount of these chemicals that they aren’t going to ruin your hair, by no means, however, there is enough to strip the paint off the beads after a few washes. If you notice this happening, or a client mentions it – that should be the very first thing that comes to mind. Especially since if it were a common problem (batch issue) on our end, it would be happening to everyone, not just one girl, every once in a while.

I did a quick experiment where I submerged half a dozen of our non-silicone nano beads into a container of acetone (nail polish remover), a container of water with purple shampoo, and one with water with hand soap. After an hour, nothing had happened so I left them overnight. By the next morning, all of the beads remained unscathed, in fact the only thing that happened was the acetone had eaten a hole through the plastic container and melted a bead into the jar yet beads remained exactly the same. Not a speck of paint had deteriorated.

Medications and Drugs
Another reason beads may change colour, is from chemicals being carried to the hair follicle through the bloodstream. Several medications, like antidepressants, birth controls, and acne medications, can be the culprits of this, as can Vitamin A, and narcotics. These toxins are so potent, that they will not wash out, and in fact, hair follicle drug testing is a much more effective and reliable method than blood and/or urine testing (for drugs), and can detect toxins that have been in the follicle for months.

I hope this gives you a different perspective on why beads may lose their colour – and as always,

Hair Extension Entrepreneur’s Business Branding Tips.

July 27, 2018July 27, 2018Leave a comment

Creating Your Personal Brand

The internet has fooled us all! Think about it; social media in general makes it seem oh so easy to think that all it takes to have a successful brand is to post cute pictures and funny/ inspirational quotes on a regular basis – after all, that’s what the beauty gurus do – and they are successful..

But it’s far from that simple. Creating your personal brand means committing to finding a definition of who you are, and how you fit into this industry. Maybe it’s your business practices, your social media presence, or your work in the community – every angle you look at it, your brand has to create the same impact.

You need a consistent message or theme to present to your audience. Think of the big picture – don’t just focus on gaining likes, views, or followers – a personal brand is what you can deliver to your customer.

So where do you start when creating your personal brand? You start by creating your story.

Whats Your Story?

Your followers are far more likely to book with you if they feel like they know you. You need a decent bio/about me section. If potential clients feel like they know nothing about you as a human being, they are far less likely to reach out to you then if they feel like they can relate to you in some capacity. The people visiting your Instagram/Facebook/website are not just the women who have already visited your shop. They are going to be referrals, friends of clients, or random visits from a search engine or hashtags.

Potential clients need to connect with you on a personal level, your “story” to book with you, so make sure your own story is out there for consumption. There are a lot of other people out there trying, just like you, to gain their business, and the client knows it. Give them a good reason to decide on you.

So what does a good story entail?

Start with a strong, memorable opening statement. Almost like a cover letter of a resume. The point of the story is to sum up why you are a good, qualified choice for them. If you can add a short video or picture with you doing hair, all the better. Put your best foot forward by making sure the background is clean, bright, and clutter free, (don’t let potential clients focus on the wrong thing) dress nicely, wear makeup and as always…make sure you are in good lighting!

Add a testimonial to the end of your About Me section. Show new clients that your current clients stand by your work.

Be honest and authentic. Tell your audience who you are, what you do, and WHY you do it. Write the way you speak – i.e do not use fancy terminology that no one would ever hear come from your mouth in real life. If you use slang – example “Yassss” or abbreviations, just make sure they are easily understood. The last thing you want is for someone to wonder what “icymi” or “on fleek” means.

Keep it brief, and stick to the point. Like I mentioned early, think “cover letter.” The clients aren’t ready for the whole resume yet.. This is not the time to share that you come from a long line of hairdressers. Do not expect your customer to read about your grandmother braiding hair in the 60’s. Instead, tell them the “why’s” – let them know why they need you. Use your key selling points to keep them reading, and give them a call to action so that they know to book you.

Your Specialty: Extensions!

You specialize in a particular type of hair styling – extensions – and that’s a very good thing. It would be advantageous for you to make sure that your platform really emphasizes this. And don’t stop there…

For example, if you specialize in nanolinks, add videos that show how your method differs from other extensions and post it on your page. Do this, and you will set yourself apart from the competition because you are providing proof that you do what you say you can do.

Tell a story with photos

A lot of hair extensionists, and stylists, post before and after looks – which is great, but if you want to stand out even more, show the good in between stages as well – perfect sectioning, maybe even the progress of your clients hair from when they first started wearing the extensions to 6 months later (to advertise healthy hair growth) close up on beads, maybe photos of products you swear by using with extensions, add personality, but keep to the theme of your brand.

You can create short videos explaining the different types of hair you are selling. Tell them it’s 100% cuticle intact European Hair etc – explain what that is, and why that matters. Clients are not going to be educated like you – they need to know “what’s so special and why should I care” Add in why you choose that kind of hair rather than another, and emphasize the importance of adhering to proper maintenance. Get them excited! You want to show that you are knowledgeable about what you do, and that they are making the right decision.

