Tape-in Extensions Placement: A Beginner’s Guide

Charity-Nasike-author
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Tape-in Extensions Placement

Of all the permanent hair extensions, tape-in extensions are affordable and the easiest to apply. But come to think of it, do you have the know-hows of fixing them? 

The internet is one place to find your way out. However, there are lots of conflicting pieces of advice. Go to the youtube hair extension tutorials, you find that they contrast in some aspects.

So, who do you follow to the latter, who do you ignore?

I understand such situations can be overwhelming for a first-timer. Ride along to see how to carefully and precisely place your tape-ins. 

Preparation Prior Placement

Before you install your tape-in extensions, you have to set your hair and the tape-ins ready for the process. 

Clarify and Prep Your Natural Hair

The number 1 action to pursue is eliminating gunks of dirt in your hair. Take your time to wash your hair with a quality clarifying residue-free shampoo. Ensure that no product build-ups get left behind because they’ll slow down the glue adherence to the hair. 

Best Shampoos for Synthetic Hair-1

Immediately, you’re done washing, dry the hair until all moisture is out. Then straighten the hair with a flat iron, with the heat setting not exceeding 375°F. We don’t recommend conditioning the hair after a shampoo wash because the hair will be too soft to hold the tape adhesive. 

Straightening the hair strands helps with attaching the tape-in extensions at the root area. Moreover, you will have an easy time sectioning the hair for placement of the tape-in extensions. At this point you may jump into the procedure of installation if you have the right tape-in extensions for you. 

Set your Tape-in Extensions

Starting to install your extensions demands that you have the most suitable piece. For greatest satisfaction inside of you after the whole transformation, stick to your personal taste when buying them. 

Out here, brands have numerous tape-ins in terms of curl definition, color, texture, length and material type. It’s up to you with the help of a trusted extension specialist to choose the best fit. Get yourself wavy, straight or curly hair and the sweetest color and length that pleases your heart and soul. 

Let not the preference of your friends and colleagues influence your decision. How the tape-in hair looks good on them could not be the same for you because of the hair and facial differences. Seek to create your own definition of a beautiful appeal. 

Quantity of Hairpieces Enough for Your Hair

After you’ve settled on the most suitable color, texture and length, determine how many tape-in wefts/packs you need. Doing this in advance makes you well-prepared for the installation. 

The quantity  is greatly affected by your hair thickness, whether thin or thick hair and the kind of hair volume you desire. Plus, whether you want a full or a partial head install is a matter of concern.

In most cases, 2-4 packs of tape-in hair suffices. For thick hair, 2-3 packs is enough while thin hair consumes 3-4 packs of hair. The thinner the hair, the more tape-in wefts to achieve a satisfactory hair volume. 

That said, be careful not to weigh down your natural hair with too many tape-ins. Or else, hell will break loose as your hair gets pulled, weakens and breaks eventually. 

How Long Do Tape-in Extensions Last-3

Placement of the Tape-in Extensions

Most professionals advise getting tape-in extensions done by a professional stylist. But the ease of placing them and the minimal chances of damage makes them DIY-able. With our instructions, and more practice, you’ll be perfect in installing them. 

Step 1: Leave out Hair Around The Hairline

When placing tape-in extensions, you do not want your extensions showing through at the hairline. Therefore, you will leave out 1 to 1 ½ inches of hair around your hairline to conceal the tape-ins. You will not fix tape-ins in the leave-out hair. 

Alternatively, place down your three middle fingers from the hairline to know the extent of the leave-outs. 

Step 2: Section the Hair

Next, you’re going to start sectioning hair for placement of the tape-ins along the partings. Section the hair from above the ear to the front on both sides of the middle part. Clip it out of the way and leave the back unclipped. 

You’ll be working with three quadrants. Starting from the bottom back close to the nape of your neck, create a hair section across the scalp. The section of hair should be at least ½ inch. 

Step 3: Adhere The tape-in Extensions

Remove the seal on the tape tabs and section out an ⅛ inch from the bigger section. That will be the sandwiched hair, which shouldn’t be thick for the adhesive to seal properly. Stick the tape-in beneath the strip of hair but not too close to the scalp. 

Leave ¼ to ⅛ inches between the scalp and the tape. This allows the tape to move around freely so that there is no tension and no scalp irritations. Also, if the tape is too close to the scalp, removing the tape-ins will be difficult. 

Stick another tape-in weft on top of the strip of hair, and ensure both the tapes are well-aligned. Once you’ve applied the wefts, use a rat tail comb or hair pliers to press the tabs down completely. If you use your fingers, the oils from your fingers might break down the adhesive. 

Healthy Tip: Always brick-lay your tape-in extensions from one section to the next in order to get a seamless, smooth finish. 

Step 4: Work Your Way Up

After the first placement, continue sectioning the hair towards the top until you’re done with the back half. Create another half inch section above the tape-ins and grab the middle part of the section. That’s where you place your single bunch of tape-in wefts.  

On the next section of hair, place three tape-in wefts along the row. When you reach this head part, you would have completed fixing the tape-in extensions on the back quadrant. 

Step 5: Install Tape-ins on the Sides and Front

Now concentrate on the two front quadrants. On each quadrant, start from the sides. Do not part the hair horizontally like you did in the back quadrant. 

Instead, go in diagonally while sectioning your hair to apply tape-in extensions. Then move towards the back, and apply two more tape-ins that will lie at the back. Repeat the same tape-in extension pattern on the other side quadrant until you reach the front. 

Placement at the front will be determined by what kind of hairstyle you’re after. Will you think of making high ponytails, mid-parts, side parts, high or low buns? All that will affect how you’re going to fix your tape-ins even close to the harlines. 

Styling Your Hair with Tape-ins

Everything doesn’t end at installing the tape-in extensions. After that, you will wonder how well to style them and keep their quality and beauty in tip-top shape. 

When you’ve finished installing them, you have to do some touch-ups so that the tape-ins blend in fully. That way, they will be very undetectable and hair that’s a sight to behold. 

Ensure you brush the hair in bits from the back towards the front. Then brush the hair as a whole to completely meld the tape-in extensions with the hair. And later, create face-framing layers by moving the scissors diagonally down the hair. 

Remember to brush once more to remove the cut hair still sticking in your hair. Then you’ll be done blending the tape-in extensions. 

From there, care and maintenance of the tape-in extensions will be your ultimate responsibility. As a general rule of thumb, do not wash your tape-in extensions until after 48 hours from the time of installation. This is the period of time tape-ins take to settle and the medical-grade adhesive to bond effectively. 

Conclusion

Tape-in extensions are the rising craze and one of the most popular hair extensions today. They’re easy to install and for that reason, you could shape up your look with them. Thankfully, our placement guide provides you the nitty-gritties of correct installation. 

Here is where to also get the best hairstyles for tape-in extensions. Girl, keep glowing, keep staying on track with your powerful charming outlook.

Author: Charity Nasike

AUTHOR

Charity Nasike is a passionate wig wearer and basically has diverse knowledge related to wigs' care and maintenance. When she's not writing, she's either in the kitchen trying out new recipes or on social media advising fellow ladies tricks to apply on their wigs.

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