Welcome to our review of the best shampoo for tape-in extensions in 2023.
Getting a perfect shampoo for your tape-in extensions can be grueling if you’re completely clueless. It’s a matter of not guessing but scrutinizing what works best to maintain the quality.
So, I thought it would be helpful to develop the best picks through research. And this led me to find out that Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo is the best overall shampoo for tape-ins.
Since tape-in extensions differ, I reviewed more shampoos in their category.
Let’s get straight in.
Our Top Picks at A Glance
- Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo (Best Overall)
- Davines NOUNOU Deep Hydrating Shampoo (Best for Damaged Hair)
- NYK1 Sulfate-free Purple Shampoo (Best for Blonde Hair)
- Tea Tree Lemon Sage Thickening Shampoo (Best for Fine Hair)
- OGX Quenching Coconut Curl-defining Shampoo (Best for Curly Hair)
- Aveeno Blackberry Quinoa Sulfate-free Shampoo (Best for Color-treated Hair)
- Brandywine 2 in-1 Non-static Shampoo ( Best for Synthetic Hair)
The Best Shampoo for Tape-in Hair Extensions Reviewed
Here, we’ll describe in detail our top picks of shampoos for tape-in extensions. You will know their features and how best they’ll benefit you.
Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
- Key features: Frizz control, softening, strengthening, and split ends treatment
- Hair type: All
- Age range: Adults
- Volume: 8.5 oz.
- Best for: Overall
Olaplex is one of the most popular patented hair care brands. This shampoo is an excellent extensions cleanser with magnificent hair bond renewal properties.
The term bond maintenance means that the product has strengthening ingredients. These ingredients build the bond within the hair strands if the bonds have become loose. Thus, it’s a good healing agent for your extensions once they start showing signs of frizz and dullness.
The shampoo also leaves the hair soft and eliminates split ends from your extension hair. As a result, all the extension hair aligns in one direction for a luxurious look.
But it has heavy pigmentation. Be extra careful when using it so that it does not stay long on your tape-ins and discolor them. It can also make your extensions dry and hard, and recovery is after 2-3 weeks.
Check on AmazonDavines NOUNOU Deep Hydrating Shampoo
- Key features: Repairing, replenishing formula, texture restoring
- Hair type: Damaged hair
- Age range: Adults
- Volume: 8.45 oz.
- Best for: Damaged hair
Davines NOUNOU shampoo is the best shot at renewing dry, damaged, chemically processed hair. It nourishes the tape-ins with plenty of moisture to keep them hydrated and full of life. Concurrently, it deeply cleanses the extensions, ensuring all grimy dirt gets washed out for a fresh feel.
It also boosts elasticity in the extensions so that they resist breakage and damage. And it fills them with volume and their true texture to regain their pristine appeal.
While revamping the extensions, it revives their shine and overall health. In that regard, the extensions last longer, minimizing your hair expenditures. You can reuse the tape-in extensions repeatedly until they wear out completely.
It’s highly probable that the shampoo will not come in a full bottle. And for the amount and price, it’s expensive if you’re looking for something affordable.
Check on AmazonNYK1 Sulfate-free Purple Shampoo
- Key features: ultra-concentrated, brassy tones removal
- Hair type: Blonde hair
- Scent: Coconut
- Volume: 19.21 oz.
- Best for: Blonde hair
Blonde tape-ins are susceptible to undesirable brassy tones that distort their color uniformity. These brassy tones tend to be yellow pigmentations. The NYK1 purple shampoo effectively neutralizes them for a homogeneous cool blonde on your extensions.
Generally, It’s an ideal, versatile shampoo for overly-lightened extensions. It could work for grey, silver tones, or bleached hair to put off the brassiness. As it does that, it gives the extensions a soft, silky finish and refreshes the body and shine.
The formula is free from toxic sulfates, making it a powerful moisturizer. It locks in moisture in the hair strands for ultimate hydration without stripping off any moisture. It’s perfect for use in between regular shampoo applications.
After the first round of application, it may make your hair brittle. Therefore, you have to follow up with a quality conditioner to make the extensions soft and strong again.