Your Hair

Whether you work from a salon, or your own home suite, make sure your hair is done whenever you are present in your salon, or open for business.

Yes, I understand that you do hair for a living and your business/family life is hectic, so you have no interest in doing your hair, and just let your work speak for itself. But you cannot expect people to buy into your brand and book a service from you if look undone.

You want to make sure you are presentable at all times. You, your salon, and your products are all a representation of your personal brand. You might think, “well, I’m just working at home in a small town, does it really matter that much if my client sees my kids toys all over the place? I am not working at a high end salon, after all.” YES it matters! No matter where you work from you should make sure that everything is clean and organized. If you have high standards for the appearance of your home or slaon clients will think you have high standards in other aspects of your life.

In regards to wearing the extensions, I’m sure you have all at one time or another been asked during a consultation, or even when you’re out for the night, “are you wearing the extensions right now?” followed by, “can I see/feel them?” Suffice it to say, practice what you preach.

Charge what your brand is worth

If you sincerely believe that your product and/or services are priced reasonably, feel free to ignore this.

A lot of times businesses that are just starting out feel the pressure to offer lower than fair prices to gain a clientele.

Or there are those who take their city or neighbourhoods into account, and price their products and services lower than what they really should be. Stop that! Just because you have a shop in a specific part of the country that may have a low cost of living doesn’t mean you should undercut the price. Likewise if you’re new. Be confident and sell your brand. You worked damn hard to get your certification, and know you are great at what you do. Trust me – it may sound appealing at first to drop your profit and get bodies through the door – but clients who are interested in low cost before all else are not the type of long term clients you are going to want.

Think of it like this; new clients could correlate pricing with quality. Some girls do not care at all about their natural hair nor the hair extensions quality or may think “it’s fine.” We know our hair is superior, but you don’t want to get sucked into dealing with those types of girls. They won’t be loyal, they will bounce around to whomever gives them the best deal, never mind their work, and may blame you if something goes wrong demanding their money back, leaving bad reviews, and generally making your life miserable.

Offer Top Knotch Service

To build return clients, (and not one time customers) you need to serve whoever is in your chair and keep that thought process first.

Don’t think about how much you’re getting paid. Don’t think about the tip you may get. Build your personal brand by delivering quality and going above and beyond to service your customer. That is what they will remember.

A great example of this would be to ask them if they would like their hair straightened or curled after the install. If you notice some grey hairs, spray it with some root touch up spray. Cut and blend the extensions before they leave. It shows that you care about their hair, its health, and their look as a whole.

It also shows that you’re not just focused on money. That will get you a client who continues to come back to you because they know that you care about them and they know that you care about their hair. This client is completely different than a one-time customer who may be coming to you because they want long hair for two seconds for a night out – a spur of the moment want and nothing more.

Relationship Building & Reputation

Make sure to invest in your relationship with both previous clients, and new ones…even if you perform a simple service for a presumed “one-time client” like a removal of someone else’s work, they come back to you for a more expensive service like a full new head install, and their future maintenance.

It’s a win/win because it not only means more money, but you’ve earned a client who becomes a repeat customer that you can bank on.

Clients will come back to for two main reasons – You did your job so well the first time, and you keep in touch. If your customer is satisfied with their service, they will come back, but you can speed that up keeping in touch with confirmation texts/emails for upcoming appointments, (we use; app.shedul.com, it’s awesome, and its free!) fun, engaging, social media account (you should definitely have all of your clients following you. If you don’t want to straight up ask them, take a good photo of them and tag them as a little nudge, or have a cute little chalk board sign in your studio with the wifi password along with a “don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @hair_flair_extensions or something along those lines) and even newsletters.

Tools like mailchimp are a great way to create newsletters, look super professional, and keep in touch with your client database. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – you could send a newsletter once a month featuring, i.e. your favourite shampoo/ conditioner combo to use with extensions – add a couple of good photos and a paragraph about why you like it. Go above and beyond as mentioned before but build the relationship with them via communication because with that relationship, and that repeat customer, could surely mean referrals.

So because you’ve spent time sourcing a high-quality product, you invested in a relationship with your future customer. You wanted them to come back, and now you keep up a correspondence with them through emails, texts, social media and newsletters. At the end of the day, they will become a repeat customer who buys into your brand, as well as helps to grow your reputation of having a high-quality extension line, are knowledgeable, and professional.

Quick question, what are you currently doing to better your relationship with your current clientele?

Invest in your brand

Merriam Webster defines the word optimize as, “to make as perfect, effective, or functional as possible.”

Branding your business needs to optimize all of its features. If you have a website (which please tell me you do!) it should have great photos (you can purchase awesome photos on websites like shutterstock.com) an easy to navigate flow, and should be user friendly.

