How Ashleigh Got Into Extensions

When a client asks me "who should I see for extensions?" the answer is always Ashleigh. She is the one in our team who lives and breathes them. I wanted to write something about how she got here, because most clients only see what happens in the chair. They do not see the four years of practice, the courses, the test heads, and the bad hair days that taught her what works.

She did not start with extensions

Ashleigh trained as a hairdresser the same way every junior in our salon trains. Cuts. Blow drys. Prepping foils. Washing hair. Watching the senior stylists and asking questions when the salon was quiet. She was good at it. Steady, patient, the kind of stylist who actually listens when a client says "shorter than last time, I had to keep tying it up."

Extensions came later. A client came in wanting tape extensions, our installer at the time had moved on, and Ashleigh said she would train. That was about four years ago. She started with one method, got properly hooked, and kept going. Within a year she was the person other stylists asked when they had a question about an extensions client.

The training never really stops

People do not realise how much goes into being good at extensions. Ashleigh has done courses on nano rings, tape ins, and weft. Every method has its own rules, its own removal process, its own way of sitting on different hair types. What works on thick straight hair will not work on fine wavy hair. What looks great on a 25 year old will not always work on a 50 year old, because life happens and so does menopause.

She still books refresher days. She watches new techniques and talks to suppliers about what they are seeing in other salons. When products change, she tests them on a training head before she will use them on a paying client. That is the unglamorous part of the job and it is the reason her installs hold and the reason your own hair stays in good nick underneath.

Why she will not always sell you the most expensive method

Ask Ashleigh what extensions you should get and the first thing she does is look at your hair. There is no flat answer she gives every client. Fine hair gets one answer. Thick hair gets another. Hair that has been bleached to within an inch of its life gets a different conversation altogether.

She charges by the hour because every head is different. Nano extensions are £55 an hour. Tape is £60 to £70 an hour. Weft is £70 to £80 an hour. The price you pay depends on how long the install takes and how much hair you actually need, not a flat fee that may or may not fit your situation. Some clients walk out paying less than they expected. A few pay more, because their hair is doing more than they realised. Either way, you know the number before she starts.

What clients say after their first appointment

The most common thing I hear after a new client sees Ashleigh is "I had no idea they would feel this comfortable." Extensions done badly are heavy, itchy, and obvious. Done properly they should sit on your head and you should forget they are there. After two days you should be sleeping in them without thinking about it.

The second thing I hear is "she did not try to upsell me." Ashleigh will tell a client to come back in three months instead of six if that is what their hair needs, but she will also tell someone they do not need a full head when a half head will do the job. That kind of honesty is why she has clients who travel from Hitchin and St Albans to see her, and a few from further afield who get the train down.

Booking with her

Ashleigh's diary fills up quicker than the rest of the team's, especially around wedding season and the run up to Christmas. If you are thinking about extensions, a consultation is free and does not commit you to anything. She will have a look at your hair, talk you through the realistic options, and give you a time and cost estimate before you book the install.

Call us on 01582 730381 or book online. We are at Shop 660, Jansel House, Hitchin Road, Stopsley, Luton. Tuesday and Wednesday we are open until 8pm if you can only get in after work, and Saturdays we run until 4:30. Klarna is available if you want to spread the cost.