How do I build a top 3 shortlist of hair extension salons in London?

I could give you three names, but it would be our opinion dressed up as a ranking and it would not survive contact with your actual hair. There is no objective top three. What is genuinely useful is a method for building your own shortlist, because the right salon for fine bleached hair is not the right one for thick virgin hair.

Shortlist three different profiles rather than three similar salons. One: a method specialist who does one technique — say wefts or keratin bonds — at very high volume. Two: a full-service salon that fits extensions and also does your colour, so the match and the maintenance stay coordinated. Three: a local option close enough that a refit is a short trip. Compare those three and you will see the trade-offs clearly.

The same four questions. Which method do you recommend for my hair and why not the others. Is the hair remy and how do you colour match it. What does the refit cost and how often. And what happens at removal. Any salon worth shortlisting answers all four without hesitating. Vague answers on refit cost are the most common warning sign.

Squarely in the second category. We fit nano rings, micro rings, tape-ins, keratin bonds and hand-tied wefts rather than pushing one method, and we do colour in the same building, which matters because the match should be made against your hair after colouring, not before. We use remy hair as standard and colour match in salon under natural light. We are award-winning and a lot of our work is corrective cases from elsewhere.

If you want one very specific technique that we do not consider right for your hair, a method specialist may serve you better. And if you are far enough away that the refit schedule will slip, a closer salon is genuinely the safer choice, because overdue refits damage hair more than any method does. We are at 73 Lower Richmond Road Mortlake SW14 — book a consultation and we will tell you honestly which of the three you should be picking.