You need to invest in your brand and be willing to spend the money that your brand needs to put its best foot forward. Even little things like good lighting in the studio, candles to give a soft, welcoming ambiance, fresh cut flowers, even coffee or donuts for early morning clients. Do these little things to set yourself apart from other extensionists. Remember, getting extensions, for most people, is a big chunk of money to be spending on themselves. Make it a really nice, relaxing experience for them. Whenever they want to get their hair done, you want to be the first place they think to go, even if you cost a little more, or aren’t as fast as someone else.

Would you want to pay for an hour long massage in a chaotic setting? Maybe some of you wouldn’t care, but I bet given the option between a calm, clean, atmosphere with snacks, fluffy white towels, and mineral water, versus a messy, loud, space, that you are not going to go for the latter.

Picking Favourites

Who is your ideal client? Have you ever thought about this?

It is understandable that you want to cast out a net and reel back in all the fish. However, with your hair extension business, you are catering to women with medical hair loss issues, thinning hair, girls who want you to do something “crazy and fun” as well as girls who just want to look like a Barbie doll. Or maybe you don’t like blondes because they are always saying the hair looks yellow. (love you blondes, btw) Which clients are your favourite to extension? The ones who never thought they would be able to have beautiful hair, and tear up and hug you? The ones who give you complete creative control to make a customized masterpiece? The ones who want them for that special occasion like their wedding or graduation? Or helping women while they struggle through chemotherapy?

It helps to know the types of women you want in your salon, so that you aren’t marketing to the ones you don’t want.

Client Reviews and Testimonials

Do you have yourself listed on Google Business? It’s a great way to have another platform on which to be discovered. Also a nice tool for your clients to quickly find something, like your address, if they’ve forgotten.

You can ask some clients to go ahead and leave a Google review. The same thing goes for Yelp. These are vast platforms that people go to when looking for a new service provider in their area. And if you have reviews on these platforms, potential customers don’t have to go hunt for your website to know about the services that you provide.

They act as the middleman between you and your potential client. If you ask a current customer to leave a 5-star review, you can almost guarantee that others take in that feedback and use that to seek you out and grow your business. Try to get them to not only leave the star rating but a brief review (ex. “Always a pleasure dealing with Melanie”, or “This girl really knows her stuff”) You can also have them add a selfie of them with their hair looking amazing. Always comment back when this happens, even if it’s a mere, “thank you so much” – it will increase your SEO ranking, and help you appear higher up on the page when someone googles “Hair extensions.”

All about Connections

When growing your personal brand within the beauty industry, it is a good idea to associate yourself with a couple of girls/businesses to refer each other clients too – who want information on your respective specialties.

You could send out a newsletter, or make a post about an exceptional colourist you know who is familiar with, and knows to work with the nano link (with a great photo of her work) if you do not colour hair or extensions. You could even keep her business cards in your salon to pass along. In return, she would do the same. This can really help to put your name out there, and help associate you with a brand that is reputable and trusted.

Let people know that you have some affiliation with other businesses that know how to treat people and are credible. You are what you eat.

Your Portfolio

At the end of the day, your work will always speak for itself. You must have quality images, and ideally video too, of what you do, online. Be honest, are your current photos a proper representation of your work, or do you feel the need to tell people “it looked so much better in person, I wish you could’ve seen it in real life!”

Whether you have everything compiled on one Instagram account, one Facebook account, a gallery on your website, on Pinterest, or “look books” printed in your waiting area, you need to show your quality of work.

With mobile platforms like Instagram, it’s never been easier. You can use a high-quality cell phone camera to take good images. Have your client or model against a clean solid coloured background. If you can do this in front of a window, let sunlight hit them – this should take the place of an expensive light. Also, take a lot of photos. Not just a couple that are “good enough.” If you are rushed and don’t have time, it would almost be advantageous of you to forgo taking a photo altogether. Instead, ask the client to take a good selfie in their car (usually car lighting is really good) and send it to you.

Communication

If you’re interacting with potential clients or current customers who have questions or concerns, try to answer them within 24 hours. There are ways to set up automatic responses on email and facebook so even if you can’t get back to them properly at that time, a message will be sent letting them know you will be in touch as soon as you get the chance. Let them know that they’re correspondence with you is important by appreciating their time and getting them the information they’re asking you for.

If you’re open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and a customer comes in at 8:55 p.m. to ask about your services/ hair extensions, help them! Slightly annoying, yes, but you are open for another 5 minutes – you can do a quick consultation, book their install, and get them on their way. Even offer them a beverage so they don’t feel unwelcome or rushed. They aren’t coming last minute to be jerks – they are obviously very interested in your business and this was probably the only time they could see you.

Keep your word so that you can create dependability and consistency for your customer base.

Do You!

Let your personality shine in how you operate your business. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but the ones who love your business, will love you too.

We hope you take these branding tips and find pieces that really resonate with you. Never think you have perfected the art of branding, or know everything there is to know about branding and marketing…in fact if you ever do, get out of business because you are no longer growing. Business is always growing and evolving, just as you are always going to grow and evolve. Look back at this blog often to mold your brand and hold yourself accountable if you slip up! You can do this!

