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Adhesive buildup is old tape that has layered up on the weft itself, usually because a fresh tab went on over the last one instead of onto a clean weft base. It makes the bond thick, stiff and uneven, and the new tab grips the old adhesive rather than the hair. Residue sits on your natural hair; buildup sits on the extension. Strip the weft clean before every re-tab.

Also called: tape buildup, glue buildup

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Adhesive residue is the tacky film left on your natural hair after a tape-in comes out. It happens when the solvent smears the bond instead of breaking it, or when the weft is pulled before the adhesive has released. Residue is the reason people end up scraping with a comb, and the scraping is what costs hair. Re-wet the spot with remover and let it work rather than combing it out dry.

Also called: tape residue, sticky residue

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In tape-ins, compatibility means two different things. Tabs: Vanity tabs re-tape any brand's double-sided wefts built to the standard 4 cm × 0.8 cm base, so you strip the original tape and re-tab with ours. Remover: The Clean Remover is formulated for Vanity's own adhesive and will underperform on other brands' tape. Bring your own hair, re-tab it with Vanity, and the remover works as designed.

Also called: works with other brands

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Cost per sandwich is the price of the tape for one installed weft: two tabs. It is the honest way to compare tape packs, because pack sizes vary. Vanity's Replacement Tape Tabs are $45 for 60 tabs, which is 30 sandwiches, so $1.50 per sandwich or $0.75 per tab. Thirty sandwiches is roughly one full head, which makes tabs the consumable you re-order at each move-up.

Also called: cost per tab, cost per move-up

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Double-sided tape has adhesive on both faces. In a tape-in install one face sticks to the weft and the other grips a thin section of natural hair, and a second weft closes the sandwich from the other side. It is the standard format for pre-taped wefts and for replacement tabs, including all of Vanity's. Compare single-sided tape, which bonds to the weft on one face only.

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Hair extension adhesive is the pressure-sensitive glue on a tape tab that holds a weft to natural hair. Pressing the sandwich firmly sets the bond, and the bond is the joined unit of weft, tape and hair. A good adhesive holds through washing, sweat and styling for the full wear cycle, then lets go cleanly when the matching solvent reaches it. Vanity's tape and remover were developed together as a pair.

Also called: tape-in adhesive, bond

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Hold time is how long a tape bond stays secure before it needs replacing. Vanity tape holds 6 to 8 weeks, through washing, sweat and styling, in ten years of daily use in our salon. Oil at the scalp, conditioner on the bond and heavy product all shorten it. By the end of the window, grow-out usually forces a move-up before the adhesive fails.

Also called: wear time, tape lifespan

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Replacement tape tabs are pre-cut double-sided adhesive strips used to re-tape a weft after removal, so the same hair goes back in. Vanity's come 60 to a pack, which is 30 sandwiches, sized 4 cm × 0.8 cm to fit the standard weft base. They re-tape any brand's double-sided wefts, not only hair that started on Vanity tape.

Also called: tape tabs, replacement tape, re-tape tabs

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A sandwich is one installed tape-in unit: a thin section of natural hair pressed between two taped wefts, adhesive facing in. It takes two tabs, so 60 tabs make 30 sandwiches. The sandwich is the unit stylists count when planning a head and pricing a move-up. Too much hair in the sandwich is the most common reason a bond slips early.

Also called: tape sandwich, sandwich method

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Store tape tabs and remover somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight. A salon back room or a bathroom cabinet away from the shower is fine. Keep liners on the tabs until use so the adhesive face stays clean. The remover is flammable, so keep it away from heat and open flame. We don't publish a shelf-life figure because we have never measured one.

Also called: storage, how to store tape tabs

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Single-sided tape has adhesive on one face only. It is used to pair a taped weft with a weft that has no tape of its own, typically for very fine or thin hair where a full double-sided sandwich would be too bulky. Most installs use double-sided tape on both wefts. Vanity sells double-sided tabs only.

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A tab is a single pre-cut piece of tape-in adhesive, sized to cover the top edge of one weft. Two tabs make one sandwich. Vanity tabs are 4 cm × 0.8 cm, double-sided, and come 60 to a pack. When people say they need to re-tab, they mean peeling the old tab off a weft and pressing on a fresh one.

Also called: tape tab, tape strip

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The tape liner is the protective strip covering the adhesive face of a tab until it goes on. Peel it only at the moment of application: fingers, dust and product on an exposed face reduce grip before the bond is ever pressed. On a double-sided tab, one liner comes off to stick the tab to the weft and the second comes off when the sandwich is made.

Also called: backing, release liner, tape backing

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Tape remover is the solvent that breaks a tape-in bond so the weft lifts away without pulling hair. Removers are alcohol, oil or citrus based. Oil and citrus types work but leave a film that has to be washed out before re-tabbing. The Clean Remover is alcohol based and oil-free, 4.0 oz for about 30 removals, and is built for Vanity tape.

Also called: tape-in remover, adhesive remover, release agent, bond remover

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An application tool is a flat-jawed clamp used to press a tape sandwich closed after placement. Even pressure across the whole tab sets the adhesive properly, which fingers alone rarely manage at the back of the head. It is a pressing tool, not a heat tool. One comes in both the Vanity Removal Kit and the Complete Tape Extension System.

Also called: tape-in pliers, pressing tool, clamp tool

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Placement is where each sandwich sits on the head: which rows, how far from the hairline and parting, and how far from the scalp. Good placement hides the bonds, spreads weight evenly, and leaves room to grow out before a move-up. Bonds set too close to the scalp pull; bonds near the part or hairline show. Plan the rows before the first liner comes off.

