What does it take to be an award-winning extensionist?

  Love helping people to make the best of what they have? Or better still helping them to be themselves only better? A role as an extensionist could be the ideal career path for you. Salon owner Inanch Emir has been named Best Extensionist at the Hair Awards three times, landed her in the Hall of Fame, has her own extensions range and an enviably long celebrity client list. Here she shares her advice for aspiring extensionists. "I did my NVQ Level 2 qualification at Enfield college and then stayed on to do my NVQ Level 3 while working part-time in a local salon called Dena’s His and Hers. "While colleges offer a great foundation for hairdressing theory; in my opinion, gaining the practical experience of working in a salon environment while studying is the best route to take. It was at Dena’s that I obtained my skills in basic ‘old-fashioned’ hairdressing.

A good extensionist should have advanced hairdressing skills which enable them to seamlessly blend the extensions into the client’s own hair

"From there I moved to Michael van Clarke where I did more training and worked for 14 years. It was there that I had the pivotal moment of my career: when my boss, Michael, sent me on a hair extensions course. "I immediately discovered that hair extensions were my passion and where I decided to focus. I wanted to learn everything about hair extensions from the options for application methods through to the different types of hair texture. "Being an extensionist isn’t just about applying new hair though. A good extensionist should have advanced hairdressing skills which enable them to seamlessly blend the extensions into the client’s own hair. "Colour blending, cutting and styling extensions are all essential skills if you want to apply the extensions well. You’ll also need to be able to offer a comprehensive consultation and a bespoke aftercare programme in order to get the best results for your clients. "Working as an extensionist is a job that comes with huge rewards. You can literally transform a client’s hair and help to boost their confidence and self-esteem by giving them the length and/or volume of hair that they have always dreamed of. "But there’s a downside. You’ll need to be completely honest with clients and that might mean advising people not to have extensions if their own hair is not in good condition or they wouldn't be suitable for them. Unfortunately the worst part of being an extensionist is that some clients don’t like hearing this! "If you’d like to specialise as an extensionist, you’ll need to make sure you are precise with your work. Always use good quality hair extensions and make sure you adapt with the times and always learn the new techniques in order to enhance the client’s hair extensions experience."