When it goes wrong
Something has gone wrong
One symptom per page, answered from the chair. If you are holding a comb and working at something sticky, start by putting it down. That is usually what turns a small problem into a big one.
Two rules cover most of what lands here. Do not comb at anything tacky, because that spreads it along the shaft. And if a bond has not released after two applications of solvent, stop rather than pulling harder, fighting a stuck bond is how breakage happens, and it is not the tape doing it.
Pick the symptom
Tape residue left in the hair
Stop combing first. The isolate-mist-wait sequence, how to tell adhesive from oil, and when a patch needs a stylist rather than more solvent.
updated 2026-09-20 Tape & tabsA slipped tape-in tab
One tab or several, and why the answer is different. What to do today, what it means, and why a slipped tab cannot be stuck back down.
updated 2026-09-20If your problem isn't here
- The removal method, if a whole set is coming out and you want the sequence.
- Whether to remove them at home, if you're deciding rather than mid-job.
- Aftercare, if bonds keep failing early and you want to know why.
- The damage question, if you are worried about shedding.
- Collections, if the question is which product does what.
Anything involving a sore scalp, flaking, or new or sudden shedding belongs with a licensed stylist, and with a dermatologist if it continues. Nothing on this site is medical advice.
The system
Most of this is a dwell-time problem.
An oil-free solvent, given a few seconds to work, releases a bond without anything needing to be scraped.