Also called: placement map, installation pattern

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Re-tabbing is replacing the tape on a weft that has already been worn, so the hair can go back in. Strip the old tab, clean any adhesive off the weft base, and press on a fresh tab. With an oil-free remover the weft comes out clean, so you can re-tab in the same appointment without shampooing and drying the hair first.

Also called: re-taping, retaping

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Sectioning is dividing the natural hair into clean horizontal rows and thin slices before taping, so each sandwich holds only the hair meant for it. The slice should be thin enough to see the scalp through and no wider than the tab. Thick or uneven sections are the most common cause of early slippage. Clips hold the rest of the hair out of the way.

Also called: sectioning clips

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Tape-in extensions are wefts of hair with adhesive tabs on the top edge, installed by sandwiching a thin section of natural hair between two wefts. They lie flat, wear for 6 to 8 weeks between move-ups, and the hair is reused by removing it with a solvent and re-taping it. The tape and remover, not the hair, decide how clean that cycle is.

Also called: tape-ins, tape hair extensions

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A weft is a strip of extension hair joined along a flat base. For tape-ins the base is usually 4 cm wide and carries a tab of adhesive along its top edge. Wefts are what you buy from a hair brand and reuse across several installs by re-taping them. Vanity does not sell wefts; its tabs re-tape any brand's double-sided wefts.

Also called: tape weft, panel

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Dwell time is how long the remover sits on a tab before you guide the comb between the wefts. Mist both sides, then wait for the solvent to reach the adhesive. Vanity tape releases in under 60 seconds per tab. Cutting dwell time short is the most common cause of a smeared bond and sticky residue; if a corner still holds, re-mist and wait again rather than pulling.

Also called: wait time, soak time

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Removal is taking tape-in wefts out by dissolving the bond, not by pulling it. Mist both sides of each tab with remover, let it dwell, then guide the tail of a rattail comb between the wefts and lift. Done in a salon it is part of a move-up; done at home it needs a mirror, patience and a remover matched to the tape.

Also called: tape-in removal, taking out tape-ins

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Removal damage is hair lost or broken while taking tape-ins out. The adhesive rarely causes it. Scraping does: a bond that smears instead of releasing leaves residue, and combing out residue drags hair with it. Clean release removes the reason to scrape. Some shedding at every removal is normal, because hair that fell out during wear was held in the bond.

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The solvent is the active part of a tape remover, the liquid that softens and breaks the adhesive. Tape-in removers use alcohols, oils or citrus compounds. Alcohol-based solvents evaporate and leave the hair clean; oil and citrus solvents leave a film. Household substitutes such as coconut oil can work slowly but tend to smear the bond. Vanity's remover is alcohol based and oil-free.

Also called: adhesive dissolver, remover base

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Weft cleaning is getting the old tape and adhesive off a removed weft so a fresh tab sits flat on the base. Peel the old tab, then wipe any remaining adhesive with remover until the base feels smooth, not tacky. Skipping it causes adhesive buildup and weak bonds. With an oil-free remover the weft is ready to re-tab without a wash.

Also called: cleaning wefts, stripping old tape

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Aftercare is the routine that keeps tape-ins secure between move-ups: wait 24 hours before the first wash, keep conditioner and oil off the bonds, brush from the ends up while holding the root, dry the bond area fully, and sleep with hair loosely braided. Most early slippage and matting trace back to aftercare, not to the tape.

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Breakage is hair snapping along the shaft, as opposed to shedding, where a whole hair falls from the root. With tape-ins it usually comes from tension at the bond, heat on the tape area, or scraping residue during removal. Short broken pieces around old bond sites are the sign. If breakage is new or extensive, have a licensed stylist look before the next install.

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Grow-out is the bond moving away from the scalp as natural hair grows, carrying the weft down with it. It is expected, not a failure, and it is what sets the move-up schedule, typically every 6 to 8 weeks. Slippage is different: there the bond loosens and slides. With grow-out the bond holds and the hair under it has simply grown.

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Matting is natural hair and shed hair knotting together around a tape bond until the area feels stuck rather than loose. It builds when shed hair is not brushed out, when bonds stay damp, or when wear runs past the move-up window. Don't pull at a mat. Detangle gently from the ends, and if it won't loosen, have a stylist remove that bond.

Also called: tangling at the bond

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A move-up is the maintenance appointment where grown-out tape-ins are removed, re-taped and reinstalled closer to the scalp, using the same hair. It is a removal and a re-application in one sitting, typically every 6 to 8 weeks. The cost is labour plus tape, since the wefts are reused. An oil-free remover lets it happen without a wash in the middle.

Also called: maintenance appointment, reinstallation, re-install

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Shedding is hair falling from the root as part of the normal growth cycle. With tape-ins, hairs that shed during wear stay trapped in the bond, so they all come out together at removal and look like more loss than it is. Any extension method sheds some hair. New, sudden or patchy shedding is different: see a dermatologist.

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Slippage is a bond loosening and sliding down the hair, or a weft coming out early, before grow-out would explain it. Common causes are too much hair in the sandwich, conditioner or oil on the bond, and washing within 24 hours of install. A slipped tab cannot be pressed back down. It needs removing and a fresh tab.

Also called: slipped tab, tape slipping

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Traction is the pull a bond puts on the hair under it, from weft weight, tight placement or tension during install. A tape-in should not hurt; soreness at a bond means weight or placement needs changing. Traction alopecia is a medical condition, hair loss from sustained pulling. If you see thinning along bond lines or the hairline, stop and see a dermatologist.

Also called: tension, traction alopecia

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