Tape-in extensions go in horizontal rows across the back and sides of the head, starting at the nape and stopping below the crown, with each row hidden by the hair above it. Keep them off the hairline, the part, the crown and the outer edge. Thin hair takes fewer rows, placed lower.
Most tape-ins that show, pull or slip were placed wrong before they were pressed. The tape held. The tab was in a spot no hair could cover, or where the head bends, or where a ponytail pulls.
This page lays the map out row by row, in tables you can read on a phone at the station. We sell tabs, a remover and an application tool. We do not sell a placement board, a chart or hair.
Where do tape-in extensions go on your head?
Tape-in extensions go in rows across the back and sides of the head, starting at the nape and stopping below the crown. Each row sits under a layer of your own hair that covers it. The top section, the hairline and the part stay empty, because those are the places where tabs show first.
The whole map follows one rule: every tab needs hair above it. A weft is the strip of extension hair. A sandwich is two wefts, tabs facing, pressed around a thin slice of your own hair. Neither hides itself. What hides a sandwich is your hair falling over it from the row above.
So installs start low. The nape is covered by everything above it and carries the most. Each row higher has less hair left to cover it, and a little below the crown, where hair swirls and parts, the rows stop. The reasons behind each boundary are on our page about the placement safe zone.
The tape-in placement map, row by row
A standard tape-in placement map has a nape row, a lower back row, a row at the occipital bone, an upper back row below the crown, and short side rows behind and above the ears. Each row sits over the gaps in the row below, like brickwork. The crown, top and part stay empty to cover everything.
| Row, nape to crown | Where it sits | What it is for | Spacing note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nape | Just above the nape hairline, in from both edges | Length, hidden by every row above | In from the edge for ponytails |
| Lower back | One section above the nape | Length, low where it hides best | Over the gaps below |
| Occipital | At or just above the bony curve at the back | Fullness where the head is widest | Extra room, because the head bends here |
| Upper back | Above the occipital, below the crown | Blends into your top layer | Fewer sandwiches, further in from the sides |
| Sides | Behind and above each ear | Fullness at the sides | Clear of the temple and part |
| Covering section | Crown, top and part | Hides every row beneath | Nothing goes here |
A description of the layout, not a specification. Sandwiches per row, and whether every row is used, depend on your density and the result you want.
Reading any published chart
Every chart uses the same legend. Lines are rows, rectangles are sandwiches, gaps are spacing, and the empty band and margin are the covering section and perimeter. Count rectangles, not lines: 20 rectangles is 40 tabs, and one card of 60 tabs makes 30 sandwiches.
Where should tape-ins never go?
Keep tape-in extensions off four zones: the hairline, the part line and crown swirl, the top section that lies over everything, and the outer edge where the head bends or hair is tied up. Tabs there show when hair moves, and tension on fine hairline hair is how traction damage starts.
| Keep-clear zone | Why it stays empty | If it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Front hairline and temples | Finest, most visible hair | Tabs show at the face and the fine hair takes the pull |
| Part line and crown swirl | Hair splits here on its own | The tab shows every time the hair parts |
| Top covering section | It hides everything beneath | Nothing is left to hide the top rows |
| Outer edge and nape perimeter | The head bends and hair is lifted | Corners lift, and tabs show in a ponytail |
How far in from each boundary is where guides disagree. Perfect Locks says at least half an inch from the hairline at the front, sides and nape. A Plus Nails says one to two inches from the front hairline. We have not set our own figure here. The test that matters: drop the hair over the tab, move your head, and look.
Traction alopecia is real
A 2012 report in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology described a horseshoe pattern of hair loss over the back and temples, matching where glued-in wefts had been worn. The AAD says traction alopecia can become permanent if untreated. Pain, stinging or new shedding means see a licensed stylist, then a dermatologist. This is not medical advice.
The mechanism is weight on too small a section; see do tape-in extensions damage your hair.
How many rows and sandwiches do tape-ins need?
