How to Apply Tape In Hair Extensions, Row by Row

Tape-ins hold or slip on two things: how clean the root is, and how thin the section between the two tapes is. Get those right and the rest is repetition, row after row.

This guide covers what to prepare, the steps in order, where each row goes, how many pieces a head takes, the first wash, and the mistakes that make tapes slip.

The adhesive sticks to clean, dry hair. Anything left on the root gets between the tape and the hair.

• Clean hair. Wash it first and skip conditioner at the root. GOO GOO Hair's install guide (30 August 2021) puts it plainly: no conditioner, especially at the roots, and no product after drying.
• Fully dry hair. Blow-dry it straight so it matches the extensions and the sections part cleanly.
• A rat-tail comb. The tail draws the partings. A clean parting is most of the job.
• Sectioning clips. Enough to hold everything above the row you're working on.
• The tape-ins. Count the pieces before you start, and keep the backing on until each one is in your hand. Our tape-in extensions come with the tape already fitted.
• A second mirror or a second person. You can't see the back rows on your own head.

Cliphair also tells clients to hold off on dye and treatments for 24 hours before a fitting (guide last updated 4 June 2024).

1. Part the first row. Draw a horizontal line across the nape with the tail of the comb and clip everything above it out of the way. The Hair Extension Company's guide (30 December 2021) uses the tips of the ears as the height marker.
2. Lift a thin section along that parting, about as wide as one tape. You should be able to see through it. Perfect Locks' installation guide says no thicker than the tape itself.
3. Peel the backing off the first piece. Hold it by the hair and keep your fingers off the adhesive.
4. Place it under the section, sticky side up, a little below the scalp. Lay the natural hair flat onto it.
5. Peel the second piece and place it on top, sticky side down, so the two tapes match edge to edge with the natural hair between them.
6. Press along the full width of the tape with your fingers. Some stylists finish with a press tool or a quick touch of a flat iron on low heat. Follow the instructions that came with your tape.
7. Move along the row and leave a gap before the next pair. Then drop a new section of hair and start the row above.
8. When the last row is in, let the top hair down, check that no tape shows, and brush from the ends up.

Placement decides whether anyone can see the tapes. These rules come from published install guides, and each one is there to keep a tab out of sight or stop it pulling.

Sources: The Hair Extension Company for the nape line, the scalp gap and the half-inch spacing (30 December 2021). Perfect Locks for the brick pattern (installation guide, checked 2 October 2026). GOO GOO Hair for the hairline and the cover layer (30 August 2021).

Test the placement before you press the side rows. Pull the hair into a ponytail by hand and look in the mirror. If a tab shows, move that pair down or back.

Count pieces. Pack sizes differ from brand to brand, so "three packs" means nothing until you know what's in each one.

Two pieces make one sandwich. Perfect Locks puts a full head at 40 to 60 pieces, which is 20 to 30 sandwiches, and says the number moves with hair type.

Fine hair takes fewer pieces, because there's less natural hair to carry them and to cover them. Thick hair, or a big jump in length, takes more. Our guide to extensions for fine hair covers how much weight thin hair can hold.

Buying for a salon? Ask the supplier how many pieces and how many grams are in a pack before you compare two quotes.

The adhesive keeps curing after you press it. Give it time before water touches it.

Hotheads and Perfect Locks both say to wait 24 to 48 hours before the first wash. Cliphair says at least 48 hours, and adds dye and treatments to the list. If you can, take the longer wait.

After that, how to wash tape in hair extensions comes down to keeping the tabs clean and dry.

• Shampoo. Sulfate-free. Work it over the scalp with your fingertips and rinse downward.
• Conditioner. Mid-lengths to ends only. Keep it off the tabs.
• Frequency. Cliphair's limit is three washes a week, and it calls two better.
• Drying. Dry the roots and the tape area first. Don't brush the hair wet, and don't sleep on it wet.
• Products. Hotheads tells wearers to keep oil and alcohol-based stylers away from the tabs (11 October 2022).

How long the hair itself lasts through repeated fittings depends on the grade and the care. We cover that in how long hair extensions last.

When a tape-in slides out in the first two weeks, the cause is usually one of three things. All three happen during the fitting.

The section was too thick

The two tapes need to touch each other through the hair. With too much hair in the middle, they grip the hair and never grip each other, and the sandwich opens. If you can't see through the section, split it.

Something was on the root

Conditioner, oil, dry shampoo and leave-in products all sit between the adhesive and the hair. So do fingerprints on the tape. Wash without conditioner at the root, dry fully, and handle each piece by the hair.

The tab sat on the scalp or the hairline

A tab pressed against the skin gets pulled every time the head turns, and scalp oil reaches it sooner. A tab at the hairline gets wet first and brushed hardest. Both come loose early, and both can hurt.

You can. Plenty of people do, and the side rows are easy to reach. The back rows are where home installs go wrong, because the partings there are blind.

If it's your first set, get a stylist to fit it and watch how they section. If you fit them yourself, get someone to do the back, and practise the sandwich once on a side section before you open the whole pack.

Plan the removal on the day you fit them. Cliphair puts a set at 6 to 8 weeks before it needs taking out and refitting. Our guide on how to remove tape in extensions covers that step and how to get the hair ready for new tape.

Frequently asked questions