The hair extension consultation: what to ask before you touch the hair

Assess before you promise

Check density at the crown and temples, scalp condition, breakage history and any chemical service in the last month. Only after this can you say what length is realistic. Naming a result before assessing is how masters end up doing free corrections.

The questions that prevent complaints

• How often do you wash your hair, and do you dry it before bed?
• Do you swim, use a sauna, or train daily?
• Do you wear your hair up most days?
• Have you had extensions before — what did you dislike?
• What is the occasion, and how long do you want to wear them?

The answer about sleeping with wet hair alone predicts more future problems than any technical detail.

Manage the length expectation

Clients bring photographs of results that were achieved on different hair. Explain what her own density can carry, and offer a compromise: slightly less length with more density usually looks better than the maximum length her hair can barely support.

Talk about money clearly

Separate the hair, the materials and your work. State the correction price at the first consultation, not at the second visit. A client who learns about correction cost three months later feels misled even when nothing was hidden.

Write it down

Record shade, strand count, capsule size, zones treated and the agreed correction date. This record is what allows you to reproduce a result, defend a decision and plan the next appointment without guessing.

When to say no

Freshly bleached hair, active scalp irritation, ongoing hair loss, or unrealistic expectations that the client will not adjust. Refusing one booking costs far less than a damaged client telling her circle about it.