Why are my client’s nano links sliding out?

July 13, 2018Leave a comment

There is little doubt that nano links have been a revolution in the hair extension industry. They have provided an alternative to old fashioned methods like; tape-in’s, weaves, fusions, etc. as a way of attaching hair extensions in a non-damaging way. Since they were originally developed for medical hair loss solutions, they were specifically engineered to accommodate the most brittle, and weak of hair, while remaining discrete and promoting healthy hair growth of the natural hair.

Attached using a tiny painted metal bead, the hair extension is secured to individual strands by clamping a section of natural hair. The result is long lasting, discrete hair extensions that are comfortable to wear, safe for your natural hair, and easy to remove.

Nanos are usually a very secure method of hair extensions that also allow clients to care for and style their hair however they chose to: high ponytails, braids, updo’s, and because of the quality of Hair Flair’s hair, even perming the hair is an option. For all of these reasons and many more, are what makes them such a popular choice, however as with any kind of beauty or hair treatment there can be the odd exception to this rule. It’s important for you to understand the possible cause and solution to help better deal with clients.

Slippage is one of the most common issues that you may come across. Here are the causes and solutions to most of these issues.

Lets cover some of the top reasons why your clients nano might be sliding out

Conditioner

We all tell our clients during their consults that they are to come in with clean, dry, hair, on the day of their appointment, but we sometimes forget to tell them to avoid using conditioner. (They can on their ends, but not where the beads will sit.) Most conditioners contain silicone: it is the silicone in the product that gives hair its soft, shiny, and easy to manage texture, but since it coats the hair in a very fine layer, it can certainly cause the beads to slide easier than if the hair is bare and clean.

Not using enough of the client’s natural hair in the bead

This is a very common cause of the extensions falling out prematurely. Ensuring that you have enclosed enough of your clients hair is not only key to making sure the bead stays in place, it is ensures that there is enough natural hair to support the weight of the hair extension. It is not “easy” to thread the bead into the hair. If it is sliding on easy for you, you are likely not using enough hair. As a general rule the thinner the hair the more you will want to pull into a bead.

Silicone Beads

We know a lot of you use our silicone lined nano beads, and that’s fine as long as you understand they A) can’t hold as much natural hair because the silicone fills up a portion of the bead, and B) silicone’s are slippery (think of other products that have silicone in them; non- stick cookware, hair oils, personal lubricants etc.) So if you can work with non-silicone nano beads, you should.

Not clamping down hard enough with your pliers

Another thing I have noticed is girls will unintentionally clamp the beads onto the bond too lightly. Because it is unintentional, you may not know you’re doing it until a client mentions more are falling out than expected.

When is it the clients fault?

If you straight up ask your client if they have used conditioner, or oils, around the bonds, or have washed their hair too much, or have brushed their hair too rigorously, etc., they will feel on the defense and assure they have done nothing wrong. Instead, ask them about their aftercare routine without giving them any indication of what the right or wrong answer is. If they are in the chair, ask them to show you how they brush their hair. Ask them when they condition, do they start at the scalp and work their way down? (because they should not be applying to their scalp at all) Ask how long it is left on for. This way they are a lot more likely to be honest with you then if they feel like they have a finger pointed at them.

Excess Oil

In the very rare occasion, it may not be the fault of your installation, nor the client’s aftercare routine. Sometimes our clients may just plain have too much natural oil. Often, extensions can help better distribute these oils because there is now more hair to accommodate the oil with. Sometimes though, the excess oil sitting on the client’s hair can cause the hair extensions to not hold very well at all. This is going to cause inevitable slippage that your client will be disappointed with, especially if they were not pre warned. You can advise your client to use a dry shampoo on their roots to help control the oil between washes.

Hair Extension Inventory

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

Do I need to keep an inventory?

Aside from the cost of taking the course, the biggest investment you need to make is that of a decent inventory. Yes, need.

In a perfect world, a client comes in, you match them with your colour ring, and they agree to come back in about two weeks for their appointment. Then you log on to shop.hairflair.ca, you purchase your extensions, and they arrive a week before the client is due to come back.

Now in reality, the client has probably messaged several other people looking for A) a good price, and B) an appointment. Because once girls commit in their minds that they are willing to invest in extensions, excitement sets in and they want them now. You need to have hair physically in your salon.

Don’t you ship next day?

While we do ship out same day, (on orders placed before 3pm EST) shipping times fluctuate, and as much as we’d like to rely on the post office, you should never leave things up to chance when playing the shipping game of Russian roulette. Save yourself a lot of stress by keeping an inventory.

Why is it so important to keep an inventory of hair?

A lot of times, a standard maintenance appointment, turns into a, “can I add another bundle?” type of a situation. If you don’t have hair on hand you are losing money and leaving your client disappointed.