Published guides put a full tape-in install at three to five rows and roughly 10 to 40 sandwiches, depending on density and the result wanted. Thin hair sits at the low end, with fewer rows placed lower. Thick hair can take more. A chart's count is a starting point, and your own head sets the final number.
| Source | Rows | Sandwiches | By hair type |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Plus Nails | 3 to 5 | 10 to 20 volume, 20 to 30 medium, 30 to 40 maximum | Fine: fewer, wider spaced. Thick: extra rows |
| Perfect Locks | Not stated | 20 to 30 for a typical full head | Fine 10 to 15, medium 20 to 25, thick 30 and up |
| Ugeat Professional | 3 nape, 2 sides, 1 to 2 crown | Not stated | One pattern for everyone |
Other publishers' figures, read 28 September 2026. We have not tested them and publish no counts of our own. Gram weights vary by brand and weft width, so we give none.
Two rules hold at any count. Stagger each row over the gaps below, and keep the heavier, longer wefts lowest. Converting pieces, packs and grams into a count for your own head is covered in how many tape-ins you need.
How far apart should tape-ins be, and how far off the scalp?
Tape-in extensions need room between sandwiches, room between rows, and a small gap off the scalp. Published figures run from a quarter inch to one inch between sandwiches, one to two inches between rows, and a quarter to half an inch off the scalp. The reason is movement: the head has to bend without tabs meeting.
| Distance | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Between sandwiches in a row | 0.25 to 0.5 inch | A Plus Nails |
| Between sandwiches in a row | About 0.5 to 1 inch | Cooviphair |
| Between rows | 1 to 2 inches | Ugeat Professional |
| Tab off the scalp | About 0.25 inch | A Plus Nails |
| Tab off the scalp | 0.25 to 0.5 inch | Ugeat Professional, Cooviphair |
Other publishers' figures, attributed. We publish no scalp-gap figure of our own. The principle is enough room that the tab never presses on skin, and not so much that it swings.
Both directions of error cost you. A tab against the skin pulls on the root every time you brush or sleep, and scalp oil reaches the adhesive sooner. A tab set too far down swings and shows when the hair parts. When a map will not fit your head, change the count, not the spacing. Crowded rows turn stiff and sore to lie on.
How do you place tape-ins on the sides and near the part?
On the sides, set tape-in wefts back from the temple, follow the curve of the head, and leave clear hair above the ear so glasses and ponytails do not expose them. Near the part, keep tabs set back on both sides, because people switch their part. Nothing goes in the top section at all.
The sides are where most visible tabs live. Hair there is thinner, it gets tucked, and glasses arms lift it. Side rows run shorter, sit behind the ear rather than in front, and stop short of the temple. Flip your part before pressing anything and check both sides.
Horizontal or angled rows?
Every published chart we reviewed draws horizontal partings that tilt slightly on the sides to follow the curve of the head. Some forum advice says angled side rows show less. We have not tested that and set no rule on it. Check any angled row with your hair tucked.
Placement maps for thin, average and thick hair
Thin hair takes fewer tape-in rows, placed lower, with thinner sections and more space, because there is less hair above each tab to hide it. Average hair takes the standard map most charts are drawn for. Thick hair takes more sandwiches per row, or an extra row, without crowding the spacing.
| Thin hair | Average hair | Thick hair | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rows used | Nape, lower back, sometimes occipital | Nape to upper back, plus sides | All rows, sometimes a second lower back row |
| Section | Thinnest, light shows through clearly | Thin enough to see light through | Still thin, despite more hair |
| Side rows | Short, or none | Short, behind the ear | Full, behind the ear |
| Wefts | Lighter, shorter | Standard | Standard or heavier, kept low |
Thin means fewer strands. Fine means narrower ones. The map cares most about thin, because covering a tab takes strand count, and adding rows to a thin head only moves the problem up to the part. Whether tape-ins suit you at all is covered in hair extensions for thin hair.
On thick hair, add an extra row low down before tightening any spacing. Curly hair shrinks as it dries, so the covering hair is shorter than it looks wet. Check the cover with the hair dry.
How do you place tape-ins for layered length or volume?
For layered length, put the longest tape-in wefts in the lowest rows and shorter ones higher, so the ends step down the way a layered cut does instead of stopping in one line. Then have the ends cut into your own layers. An uncut install shows a shelf where your hair ends.
A layered map is the standard map with a length on every row: longest at the nape and lower back, shorter at the occipital, shortest at the upper back and sides. Copy the step your own layers already have. A volume map matches your length instead, and puts sandwiches where you want fullness, usually the occipital row and the row above it. That is why a small count can be plenty for volume and too few for length. The full volume-only install, cut-in included, is in tape-in extensions for volume.
Ponytails and short hair: when does the map change?
