Feather Hair Extensions Are Upsetting Local Fishermen

Feather extensions are taking the country by storm.  The recent trend took off around Boulder, Colorado earlier this year and has since spread to California and almost every other state in the country. The lady taking credit for the start of the feather extension trend is Joy Douglas, who is the owner of Zing Hair Salon in Boulder, and she says it’s not going away anytime soon.

Until this year, the long, skinny, spine-free and colorful feathers were almost exclusive to fly fishermen and now the feathers have made their way into the hair salons.

Since the trend hit salons earlier this year fly shops are having a hard time keeping saddles in stock. A local manager of an Angler store said,  “We can’t keep hackle in stock in the shop. We get it in and the next thing I know some gal comes in and buys all the hackle we have.”

Once the feathers are in place, they can be brushed, blow dried, straightened and curled. Most shops are selling them for $5 to $10 with some raising their prices to $20 a piece.

The craze has left hairstylists scrambling to find rooster saddle feathers, as fly shops hold onto a select few for their regular customers.

Normally, the most popular fly tying saddle for hair extensions, a black and white striped feather called grizzly saddle, would retail anywhere from $40 to $60. It sold for $480 on eBay last month after 31 bids.

Have you ever had feather hair extensions?  Do you plan to get them?  Or are you a fly fisherman who is having trouble getting supplies for tying?  Sound off below.