Your salon is a busy place, especially where hair extensions are concerned. The good news is—as with any art form—there’s a rhyme and reason to the process hidden in your hair extension tools. Efficient hair extension tools are vessels that:
With competitive price and timely delivery, EXTENTOOL sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
If your hair extension tools don’t do at least one of these things, then they’re not contributing to your salon’s efficiency. Here at Donna Bella, we make a point of introducing only those products that will have a measurable impact on the speed, ease, and accuracy of your hair extension process. We spoke with stylists Kayla Laumann (@kaylalaumann.hairdesign) and Linda Bangphonethip (@__linda_b) about how they use Donna Bella hair extension tools to cultivate a seamless salon practice, maximizing efficiency without compromising quality.
But first…
Why is it important to pursue efficiency in a salon environment?
While you might think that your works of art justify whatever amount of time and effort goes into making them, you can’t forget that your salon is not just a studio—it’s a business. As Kayla notes, “time is money”, and for that reason it’s a precious resource to be reinvested in your work, not recklessly wasted on tasks or steps that don’t add proportional value. On the other hand, both Kayla and Linda caution that hasty installations will only hurt you in the long run. “Rushed services are how mistakes are made,” warns Linda. In order to tread the narrow (but efficient) line between time indulgence and shoddy craftsmanship, you’ll need to establish a process.
“Having a rhythm and system(s) in place help to keep 5 star service and quality, and a speed that is cost-efficient and clients appreciate.”If there’s one thing you should take away from this post, it’s that the key to maximizing efficiency in your salon is getting very clear on what it is that you’d like to achieve. Every tool has its designated area of influence, as well as its appropriate uses/techniques, so you’ll need to select the right tools to help you conquer each area of your extension practice. Kayla puts it this way: “Just like other parts of our industry, like foiling or cutting, we know you can’t just dive in without having a plan or ‘knowing where you’re going’. Extensions are the same. You have to be able to see the hair that’s currently there, have a vision for what the end goal is, and then have a plan for how you’re going to get there.”
Start devising your salon’s efficiency plan and collecting all the tools you’ll need to achieve it with our Efficiency Tools and resolution downloads.
From now until January 29, , Donna Bella is offering 30% off of our most efficient tools, including: the Connector Belt, Stylist Tool Pocket, Hair Coloring Mat, Quick Pick Hair Parter, Strand Organizer and Strand Organizer Stand, Keratin Cleaning Kit, and Styrofoam Mannequin Head. We’re also providing downloadable resources like a Resolution Calendar and Appointment Pocket Guide. These hair extension tools are designed to trim excess time off of extension appointments, so you can make the most of every minute behind the chair.
Read through the line-up below to learn how Donna Bella Hair Extension Tools can help you attain greater efficiency in five distinct areas of your extension practice!
Related: How Much Do Your Tools Matter?
Selection, Coloring & Customization
The MVPs:
The technique:
Each of these products helps you to tailor your hair extension installation to the color and condition of your client’s hair (and to do so more quickly and accurately than ever).
Pro Tip
“Blondes are usually hard to match!” muses Linda. “I’ll always order 2 different blondes to make sure they blend!”
Related: All the Tools You Need for a Successful Color Job
Set-Up
The MVPs:
The technique:
Setting up your work area before an installation is key to keeping the whole affair running smoothly. For Kayla, this involves a precise layout that she uses for every extension appointment. “I have two carts to my right, one with the bundles of hair lined up, and the other with my Melting Connector, Protector Discs, Velcro Hair Grippers, rat tail comb, and two Duck Bill Clips. Having this system helps me to quickly move along because I look to my right for a split second and I’m able to reach exactly what I need.” Linda also uses a standard layout for her installations, featuring a starring cast of go-to tools. “I always have my Strand Organizer, my Classic Tool and the Keratin Bond Cutters present. I do a lot of Kera-Links so those are essential!”
The Strand Organizer is a popular option for efficiency-minded stylists looking to shave time and stress off of their installations. “I love my Strand Organizer!” Linda chimes. “It keeps my extensions neat and organized! Very helpful!” Kayla agrees. “We currently have the Strand Organizer on order and I can’t even wait to try it! Currently what slows me down the most if I don’t have an assistant passing me the strands, is trying to pull one strand from the bundle and a few other strands deciding they want to come along for the ride.”
Pro Tip
Linda shares that, “When I have an extension service, I try to make sure they are my last appointment. This ensures enough time so I am not rushed. I usually prep the extensions the day before. Organize them in my Strand Organizer, and cut the bonds in half--especially if the guest has super fine hair. This makes everything run smoother on day of service.”
