Getty Erika Jayne's new business is being called out by social media users.
Erika Jayne‘s new hair extensions business is being accused by some social media users of having high prices and using stock images to promote products.
Heavy has reached out to Pretty Mess Hair for comment and has not heard back.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star announced her new venture into hair extensions in December 2021. “I have worn every type of hair extension on and off stage, and on TV for over a decade. So I know what I love and works best for all situations. You name it, I’ve worn it,” Erika told People magazine of her inspiration for launching Pretty Mess Hair.
She told the outlet she really likes experimenting with hair extensions because there’s “no permanent commitment.” She also said hair extensions “immediately” make her “feel pretty” and she wanted to share that feeling with others.
Although Pretty Mess Hair has only been up and running for a little more than a month, some people are skeptical about the brand.
Here’s what you need to know:
Pretty Mess Hair Extensions Start at $500
Pretty Mess Hair offers a variety of options for hair extensions, including the least expensive option of DIY ponytail extensions that start at $500, according to the company’s website. Pro extensions, including hand-tied wefts, start at $565 and go up in price depending on length and type. The clip-in DIY extensions start at $710.
“DIY clip-in extensions at 18 inches would be $150 – $175 depending on the color you choose,” Megan Paynter, owner and stylist of Wildflower Beauty Lounge in Valrico, Florida, told Heavy about the cost in her salon for a comparable product. “Clip-in extensions are a great alternative to traditional extensions because they are a fraction of the price and can be worn anytime without a trip to the salon,” Paynter added.
Social media users seemed to agree that the price for clip-ins was quite high.
“For the U-Tips the highest price I found that wasn’t bulk was around $300 per piece and is ‘on sale,'” one Twitter user said in a thread about Pretty Mess Hair.
“How’d you like to buy the EXACT SAME EXTENSIONS for $400 less?” another tweet read, showing a side-by-side of the same photo, one from Erika’s site, and the other from a different site selling the same product.
“What makes them worth $700? Definitely not her name,” an Instagram user commented on a post about the new line.
“I use clip in extensions to fill out my thin hair, and it’s not $700 and it’s amazing quality. It’s $200 for mine. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna pay $700 for some hair. Nope,” another Instagram user wrote.
“Damn she that broke? No one buying $700 extensions when we can and been buying them cheaper,” another Instagram comment read.
Not everyone was as critical. “The pretty mess hair extensions are human hair so it makes sense that they are expensive, don’t act all shocked,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Social Media Users Found Similar Product Images Elsewhere on the Web
In addition to many people commenting on the price of Erika’s hair extensions line, others shared screenshots of some images posted on Pretty Mess Hair that were also found on other websites.
“First off, she’s either using her supplier’s photog or stock images. This image was also used in 2014 by a salon in Australia,” one person tweeted.
“I have no idea how accurate these measurements are and neither does she since the photo is a stock image,” the same person added.
“She might have picked out the names for the colors though? Maybe?” the person continued, pointing out that the names of the colors appear elsewhere and aren’t unique to Pretty Mess Hair.
“She is using stock images. This really is common. It looks like she is selling a product that’s already available and just rebranding it has pretty mess Hair. Which all the housewives do,” another person wrote on Twitter.
Many companies use stock images and it’s perfectly legal to do so. There is often a fee associated with using such images.
Nevertheless, several Reddit users read through the Twitter thread and slammed Erika — and her business.
“It’s looking very scammy,” one person wrote.
“OK, I get that some new businesses might be doing things on the cheap, that non-product based companies use stock images all the time etc., but you’re telling me Erika can’t afford a photoshoot of her wearing the products? This b**** loves being [in front] of a camera,” a third person added.
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