Ella McNaughton is Considered One of the Best Hair Extension Stylists in the World

Meet Ella

Ella is a professional hairstylist and hair extension specialist based in Lafayette, Colorado.

She graduated from Phagans School of Hair Design and is a licensed cosmetologist in both Colorado and Oregon. Since beginning her career behind the chair, Ella has continued investing in advanced education to expand her knowledge of hair extensions, color, blonding, and customized hair services.

Hair extensions have become one of the central focuses of her work.

Rather than specializing in only one installation technique, Ella has pursued training across the extension methods she offers so that recommendations can be based on the client’s hair instead of the limitations of a single system.

Ella’s Hair Extension Qualifications

Hair extension services require technical knowledge, careful placement, color expertise, and hands-on experience.

Ella’s professional qualifications include:

• Licensed cosmetologist in Colorado
• Licensed cosmetologist in Oregon
• Certified in almost every hair extension method
• Christian Michael certified
• Professional education with L’Oréal Professionnel
• Ongoing independent advanced color education
• More than 100 hair extension clients served
• More than 30 five-star Google reviews
• Hands-on experience with extension installation, blending, removal, and maintenance
• A growing portfolio of real client transformations

Her education does not stop when a certification is completed. Ella regularly pursues additional training on her own to continue improving her understanding of modern color techniques and extension services.

That continued education is particularly important with extensions because application technique is only one part of creating a natural result.

More Than 100 Hair Extension Clients Served

Experience behind the chair gives a stylist something that cannot be learned through certification alone.

Ella has now worked with more than 100 hair extension clients, giving her experience with a wide variety of natural hair densities, lengths, colors, and desired outcomes.

Some clients want dramatic length. Others simply want fuller ends or additional volume that still looks completely natural.

That experience helps Ella determine when a particular extension method makes sense and how the placement should be adjusted for the individual client.

There is no single extension installation that works perfectly for everyone.

Certified in Every Extension Method She Offers

One of the advantages of working with Ella is that clients are not automatically pushed toward a single extension system.

Ella is certified in nearly every extension method possible.

This allows the consultation to begin with the client rather than the technique.

Ella can consider the condition of the natural hair, density, desired result, lifestyle, styling habits, and maintenance preferences before recommending an extension method.

That gives clients more flexibility and allows the installation to be customized around their individual hair.

Hair Extension Methods Offered by Ella

K-Tip Hair Extensions

K-tip extensions use individually placed strands that can create natural movement and allow for highly customized placement throughout the hair.

Because each extension is installed individually, K-tips can be especially useful when strategic placement is important for achieving a natural blend.

Ella customizes the number, placement, color, and overall installation based on the client’s natural hair and desired result.

Hidden Bead Hair Extensions

Hidden bead extensions are designed to create length and fullness while keeping the attachment points discreet within the hair.

Careful sectioning and placement are important to creating an installation that looks natural when the hair is worn down or styled.

Ella evaluates the client’s density and overall goals before determining whether a hidden bead installation is appropriate.

Hand-Tied Hair Extensions

Hand-tied extensions are commonly chosen by clients looking for additional volume and length while maintaining a smooth, blended appearance.

The number of rows and amount of extension hair used can be customized based on the client’s natural density and desired transformation.

Hybrid Hair Extensions

Sometimes the best result does not come from using only one extension technique.

Hybrid extensions allow Ella to combine methods when different areas of the hair would benefit from different types of placement.

This can provide additional flexibility when creating customized length, volume, or blending.

Tape-In Hair Extensions

Tape-in extensions provide another option for clients wanting additional fullness or length.

Proper placement and color matching are essential to making tape-in extensions integrate naturally with the client’s existing hair.

Clip-In Hair Extensions

For clients who want temporary length or volume, clip-in extensions can provide flexibility without committing to a permanent installation.

They can be used for special occasions, styling, or clients who simply prefer the ability to remove their extensions whenever they choose.

Hair Toppers

Hair toppers can provide additional fullness and coverage for clients experiencing lower density in particular areas.

Proper color matching, placement, and blending help the topper integrate with the client’s natural hair rather than appearing separate from it.

Advanced Hair Color Education

Great hair extensions should not simply match the length of the client’s hair. They also need to work with the color.

Ella has completed professional education with L’Oréal Professionnel and continues pursuing advanced color education independently.

That additional color knowledge plays an important role in extension work.

Natural hair often contains multiple tones rather than one uniform shade. Highlights, lowlights, blonding, dimensional brunette color, and other techniques can make matching extension hair more complex than simply selecting a single color from a swatch.

Understanding color helps Ella create a transition between the client’s natural hair and the extension hair that feels intentional and cohesive.

