“Less time, no damage, more natural,” is the tagline that Evolve Artistic Director Johnny Plant tells stylists to tell their clients when using new Evolve Extensions+.

At a recent class MODERN SALON attended in September as part of Evolve’s Certification education tour, Plant introduced attendees to the brand’s new Extensions+ hair extensions and taught his students how to apply them on clients.

This was the second day on the Chicago leg of the tour, out of three days of eight-hour-long classes. Day one of the extensive education classes covered how to install Evolve Volumnizer. Day three would go over best business practices and communication skills attendees could take back to their own salons. On this day, Gina Hees, Evolve certified stylist, taught advanced hair cutting all afternoon. In the morning, Plant introduced Extensions+ to the class.

Plant says these “lunchtime extensions” can be installed in 45 minutes to an hour, and involve no prep-work. They intentionally come in a flat cellophane package and are made to be able to be easily pulled out of this to be applied to your client’s hair. Short installation time means fitting in more clients throughout your day to apply extensions, which means a bigger profit for you and your salon.

According to Evolve, the revolutionary hair extensions are made of 100 percent of the finest Remy Cuticle hair, freshly cut and never stored or sourced from unknown collectors or unethical sources.

Plant says the difference between these and other extensions is noticed not only by the look of them in hair, but also by the touch. Evolve Extensions+ are treated with a Micro Polymer that locks in moisture to prevent dryness, smooths the surface and helps lock-in color.

The unique Connection Base ensures the weight of the extensions is distributed properly and puts minimal stress on hair, preventing breakage. Connection Points are beveled on both ends with a double rounded edge. The Base is attached to hair using a double flat knot, so the extensions hang down flat, rather than outward, and causes less twisting of the hair and in turn less chance of matting. “No glue or adhesives, no lumps or bumps,” Plant says.

They are applied into hair about ½ inch apart, depending on the density of the hair, on a slight diagonal and bear natural-looking results. They don’t have to be repositioned for at least eight weeks at a time, but should be done so to prevent breakage every eight to 12 weeks. The extensions themselves last anywhere between eight months to a year, depending on the client’s lifestyle.

When selling the product to clients, Plant says you can tell how many you can get away with selling by his simple trick, he told the class sounding jokingly, but completely serious.

“You can tell by the handbag, jewelry and shoes your client is wearing how many extensions and which color you can get away with,” he says. “And by what radio station they listen to!”

Use Plant’s disclosure at your own risk, but another thing is certain: “With Extensions+, you can break all the rules,” Plant says.

“The ease and speed of a tape-in, with no glue or adhesives and the look and feel of a strand by strand.” Evolve’s Extension+ hope to change the way we use extensions. 

Evolve Extensions+ are available November 1. Connection points and extensions are bought separately. Pricing can be found on Evolve’s website, evolvinghair.com.