You might also have a client come in that has changed their mind on colour, maybe they decided they want an ombre look now, or they have coloured their hair the night before and it is different than the colour you ordered. If you don’t have the proper colour in stock you will have to turn them away.

Last but not least, do not assume we will have hair in stock all of the time. Like most popular online brands, our most in demand colours/lengths go, and they go fast. We have hundreds of clients like you, as well as salons, and schools across Canada and the U.S, so to avoid disappointment, you need to stock up and keep a decent size inventory.

Consider this….

Think of it this way – Let’s say own a restaurant. Your patrons would stop coming or making reservations pretty fast, if you didn’t have any food or ingredients in the kitchen. And you wouldn’t take a reservation, and then order the food, you would have everything there for your entire menu, so no matter what your customer ordered, it would be ready to be cooked.

If you expect to run a successful business you need to treat it as a business and carry inventory.

What inventory should you carry?

Our recommendation for a minimum stock list, would be:

5 bundles (1 Head) of each:

#60 Platinum Blonde
#22 Light Ash Blonde
#10 Light Ash Brown
#4 Medium Brown
#2 Very Dark Brown
#1 Black

A full stock list would be:

5 bundles (1 Head) Of Each:

#60 Platinum Blonde
#1001 Lightest Blonde
#602 Dirty Ash Blonde
#24 Golden Blonde
#22 Light Ash Blonde
#10 Light Ash Brown
#8 Chestnut Brown
#5 Medium Ash Brown
#4 Medium Brown
#3 Dark Brown
#2 Very Dark Brown
#1B Soft Black
#1 Black,
Dark Burgundy
Dark Ombre
Light Ombre

You should also consider having a full head (5 bundles) of #60 Platinum Blonde in the extra-long length of 26 inches, and #2 in the extra-long length of 26 inches as they are becoming increasingly popular.

It may also be advantageous to keep in mind the time of the year. While brunettes still want extensions in the summer, you may find yourself in need of more lighter shades than dark.

Lets break it down…

Did you know we have a lucrative, bulk discount program? You can save 30% when ordering your inventory, resulting in a larger profit margin for you! Here is how it breaks down:

1 Bundle = $ 69.95 (No Discount)
1 Bundle = $ 55.96 (Professional Discount 20% applied)
30 Bundles = $ 53.16/per bundle (Professional Discount + Bulk Discount (5%)
50 Bundles = $ 50.47/per bundle (Professional Discount + Bulk Discount(10%)

To put that into dollar signs for you, think of it this way: with your trade discount:

The cost of 5 bundles with your 20% discount is $279.80
- if you are charging 100 per bundle your profit is $220.20
The cost of 5 bundles with the bulk discount is $252.35
- if you are charging 100 per bundle your profit is $247.65

The bulk discount is automatically applied to your shopping cart in our online store, so just put in your trade discount code to receive the full discount amount. Hopefully this information is useful to you, if you have any questions, let us know!

Can I Colour my Hair Extensions?

February 28, 2018March 22, 2018Leave a comment

Something we are constantly being asked is, “can I colour my hair extensions?” The answer is yes…and no. Our Premium line of European extensions are of the upmost quality: True remy, 100% cuticle intact, real human hair, so the integrity is bar none.

When you process any hair, it negatively effects the hairs integrity, and the same rings true with our hair extensions. So it should come as no surprise that we don’t recommend it. Can it be done? Absolutely. In most cases it’ll turn out fine, but should always be done at your own discretion, and for this reason we cannot guarantee the hair if you decide to alter it. Instead, we suggest if you want highlights or lowlights to add a bundle of extensions in the colour you want. This way you are not over processing your hair and still getting the same result.

Can I highlight my hair with Extensions?

It is not recommended to highlight the extensions (as we’ve already mentioned,) however If you are touching up your own highlights, it is best to just get them in your crown and a few around your hairlines. Extensions are covering a large portion of your hair so it’s better to not highlight that area and let your natural hair grow out healthy. If you are adamant that you want your full head highlighted, the best route is to take your extensions out and have your entire head highlighted, then have your extensions put back in.

Can I add low lights to my hair with extensions?

You can add lowlights into the extensions, just try to avoid the bond. The extensions are quite porous and will suck up the colour quickly, so keep an eye on them.

Can I tone hair extensions?

In most cases, toning your extensions is the best option if you just want a slight colour change. It is not as harsh as fully processing the extensions with a colour treatment. If you are applying toner to your entire head make sure that you rinse the bond area very well and dry the bond area immediately. Click here to read our blog for step-by-step- instructions on how to do this.

Can I get my roots touched up with hair extensions in?

When touching up your roots, try to colour the areas that you can visibly see. (crown and hairlines.) The rest of your hair is covered by extensions, so won’t be very noticeable. If you feel that you need the roots done on your entire head, the best option is to take out the extensions and do a full root colour, then reinstall the extensions. Another option, if your stylist is comfortable doing this, is to have them slowly work through your head (with the extensions in) and apply colour to the regrowth only. It is important not to get colour on the bonds and make sure they are using a gentle colour.

