Hyderabad’s beauty circuit has found itself a new talking point, and it’s not just another skincare trend or beauty salon launch. The city has welcomed Hair Originals, a premium hair extensions brand that has been making steady waves across India; and now, the ripples are being felt here too. With its cosmopolitan vibe, growing appetite for luxury self-care, and a clientele that knows its way around premium products, Hyderabad has turned out to be the perfect stage for this expansion. In an exclusive conversation with CE, founder and CEO of Hair Originals Jitendra Sharma talks about it all.
For Jitendra, the move was less of a gamble and more of an inevitability. “What we’ve noticed is that Hyderabad has truly become a very cosmopolitan city now. When we looked at our website visits, it was always among the top four cities giving us the maximum hits. Even before this store came up, we were doing business here through home trials and with our trainers visiting customers at their home. That’s when we saw how evolved the consumer here is and how strong the demand is in the city. With decent disposable incomes as well, it made us realise that we should open a store here; in fact, we plan on opening multiple outlets,” he says, recalling how the brand had been running home trials here well before the storefront opened.
The first outlet, located close to Hitec City, was a strategic choice — positioned between corporate hubs and upscale neighbourhoods. It didn’t take long for the numbers to speak. In just two months, the store turned operationally profitable. And there was another pleasant surprise that Hyderabad’s clientele had one of the highest proportions of male customers across the country. “Around 30% of our Hyderabad customers are men, compared to 10–20% in other cities,” Jitendra notes, adding that men’s wigs and patches are in high demand, while for women, scalp toppers for instant, non-surgical hair-thinning solutions and permanent extensions for length and volume have emerged as the bestselling products.
From hair volumisers, clip extensions, wigs and bangs to messy buns, scrunchies and men’s patches, Hair Originals’ collection is extensive, and all products are made from ethically sourced human hair. “Most brands in this field rely on outsourcing, but here, everything happens under one roof — from start to finish. By keeping the entire process in-house, we have complete control over quality, beginning right from procurement. We source our raw material directly from temples, following strict standards that ensure only the finest hair makes the cut and the rest is rejected as wastage. This is just the first of our three layers of quality checks, with each stage designed to maintain excellence. Now, we’re also working on adding a technology-driven, automated check to further raise the bar,” he explains.
Jitendra’s foray into this niche began far from beauty salons; with a chemical engineering degree from IIT Delhi, followed by 11 years in the oil and gas sector. Global exposure eventually drew his attention to the untapped potential of India’s natural hair industry, sparking the idea to set up a high-end manufacturing base that bypassed middlemen. The real boost came with Shark Tank India’s first season, where all five sharks came on board.
Today, the brand is eyeing more stores in Hyderabad, also are introducing wedding-specific offerings, strengthening its home trial services, and even exploring expansion in the US. For now, though, the city’s warm reception has ensured Hair Originals has a running start; and perhaps, a very good hair day ahead.