Hair Extensions in Fort Collins
The Parlour has been placing hair extensions on Fort Collins clients out of our Old Town salon since we opened here in 1998. We’re on East Mountain Avenue, one block from Old Town Square, and Michelle Smotherman has been the partner in this location for the entire history of the business. That means when you sit down to talk about adding length or thickness, you’re talking with a salon whose leadership hasn’t turned over.
Extensions are one of those services where the person doing the work matters more than any brand or method. This page is here to help you understand your options before you book a consultation.
The four methods we offer
We do four extension methods at our Fort Collins salon. Each one has a different install approach, a different feel, and a different upkeep rhythm.
Hand-tied extensions. Small hand-tied panels of hair sewn onto a beaded track that we set close to the scalp. They lie flat, they move naturally, and they suit a lot of hair types. Good for adding volume and length at once.
Tape-in extensions. Panels that adhere between small sections of your natural hair using a medical-grade adhesive tape. Faster to install than most methods, and the panels can be repositioned and reused across a few applications with fresh tape.
Clip-in extensions. No install at all. You put them in when you want them and take them out when you’re done. Good for occasion wear, growing back into extensions, or clients who don’t want a permanent commitment.
Fusion extensions. Individual strands bonded to small sections of natural hair with a keratin-based tip. Longest-wearing method, one strand at a time, so placement can be very targeted.
Two brands we feature: K-tips (a keratin-tip fusion method) and Bello Haven extensions. If your stylist recommends a specific brand at your consultation, that’s because it matched the hair, the goal, and the upkeep you can commit to.
Priced by consultation, and do they damage hair?
We don’t quote extension pricing on the web because it isn’t honest to. The final price depends on how much hair you need (which depends on your natural density and target length), which method suits your hair, and how many appointments the install and any color-matching will take. What we can say up front: we quote you the full number at the consultation, and you decide from there. No pressure, no surprises after the fact.
Extensions, done correctly, don’t damage healthy hair. Extensions done wrong can. That’s the honest answer. What “done correctly” means at our salon: an install placed to distribute tension evenly across the scalp, sized to your hair’s density, and maintained on a real schedule instead of stretched past its wear window. Removal done by hand at the salon, not pulled out at home.
If you’ve had a bad extension experience before, we’re happy to look at your hair and talk through what would be different this time. Some clients need a break before we reinstall. That’s a normal conversation, not a hard sell.
Color-matching and stylist training
If you color with us already, matching extensions to your existing color is straightforward. If you don’t color with us, we still match. Sometimes we color the extension hair before install so it moves with your color as it grows. Sometimes we color your natural hair to meet the extensions. And sometimes we set a color plan for both. If you’re thinking about balayage alongside extensions, that’s a conversation worth having in one consultation. See Balayage or Hair Color.
Every stylist in the salon finishes our Advanced Education Program after beauty school: six to twelve months of in-house training plus two annual events with world-renowned guest artists. Extensions specifically are a technique we invest in continuing to train on, because methods and products keep changing and clients deserve the current best.
We use Wella, Kérastase, and R+Co. There are a few products specifically recommended for extension care, and we’ll talk you through the ones that matter for the method you chose.
Book an extensions consult
Every hair type, every gender identity, every background. If you want extensions and you’ve been unsure whether a salon would take your hair seriously, book the consultation. We’ll listen, look at the hair, and be honest about what we can do.
Extensions always start with a consultation. It’s the only responsible way to price them and the only way to match the method to your hair. Call (970) 493-1375 or book online. We’re at 309 E Mountain Ave in Old Town Fort Collins. For the salon overview, The Parlour Fort Collins.
FAQ
That’s what the consultation is for. Hand-tied, tape-in, K-tip fusion, and clip-in each suit different densities, hair types, and lifestyles. Your stylist recommends a method after looking at your hair, hearing what you’re going for, and understanding how much upkeep you want to commit to.
When they’re installed correctly, maintained on schedule, and removed properly at the salon, no. When any of those steps get skipped, they can. That’s the reason we’re careful about who we install on and how often we ask you to come back.
Extensions are priced by consultation because the total depends on how much hair you need, which method suits your hair, and any color-matching involved. We give you the full number at the consultation before you commit.
Yes. We match to your existing color, whether it’s ours or someone else’s. Sometimes we color the extensions before install, sometimes we color your natural hair, and sometimes both. The plan is set at the consultation.
That varies a lot by method, by how you wear your hair, and by how much your natural hair sheds and grows. We set the maintenance rhythm during your first install and adjust it based on how your hair actually responds.
Book a consultation online at phorest.com/book/salons/theparlourftcollins or call (970) 493-1375.