Colouring Extensions Recap

Depositing colour is recommended, and bleaching (or lifting) is not recommended
Do it at your own risk, and don’t get colour on the bonds as it can cause the bonds to breakdown faster than they normally would.
Go to a professional to ensure no colour is touching the bonds and that a quality product is used.

Hair Extensions and Shedding Hair

February 14, 2018March 22, 2018Leave a comment

“Will hair extensions cause damage, or hair loss?”

This has to be the number one concern we hear in regards to hair extensions, but Hair Flair’s nano link extensions are the latest technology and were specifically designed for thin, fragile hair. They are the safest, most discreet hair extension option on the market and when fitted correctly by a trained professional, maintained regularly, and cared for, they will not cause any damage to your natural hair.
“If that’s true, why when my hair extensions are removed, do I see a bunch of my natural hair come out?”

The answer is simple.

The average person will lose around 50-100 hairs per day as part of the natural hair cycle. You only have to consider how often you clear out your hair brush to realize that you naturally lose a lot more hair than you realize on a daily basis.
With that in mind, I want you to picture one of your hair extensions clamped on your natural hair with a bead. Your natural hair is still going to shed those hundreds of hairs every day, but instead of coming out in your brush, or falling on the floor, in your bed, in the shower, they remain trapped within the bead with nowhere to go. Over the 6-10 weeks that you have your hair extensions in those shed hairs are going to add up!

Think of it this way: After a month or two (or three) when your hair extensions are due to be moved up or removed, you would have naturally shed around 12,000 hairs, a lot of which have not been able to free themselves from your hair extension bonds.

So for this reason when you come to your maintenance appointment, you’ll undoubtedly notice a lot of natural hair coming out with hair extensions, and this is COMPLETELY NORMAL. The hair extensions have not caused your hair to thin, and have not caused your natural hair to fall out.

Keep in mind that when you are wearing hair extensions for weeks, and months, at a time, you become accustomed to the feeling of having very thick, full, hair. When your hair extensions are removed it is easy to forget what your hair actually looked and felt like before. Just as it took time to get used to having extensions, it will also take time to re-adjust back.

Shedding is just the nature of the beast, however if at any point you do become concerned, contact your hair extensionist. A professional hair extensionist will have many years of experience in dealing with this, and will be able to answer any questions you might have, and really just put your mind at ease.

The key to hair extensions is also in finding a professional, reliable, hair extension specialist who is fully qualified, knowledgeable, and practiced. A simple look in the classifieds or social media platforms, and you will be bombarded with people claiming to be qualified specialists, so do your research and find somebody you feel good about and you’ll have no worries.

The Most Common Aftercare Mistakes

February 11, 2018March 22, 2018Leave a comment

We at Hair Flair Extensions, often tell people to treat their extensions the way you would treat your natural hair, and to not overthink things. The quality of our European hair and the method of installation makes them very easy to work with, however there are a couple of exceptions. Please read on to find out the most common aftercare mistakes and how easy it is to avoid them!

Sleeping with wet hair extensions

Do yourself and your extension technician a favour and do not fall asleep before your hair extensions have fully dried. Your hair is at its weakest when it is wet, so when you go to sleep with your hair wet or damp the roots can become intertwined, and will dry that way. Over time this will cause matting, because your bonds will becoming tangled. For you, this will mean a longer, and more painful maintenance appointment as your extension technician will have to spend a lot of time detangling (a lot of girls charge by the hour too.) As gentle as she is, there will be pain to you and breakage to your hair.

Conditioning your scalp

Another common mistake is over conditioning; rather, conditioning the bond and scalp area. After your extensions are installed, feel free to wash it normally, but you must remember to only condition from the mid lengths to the ends. If you put conditioner on the bonds they will break down faster, product will begin to buildup in the bonds, and the extensions will fall out easier since they’ve been lubricated.

Brushing too rough

Avoid taking your brush and yanking from the scalp downwards. It’ll cause stress at the bond and could pull the extension out prematurely. Instead, grab a section of hair and hold it taut, like in the photo, and brush starting at the tips working your way up. When you get to the top, hold the actual bonds as best as you can to complete brushing.

Too much heat

Never allow the hot stream of air from your dryer to sit too long in one place (near the bonds) as this can melt bonds over a period of time. A better idea would be to dry your extensions first using the cool setting. Same goes with your other heat tool; straighteners, curling rods/irons, etc. Avoid hitting the bonds with your tools – if the bonds do get overheated, the little metal bead gets stuck in the keratin bond and can be a lot harder to remove for your technician, resulting again in a more painful maintenance appointment for you/ potentially damaging your natural hair.

