The daily rules for tape-ins are short: oil off the bond, wash when your scalp needs it, dry the tape, sleep in a loose braid. What catches people out is everything else. Colouring, holidays, the gym, winter hats and being ill all need a decision the basic rules don't make for you.
Anyone with tape-ins learns the four daily habits quickly. What they ask about six weeks later is the situations: can I colour this, what do I do on holiday, is the gym a problem, what about a woolly hat.
Those are all reasonable questions and none of them is answered by keep oil off the bond.
Colouring
Colour at the root is a stylist conversation before it is anything else, because bleach and developer near a bond line act on the adhesive and on hair that's under tension from a weft. Root touch-ups are worked around the bonds, and anything bigger belongs at a move-up, when the bonds are coming off anyway. The detail is in our guide to dyeing tape-in extensions.
Holidays and swimming season
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Chlorine pool | Swim, then rinse with plain water soon after. Dry the bond properly |
| Sea water | Same. Salt left in the hair for hours is the problem, not the swim |
| Strong sun | It will lift colour on wefts faster than on your own hair. A hat, or accept the drift |
| Hotel conditioner | The classic mistake. It goes mid-length down, same as at home |
| A two-week trip near a move-up | Move it before you go rather than after. Grow-out plus a holiday is where matting starts |
Swimming several times a week is worth saying at the consultation rather than discovering mid-install. It changes where tabs go and how many the install can carry, and planning for it is far easier than repairing around it.
The gym
Sweat at the nape is normal and not damaging in itself. What causes problems is a soaked bond left for twelve hours, and a tight high ponytail worn for an hour of tension every day.
- Rinse and dry after a heavy session rather than leaving it.
- A loose low tie rather than a tight high one. The high ponytail is the tension people do not count.
- Dry shampoo at the root is fine occasionally and builds up at the bond line if it replaces washing.
- Sauna and steam room soften adhesive. Not forbidden, but they will shorten your interval.
Gym styles that keep the tabs covered are on our hairstyles guide.
Winter, hats and dry air
Hats are fine. What is not fine is a hat over wet hair, which presses a damp bond against the head for hours and is a reliable way to start matting. Dry first, then the hat.
Dry indoor air makes the wefts static and tangly before it affects the bonds at all. That is a lengths problem and a leave-in on the lengths solves it, as long as it stays well below the tape line.
Being ill, or in hospital
Several days in bed means friction on the same patch of hair, usually at the back, and no washing. That combination mats hair at the bond line faster than anything else on this page.
- A loose braid before you go to bed, even if you feel awful. It is the single most useful thing.
- If you can't wash, a gentle brush from the ends up once a day stops tangles becoming mats.
- If a move-up falls during it, reschedule it rather than skipping it. Skipping is how a six-week interval becomes three months.
Pregnancy and postpartum shedding
Postpartum shedding is normal, it's hormonal, and it is not caused by extensions. It can, however, be a reason to take them out for a while: hair that is shedding heavily has less to carry a weft with, and the shedding is more visible when it collects at a bond.
This is a conversation for a stylist who can look at your hair, and for a doctor if the shedding is sudden or severe. Nothing here is medical advice, and a product page is the wrong place to get any.
Questions we get asked
Can you dye hair with tape-in extensions in?
Root colour is usually worked around the bonds by a stylist. A full colour change is best done at a move-up with the wefts out, because the extensions do not take colour the way your own hair does.
Can you go swimming with tape-ins?
Yes, after the first 24 hours. Rinse with plain water soon afterwards and dry the bond. Chlorine and salt left sitting for hours are the problem, not the swim.
Can I wear a hat with tape-in extensions?
Yes, on dry hair. A hat over a wet bond presses it against the head for hours, which is a reliable way to start matting.
Is the gym bad for tape-ins?
Sweat itself is not. A soaked bond left overnight is, and so is a tight high ponytail worn daily. Rinse, dry, and tie it low and loose.
Should I take extensions out during postpartum shedding?
It is worth discussing with a stylist. Heavy shedding leaves less hair to carry a weft, and the shedding is more visible where it collects at a bond. Sudden or severe shedding is a question for a doctor.
What if I am ill and can't wash my hair?
Braid it loosely and brush from the ends up once a day. Days of friction in bed with no brushing is the fastest route to matting at the bond line.
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