How much are Hair Extensions?
💬 Why Hair Extensions Cost What They Cost
An honest breakdown from a stylist with almost 40! years of experience.
Every day, someone asks me:
“How much do hair extensions cost?”
“Can you give me a ballpark?”
And every day, I answer:
It depends.
Not to be difficult—but because hair extensions aren’t a one-size-fits-all service. Pricing depends on your goals, your natural hair, the quality of hair used, and how much of it we need to get the result you’re dreaming about.
Let’s break it all down.
Since I mostly do keratin bonds, that is what will be discussed here.
🧠 What Are You Starting With?
Length
The shorter your hair, the more extensions we need to blend everything convincingly.
- Short and blunt-cut? You’ll need more.
- Less than 4–5 inches long? We can talk, but be aware that bonds may show, and we’re looking at 125–150+ strands minimum.
Thickness, Density, Texture
If your hair is fine and flat, great—we can likely start at 100 strands.
If your hair is thick, curly, or naturally voluminous? You may need 2–3 times as many strands to get a natural blend.
And if you want sleek, straight extensions but your natural hair is textured, keratin bonds may not be the best match—I’ll always be honest about what will work and look good.
Condition
Extensions can hide breakage, but the first inch or two of your natural hair must be strong enough to hold the bond.
Overprocessed, fuzzy, or chemo-regrowth hair can be tricky. I’ve done it—and I will if the outcome is realistic and you’re fully informed.
🎨 Color Affects Price Too
- Dark hair = cheaper hair. It’s easier to match and usually requires fewer bundles.
- Blonde = pricey. The good stuff is bleached slowly and carefully—no shortcuts. That quality costs more, and it shows.
- If your hair is multicolored, I may need to custom-blend or hand-color extensions to get it right. That means more bundles = higher cost.
👀 Let’s Talk About Hair Quality
There’s hair—and then there’s HAIR.
Some salons only use one brand. Not me. I’ve been doing this since long before “certified extension stylist” was a thing. I’ve tested dozens (maybe hundreds) of suppliers over the years. I know who has the good stuff, and who’s trying to pass off chemically treated floor sweepings as “luxury.”
The bad hair (aka: why it’s cheap):
- Multiple heads of hair mixed together
- Acid-dipped to strip cuticles
- Coated in silicone to look shiny
- Lasts a couple of weeks before matting up and tangling
- Impossible to reuse, often needs cut out
- Comes from resellers with no guarantees, no refunds
The good hair:
- Ethically sourced, single-donor, properly processed
- Can be colored, styled, reused
- Looks and feels healthy—because it is
- Guaranteed to last at least 3 months (and often longer)
- Backed by suppliers who stand behind their product
💰 Why My Prices Stay Reasonable
I could easily charge $1,000–$3,000 like a lot of salons do. I used to be booked solid in Seattle, and many of those clients still fly me out every few months. But here in Pittsburgh, I’m rebuilding. The overhead is different. The vibe is different. And I’ve always preferred to stay accessible.
I want to help more people feel amazing—not just the ones with fat wallets.
That’s why I don’t mark up hair. That’s why I offer flexible install options. That’s why I’ll always be honest about what’s actually needed.
💪 In Summary
Hair extensions are a custom service, and your hair is the blueprint.
If you want them to last, look natural, and actually work, you need:
- The right amount
- The right type
- The right quality
- Installed by someone who’s been doing this since before there were online courses and TikTok tutorials
I’m not here to upsell. I’m here to get it right.
If you’re ready to talk, let’s book a consultation and make it happen!