Natural-Looking Hair Extension Results

One of the biggest goals of professional hair extensions is making the finished result look natural.

Extensions should add the length or fullness the client wants without creating an obvious divide between the natural hair and extension hair.

Ella focuses on several details when creating that blend.

The extension color needs to complement the natural hair. Placement should work with the client’s existing density. The amount of added hair should make sense for the desired result.

Once the extensions are installed, shaping and styling can further integrate the natural hair with the new length and volume.

The goal is not simply to give someone more hair.

The goal is to create a finished result that feels like their hair.

Real Hair Extension Transformations

Clients considering extensions can view Ella’s work through the Hair by Ella transformation gallery.

The gallery includes real client transformations showing examples of added length, increased fullness, dimensional color, and customized extension work.

See Ella’s Gallery

Before-and-after photos are one of the best ways to evaluate an extension stylist because they allow potential clients to see the stylist’s actual work rather than relying only on descriptions.

Clients can look closely at the overall blend, transition through the ends, color matching, and how naturally the extensions integrate with the existing hair.

30+ Five-Star Google Reviews

Hair by Ella has earned more than 30 five-star Google reviews from clients.

For someone researching a hair extension stylist, client feedback can provide valuable insight into more than the finished hairstyle.

Reviews can help potential clients understand the consultation experience, communication, comfort level, service, and how clients feel about their results after leaving the salon.

Ella’s growing collection of five-star reviews reflects the experience clients have had working with her and provides another way for new clients to learn about Hair by Ella before scheduling an appointment.

A Personalized Hair Extension Consultation

A successful extension installation starts before any hair is installed.

During a consultation, Ella can evaluate the client’s current hair and discuss what they want to achieve.

Factors such as natural density, existing length, color, desired fullness, styling habits, and maintenance expectations can all influence the recommendation.

For example, a client primarily looking to add density through the ends may require a completely different installation than someone looking for a major increase in length.

The consultation allows those differences to be considered before choosing the extension method.

Hair Extensions Designed Around Your Natural Hair

Ella does not believe every client should leave with the same extension installation.

One client may want dramatic length.

Another may already have long hair but want additional density.

Someone else may want extensions primarily to create a fuller overall shape or support a specific hairstyle.

The extension method, placement, amount of hair, and blending should reflect those differences.

By being trained across the methods she offers, Ella can approach the service from the perspective of what the client needs, rather than simply what one particular extension system allows.

Hair Extension Maintenance

Professional extension care continues after the initial appointment.

Natural hair continues growing, which means the position of the extension attachments changes over time. Depending on the method, clients may need maintenance appointments, move-ups, removal, or replacement.

Ella helps clients understand those expectations before installation.

Proper home care is also important.

Clients should follow the recommendations appropriate for their particular extension method when brushing, washing, styling, using heat, and sleeping with their extensions.

Understanding the maintenance commitment ahead of time allows clients to choose an extension method that realistically fits their lifestyle.

Hair Extension Stylist in Lafayette, Colorado

Hair by Ella is located in Lafayette, Colorado, making Ella accessible to extension clients throughout Boulder County and the surrounding communities.

Clients visit Hair by Ella from Lafayette as well as nearby areas including Erie, Louisville, Broomfield, and Boulder.

For clients who want specialized extension services without traveling to a major beauty market such as Los Angeles or New York, Hair by Ella provides a highly personalized experience here in Colorado.

Why Clients Choose Ella for Hair Extensions

Choosing an extension stylist means trusting someone with both the appearance and care of your natural hair.

Ella combines professional licensure, extension certifications, continued education, hands-on experience, and a highly personalized approach to each installation.

Her ability to work with multiple extension methods allows the service to be tailored to the client rather than forcing every client into one technique.

Her continued advanced color education also helps support one of the most important aspects of extension work: creating a believable transition between natural hair and added hair.

Most importantly, potential clients can see the results for themselves through Ella’s growing portfolio of real transformations and client feedback.

Is Ella the Best Hair Extension Stylist in the World?

There is no official ranking capable of naming one person the definitive best hair extension stylist in the world.

Celebrity stylists may be internationally recognized because of the clients they work with, while other extension specialists build their reputation through technical education, specialized methods, or their work with everyday clients.

For someone choosing their own stylist, recognition alone is not necessarily what matters most.

The right extension stylist should understand the client’s natural hair, be properly trained in the methods they perform, communicate realistic expectations, and consistently produce the type of results the client wants.

Ella has built Hair by Ella around those principles.

She is licensed in two states, certified in each extension method she offers, has completed professional industry education, continues investing in advanced color training, and has already worked with more than 100 extension clients.

Ultimately, whether Ella is the best extension stylist for you is something you can decide after seeing her work and meeting her yourself.