Linda prepared these customized Kera-Link strands beforehand by cutting them in half with Keratin Bond Cutters to suit the client’s fine hair.
Installation
The MVPs:
The technique:
Your collection of go-to hair extension tools will often depend on which method you’re working with. Linda, for example, keeps her Classic Tool and Melting Connector on hand for her many Kera-Link appointments. Still, there are many hair extension tools that can be used for various types of hair extensions, including those used to facilitate parting.
Pro Tip:
“As my extension clientele grew I learned the importance of a cutting chair,” recalls Kayla. “If I had two sets of extensions one after the next, my neck and back at the end of the day would certainly feel it. The chair allowed me to sit up straight, alleviated my neck from being down all day, and of course gave my hips a break from standing.” Another benefit of the cutting chair? “It allowed me to be completely eye level with the row of extensions I’m working on. Keeping my sections even cleaner!” Kayla finds that, “When I am sitting and comfortable I am able to move at a much faster pace because I’m not trying to reposition myself or be in my head about how much my feet ache. Anything that saves our body in this industry is worth its weight in gold.”
Removal & Reinstallation
The MVPs:
The technique:
When it comes to Replacement Tape and Rebonds, efficiency means not needing to waste hair extensions after a single use. Rather than determine the lifespan of an extension by the health of the bond, you can replace the bond to your heart’s content until the hair itself begins to deteriorate--or until the strand becomes too short, in the case of Kera-Link move-ups.
The Styrofoam Mannequin Head and T-Pins revolutionized what is otherwise a laborious Tape-In reinstallation process by keeping wefts organized during the cleaning and rebonding process, thereby eliminating the need to re-blend the hair.
Pro tip:
Use the Styrofoam Mannequin Head to keep hair extensions tidy overnight, as it’s good to give your client’s hair a break between rounds of extension wear.
Upkeep
The MVP:
The technique:
Just like hair extensions, hair extension tools need a bit of upkeep in order to keep them working as perfectly and efficiently as possible. For Kera-Link tools, this calls for the Keratin Cleaning Kit.
Pro tip:
Make sure your Melting Connector is turned off and sufficiently cool before attempting to clean it! Don’t clean your hair extension tools immediately following an installation.
________________________________
Many thanks to Kayla and Linda for sharing their insights! To learn more about their salon practice and see their beautiful hair extension transformations, visit their Instagram pages and websites today!
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Extension Poles.
Kayla Laumann
@kaylalaumann.hairdesign
The article offers an in-depth exploration of Chrome extensions, detailing their architecture, functionality, and the security considerations involved in their development and implementation. It presents practical case studies and provides a comprehensive guide for creating a basic extension, encouraging developers to harness this powerful tool for innovation and creative solutions.
In today’s digital landscape, browsers have evolved far beyond simple tools for accessing websites—they’re now platforms capable of running sophisticated programs thanks to its extensions. Chrome extensions, in particular, offer a high degree of flexibility and deep integration with the Chromium browser family, providing users with a diverse range of powerful tools.
For developers, Chrome extensions offer a gateway to innovation. They allow developers to extend browser capabilities beyond native features, automate workflows, and solve niche problems efficiently. Let’s dive into what makes Chrome extensions essential, their capabilities, and how you can start building them.
A Chrome extension is a lightweight software module designed to be installed and executed within a Chrome web browser, built using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Extensions enhance or modify the browser’s behavior by injecting custom functionality. They run in an isolated environment but interact with web pages and the browser itself through APIs, ensuring security and performance. Additionally, extensions provide a user interface to facilitate interaction with the user.
Extensions can do anything allowed by browser APIs, from boosting productivity to automating tasks. Their capabilities are defined by the permissions granted in the manifest.json file, which we’ll explore further later.
Grammarly: A tool that analyzes written content in real-time, providing grammar and style suggestions across all web pages, including and document editors.
Freedom: A time management tool that helps you stay focused by blocking distracting websites and apps for a set period.
React Developer Tools: Adds custom panels to Chrome DevTools, making it easier to debug React applications.
Understanding the architecture of Chrome extensions is essential for efficiently planning and implementing your ideas. Each component plays a specific role in enabling an extension to interact with the browser, web pages, and the user. While the components used depend on the functionality of the extension, one universal element is the `manifest.json` file, which serves as the blueprint of every Chrome extension.
Here’s an in-depth look at the core components:
The manifest.json file is the backbone of a Chrome extension. This file defines the extension’s metadata, permissions, configurations and the paths to other components. It tells the browser what the extension does and which resources it requires. It’s mandatory for every extension and follows a structured JSON format. (For more details, see the manifest.json reference: https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/manifest)
UI components allow users to interact directly with your extension. They are essential for delivering a user-friendly experience and can appear in various forms:
Content scripts are JavaScript or CSS files that run within the context of a specific web page. They allow your extension to interact with the DOM of the page, enabling dynamic modifications or data extraction. Content scripts operate in an isolated environment, ensuring security while allowing communication with the extension’s other components through message passing.
