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64 | BEAUTY LAUNCHPAD | MARCH 2017 B E AU T Y Faux the Record The great minds behind some of today's top extension companies give the scoop on brand beginnings and continued successes. COURTESY OF MANUFACTURERS Hotheads Hair Extensions @hotheadshairextensions "In 2003, we reviewed all of the hair extensions methods on the market. We quickly realized how damaging many of the existing methods were, and aimed to create an extension that was non-damaging to a woman's scalp or hair, yet also as undetectable as possible. Working with our German partner and wigmaker, Gunter Alex, we invented the fi rst medical grade tape-in extension. "We created the fi rst product line under our brand Hotheads, and introduced it into the beauty market in 2004. We then spent the next year working with technical improvements in order to offer cuticle-on remy hair, which resulted in what we know to be the best possible quality available in the market. "The original concept of our invention was to change the application of extensions from what was often a time-consuming, expensive and damaging process to one that could be accomplished quickly, safely and very simply. We wanted an extension that was simple to apply and simple to remove. I believe that we are viewed as a standard in the tape-in extension industry." Richard Schoonover, CEO, International Designs Corporation Great Lengths @greatlengthsusa "In the early 1990s, a salon in London was experimenting with hair extension services to a primarily European/Caucasian market. At that time, extension services were common in ethnic salons, but not those catering to a mostly Caucasian market. The consumer demand was there, but, at the time, the application system consisted of loose hair and a glue gun. A non-extension client of the salon with a background in the textile industry had an idea for a different method, and soon after cofounded Great Lengths. "The Great Lengths concept originates from the textile industry, taking inspiration from the heat-transfer system that bonded fabric to fabric on a molecular level. Great Lengths adapted this system to hair extensions, creating and patenting a method that molecularly bonds pre-bonded extensions to the client's hair, resulting in an extremely resilient yet gentle attachment with neater, more discrete placement. "To produce the best hair extensions available to the professional market—that goal is at the core of everything we do. Holding ourselves to this high standard permeates everything, from providing the quality of hair we feel meets those standards to creating training that allows a stylist to deliver an optimum application result. This can often put us in a position of higher production costs and more stringent training requirements. However, in the 20-plus years since Great Lengths was founded, we've proven that there is a clientele that's willing to pay more for those results and stylists who are willing to invest in a system that delivers those results for their clients." Brett Butcher, national program director, Great Lengths USA RICHARD SCHOONOVER BRETT BUTCHER