Unit price is the least useful number in a salon's purchasing decision. What determines margin is cost per install, and that depends on how many install cycles a unit survives before the lace or the hairline fails.
1. Build the Number Properly
Cost per wear = (unit cost + install consumables + stylist time) ÷ number of installs before replacement. A $47 frontal that delivers four installs and a $31 closure that delivers two are not comparable on price; they are comparable at roughly $12 and $16 per install once consumables and time are loaded in.
2. Where Frontals Earn Their Price
Frontals justify their cost when the service menu includes updos, high ponytails, deep side parts or editorial styling — all of which need the 13-inch ear-to-ear lace span. If the salon's clients wear middle parts and protective styles, a closure delivers the same visual result at a lower cost per install and with less lace to maintain.
3. Price the Replacement, Not the Unit
Menu pricing should recover the unit across its expected install life rather than at the first appointment. Salons that charge the full unit cost at install and nothing thereafter tend to underprice re-installs, which is where the labour actually compounds.
