Tape-In Hair Extensions 101

Hair extensions are nothing new in the world of beauty, and I’ve learned that the majority of my friends and fellow bloggers like to add a little oomph to their hair for special occasions or day-to-day wear. Though Ellen has been a big fan of clip-in hair extensions for years, my thin hair doesn’t provide much coverage of the clips.

Over the years I’ve tried many methods to thicken my hair – including a perm back in the day, which unfortunately ended when I started highlighting my hair. I’ve heard so many horror stories about extensions (we all remember Britney’s meltdown with the buzzed head), so why risk thinning my hair even more for a few months of fullness?

I recently connected with Jell Salon in Dallas and decided to try out their new hair extension service. A bit nervous at first, I went in for my consultation and decided to try out their tape-in hair extensions. I am completely in love with them, so I’m excited to share with you my experience!

 

EXTENSIONS 101 

Hair extensions come in many styles and methods

– Fusions: Small bundles of hair are fused to yours using glue or heat. This is a time-consuming method that can cause the most amount of damage to your hair.

– Micro Links: Small bundles of hair are basically snapped onto pieces of your hair with a small bead. This is a similar method to fusion, except no heat or glue is applied.

– Sew-in: Your hair is braided on the back of your head tightly and wefts of hair are sewn into the braid. This method works best on natural hair – my hair would be unable to handle the weight of the weft.

– Clip-Ins – These are wefts of extensions clipped into your hair everyday – Ellen swears by this brand.

– The Halo: This is similar to clip-ins, but it’s a weft of hair on a circular wire that is worn on your head. This is a temporary solution for special occasions or everyday wear.

– Tape-In Extensions – These are small wefts of extensions taped into your hair with double sided tape

TAPE-IN EXTENSIONS

Though every method of extensions (generally) looks natural and full, tape-in extensions are my #1 recommendation for anyone looking to add length or fullness to their hair. I scheduled a consultation at Jell Salon, and my stylist color-matched my hair to make sure the extensions are a perfect match. It took about one week for the salon to receive my Hotheads hair extensions, and once they arrived I went back to the salon for the application – which only took about 30 minutes to an hour!

Not only are tape-ins the least damaging form of applied extensions, they are also the quickest, easiest, and most affordable method!

 

APPLICATION

Basically, a stylist will sandwich two three-inch hair extension wefts around a small portion of your hair. The amount of wefts added to your hair will vary on how full or long you would like your hair to look. I used one pack to achieve the fullness I was aiming for.

HOW LONG WILL THEY LAST 

Tape-In hair extensions can generally last 6-8 weeks depending on how fast your hair grows and how you maintain them. If you take care of your extensions properly, your stylist can remove and reapply them to your hair multiple times.

CARE

Taking care of your extensions properly is important to keeping a natural look and prevent damage. Brushing your hair frequently definitely helps your hair from tangling, but remember to be gentle when brushing to avoid pulling too hard on the extensions. Also, using conditioner can loosen the adhesive on the extensions, so avoid conditioning the top of your hair and focus mainly on the ends.

STYLING

Styling extensions is no different than styling your “real hair”! In fact, it’s a lot more fun since you have way more to work with, so feel free to continue styling with your normal routine. The only issues I’ve had so far with my extensions is that I’ve switched from high ponytails to low ponytails to keep from exposing my tape-ins – which is completely worth it for the result!

REVIEW

Overall, I am absolutely in love with my new extensions! Jell Salon was able to give me the exact result I was looking for – a fuller appearance of my natural hair! I completely recommend it to any of you, and I think you all would be pleased with your new extensions! To learn more about Jell Salon or to schedule an appointment for hair extensions, visit their website here! Also, be sure to let them know we referred you ;) You will not be disappointed with your results!