If you’re already certified in hair extensions, you’ve already made the right move toward increasing your income as a stylist. Hair extension installations are the fastest growing service within the beauty industry. If you’re not already installing hair extensions, take the time to become certified through education and practice. It will be time-consuming, however, it will give you a great return on your investment for you and your salon in the long run. So how can you increase your income through hair extensions?

According to a 2013 salon survey, the average service ticket for a hair extension installation was $487. That price ranged from different types of installation, not just a full head installation (just one pack for volume, a couple of packs for highlights, etc…). A full head installation can go up to $1000 or more. Depending on where you are in the country, stylists that install full heads of I-Tip and Fusion are charging between $500 and $1000. The cost for all three methods remains the same, but the time commitment is different. Tape-Ins tend to be quicker because they are installed by wefts. I-Tip and Fusion are installed strand by strand. However, when it comes to removal, Tape-Ins generally take longer because of the extra time you need to make sure the weft is 100% clarified of the old adhesive, whereas I-link is just a matter of unclamping the beads and slipping them out.

As a stylist, you should offer all three methods since each client has different needs and preferences. If you’re new to the hair extensions world and would like to try out different ways to increase your salon services, there are a few things to try:

• Start off with an intermediate installation like adding highlights or season streaks (blond during the summer, darker colors for fall, university colors for college football season, pink strands for National Breast Cancer Awareness, etc…). You can easily make $100 per client by offering these services. It’s a great way to gain practice without having to do an entire head.

• You can potentially convert these highlight color customers into extension customers by positioning it as a commitment-free way to get color. Instead of putting their hair through the damaging bleaching process, hair extensions will allow them to get the highlights they want without having to worry about it fading or turning into a different color because the extension has already been processed, therefore, they get longer lasting highlights by installing extensions.

• Offer full head installations for clients looking for more length, more volume, or a new look without having to do anything drastic.

If you haven’t done hair extension installations before, we offer a free educational DVD that covers everything you need to know to get started with extensions, including tips and tricks on avoiding the common mistakes stylists make when they get started.