The Kardashians, the royals and countless other stars around the world have been known to embrace the subtle art of tape hair extensions. Ever wondered how stars switch up their hair from hip-length mermaid waves to a bouncy old money bob and back again – all in a matter of days? This is the secret. We’ve seen Kim Kardashian and J.Lo’s long-time hairstylist Chris Appleton often applying tape hair extensions to add volume, length or a new fridge or style to his celebrity clients.
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So, what’s the difference between tape extensions and clip-in extensions or wigs? Tape hair extensions have a much more natural appearance, they only take around 30 minutes to apply or remove and they can last up to six weeks if applied professionally and taken care of properly.
Up until recent years, since around the age of 18, I have been a full-blown hair extension addict. I’ve had the lot; bonds, clip-ins, micro-rings, nano-rings and *shudder* synthetic hair pieces. Some I had professionally fitted at a salon, some I would fit myself. Mostly, my sister would apply them for me at home, this did save me hundreds of pounds whilst I was at university, but my natural hair certainly paid the price.
It is so important to get hair extensions professionally applied, especially when there’s adhesive (bonds and tapes), metal (rings) or stitching (weaves) involved. This will prevent breakage and long-term damage to the hair. Often, hair extensions can improve the overall health of your hair, but this won’t be the case if you have a botched job done at home. Tape hair extensions come in small inch-long strips, with a small line of adhesive at the top. Two strips are then sandwiched together in a pair, on either side of a small section of your natural hair. It’s so simple and so subtle.
During lockdown in 2020, I took my hair extensions out – because I couldn’t visit a salon to get them refitted. I slowly but surely got used to my natural hair and began to love it again. But these days, I’m starting to miss the volume of hair extensions. My hair is long and healthy enough, it’s just a bit thin and limp, which means whenever I attempt a bouncy ’90s blowout at home, no matter how much mousse or hairspray I use, it falls out after a couple of hours. I was craving the layered Matilda Djerf curls that took the internet by storm.