“How much to do I charge for hair extensions?”

We get asked this a lot, both by people considering hair extensions and by stylists who are beginning to offer hair extensions in their salons. We don’t tell the stylists who buy Donna Bella hair how much to charge for the service--it’s completely up to them.

There’s no easy answer about how much a stylist should charge for a hair extension job. If you’re a stylist, there a few factors you need to take into account when deciding your prices. Some salons have a standard rate for extension services, but if your salon leaves it up to you or you own a salon, you have some decisions to make.

You’ll want to charge a competitive rate for your area while still making a profit. Ask other stylists in your area to see what the going price is to get a ballpark idea. If you price too high, you won’t get a lot of clients. If you price too low, you might be not earning enough money to break even.

Most stylists charge per strand (or weft) of hair, and some charge hourly as well. Let’s look at an example:

A package of 18” I-Link hair from Donna Bella costs $38.75, and in each package, there are 20 strands. That means each strand costs you $1.93.

Charge $5 per strand, and you make a profit of $3.07 per strand.

If there are 80 strands total, at $5 a strand, it costs $400 and you make a $245.50 profit.

If you were charging by the hour as well and it took about two hours to install, you might charge an extra $14, (assuming $7 per hour).

The point is to make a profit while still treating your client fairly. Stylists with more experience with hair extensions generally can charge more.

It’s always a good idea to be upfront and clear about your pricing to your clients. You might not be able to provide a precise cost to an inquiring client, but try be as accurate and honest as possible.