Check on AmazonTea Tree Lemon Sage Thickening Shampoo
- Key features: Hair thickening, volume booster
- Hair type: Fine hair
- Scent: Bergamot, lemon, and white sage
- Volume: 10.14 oz.
- Best for: Fine hair
The Tea Tree shampoo is the expert in fluffing out your fine tape-in extensions. If they had lost volume due to shrinkage or frizz, it understands the art of reinvigorating volume with the help of the infused white sage. Fuller hair spices up the impressive appearance you’re after.
It is enriched with bergamot, and lemon, too. Bergamot is rich in potent antioxidants that smooth out the cuticles and detangle the hair. The lemon releases a rejuvenating scent when washing the tape-in hair extensions.
The panthenol in it strengthens the extension hair. All the ingredients are purely organic and plant-derived. The shampoo has an additional cooling peppermint and tea tree that relax the scalp if you wash the tape-ins while worn.
Even though it has a sweet scent, the packaging is poor. The bottle’s contents might reach you in a spilled, messy condition. It is too drying and not great for regular use.
Check on AmazonOGX Quenching Coconut Curl-defining Shampoo
- Key features: Curl-defining, hydrating, and shine enhancing
- Hair type: Curly Hair
- Scent: Coconut
- Volume: 13 oz.
- Best for: Curly hair
This OGX shampoo retains the curls in your curly tape-ins with its coconut, citrus, and honey oils. Curly hair may straighten when washed and needs shampoo to maintain its curly texture. That aids in saving up the energy and time you’ll use to re-curl the strands.
While retaining the curls, it enhances them for a bouncy, well-defined look. At the same time, it restores their glow and luster, so they’re visibly beautiful. Any spiral, coiled, or curly hair has this as its best counterpart in terms of deep cleansing and removing any gunk present.
After use, it leaves the extensions nourished and deeply hydrated. The shampoo is also gentle on your mane and lathers up easily. So, you will not use a lot in one round; hence the shampoo will last long before replenishment purchases.
Its shortcomings are the flakes and dandruff it may generate. It leaves an oily feel and may not be conducive for sensitive scalps. And after three weeks, you might notice excessive frizz on your extensions.
Check on AmazonAveeno Blackberry Quinoa Sulfate-free Shampoo
- Key features: Scalp-soothing, color protection
- Hair type: Color-treated hair
- Scent: Blackberry
- Volume: 12 oz.
- Best for: Color-treated hair
Color-treated tape-in extensions, whether dyed or bleached, are very sensitive. Because of that, they require salon-quality shampoos manufactured specifically for them. If not, they may fade and lose their color, and that’s where the Aveeno shampoo comes in.
It comprises a blackberry and quinoa protein blend that permeates the strands to prevent fading. This keeps the color of the extensions in check and perfectly preserved. In addition, it lacks sulfates, parabens, and dyes, making this shampoo color-friendly.
The shampoo also contains oat, a strengthening agent that prevents split ends. The oat is also soothing on the scalp for a cooler, nourished feel.
On the contrary, the shampoo dries the hair too much. The tape-in extension hair might feel super dry and brittle. It’s not suitable for frequent washes but could work for very oily extensions.
Check on AmazonBrandywine 2 in-1 Non-static Shampoo
- Key features: Non-static, anti-frizz shampoo
- Hair type: All
- Scent: Green mountain
- Volume: 16 oz.
- Best for: Synthetic hair
Brandywine shampoo comes with its conditioner to fully meet the cleansing needs of your synthetic tape-ins. Since it comes as a cumulative package, you spend less than buying them separately.
The shampoo itself is non-static. This denotes that it eliminates static cling common in synthetic extensions during winter. Static electricity creates frizz and flyaway hair that causes the wig to look shaggy.
Also, synthetic hair gets dry so fast. The shampoo revitalizes synthetic hair with sufficient hydration. The synthetic tape-ins will remain in great condition with the addition of the conditioner.
However, some users say the shampoo has a cheap disgusting smell. It lingers for long and may make you not wear the wig if you’re scent-sensitive. You may have to get yourself a new replacement wig.
Check on AmazonHow to Choose the Right Shampoo for your Tape-in Extensions
During shopping time, look into these elements of consideration for the wisest selection. Keep comparing these elements amongst different shampoo brands for tape-ins to finally settle on the best.
