I have been wanting to write this post for the last few weeks, in fact, as soon as I installed my tape in extensions I wanted to write about how obsessed I already was. But I have restrained myself because I really wanted to give you guys a proper, in-depth blog post about these because they're quite a new thing and I think it is necessary that you get all the ins and outs from someone who has actually been wearing them for a while.
So first things first (I'm the realest), tape in extensions are a relatively new thing and are worn by the likes of Lauren Conrad and well, if they're good enough for Lauren Conrad then they're good enough for me! Better for your hair and scalp then micro-rings, sewn in and keratin bonds, tape in extensions use toupee tape to semi-permanently stick the extensions to the roots of your hair. This creates a seamless, flat and more more natural look for those who want to wear hair extensions for up to three months.
Due to the fact that I had recently invested in some double weft clip in extensions from cliphair, I decided to DIY my tape ins by removing the clips and adding the tape. This was easily done after some research into the different sorts of tapes available on the market. It turns out, there is a lot of different types and sizes of tape, some of them are rubbish and others are great. I found that out the hard way! I originally bought "Walker Extra-Hold Tape" in a teeny tiny size. This tape stated that it would hold in the hair for up to two months. I stupidly bought this tape without doing any research on sizing and found that after the first wash my extensions had slipped out because the tape was too small to hold the weight of my hair. Not good. In the end I ordered Walkers "No Shine" tape in a larger size than the "Extra-Hold" tape and it has worked perfectly. If I were you, I would definitely go for the No Shine tape, it may be slightly more expensive but you need to pay for quality when it comes to this stuff. No Shine tape cost me £13 which really wasn't so bad. You can buy pre-taped extensions from most places, a quick google search will bring them up, though I think they do work out as more expensive than DIYing it.
The next step was to apply the tape onto the extensions. This was pretty easy. You just stick one side of the tape all around the top of the extensions and cut the excess off, making sure to leave the plastic on on one side. The next step should come super easy to those who wear extensions on a daily basis - you need to section your hair. Once you think you are ready for the first layer of extensions, you pop your hair straighteners on the plastic part of the tape to warm it up and make it super sticky, and after a few seconds peel the plastic off.
Now comes the hard-ish part. You need to put the tape on your roots, so it can be quite fiddly. I would definitely recommend having a few mirrors available to you or get someone to help you! I applied my first layer in the middle of my ears at the back of my head. Once its in you need to cover the top side of the tape with your hair. You can do this two ways, you can pick hair to put over it and then push down on the tape and hair with your hair brush to secure it has stuck down properly. Or you can do what I did and let my hair out of the bun I had at the top of my head. Then I pushed down on it with my hands to make sure it had stuck. This was my favourite method because the hair fell naturally onto the tape and looked like it was meant to be there. Do this for the rest of your wefts and BAM you're done. You probably won't even be able to feel your extensions because the taping in method is so light.
The extensions will be secure in your hair but as a precautionary measure you cannot shower for at least 48 hours when you've put these in. The first 48 hours can make or break the stickiness of the tape so during this period you need to be extra careful. Sleep with your hair in plaits or pigtails - no top knots or high ponytails. You need to make sure you don't pull on them too much. After 48 hours, have a normal shower. You can use normal products to wash your hair and just treat the extensions like you would with your own hair. At this point, the heat from your shower will re-activate the sticky agent on the tape and once you've washed your hair and dried it, you will find that your extensions will feel extra, extra secure. After the first wash you can pretty much do anything with your hair, style it as you want!
The extensions will last for around three months, after two-three months you will probably find your extensions have moved quite a bit down your head due to hair growth. At this stage they will need to come out. You can buy specific removing agent from ebay or you can use DIY methods like I did. For the purpose of this blog post I took my tape ins out using only baby oil bought from Superdrug. The oil seems to soak up the stickiness of the tape, make sure you completely drench the tape in the oil and leave for a few minutes, then slowly pull on your extensions and they should come right out. If not, just keep putting on oil until they do. Do no pull hard, and if it feels like it's yanking on your hair then keep putting on oil!!
As you can tell I am absolutely obsessed with my new hair. Since applying the correct tape I have had absolutely no troubles with my hair at all. They are just so comfortable that at times I cannot even feel them. I literally forget that I am wearing extensions at least five times a day. They just feel so natural to me! I really recommend the tape in method if you want semi-permanent extensions, they're just so much better than any of the other (and much more expensive methods!)
What do you think? Would you try tape ins? If you have any questions please feel free to email me! And if you want to pop these in yourself make sure that you youtube it. There are absolutely LOADS of DIY videos on there showing you how to apply them correctly and they are much more concise than this waffley post.
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