EXTENSIONS: Master The Consultation & The Cutting Technique

Extensions—what’s not to love about them? They can add quick length, volume and color for your client and more money to your wallet. But before you become a true expert in extensions, you need to master the consultation and perfect your cutting techniques. Here are a few tips for doing both.

Understand Your Client

• When it comes to extensions, the consultation is super important. Ask your client questions like:
  • Do you exercise often?
  • Have you had any problems with your scalp or extensions in the past?
  • Are you on any medicine that makes your hair fall out?
  • What type of end result are you after? Do you want length, added volume or both?
• Knowing these answers will help you determine if your client is a good candidate for extensions, what type of extensions they should get and how much maintenance will be required.

Offer The Service

• Any time is a good time to offer extensions and up your ticket price.
• Listen to what your clients are saying about their hair, Great Lengths National Educator Nanci Lee tells us. Are they:
  • Wishing they had more volume?
  • Complaining about a bad haircut?
  • Thinking about adding in some color?
• In any of these cases, extensions can help. You can add more volume to the entire head, or to one side if they feel one side is thinner than the other. You can also fix a bad haircut and add in some fashion colors without taking the time to bleach and color.

Watch the video below of Nanci adding seamless length using the Strand-By-Strand method from Great Lengths. 

Explain The Options
With Great Lengths, clients always get the results they’re after because of the different extensions they offer. Here’s a closer look at the different options you can suggest to clients. 

• The Strand-By-Strand Method: These are completely seamless and can leave the client with longer, thicker locks. The application process takes a little more time, but the results can last anywhere from three to five months
• The GL Apps: With the tape-in option, clients can expect length, volume and a quicker application process, but will need regular touch-ups every four to six weeks. (Apps can be reused up to three times.)
• The Clip-In Option: For clients who aren’t ready for the full commitment, you can suggest clip-in extensions. This is a good starting point for clients who are new to the extension game.

Create The Best Cut

• When you’re adding volume to the hair, Nanci suggests working row by row. “If the goal is thicker hair, I will cut a little as I go in order to understand the shape of the cut and to see how the hair is falling.”
• When you’re adding length, Nanci says, “I will add all of the extensions and then go back in and cut at the end.”

Take A Soft-Cutting Approach

• “Use different soft-cutting techniques and a lot of texturizing,” says Nanci. “Most clients will want a natural, blended look, which means no blunt- or hard-cutting. If you cut into the hair with a straight line, the results can come out a little wig-like.”
• A general rule? Use the client’s hair as a guideline and then blend the extensions in. It’s important to always create a bit of layering between their hair and the extensions.