Over-toning and purple shampoo

A toner is basically is a semi permanent colour, so it does contain a small percentage of peroxide. We all know you blondes love your toners because they reduce brassiness, but beached hair requires the lowest volume so as not to cause damage. Our extensions do take well to toner, however you need to find someone who really knows what they are doing and has experience. Purple shampoo can certainly be over used as well resulting in dry, brittle feeling hair extensions so use with discretion.

Why you shouldn’t sleep with wet hair when you have hair extensions

February 11, 2018March 22, 2018Leave a comment

Can I sleep with wet hair when I have hair extensions?

The answer is NO. Sleeping with wet hair extensions can cause a few problems that you will want to avoid. Lets cover what sleeping with wet hair extensions can do to your hair and your extensions.

1. Sleeping with wet hair extensions can cause tangling and matting

If you go to bed with your extensions wet or even damp, you are going to cause a big problem at the root. When you sleep you tend to toss and turn and this means that your root area is being rubbed back and forth. This causes the root area to become intertwined and results in matting. Once matting occurs there is nothing you can do but go back to your extension stylist to have the extensions removed and the area brushed out.

2. It will be difficult to brush

You will wake up with unruly hair and possibly matted roots that can be much more difficult to brush. You will start brushing your hair more aggressively and not gently, like recommended. The likelihood of the extensions causing your natural hair and scalp damage goes up substantially since you would be a lot more likely to brush your hair more aggressively causing ripping and pulling.

3. Your hair extension bonds will breakdown quicker

Bonds, left damp will absorb extra moisture, and begin to break down prematurely. This means the investment you made in hair extensions you had expected to last for months, and months, is needing to be replaced sooner.

Moral of the story – go to sleep with dry hair. If you normally wash your hair at night, but don’t think you will have time to dry it properly before bed, just spray it generously with some dry shampoo and leave it in while you sleep. Even if your hair still looks oily in the morning, it is better than dealing with matted hair extensions.

Purple Shampoo and Hair Extensions

February 11, 2018March 22, 2018Leave a comment

Purple shampoo, the staple product for all of you beautiful blondes. With those icy tones trending big time, a good purple shampoo is a MUST and it’s all about the pigment.

What is purple shampoo?

If you are a blonde you should know what purple shampoo is and if you don’t, you’ve been missing out. Purple shampoo is used to make blonde hair ashier ( think more grey or silver and less yellow). You may think why do I need this? But if you have ever coloured your hair blonde you may have noticed that when it was freshly done the blonde was a perfect cool ashy blonde. But with time your blonde faded to a yellow blonde that you weren’t so fond of. Well purple shampoo can help your hair from turning the dreaded yellow colour and keep it nice and ashy if that’s the look you desire.

Using purple shampoo on your hair extensions

Can purple shampoo be used on extensions? Well yes of course but there are a few things you need to know beforehand.

Keep in mind that purple shampoo isn’t intended for daily use. Wash your hair with purple shampoo once a week or whenever your hair needs it, and keep using your regular shampoo between uses.
Hair extensions are very porous, so purple shampoo will deposit fast. That means that you shouldn’t leave the shampoo on too long otherwise your blonde can turn grey. Apply shampoo liberally to your hair and let it sit for 1 to 5 minutes. If your hair is very yellow, let the purple shampoo sit for about 5-7 minutes. If it still isnt the colour you want then apply again. Rinse your hair with luke warm, or cool water. This will close the cuticle of the hair, sealing in the colour and leaving hair smoother and shinier.
Overuse of purple shampoo can have damaging effects on hair extension bonds. Dont use it too regularly and try to keep it away from the bonds and just use it on the lengths of your extensions. Below is an example of a hair extension bond that has been weakened and is breaking down because of the overuse of purple shampoo.
Make sure your purple shampoo is sulfate free and a professional line. Purple shampoo can be very drying and using a cheap brand will not only wreck your bonds but also dry out your extensions.

What if your hair extensions turn grey or purple?

In the event your extensions soaked up too much of the pigment, another wash or two with a clarifying shampoo will remove the excess purple, keeping in mind clarifying shampoo isn’t necessarily healthy for your hair either, so try and avoid getting yourself into that situation.

Pre-applying purple shampoo to hair extensions

Most hair extension colours are naturally warm (yellow) so you may want to pre purple shampoo the extensions before installing them. Here are a few tips if you want to apply purple shampoo to extensions before they are installed.

Start off by making sure the extensions are bundled, brushed out, and have some sort of protection around the bond area. In the picture below you’ll see one bundle of Hair Flair Extensions nano links in #60, platinum blonde. We have secured the bond area with a paper towel held in place with an elastic band.

2. Fill your sink or wash station with a few inches of hot water and pour the purple shampoo into the hot water. Mix up the shampoo in the water until there are no clumps of shampoo and the water and shampoo is mixed thoroughly. Keep your extensions bundled and just swirl the hair through water. This will allow the colour to deposit evenly from root to end.