Hair Type
It is important to beware of your extension hair type and ascertain whether it’s fine or thick. Or, from a different angle, the hair is curly, oily, or dry. With these hair types, you have to be cautious since each type melds with a certain type of shampoo.
These hair types have their different needs they thirst for in the shampoos. So, always opt for shampoos that solve your specific hair need. The label lingo informs you exactly what and how the shampoo rejuvenates the tape-in hair.
The shampoo may be nourishing, thickening, strengthening, shine-enhancing, or repairing. For example, nourishing shampoos are for dry hair, while repairing shampoos, severely-damaged hair.
Ingredients
When selecting shampoo for your tape-in extensions, you should read the ingredients. These ingredients are usually printed on the bottle label as a list. This will enable you to fish out what’s not good for your extensions.
Some of the ingredients can wreak havoc on your scalp and extension hair. Unfortunately, the brand cannot outline that because they’re after selling their product. Therefore it’s up to you to perform thorough scrutiny before it’s too late.
Avoid ingredients such as alcohol, sulfates, mineral oil, formaldehyde, and artificial fragrances. High concentrations of these ingredients may trigger rashes, irritations, and scalp sensitivity.
Some may dry your extension hair and make it weak and prone to breakage. And alcohol and sulfates, in specific, may dissolve the bond, and the tape-ins will slip out.
Price
The price of shampoos determines not only your affordability but also the shampoo quality. It’s a key concern when buying shampoo for your tape-I because prices vary all over. But why?
You see, drugstore shampoos may be cheaper than costly salon shampoos. But no way on earth; they’re cheap and with the best contents.
You may find that they have healthy ingredients. But what they don’t show is that they’re in small quantities. And some secretly have harsh chemicals.
Authenticity lies in salon formulas, whereby it’s rare to find harsh ingredients. As much as they’re quite pricey, you’ll likely get comfort and safety for your tape-ins. Do not ignore the fact that even these shampoos may have damaging ingredients despite the price.
How to Shampoo your Tape-in Extensions Correctly
Washing your hair with tape-in extensions attached may sound tricky, but it isn’t. Here is a breakdown if you do not know how to use your shampoo without pulling the tape-ins.
Step 1: Detangle your hair with a suitable detangling brush
Step 2: Drench the hair with water to saturation for at least five minutes.
Step 3: Apply the first round of shampoo. In the first three rounds of application, use two clarifying shampoos, one after the other.
Step 4: Scrub the scalp parting where the tape-ins are located, and massage the shampoo gently into the hair. Rinse thoroughly and repeat applications.
Step 5: Once you’re sure all the dirt is out, apply a moisturizing shampoo as the final application. Rinse it out. You can choose to apply a conditioner next for extra softening and strengthening.
FAQs about Shampoo for Tape-in Extensions
Can you wash your hair like normal with tape-in extensions?
Sister, remember your tape-in extensions are delicate attached pieces. You cannot wash them like normal, like how you do with your natural hair. You have to be more careful when washing them not to pull them out prematurely.
Massage the shampoo on your palms, apply it on the surface and gently streak it using your fingers. Refrain from rubbing the shampoo on the extensions to prevent knotting them up.
How often should I wash my hair with tape-in extensions?
If you want the best for your tape-in extensions, wash them a maximum of two times weekly. Avoid overwashing because you’ll be in for overly dry and damaged extensions. And if possible, wash them once a week to maintain their quality and their nice appearance.
Do I need special shampoo for tape-in extensions?
Tape-in extensions are not like ordinary hair since they’re artificial. Therefore you need a shampoo formulated specifically for washing them to keep them in tip-top shape. Stay vigilant of oily shampoos and those with excessive protein, as they’ll detach the tape.
The Bottomline
The right care for tape-in extensions involves using the correct hair products. The shampoo of choice will dictate whether the tape-ins will last longer and be your money’s worth. Choosing a suitable shampoo can be daunting but ensure you use one that fits tape-ins.
In my research, I concluded Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo is the best overall. It’s a multi-tasker as it nourishes, strengthens, softens, adds shine, and fits all hair types.
Always handle your tape-in extensions with the decency they deserve.