Investing In Hair Extension Tools For Your Business

So you have completed your training and are ready to get started growing your own hair extension business, but before you get stuck into building up your clients it is worth taking some time to consider your hair extension toolkit, to ensure that you have exactly what you need. As you move from client to client you will slowly learn which tools you are using regularly and which you tend to stay away from, and your hair extension kit will become an extension of your body. However this takes time and experience, and it is helpful to get some insight from an established hair extension fitter so that you can start off on the right foot with your tool kit. You may have been lucky enough to have been provided with tools during your course, however if you have not, or do not feel your kit is as complete as it could be, here are our tops tips for your business essentials.

Hair Extension Forms

One of the most important parts of your hair extension tool kit will be your client forms. You will need to complete a form for each client during each appointment so that you have a record of the clients details and the services performed. There are many reasons why you are required to complete paperwork for your hair extension business, not least to ensure you have a record of each client you come into contact with.

Hair Extension Colour Ring

You will need a hair extension colour ring in order to accurately match your client's hair for a hair extension fitting. Colour rings are not universal, so depending on the brand you use you will need to use the same colour ring. SimplyHair offer a colour ring with a range of over 30 different colours, from your standard black, browns and blonde, to beautiful mixed tones for the most natural looking hair extensions, and flawless colour matching.

Hair Extension Attachment Ring

In addition to a hair extension colour ring, if you are offering micro ring or nano rings hair extensions, then a hair extension attachment ring is a life saver. Although you may thinking choosing the right coloured attachment for your hair extension client is as simple as blonde rings for blonde hair, brown rings for brown hair, you would be surprised at how unique each set of hair extensions are. A great example of this are your blonde clients who naturally have dark hair. Although their hair extensions are blonde, using a blonde attachment can stand out against the roots of your client's hair making the hair extensions visible, and in fact a light brown attachment is a much better suit. Our hair extension attachment rings is only £4.99, and easily clips onto your colour rings for easy access.

Hair Extension Pulling Needle

Again, for those looking to fit micro ring or nano ring hair extensions, a pulling needle is essential. This allows you to thread the rings onto the hair with ease and is a fundamental part of the fitting process. Top Tip: It is a great idea to have more than 1 pulling needle per fitting so that you can fill 2 or 3 full of rings each time you run out. This will allow you to fit the hair extensions quicker, without having to stop so regularly to refill the pulling needle!

Hair Extension Sectioning Clips

To help your hair extension fitting run as smoothly as possible, having the appropriate hair extension sectioning clips can really help to speed up the process. When fitting hair extensions, portions of the clients hair needs to be secured to the top of the head in order for you to be able to work on each row at a time. If the hair secured keeps falling down, or you require many clips this can become really frustrating for you and the client and slow the fitting down so that it takes much longer. To resolve this issue, you need sectioning clips that have been designed for hair extensions with extra grip, and an extra hinge to allow them to hold bigger sections of hair. Check out our hair extension sectioning clips available for £4.99.

Hair Extensions After Care Advice

Within your tools kit you will also need to ensure that you have a detailed aftercare leaflet for your clients. Whilst you should discuss aftercare routines with them during the fitting, giving them something which details the process that you can leave behind will help to ensure they follow the instructions and do not forget all of your advice once you walk out the door. The best way to leave your client with aftercare advice is through a leaflet, and we would also advise that you make note of the fact that they have taken an aftercare leaflet from you. This will ensure that you know each and every client has received the appropriate level of care to look after their hair extensions between your maintenance appointments. To find out more about the type of after care advice you should offer your client, click here.

SimplyHair Starter Pack

SimplyHair now stocks a Starter Pack for those joining the hair extension industry as a fitter. The Starter Pack inclues 1x Pulling Needle, 1x Colour Ring, 1x Colour Ring Add On, 1x Sectioning Clips, 10x Aftercare Advice Cards, 1x Salon Poster and 1x Salon Window Sticker. Our Starter Pack is available for just £42.95, saving 20% compared to buying the items individually.

Hair Extension Retail Products

You should also consider bringing retail products for your clients to purchase from you. These should only be products that are suitable for hair extensions, and in the best interest of the clients. We would not advise that you take retail products to sell for the sake of selling, but instead have the relevant products handy that your clients may genuinely need, for example hair extension shampoo and conditioner and hair extension accessories such as hair brushes and hair bands. You would be surprised at the amount of people who have had short hair for such a long time that they no longer own any hairbands, and will therefore not be able to tie their hair back on the first night with their hair extensions. You could put together a hair extension aftercare pack that you offer to your clients at a set price that would include shampoo, conditioner, hairbands, etc., that the client then has the option to buy should they wish to - or you could add this cost into your hair extension pricing so that it is essential for all. Learn more about choosing your hair extension pricing. By providing your client with the correct aftercare you can be sure that the hair will perform as it should, and the client will not encounter any unwanted side effects of using the wrong products.

Camera - Build A Portfolio Of Hair Extension Before And Afters Always make sure you have your camera with you - whether this be your phone or a separate camera, as you will want to take every opportunity to capture before and after transformations. This can then go on your online portfolio which is an excellent way to bring in new customers; find out more about portfolios here. It is also a great way to keep track of your own work and the progression of your skills throughout the first year of your business and beyond. Top Tip: Although we would encourage you to take images of every client for your own records, if you plan to upload these to your website or social media accounts, ensure that these are only the ones which show a fully completed set of hair extensions. From time to time you may come across a client who is in a rush and does not have time for you to fully straighten the hair extensions once the fitting is complete, or who plans to colour their own hair as it may have faded between the consultation date and fitting appointment. These images advertise your services to others, so make sure you chose the best of the best! Additional Services For Your Hair Extension Business: Hair Dryer, Straighteners And Curling Tongs Depending on the level of service you are offering your clients, you may also want to bring with you a hair dryer, hair straighteners and curling tongs. Although hair extensions are of course fitted in dry hair, you may be surprised to find that some clients will still have wet hair when you arrive for the fitting. This could be for a number of reasons including that they misunderstood your instructions for preparing for their fitting. Learn how to effectively prepare your client for a hair extension fitting. Hair straighteners are also an essential tool for a variety of reasons. Again, if your client has failed to prepare their hair correctly by straightening before you arrive, this will allow you to do it for them so that you can proceed with the fitting as quickly as possible. Once the extensions have been fitted you can them use them again to straighten out any kinks which will help with blending and make a great portfolio picture. Finally, curling tongs are more of an optional item depending on the services you offer. After the fitting you may decide to throw in a complimentary hair curl to set yourself apart from other hair extensionists in your area, or you may choose to have this as an additional service that your client can purchase. This will not be for everyone, however for those that like their hair curled this is a quick fire way of impressing them with your attention to detail and customer service skills. Additional Items For Your Hair Extension Tool Kit As there are so many different tools you could use in your business, here are a few others to consider if you do not already have them to hand or with your course. Pliers Scissors Heat connector Heat guard Heat protection mat Vanity box Comb SimplyHair Trade Account Are you a new mobile hair extension business? At SimplyHair not only do we offer very competitive pricing, we also offer an exclusive trade discount to our professional customers. A trade account is quick and instant to set up, simply click on the image below to submit your application.