Wanna add a little flair to your look? Did you get a haircut and instantly regret it? Looking to quickly add a little length and volume to go from meh to marvelous!?
Well, that’s probably why you’re looking for info about hair extensions! And one of the biggest questions on your mind is likely – how much do hair extensions cost?
Spoiler alert…
… The good news is that you can find fantastic, quality, great looking extensions for pretty much every budget.
So to answer your question about how much do hair extensions cost, we’d ask you the important question… how much do you want to budget for hair extensions?
Because once you have a budget in mind, it’s easier to start looking for a great extension that fits that budget.
But you’re probably looking for a little more guidance than that. So let’s look at the costs of hair extensions a little more closely, shall we?
First, we’ll look at what things affect how much you’ll ultimately pay get that fabulous look you’re after. And then, we’ll look at some average hair extension prices for the different types of extensions.
What affects the cost of hair extensions
Many of the things that will affect the cost of extension are pretty darn obvious.
These include:
The quality of the material used (the better the quality, the higher the cost).
The amount of hair used (the more hair used for fuller/longer extensions, the higher the cost)
The texture/color of the hair (hair that has more curls/styling will generally cost more than straight hair)
The type of material used (more on this in a minute)
How the extension is placed (DIY hair extension cost less than those put in by a salon)
And, if you do choose to have a professional in a salon put your hair extensions in, how much the extensions costs will depend on where you live and what salon you choose.
Average Hair Extension Costs
There’s a big range of costs for hair extensions. You can find them for as little as $25 and can pay as much as $5000!
On Amazon, you can find extensions from anywhere from $2 to $350.
As mentioned above, one of the big factors affecting the cost is the material used. And they fall into two main categories: synthetic vs. human hair.
Hair extensions made out of synthetic materials typically range from $50 – $300. This is cheaper than human hair, but synthetics do have their limits. Most don’t hold up well to heat (they can even melt – yuck!). Also, they typically can’t be reused.
Hair extensions made from human hair are a little more pricey than synthetics. They’ll run you anywhere from $80 – $500. Human hair extensions are the most natural looking and longest lasting.
Of the human hair extensions, the best quality and most expensive are the “virgin human hair” which haven’t been treated with chemicals.
Cost of Hair Extension Application Methods
Clip Ons/Ins
The cheapest kind of hair extensions you’ll find are clip ons. These typically cost anywhere from $2 to $250. They are super easy to find and you save money by putting them in yourself and not having to use a salon professional to help.
Hot fusion bonding
This method uses hot glue to attach extensions to your own hair. Sounds dangerous but it’s been around for a while. This cost of this method averages around $400.
Cold fusion bonding
Cold bond fusion eliminates the need for hot glue and instead secures the extension to your hair using a keratin-based polymer. This method is expensive with average cost around $2000. However, it can least a really long time (up to 6 months or so).
Coil Hair Extensions
This method is where your stylist strings your hair through tiny copper coils. The average cost here is around $1500.
Weave
The most time consuming (and expensive option). For a weave, your stylist will braid the extensions to your natural hair. To get a weave you’re looking at an average cost of around $3000.
So there you have it. A good primer on what hair extensions cost.
As we said up at the top, there are super options for every budget. So decide on your budget first and then go out and find an extension that’ll get you the fabulous look you’re after!