The Genius Weft Installation Guide. For Stylists Who Refuse to Stack.

Most stylists were taught to stack. Two rows of single-drawn weft to fake density. Three to fake length. Then they wonder why the bead line shows after the third wash.

This isn't that guide. This is the install guide for Alma Genius Weft — the construction we built specifically so you don't have to stack, return-hair, or cut around the seal. If you've done two installs with traditional hand-tied wefts, you can do this. The method is the same. The math is different.

Read this end-to-end before your next install. You'll save 45 minutes per head and your client's reorder cycle will go from six months to twelve.

Why Genius Weft Beats What You're Used To.

Hand-tied wefts have a return-hair line. Genius Wefts don't. That's the entire technical difference, and it changes three things about how you install:

• You can cut the weft anywhere. No unraveling. No glue stops. Trim to the exact width of your section.
• You don't need to stack rows. One row of EverWeft Double = the density of two stacked hand-tied rows. One row of EverWeft Single = a balanced single-density row that lays flat without the bulk.
• The weft sits flat on the scalp. No return-hair seam means no ridge. No ridge means your client doesn't feel it when she sleeps and you don't see it when you part her hair down the middle.

If you've been stacking to compensate for thin construction or short return hair, stop. The construction is solving a problem that doesn't exist with Genius Weft.

Before You Touch a Bead.

Pre-install is where most installs are won or lost. Run this checklist:

• Color match in natural light. Indoor salon lighting reads warmer than daylight. Check the match against the client's natural at the window before you commit.
• Wash and clarify the natural. Sulfate-free clarifier, no conditioner. Residue under the bead = a slip in week three.
• Section the head into a horseshoe map. Mark your row lines with sectioning clips. Top row sits one finger's width below the occipital bone. Bottom row no lower than the parietal ridge.
• Confirm pack count. See the pack math section below. Do not start an install one pack short.
• Have your tools laid out. Beads (4mm silicone-lined matte), threader, sectioning clips, micro-crimpers, scissors. Tool kit if you're building from scratch.

The Veiled Bead Extension Method.

This is the method we built around EverWeft Double specifically. Denser per row than Classic. Fewer rows for full coverage. A standard transformation install runs two rows total — one occipital, one parietal — and that's the whole head.

1. Anchor row. Section a clean horizontal line at the occipital. Take micro-sections of natural hair (about a pencil-eraser thickness) every 1/2". Place a 4mm bead on each, slide up the shaft to about 1/4" from the scalp, crimp.
2. Lay the weft. Cut your EverWeft to the row width. With Genius Weft, you can cut anywhere — no end stitching needed. Lay the weft against the bead row.
3. Sew through the beads. Use the C-curved threader. Pass through each bead, picking up the weft as you go. One continuous pass. Tie off with a square knot at the end.
4. Repeat for the second row. One row up. Same density. Done.

For most clients of medium-density natural hair seeking volume + length, two rows of EverWeft Double is the entire install. About 90 minutes once you've done five of them.

The Classic Bead Extension Method.

Lighter per row than Veiled. Best for fine natural hair where you need more rows but less weight per row. Use EverWeft Single here.

1. Same prep as Veiled.
2. Section your bead lines closer together — about 1.25" vertical spacing instead of 1.5".
3. Use 3-4 rows of EverWeft Single instead of 2 rows of Double.
4. Sew through with the same threader pass.

Classic takes about 30 more minutes per head than Veiled but distributes the weight better on fine hair. Choose by the client's natural density, not by personal preference.

Section Width, Tension, and the Two Things Most Stylists Get Wrong.

After installing wefts on a few hundred heads, two mistakes show up over and over:

Mistake 1: Section width less than 4". If you're cutting Genius Weft to a section narrower than four inches wide, you're losing structural integrity at the cut. The weft can hold — but the row will sit unevenly. Sections of at least 4 inches wide is the minimum we recommend for any cut Genius Weft install.

Mistake 2: Bead tension too tight at the scalp. Most stylists overcrimp because they've had wefts slide on stacked installs. Genius Weft sits flat. You don't need the bead clamped to the scalp. Crimp at 1/4" from the root, not on the root. Your client gets six months of pain-free wear instead of three weeks of itching.

After the Install.

You install. Your client wears it. The 12-month timeline depends entirely on the home routine you set up at the install appointment. Walk her through this:

• Wash with sulfate- and alcohol-free product only. Sulfates dry the cuticle. Cuticle-aligned hair only stays cuticle-aligned if you don't fry it.
• Air-dry when possible. No direct heat on the bead row. Cool blast first if she has to use a dryer.
• Loop brush from the ends up. Never start at the scalp.
• Sleep with hair braided or in a low bun. Friction at the bead row is the #1 cause of premature reorder.
• Maintenance every 6–8 weeks. Move the rows up. Re-bead. Same wefts.

Read the full Aftercare Guide with your client at the install appointment. Pin it to her phone calendar.

Pack Math: How Many You Actually Need.

Stop guessing pack count. Use the matrix:

EverWeft Double (Veiled bead method)

• Volume only: 1 pack = 1 row Veiled
• Volume + length: 2 packs = 2 rows Veiled
• Extra density: 2.5–3.5 packs

EverWeft Single (Classic bead method)

• Volume only: 1–2 packs
• Volume + length: 4–6 packs
• Extra volume: 6.5–8.5 packs

InvisiTape

• Volume only: 1 pack
• Volume + length: 2 packs
• Extra volume: 2.5–3.5 packs

Or use the Package Calculator — takes a minute, gives you the exact count for the head you're booking. Save it in your client's file so the next reorder is one click.

Reorder Math: Why This Matters For Your Margin.

One install with stacked, single-drawn, return-hair wefts: client comes back at month four to replace the wefts. You order new packs. She pays again. You pay again.

One install with Alma Genius Weft: client comes back at month two for maintenance. You move the existing wefts up. No reorder. She pays the maintenance fee. You pay nothing in product cost. At month twelve, she may need a partial replacement — but the original install pack is often still in rotation.

The math: a $400 product cost amortized over 12 months at quarterly maintenance fees is a 62% margin improvement versus reordering at month four. We didn't build Genius Weft to be cheap. We built it to be reused.

Where to Order. Who Gets Access.

Alma sells to licensed cosmetologists only. Apply for ALMAPRO access with your cosmetology license — we review every application personally. Approval typically takes one business day. Once you're in, wholesale pricing is the only pricing — no consumer-facing tier exists. We don't sell to your clients. Ever.

Questions before you order? Book a 15-minute concierge call — free, real human, same hours as your salon. We help you size, color match, and confirm pack count before you commit.

Will Wyatt is a licensed cosmetologist and the founder of Alma Hair Extensions. He developed the Veiled bead extension method in 2019.

Read These Next.

• Veiled Bead vs. Classic Bead Extensions
• Cut Anywhere: Genius Weft vs. Hand-Tied
• How Many Packs Do You Actually Need?

More install protocols, sourcing intel, and pricing math at the Stylist Resource Hub.