Are You Chasing Every Trend or Actually Understanding What Your Clients Want?

Keeping up with hair extension trends can feel overwhelming. One minute, it's all about sleek hair. The next, everyone's asking for textured shags.

A stylist named Hayley learned this the hard way. She saw a trend on TikTok. "Hush cut" with extensions. Looked amazing in the videos.

Three clients came in that week asking for it. Hayley was excited. She knew how to do extensions. She'd seen the videos. How hard could it be?

Very hard, it turned out.

Her first client, Maya, had thick, straight hair. Wanted the layered hush cut she'd seen on TikTok. The girl in the video had fine, wavy hair.

Hayley installed hand-tied wefts the same way she'd seen in the video. Cut the same layers.

It looked terrible. The extensions were too blunt for Maya's thick hair. The layers didn't blend. Nothing like the TikTok video.

"This doesn't look right," Maya said, disappointed.

Hayley had to remove everything. Start over. Lost four hours and looked incompetent.

"I thought I could just copy what I saw online," Hayley told me later, frustrated. "But it didn't work."

That experience taught her that trends aren't one-size-fits-all. You have to adapt them for each client.

Let me show you what she learned.

Check out Christian Michael's education programs if you want to learn how to customize trends.

Why Do Trends Look Different on Different Hair Types?

Hayley didn't understand this at first. A hush cut is a hush cut, right?

Wrong.

The TikTok video showed a hush cut on fine, wavy hair. Lots of layers. Textured. Looked effortless and beautiful.

Maya had thick, straight hair. When Hayley cut the same layers, they looked choppy. Too severe. The thick hair made the layers more obvious.

"It's the same haircut," Hayley said, confused. "Why doesn't it look the same?"

Because hair density and texture change how a cut looks. Fine hair floats. Thick hair falls heavy. You have to adjust the technique.

I had another stylist, Iris, make a similar mistake. Client wanted long, flowing waves like she'd seen on Instagram.

The Instagram girl had extensions that were slightly longer than her natural hair. Maybe 4 inches of length added. Beautiful, subtle.

Iris's client had shoulder-length hair. Wanted the same look. Iris added 10 inches of length.

Way too much. The client looked like she was wearing a wig. Nothing like the Instagram photo.

"Why does this look so different?" the client asked, upset.

"Because the Instagram girl added 4 inches," I explained to Iris later. "You added 10. Different proportions. Different result."

Both Hayley and Iris learned that you can't just copy trends. You have to understand why they work and adapt them for each client.

Browse Christian Michael's extension collections to see all options.

What If the Trend Doesn't Work for Your Client's Hair?

Hayley's second trend disaster was a client named Riley. Wanted super long, thick extensions. Like Rapunzel. She'd seen it on TikTok.

Riley had very fine, thin hair. Maybe 50% density compared to average.

"I don't think your hair can support that much weight," Hayley told Riley honestly.

"But I saw it online," Riley insisted. "Other people do it."

Hayley showed Riley photos of clients with thick hair wearing very long, full extensions. Compared them to what Riley's fine hair could support.

"Your hair is different from theirs," Hayley explained. "If I add that much weight, it could damage your hair or look obvious."

Riley was disappointed but agreed to a more realistic length and density.

The result looked great. Natural. Proportional to Riley's hair.

"I'm glad you talked me out of the extreme version," Riley told Hayley later. "This looks way better than forcing something that wouldn't work."

Iris had a client who wanted bright money piece highlights. Pink and purple. Very trendy.

But the client was a corporate lawyer. Conservative workplace.

"Will this work for your job?" Iris asked.

The client hadn't thought about it. "Probably not," she admitted.

Iris suggested face-framing highlights in a more subtle, warm tone instead. Still trendy. More workplace-appropriate.

"Thank you for thinking about that," the client said. "I would have regretted the pink."

Both Hayley and Iris learned to help clients adapt trends for their actual lives, not just copy social media.

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Do You Actually Need Different Methods for Different Trends?

Hayley used to use tape-ins for everything. They were fast. She was good at them. Why learn other methods?

Then a client wanted a high ponytail. Very sleek. Very tight. Like Ariana Grande.

Hayley installed tape-ins like always. The client wore her hair in the high ponytail.

"I can feel the tapes," the client said. "And I think you can see them a little."

She was right. Tape-ins work great for hair worn down. But in a very tight, high ponytail? They can show.

Hayley needed a different method. She learned K-tips. The small individual bonds were invisible even in the slicked ponytail.

"Why didn't I learn this sooner?" Hayley said.

Iris had a similar experience. Client wanted a voluminous blowout. Maximum fullness. Lots of body.

Iris's usual hand-tied wefts didn't give enough density for that dramatic 90s-style volume.

She switched to machine wefts. The thicker construction gave way more volume.

"Different trends need different methods," Iris realized.

Both stylists learned to match the method to the specific style, not just use their favorite method for everything.

