Most stylists price the install and stop there. But the client who books an install becomes a client who needs a move-up every six to eight weeks — for years. The menu you build around that relationship is what turns extensions from a service into a business.
The three core line items
- The install. Priced with the cost-plus formula — hair, labor, overhead — as your floor.
- The move-up. Every 6–8 weeks the existing hair gets re-set higher as the natural hair grows out. This is labor-driven and, for tape-in, includes replacement tape. It's your most reliable recurring revenue.
- Hair replacement. Hair has a lifespan; eventually she reorders. Building this into the menu makes the reorder feel routine, not like a surprise upsell.
Always take a hair deposit
Require a non-refundable deposit covering the cost of the hair before you order it. You're buying a custom product for one client; the deposit eliminates the risk of eating that cost if she cancels. It also signals professionalism and filters out clients who aren't serious.
Build a reorder cadence
Track when each client's hair was installed and roughly when it will need replacing. Reaching out proactively — "you're coming up on a refresh" — books the appointment before she starts shopping elsewhere, and keeps your sourcing predictable so you're not scrambling for a restock the week of her appointment.
Package for the relationship
Consider bundling the install with the first move-up, or offering a maintenance plan. The goal is to make the ongoing relationship the default expectation from the first consultation, not something you re-sell every visit.
