Jen Atkin is to hair what Albert Einstein is to physics. I know nothing about physics, but I do know that Atkin is a maven of her craft—the sheer force behind a slew of A-listers: Gigi and Bella Hadid, Jennifer Lopez, and the everywhere-all-at-once Kardashians. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but for Atkin, the crown is her canvas.
Speaking of the Kardashians, Atkin kicks off our conversation with a familiar name-drop for anyone who’s keeping up. “I just did Khloe Kardashian’s podcast on Monday, and I gave Allure the biggest shout-out,” Atkin says. “I was telling my career-journey story, and I literally had only Allure to figure out, in 2000, which salons to try to work at.”
Of course, a lot has changed since those days: Our phones are pocket-sized computers; cars, for better or worse, can drive themselves; and Atkin now has a bona fide empire with Ouai, her hair-care line founded in 2016, and Mane, her hair-tools and body-care line. Atkin is also the global ambassador for Bellami, an extensions brand—because two brands, motherhood, and 5.2 million Instagram followers aren’t enough to keep the queen of hair busy.
In conversation with Allure, Atkin shares her secrets to effortless extensions, living boldly as an entrepreneur, weighs in on breakup bangs, and teases a top-secret launch for Ouai.
Allure: What’s the biggest difference between extensions in 2025 versus what we saw in the early aughts—the good, the bad, the exposed tracks?
Jen Atkin: I lived the exposed tracks [days]. I started my career doing extensions in 2005, 2006, and it’s night and day. I can’t even tell you. Back then extensions were so heavy, and it was so hard to blend them. It was an hours and hours and hours-long process to do a head of extensions—it was so chaotic. All we could do [was] tease the roots and pray that no one would see the tracks. We didn’t have root sprays back then.
It was so bad, but thanks to Bellami, you can now match [most] every texture, every hair type, every undertone, every color tone. It’s so personalized now. Also, they feel weightless, and they now protect your natural hair. The vibe went from cheesy and trying-too-hard to, now, no one really thinks of it. They just think, Oh my God, her hair looks so good!