Capabilities:
Background scripts (or service workers) run in the background of the browser, enabling the extension to handle events even when the user isn’t actively interacting with it. These scripts are ideal for tasks that require persistence or browser-level monitoring.
Key roles of background scripts:
Chrome extensions can significantly enhance the browsing experience by accessing powerful browser features. However, with great power comes potential risks. Permissions declared in the manifest.json file dictate what an extension can do, ensuring transparency for users—but they can also be exploited if misused.
Permissions allow extensions to perform a wide range of tasks, some of which can be highly intrusive if misused.
For example:
While these capabilities enable legitimate functionalities—such as form-filling tools or ad blockers—they can also be exploited for malicious purposes.
By understanding the capabilities granted by permissions and implementing robust safeguards, both developers and users can maximize the benefits of Chrome extensions while minimizing risks.
Let’s create a simple extension that changes the background color of web pages. Users can customize the color through an options page.
my-first-extension/
├── manifest.json
├── background.js
├── content.js
├── popup.html
├── popup.js
├── options.html
└── options.jsThe manifest.json file declares the extension’s permissions, background script, content scripts, action, and options page. The extension requests storage and activeTab permissions.
manifest.json:
background.js sets a default color on installation and listens for clicks on the extension icon.
background.js:
let defaultBackgroundColor = '#3aa757';
chrome.runtime.onInstalled.addListener(() => {
chrome.storage.sync.set({ defaultBackgroundColor });
console.log('Default background color set to', defaultBackgroundColor);
});
content.js is injected into web pages and changes the background color when it receives a message.
content.js:
initializeBackgroundColor();
chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener((msg, sender, sendResponse) => {
if (msg.action === 'update-color') {
changeBackgroundColor(msg.color);
}
sendResponse({});
});
function initializeBackgroundColor() {
chrome.storage.sync.get('defaultBackgroundColor', ({ defaultBackgroundColor }) => {
changeBackgroundColor(defaultBackgroundColor);
});
}
function changeBackgroundColor(color) {
document.body.style.backgroundColor = color;
}The extension uses a popup (popup.html and popup.js) that appears when the user clicks the extension icon. It also uses an options page (options.html and options.js) to provide a page where users can customize the background color.
popup.html:
popup.js:
const colorPickerInput = document.getElementById('color-picker-input');
const changeColorButton = document.getElementById('change-color-button');
changeColorButton.addEventListener('click', () => {
chrome.tabs.query({ active: true, currentWindow: true }, (tabs) => {
chrome.tabs.sendMessage(tabs[0].id, {
action: 'update-color',
color: colorPickerInput.value,
});
});
});
chrome.storage.sync.get('defaultBackgroundColor', ({ defaultBackgroundColor }) => {
colorPickerInput.value = defaultBackgroundColor;
});options.html:
options.js:
const colorPickerInput = document.getElementById('color-picker-input');
const saveButton = document.getElementById('save-button');
chrome.storage.sync.get('defaultBackgroundColor', ({ defaultBackgroundColor }) => {
colorPickerInput.value = defaultBackgroundColor;
});
saveButton.addEventListener('click', () => {
chrome.storage.sync.set({ defaultBackgroundColor: colorPickerInput.value });
});
After building and testing your Chrome extension, the next step is to publish it on the Chrome Web Store. This process ensures your extension reaches users while meeting Google’s quality and security standards. Follow these steps to successfully publish your extension:
1. Set up a developer account:
2. Prepare your extension:
3. Comply with Google’s policies:
4. Submit your extension:
By following these steps and adhering to Google’s guidelines, you’ll increase the chances of a successful launch while maintaining a high standard of security and usability for your extension.
Chrome extensions are a playground for developers, offering an unparalleled way to enhance the web experience. Whether you’re creating tools for productivity, enriching web content, or innovating with browser APIs, extensions provide the perfect platform to make your mark.
However, with great power comes responsibility. Extensions that misuse permissions can harm users by exposing sensitive data or compromising privacy. As developers, it’s essential to prioritize security and transparency. As users, staying vigilant about the extensions you install ensures a safer browsing experience for everyone.
By balancing innovation with awareness, we can create extensions that not only delight users but also maintain their trust. Let’s build a better web—together!
Qubika’s Platform Engineering Studio builds captivating web interfaces, harnessing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Collaborating with our UI/UX experts, we create visually stunning, user-friendly designs that adapt to any device or browser.
Learn More