Find a certified stylist near you who understands method matching.

What About Clients Who Want Every New Trend?

Hayley had a client named Zoe who came in every month wanting whatever was trending that week.

One month: curtain bangs with extensions. Next month: money piece highlights. Next month: super long mermaid hair. Next month: textured shag.

"I can't keep up," Hayley told me. "And none of these looks are working together. Her hair is a mess from constant changes."

Hayley had to have an honest conversation with Zoe.

"We need to pick a direction and stick with it for a while," Hayley said. "Your hair can't handle changing completely every month."

Zoe was resistant at first. But Hayley showed her how the constant changes were damaging her hair and costing her money.

They agreed on a longer-term plan. One cohesive look that incorporated trendy elements but wasn't chasing every single trend.

"My hair looks so much better now," Zoe told Hayley six months later. "I was making it worse by changing constantly."

Iris had a similar client. Wanted to try every color trend. Balayage one month. Money piece the next. Ombre after that.

"Your hair is getting over-processed," Iris warned. "We need to slow down."

They created a plan that allowed for subtle changes without destroying the hair.

Both Hayley and Iris learned that sometimes the best thing for a client is to talk them out of trends, not into them.

Check out Christian Michael's services page for ideas.

How Do You Explain Why a Trend Won't Work?

Hayley struggled with this early on. A client would show her a photo. Hayley would know it wouldn't work. But she didn't know how to explain why without sounding negative.

Client named Jade wanted extremely long extensions. Past her waist. She'd seen it on Instagram.

Jade was 5'2". The Instagram model was probably 5'8" or 5'9".

"Hair that long will overwhelm your frame," Hayley explained. "On a taller person, it looks proportional. On your height, it might look like you're drowning in hair."

Jade didn't believe her. Insisted on the extreme length.

Hayley did it. It looked exactly like she'd warned. Too much hair for Jade's petite frame.

Jade came back two weeks later. "You were right," she said. "Can we cut this shorter?"

After that, Hayley got better at explaining the why. Using visual examples. Showing clients photos of people with similar proportions to them.

"Now when I say something won't work, I show them why," Hayley said. "Most clients appreciate the honesty."

Iris learned the same lesson. Client wanted a hush cut but had very thick, coarse hair.

"The hush cut works best on fine to medium hair," Iris explained. "Your thick hair will make it look too heavy and severe. But I can create a similar layered look adapted for your hair type."

The client agreed. The adapted version looked great.

Both stylists learned that clients trust you more when you explain your reasoning, not just say "that won't work."

Browse Christian Michael's product collections for all extension types.

Do High-Quality Extensions Actually Matter for Trends?

Hayley used to use cheaper extensions. They were fine for basic installs. Why pay more?

Then she had a client who wanted a seamless balayage blend using extensions. Very precise color matching. Very natural.

The cheaper extensions Hayley had didn't have the right tones. The color looked flat. Not dimensional like the trend photos.

She ordered premium extensions from Christian Michael. The color variety was much better. She could blend three different tones to create dimension.

"This is what I wanted," the client said, thrilled.

Hayley realized that trendy looks require higher-quality hair. The cheaper stuff doesn't have the color range or movement to pull off sophisticated trends.

Iris had the same realization. Client wanted beachy waves. Effortless texture.

The cheap extensions Iris used were too shiny. Too perfect. They looked fake when styled into beachy waves.

Premium extensions had natural texture. Moved like real hair. Looked believable in the beachy wave style.

"I thought I could save money using cheaper hair," Iris said. "But it limits what I can do with trends."

Both stylists switched to higher-quality extensions and found they could achieve trends that were impossible with cheap hair.

Visit Christian Michael's contact page to learn more.

What Actually Matters?

After talking to Hayley, Iris, and dozens of other stylists about following extension trends, here's what I've learned:

You can't just copy trends from social media. Different hair types, face shapes, and lifestyles require adaptations.

Sometimes the best thing is talking clients out of trends. Not every trend works for every person.

Different trends need different methods. High ponytails need K-tips. Volume blowouts need machine wefts. Seamless styles need hand-tied or Genius Wefts.

Constant trend-chasing damages hair. Help clients create cohesive long-term looks instead of monthly changes.

Explain why trends won't work. Show visual examples. Clients trust your expertise when you explain reasoning.

High-quality extensions matter more for trends. Cheap extensions don't have color range or movement for sophisticated looks.

Hayley went from copying TikTok trends and failing to adapting trends for individual clients. Maya (the first disaster) eventually came back and Hayley did it right the second time.

Iris learned to be honest about what works. Saved clients from expensive mistakes. Built trust and loyalty.

Both said the same thing: "I used to think being trend-focused meant doing whatever clients saw online. Now I know it means helping them figure out what version of the trend actually works for them."

Ready to learn how to adapt trends for different clients? That's what Christian Michael's education programs teach.

Christian Michael Hair Extensions Team
Christian Michael Hair Extensions