
Meet the Founder of Harper Ellis Hair Co., Terra Harvell
A stylist who felt she needed to build what she couldn't find in other hair extensions, in five years Terra Harvell has grown Harper Ellis into a $10 million business.
Whether looking to restore a strong perimeter in a hair cut, add face-framing highlights with chemical-free color placement, or give special-occasion style more hair to achieve an inspiration photo, Hotheads® master educator Natalie Ruzgis is a big believer that every client is a potential hair extension client. Check out her recommendations for building your own hair bank.

Salon owner and Hotheads master educator Natalie Ruzgis installs a machine weft on her client. “Every client who sits in my chair is a potential extension client, having a hair bank allows me to always come to the table with a solution for their hair challenges.”

Hotheads® has earned its reputation as a leader in professional hair extensions thanks to the brand’s robust stylist education, transformative solutions offered in all attachment methods, and premium 100% Remy human hair available in all lengths and shades.
With a full portfolio of tape-ins, sew-in wefts, fusion and specialty pieces, Hotheads® offers undetectable, non-damaging, instant solutions for any client concern that looks, feels and moves like natural hair, resulting in seamless blending every time, even for clients with thinning or fine hair.
To continue to arm salons and stylists with all the tools needed to achieve total client satisfaction, Hotheads® has introduced the concept of building a hair bank, allowing professionals to offer same-day extension services that increase revenue and client loyalty.
“Having a hair bank of Hotheads® in my salon allows me to color-match my client the moment we introduce extensions into the conversation and instantly offer the service the same day—totally bypassing the traditional week wait time between consultation and service,” says salon owner and Hotheads® master educator Natalie Ruzgis. “Whether it’s aging, post-COVID or post-partum hair shedding, chemical breakage or hormone changes, so many clients can benefit from even just a few pieces to add density and fullness in the hairline, and to address weak perimeters or corners.”

Jesse Marriott of Alberta, Canada, displays Hotheads extensions in this case. “Everyone wants what they want instantly! How can you turn a $600 day into a $2,000 day? Having hair on-hand allows you to bump that day up with minimal additional time invested." Learn more from Marriott here.
To begin building her hair bank, Ruzgis started to bulk order extensions when she noticed a pattern with how frequently she was ordering specific shades and lengths for her various clients.
“Just like with hair color, you might always run out of 9nb or 10bv, for example, so you order extra to have on-hand, I started to do the same with my extensions,” Ruzgis says. “By having Hotheads®’ most in-demand colors on-hand, I can quickly grab a few pieces from my hair bank to solve their hair challenges on the spot.”
Ruzgis says this hair bank concept allowed her to triple her numbers in a quarter, and support her on the path to becoming one of the most in-demand extension specialists in the country.
“Having extensions within reach gets my clients to dip their toe into the extension world and see how fast the installation is, and how simple they are to maintain—and then they’re not hesitant to try something new next time,” Ruzgis says. “Sometimes it’s just those few pieces that they need, but this introduction to extensions leads to an even larger extension service nearly 50% of the time.”

The Hotheads Consultation Color Ring is a great conversation starter. “Every person in your chair is a potential hair extension client,” Ruzgis says.
Ruzgis says her favorite way to introduce extensions to her clients is to have a display in the salon that holds a range of hair colors and methods, which often leads to a conversation about their own hair concerns. She also leaves her Hotheads® color ring on her station—clients almost always pick it up, touch it and ask questions about it.
When a client opens up about their thinning hair concerns, Ruzgis steps away from behind the chair and sits on a stool to talk with them face-to-face.
“It’s a tough subject and I want to connect with my client and make them comfortable when they’re so vulnerable,” Ruzgis says. “I reassure them that hair thinning can be very normal, and that the best part is not only do I have solutions, I can provide a solution that very same day.”
If you’re not sure how to start building your extension hair bank, Hotheads® has assembled a range of Introductory Deals of its most popular shades of tape-ins and sew-in wefts, including all of the products, tools and education to get started—and at a savings of up to 30%.
“I realized that if I invested in $300 of inventory of Hotheads®’ most in-demand shades, for example, we’d easily bring in $900-$1,200 in service revenue,” Ruzgis says. “It’s scary to invest money into extensions but, just like anything, if you build it, they will come—the return on investment is a game-changer.”

Belinda Benham of Indianapolis began building her hair wall by studying a year’s worth of ordering. “I set a minimum for each color, so when I start running low I reorder the color. The most popular shades at my salon are: 60A, 18/60A, 5/8, 6, and 4/5,” she says.
“I’m a big believer that every client is an extension client,” Ruzgis says. “When it comes to my clients’ hair challenges, I love to come to the table with a solution. Having Hotheads® on my toolbelt increases guest satisfaction every time.”
Ruzgis fondly recalls a favorite client whose signature chin-length bob began to lose its strength in the front as she aged. Ruzgis introduced her to the idea of just putting two Hotheads® Tape-In Extension pieces on each side.
“This minimal placement, with minimal investment, had a huge impact,” Ruzgis says. “I’ll never forget her smile when I turned her around—it looked even better than her natural hair. She put her hand on head and couldn’t feel anything. She shook her hair and it moved and looked like her hair—it was a total layered reveal of confidence, and she hasn’t looked back since. Even though her Hotheads® Tape-Ins are totally undetectable, she’s the person who can’t stop telling everyone about it and referring me—any stylist will tell you it just doesn’t get better than that.”
Learn more about building your own hair bank on hotheads.com, and discover the introductory deals here.

A stylist who felt she needed to build what she couldn't find in other hair extensions, in five years Terra Harvell has grown Harper Ellis into a $10 million business.

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