3. Once you achieve a colour that you like rinse the shampoo off to see what the underlying colour is. If you are not happy with it, put the bundle back in the purple shampoo. Repeat this until you are happy with the colour after washing away the purple shampoo. The longer you do this/ leave the hair in the water, more product will be deposited in the extensions. It doesn’t take long for them to go from icy blonde, to purplish – grey, so keep an eye on them.

Result:
Regular Hair Flair bundle of #60 on the left, toned bundle of Hair Flair #60 to the right.

What purple shampoo should I use?

When it comes to purple shampoo, money talks. Professional and salon brands are going to give you better results, so keep this in mind when you make your purchase. Some blondes swear by locking it in with a purple conditioner, however, as the purple shampoo does most of the work, we think it’s OK to use any conditioner you like. Check out our recommendations for purple shampoo here

Nano Link Vs. Tape In, Which is Better For You?

January 14, 2018March 22, 2018Leave a comment

Why Nano Link Extensions are recommended versus Tape In Extensions.

As professional hair extension stylists, we have seen it all, from damaging weaves, to poor installation and of course, bad quality hair extensions. However, one of the most common questions we are asked to date as trusted stylists is: Why do we recommend Nano-link extensions over Tape-in extensions? Before we get started on that, lets go back to some basic Nano-Link knowledge.

What are Nano Link Extensions?

Nano links are one of the newest methods of hair extension application techniques, offering a safe, comfortable and discrete application. The process consists of a tiny, metal bead that is 90% smaller than traditional application rings, along with a keratin tip that supports a metal loop, which is squeezed closed to form a strong tip that is inserted into the bead before being clamped with pliers. The extension is fitted behind strands of the clients’ own, natural hair before clamping to secure the bead.

Equipment Needed:

Nano tip hair extensions, Nano beads, looping wire and small application pliers.

Advantages of Nano-Link Extensions:

No heat or adhesives are used in application
No harsh chemicals to remove residues
Suited for medical hair loss (see more information on this)
Suited for even the thinnest hair
Smaller, more discrete installation
Versatile styling possibilities
More accurate colour matching and blending
If a piece falls out its only one piece versus a larger weft (leaving a gap in your hairstyle)
Safe & Innovative Technology
Reusable hair
No Damage
Promotes natural hair growth
Individual strand installation

Disadvantages of Nano-Link Extensions:

Time consuming (1-3 hours) depending on how much hair you’re installing
Regular maintenance
Beads may fade colour with washing
Professional installation only

What are Tape-in Extensions?

Tape in hair extensions consists of thin pre-taped wefts that essentially get placed between the front and the back of a section of hair. These wefts are around 1 inch in width and consist of a glue substance (usually keratin), which simply attach to the hair in minutes and last for around 1-2 months before maintenance.

This sounds lovely, right? WRONG. We will list the pro’s and con’s of this method of extension application as well, with an overall analysis of why we do not recommend tape-ins.

Advantages of Tape-in Extensions:

Fast and easy installation
Lay relatively flat
May come in high quality
Doesnt require alot of training to install

Disadvantages:

Chemicals required to remove the tape-in weft
When a tape-in falls out, a residue is left on the hair which catches and breaks your natural hair
Cant wear your hair up in a tight ponytail without seeing the weft
Sticky, uncomfortable
Detectable and harder to style hair
Limits possibilities of hair styling
If you lose wefts, a large visible section is noticeably missing
Thins and damages the natural hair with chronic application
Meant to be worn for occasional wear (ex. Wedding, birthday, etc.) Not for permanent long-term use
Susceptible to moulding if hair is not washed or dried properly
Harder to blend colours versus strand by strand application
Not a safe method for Medical Hair loss
Uncomfortable, heavy, thick.

And finally, WHY we do not recommend Tape-Ins:

I mean if those disadvantages are not enough to scare you away from putting these awful things in your hair, let us further elaborate. Through several years of extensive training and application on thousands of clients, collectively we have seen copious amounts of hair loss and stress on the scalp from chronic use of tape-ins. Not to mention, the removal of the wefts are strenuous on the scalp. It feels like someone is ripping your hair apart in order to get these “sandwiched” things out of your hair. Someone with fragile, thin hair will not benefit from this installation as the hair will be too weak and the extensions would be visible once installed.

The option of having single stranded bonds (nano-links) allows for maximum comfort, with no damage, allowing for a versatile look and endless colour blending options. The longevity of nano’s tend to last longer as no harsh glues are needed, resulting in between a 6 month to 1 year of reusable hair. Nano-links are more forgiving in terms of installing in more delicate spots around the face that other methods cannot discreetly provide.

Lastly, Nano-links are a safe method for women experiencing any sort of medical hair loss, as this method is extremely safe and light on fine hair. However, regardless of whichever extension method you personally prefer, just please ensure that you’re going to a licensed and trained professional. Read this to help you pick a trained professional and how to ensure you’re getting the highest quality of hair extensions.