WHY TAPE-IN EXTENSIONS?
I had a very bad mishap back in January of this year at a salon. I went in to get my hair colored, the bleach was left in for too long, & not only did it succeed in frying my hair, a large section of my hair also broke off. It was a month & a half-long struggle to repair my hair to the point where it would even grow, plus more money that was invested in the products to help repair my hair. When my hair did in fact start growing again, it was a very slow process due to the damage that was done. From about the end of February until May, the few times I attempted to wear my hair down & flat-iron it were very frustrating; due to the length ( or lack thereof) , the remaining damage, & the texture of my hair-so I just wore it pulled up. I've never had any kind of permanent extensions, so I did quite a bit of research before deciding that tape-ins might just be the best option for me. Due to the short length of my hair, Micro-link & wefted extensions were out of the question, & I had read a bout many nightmare situations involving both. Tape-ins are placed between two sections of hair, about an inch from the scalp, therefore allowing the natural hair to grow safe & sound. They last about six to eight weeks ( depending on your hair growth & care of the extensions), as to which time you get them moved up again.
THE CONSULTATION...
After three weeks of research on tape-in extensions alone, I found a salon with two stylists that specialize in them. It was a reputable salon that had been operating since 1987 with many rave reviews, & also relatively close to where I live. Not being sure I was even a candidate for tape-in extensions, I called the salon & made an appointment for a consultation that same day. The salon was small, clean, & very nicely set up. The stylist who did my consultation was friendly, professional, & took the time to thoroughly look at my hair, & I was pleased to find out that yes, tape-in extensions could in fact be done! My hair is blue, so I was told by the stylist that she would research a bit for the best color match & hair type, & that I would be contacted within a week's time.
As promised, the stylist contacted me, gave me a price of what the total cost would be ( re: the hair, color, & charge to install the extensions), & an appointment to have the tape-ins done was made.
THE INSTALL & RESULTS
My tape-in extensions were done on the 14th of June, it only took about an hour to install them, & it was completely painless; no tugging or yanking of my hair, & no feeling of " Yep, I'm gonna have a headache after this". It was literally what I call "Insta-hair"! A little past my shoulders, soft, & the color was indeed vibrant blue! After not having hair that long since about 2008, it was a big difference, & for the most part I was pretty ecstatic. I say "for the most part" because there was one thing I was confused about: When I went in for the consultation, it was obvious that my hair needed to be dyed ( at the time it was a a faded purple/blue). I asked the stylist if I needed to dye my hair myself beforehand, & I was told that she would be doing the color touch-up for me. Yet, on the day I had my extensions put in, no color touch-up was done in the least, & I was charged $65 for color?? When I inquired about this, I was told that the charge for color was for the EXTENSIONS, not my actual hair....Ah, ok. That wasn't what I was told originally, but I didn't debate it, for I knew I could do color touch-up on my hair myself. My stylist was asked before I left the salon if there were any products ( shampoo, conditioner, etc.) that she recommended, & I was told "not really", just as long as it's sulfate-free. I was then told not to wash my hair for 24-hours to let the tape-ins adhere to my hair, she was paid, tipped, & gave me her cell phone number if I had any problems with the extensions, & off I went with my nifty new hair!
THE AFTERMATH...
The day I had my tape-ins done, I purchased a "loop brush" ( which is a brush that has loop bristles as to not catch on the extensions while brushing them. A regular-bristled brush WILL indeed catch on the tape!) , plus a shampoo & conditioner that was specifically made for human hair extensions. I pulled my hair back in a loose ponytail before I went to sleep ( which you're supposed to do in order to keep the extensions from matting in any way), waited a full 24-hours, touched up my color ( I use Special Effects or Manic Panic-both semi-permanent hair colors that contain no ammonia), & washed my tape-ins for the first time.....
For those like myself that have never had extensions before, much less tape-ins, it does in fact take a time or two to get the shampoo/conditioner routine down. New hair, new routine, & you cannot wash your hair the way that you did previous to having them. There is indeed a method to the madness, so be patient! I would say that after about the 3rd time you wash your hair with tape-ins, you'll pretty much have it down to a science- that goes for the brushing & styling as well.
Can you curl them? Yes you can! Can you flat-iron them? Yes you can! Depending on the length & amount of tape-in wefts you have, be careful about the heat level. I place my styling appliances on a low to medium setting ( which is just about perfect), & a small amount of heat protector from the middle to the end of the extensions is more than enough.
DO IT YOURSELF...
I had a couple of mishaps with my tape-in extensions. Granted, every person's hair is different, & sometimes things can be trial & error. Within a week & a half after getting my tape-in extensions, I had two wefts slide right out of my hair in a span of 3 days. I contacted my stylist to let her know what happened, & I went in the next day to have them re-installed. Hair stylists aren't magicians, mistakes happen, & you have to be willing to work with your stylist without going berserk-especially if they offer to fix the problem with no qualms or questions asked. It was determined that when she dyed my extensions, it was possible that the tape got wet & didn't hold as well as it normally would when they were installed. Not only did she fix the wefts that had fallen out, she took ALL of them out & re-installed them again to be sure that they would hold better! I was very thankful & also very impressed, for when you deal with a stylist that cares about their clients-those clients will undoubtedly come back.
Fast-forward to three weeks later: I was blow-drying my hair & yep, a weft on the left side of my head slid right out! Yet another phone call was made to my stylist, & upon hearing what had happened ( yet again), she consulted with the owner of the salon....that's where the good impression ended. I was accused of not taking good enough care of my extensions; not using a sulfate-free shampoo, not brushing them correctly or enough ( it's recommended that you brush them out twice a day), not pulling my hair back when I went to sleep, etc, etc. These questions wouldn't have irritated me at all, if she hadn't asked me the EXACT same ones the last time I was at the salon-which was three weeks prior. In the end, my stylist apologized & wanted me to come in again so she could use a stronger glue on the extensions. As much as I appreciated her offer, I did not have the time to make another trip down there, yet I still had a weft that had fallen out..
What did I do? I purchased some glue strips from the beauty supply store, sectioned my hair off with a pin-tail comb, & placed the weft back in myself. I still have over two sheets of the glue strips left, so at least I'm prepared if I happen to lose another one any time soon. The weft I replaced myself is holding up well, & as much as I credit the stylist who installed my tape-ins, salon trips back & forth can be frustrating.
Did she do a good job? Yes, I honestly believe that she did, & I DO appreciate her efforts to fix the mishaps. However, the owner of the salon was a wee bit insulting, after what I paid for the extensions, three wefts falling out in less than a month is pretty annoying. Will I stick with the tape-ins? Most likely yes, at least for awhile, but I'm definitely looking forward to my own hair growing to the desired length!
MY EXPERIENCE OVERALL...
I do think that tape-in extensions are a great option. Despite a few frustrations, I don't regret getting them, for they've given the look & length of my hair that much-needed boost. My advice to anyone considering the option of tape-ins: Do your research! Explore the process, aftercare, & do not be afraid to ask a stylist questions if there's anything you don't understand. When choosing a salon ( if you don't have one you go to regularly), read the reviews, check out the Facebook pages, websites, photos, etc. Sometimes it's difficult to decipher what the feel of a salon will be until you've been there, so a consultation is always a good idea!
I know this blog is a bit lengthy, but I hope you all enjoy it! The links to my YouTube channel, Facebook page, & Twitter page will be listed down below, & I'll be back again soon with another blog post! Catch up with you gals & pals then ;-)
My Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/purplepeepleeater75?ref=hl
My YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKlvj4oSDaI5cG_wX9tPz6g
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/makeupjunkie_75
Here are a couple before & after photos:
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