What Happens at a Free Hair Extension Consultation?

Extensions are the most customized service on our menu and among the most expensive. The consultation is where you find out what your hair can actually do, what it will cost, and what you are committing to. It is free, it takes about thirty minutes, and you are under no obligation to book anything at the end.

Here is exactly what happens.

1. We Look at Your Hair

Length, density, texture, condition and strength.

Density is the one that surprises people. It is how much hair you have, and it is what determines how much weight your scalp can safely carry — not how much you would like to add. It is the single most important measurement of the appointment, and it is why extensions cannot be quoted over the phone.

Condition matters too. Hair that is currently over-processed or fragile may need a bonding or conditioning treatment before it is ready to carry extensions. Length matters: below roughly five to six inches, an attachment has nothing to hide behind.

2. We Talk About What You Actually Want

How much length? How much volume? A subtle boost or a visible change?

Bring photos of results you like. Everybody does this.

Bring photos of results you do not like. Almost nobody does this, and it is often more useful. "Not that" narrows things down faster than "something like this", particularly around how much is too much.

Be honest about your routine too. How you wear your hair day to day, whether you live in a ponytail, how much time you spend styling, and whether you swim or work out regularly all change the recommendation.

3. We Color Match

Against real hair swatches, in the salon's light, not on a screen.

If you wear a single solid color this is quick. If you wear highlights, balayage or a lived-in blend, it is more involved, because matching to one flat shade would leave a solid panel hanging underneath a dimensional top. Extension hair can be custom-colored so your dimension carries all the way through.

This step is the difference between extensions nobody notices and extensions everybody does. A poor color match cannot be styled around — the only fix is redoing it.

4. We Recommend a Method

You do not need to arrive knowing what you want. Working this out is our job, and it depends far more on your hair than on your preference:

• Hand-tied (beaded weft) — our most-installed method. Usually the recommendation for fine hair, real length, and anyone who wears their hair up. From $1,500 including hair.
• Tape-in — fastest and lowest cost, and a sensible trial if you are undecided. From $800 including hair.
• Keratin bond (K-tip) — individual strands for hairlines, parts and face-framing, and the longest gap between appointments.
• A combination — rows for the bulk, bonds for the detail. This is what a lot of consultations land on.

5. We Explain the Commitment Honestly

This is the part that occasionally talks people out of extensions, which is exactly what it is for.

Hand-tied and tape-in need a maintenance appointment every six to eight weeks. Keratin bonds stretch to three or four months. You will also need to change how you wash, brush and sleep.

You will hear the full schedule and the full ongoing cost, not just the install figure. Better to find out now than four months in.

6. You Get a Written Quote

Covering installation and ongoing maintenance, based on the method, the amount of hair and the placement your hair actually needs. In writing, so there are no surprises later.

Why You Can't Get Extensions the Same Day

Because your hair is ordered and color-matched after we see you. Plan on one to two weeks between consultation and installation.

This is worth understanding as a quality signal rather than an inconvenience. Same-day extensions mean being fitted to stock the salon already holds, which means the color match is whatever happens to be in the drawer.

Sometimes the Answer Is No

We will tell you if extensions are not right for your hair. Hair shorter than about five to six inches, hair loss at the scalp level, certain scalp conditions, or hair too compromised to carry weight all mean waiting or doing something else first.

Sometimes the honest recommendation is a treatment now and extensions in a few months. Sometimes a cut and color gets you most of what you are chasing without the commitment.

You will get that answer straight, at no cost. That is rather the point of a free consultation — the alternative is a salon that says yes to everything.

What to Bring

• Clean, dry hair in its natural state, no heavy product
• Photos of results you like, and results you do not
• Your extension history, including what went wrong
• A realistic budget, so the recommendation can be shaped around it
• Your calendar, so the install can be booked while you are here

Book Yours

Call (972) 378-0091 or book your free consultation online. Mention it is an extension consultation so the right amount of time is reserved with an extensionist.

Lee Graves Salon, 6101 Chapel Hill Blvd, Suite 103, Plano, TX 75093, with free parking directly in front of the building.

Coming up from the city? Our guide for Dallas extension clients covers routes and timing, and the extensions pricing page has the numbers so you arrive already knowing them.

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