'Grown-up' hair extensions made me feel 10 years younger - no wonder stylists say they're on the rise

Do you have fine hair that falls flat? Perhaps you’ve experienced some post-partum hair loss? Or maybe your hair just won’t grow past your shoulders? Whatever your gripe, the answer could be hair extensions.

Anyone who knows me knows I always have a long-term hair plan. Before my wedding, I wore my hair up for weeks knowing that it would be long and loose on the Big Day. I’ll cut a fringe in winter to grow out in time for summer.

A couple of years ago I chopped my hair off into a bob, hoping I'd have enough time to get back to Rapunzel-length in time for the big 4-0 this year. That didn’t quite work out, and come 2026, it was sitting at a very nothing-y, in-betweeny midi length. So there was one thing for it - hair extensions.

How hair extensions helped me feel 10 years younger

"Over the last year, we've seen a huge increase in the demand for hair extensions and hair pieces," says Hadley Yates, celebrity extensionist and Co-Founder Hadley Yates Salon. "The majority of women coming in are looking to address hair loss, which can be attributed to weight loss jabs, hormonal issues or stress."

If you’re considering adding extra length, volume and fullness, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about getting extensions, from the different types to essential aftercare and maintenance.

What are the benefits of hair extensions in midlife?

In my case, hair extensions were used to add instant inches, but they've also bulked up my ends, which were looking a bit straggly, giving my hair a luscious, healthy appearance.

James Silk, Senior Extensionist at Hadley Yates Salon - and the man behind my own age-rewinding locks - notes that over the years his clientele has got older, with a priority on adding fullness over length. “Many women, particularly in their 40s, 50s and beyond, are coming in to address thinning or loss of density rather than to gain inches,” he explains. “They want their hair to look like it did ten or twenty years ago - healthier, thicker and more resilient.”

Increasingly, hair extensions are being used to tweak the colour without using dye. “Extensions are an incredible way to add depth, highlights or lowlights without committing to chemical colour,” explains James.

“I often work alongside our colourists so we can do minimal colouring to the natural hair and let the extensions do the rest of the work. It’s a brilliant option for women who want brightness around the face or added dimension without over-processing their own hair.”

What happened when our beauty editor tried hair extensions?

I visited Hadley Yates Salon with a strict brief - help me look like I did on my wedding day, 13 years ago. My hair was long, thick and healthy-looking. Fast-forward to the current day, and it lacks the pizzazz it once had. I don’t know if it’s an age thing, a hormonal thing, a post-partum hair loss thing, but it’s just not as thick or lustrous as it was.

James and I had a thorough consultation before my appointment. We discussed my references, expectations, and lifestyle. He advised that keratin bond extensions would be lower maintenance for me, and would last for four months without the need for move-up appointments in between.

On the day, he played around with a few shades until he found two that blended perfectly with my own soft balayage. My hair was washed and blow-dried, then James began the process of attaching the keratin tips to my own hair. He used 120 pieces in total, which took about two hours. He then trimmed the lengths and cut into the front section to blend the layers with my own hair and create a seamless transition.

As soon as I left the salon, I felt like a different person. I’ve always seen my long hair as a bit of a comfort blanket, and I suddenly felt more confident, more put-together, more youthful. What James created was exactly like the hair I enjoyed on my wedding day, 13 years earlier. Revisiting the length, the fullness, the vitality of my twenties has made me feel fresher and younger.

As James neatly summarises, “For many women, extensions are not about transformation; they’re about restoring what time, stress or hormones may have taken away. That confidence boost can be genuinely life-changing.”

How to care for your extensions

Do hair extensions work for everyone?

“Most of the time, yes, but expectations have to be realistic,” explains James. “Many clients come in for a consultation worried their hair isn’t suitable, and often there’s more we can do than they think. The only time I would advise against extensions entirely is when hair is extremely fine and sparse to the point where the scalp is very visible, as that can make the attachments difficult to disguise."