I think my alternator might be dying a slow death, when i first start driving everything is normal for a few seconds then all my lights get very bright, airbag light comes on, and significant power loss. After it warms up it acts normal, but comes back randomly sometimes. Its clearly not regulating the voltage properly. Is it safe to safe that my alternator needs replacement or could it be something different (and less expensive lol).

also i just blew a headlight with the high-beams on, i think it might be related to this.

When the problem is happening, check your battery voltage.  Should be around 13 to 14 volts when running.  Anymore then that, I'd say it's overcharging.  Take it to your local autozone, I've heard those guys will test it for free.

no autozone lol, i'll try get my hands on a multi-meter the week

ok so it is for sure putting out too much power, just lost another headlight (no lights now). Should i replace the alternator or could this be caused by something else?

Could very well be the alternator, the regulator inside is not doing its job.

Sounds like a new alternator should fix your overcharging problem.

A bad connection at the alternator could/would fool the alternator into thinking it needs to step up the output. I dont know how common this is but it is worth checking out.