Hair Extensions Are a Labor of Love for Kelly Maxwell
Photo Credit: Dominique Phillips Photography
By Meg Hale Brunton
Salon owner, stylist, and hair extension specialist Kelly Maxwell expresses her love for women by giving them back a full head of hair with her own line of quality hair extension products. A hair stylist for the past twenty years, Maxwell has focused her professional view on hair extensions exclusively about a decade ago. “I’ve always been a big believer in ‘niching down’ in an industry. I wouldn’t go to a general doctor for a heart issue; they’d send you to a specialist,” she explains, continuing that the hair industry should be no different, with each stylist specializing in a specific aspect they are passionate about. “I only want to do the things that set my soul on fire. My heart just fell in love with hair extensions.” Maxwell says that most of her clientele are women who suffer from hair loss due to conditions such as alopecia, telogen effluvium, and trichotillomania.
In 2019, after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, Maxwell says that she became aware of the empowering effect that hair extensions can have on women’s lives. “It triggered something in me. It gave me a heart for extensions. I just found myself not wanting to do anything else.” she explains. “Watching the impact on women, letting them have their hair back when they’ve lost it- It is one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced.”
Maxwell says that women may enter her salon, Kelly Maxwell Salon, like a lamb, but after she installs their extensions, they leave like lions. She goes on to say how incredible it is to be able to make such a change in a person in a single sitting. “Hair is really great because you’re able to do it in one day. Being able to awaken those beautiful emotions in a woman in one day is the best feeling ever. Sometimes I think it’s more magical for me than it is for them,” she says, adding that no matter how exhausted she feels after completing one of her treatments, she is always rejuvenated by the expressions on the faces of her clients. “That smile I get to see at the end, that’s what I do it for. When I see that smile, it’s like this immediate reaction that happens within my soul.”
Besides installing the extensions, Maxwell has also started an entire line of hair extension products, Kelly Maxwell Extensions. All her extensions are made of actual human hair that is 100% ethically sourced and imported from European women who are paid a living wage. She explains that it took her two years to create a line that benefitted both the stylist and the client, and met the top industry standards as well as her own. “It’s definitely been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done,” she says of her line. Her wefts are all 8 inches wide, rather than the standard 10-12 inches, to prevent wastage. They are also pre-rooted, which cuts down on coloring time. They are the only extensions Maxwell uses in her salon, and she also wholesales her products to other stylists. Maxwell designed her extensions in shades named with words of affirmation, such as ‘Strong’ and ‘Hope’, which she hopes will inspire women and their stylists to discuss their individual journeys. “I wanted [the names] to be something that inspired the stylists, but gave the client the opportunity to tell a story.”
Kelly Maxwell Salon officially opened this summer with a staff of seven stylists. A self-professed serial entrepreneur, Maxwell has been owning and operating her own salons since she was 23. “I’ve always been a very ambitious woman. I’ve always known that I’ll be able to do whatever I set my mind to,” she admits. Maxwell says that she usually works 6-7 days a week, with her average appointment lasting six hours. Since each row of hair extensions usually takes her 30-45 minutes to install, and most appointments also include coloring and blending, Maxwell will often only have one appointment per day. She admits that her longest appointments take sixteen hours, so she tries to split them up between two days. “I work a lot. I never, ever turn people away.”
Maxwell says that she is always working to increase her skills, and adding to the services she offers. She recently completed multiple courses in Mesh Integration, and now offers that extension option in her salon, as well as Invisible Bead Extensions. One day, she hopes to have the time to begin her own educational program to teach styling, as well as hair replacement methods. “I’m trying to find ways to help women across the board, in all arenas and walks of hair loss,” Maxwell says. “I want to know everything there is to know so that I can help everybody.”
Attributing her drive and devotion to help humanity to her Christian faith, Maxwell says that her love for women is behind everything she does. “I love women. I admire them. I think they are the most beautiful creatures that have ever walked the face of this Earth,” she says. “Most of the time, women don’t know their value and their worth. So, it’s amazing that I get to be a small part, a little piece that gets to help women understand that about themselves.”
For more information on Kelly Maxwell, or to book your appointment today, visit her websites: www.kellymaxwellhair.com, or www.kellymaxwellextensions.com