A ponytail works with tape-in extensions when the rows sit inside your ponytail line and the perimeter stays clean. Short hair takes fewer, lower rows, because each tab needs enough of your own length falling over it. Both change the same thing: how far in from the edges, and how high, the rows can go.
Draw your ponytail line first. Pull your hair up where you wear it and see which hair lifts away. Tabs inside that line stay covered. Tabs on it show. A high ponytail lifts more of the perimeter, so rows sit further in. Wear it loosely, because the American Academy of Dermatology lists pain from tightly pulled hair as a warning sign.
On a bob the covering hair is often shorter than your top layer, so the top row stops lower and the map shrinks. Minimum lengths and the cover-line test are in tape-ins on short hair.
How do you adjust a placement map to your own head?
Treat any tape-in placement map as a draft. Section first, then compare with the map. Mark where your real hairline sits, feel for the occipital bone at the back, test one section against the light for thickness, and change the count rather than crowding the spacing. Then write down what you did for next time.
| What a map does not know | What to check | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Your real hairline | Front, side and nape hairlines, including recession | Every boundary |
| Your occipital bone | Feel for the bony curve at the back | Room across that row |
| Your density | Hold one section to the light | Sandwiches per row |
| How you wear it | Part side, ponytail height, glasses, tucking | The perimeter and side rows |
Keep a record sheet
You do not need a placement board. JZ Styles sells a $50 set of three mapping mats (left, back and right) for recording where each weft came from, and Hotheads publishes PDF placement charts. A sketched back view and two side views do the same job. Note per row: sandwiches, weft length, part side, and anything sore or showing. The second install only beats the first if someone wrote the first one down.
How do you install tape-ins along the map?
Clip everything up except the nape row. Take a section thin enough to see light through. Place the lower weft under it, close the sandwich with the second weft, and press across the whole tab with the application tool. Finish the row before dropping the next, then keep the install dry for 24 hours.
- Start clean and dryFreshly washed hair with no conditioner, oil or product at the roots.
- Section the whole headPut in every line from the map, clip the top away, drop only the nape row.
- Take a thin sliceThin enough to see light through, in from the edge of the section.
- Place the lower weftSticky side up, under the slice, at the scalp gap your method sets.
- Close and pressLay the second weft on top and press across the full width of the tab with the application tool.
- Finish the row, then move upSet the next row's sandwiches over the gaps below.
- Keep it dry for 24 hoursNo washing and no heavy sweat until the adhesive has had a day to set.
The full method, with pressing and aftercare, is in how to apply tape-in extensions.
In the chair
A stylist sees every row, checks each one's cover by dropping the hair above over it, and fills in the record sheet during the appointment.
At home
The nape row is the one you cannot see, and it carries the most sandwiches. Use two mirrors or a propped phone, a helper if you can, and fewer sandwiches the first time.
Stop signal
A tab that pulls at the hairline, or one sandwich still sore after the first day, is a stop. Do not add more. Have a stylist look at it and move it.
Why do tape-ins show, hurt or slip?
Most tape-in problems trace back to placement. Tabs showing at the part mean the rows are too high. Tabs showing in a ponytail mean they sit too close to the perimeter. Soreness at one bond means too much weight on too thin a section. Several tabs slipping early usually means sections that were too thick.
| Symptom | Placement cause | Fix at the next move-up |
|---|---|---|
| Tabs show at the part | Top row too high or too near the part | Drop the top row, widen the margin |
| Tabs show in a ponytail | Rows on the ponytail line | Move rows in, keep a cleaner perimeter |
| Tabs show behind the ear | Side sandwiches on the ear line | Set side rows further back |
| One sore spot | Heavy weft on a thin section, or tab against skin | Lighter weft, more scalp gap |
| Sore to lie on | Rows crowded, no stagger | Fewer per row, staggered |
| Several slip early | Sections too thick | Thinner slices |
Tabs that appear late in the cycle usually mean the bonds have grown out and a move-up is due. What decides whether a tab shows is covered in invisible tape-in extensions.
What a placement map can't do
A tape-in placement map can't make very short hair cover a tab, or make thin hair carry more weight than it has. It can't replace a consultation, because density and scalp condition have to be looked at. And it can't fix a scalp problem. Tenderness or new shedding is for a stylist, then a dermatologist.
Every distance and count on this page belongs to another publisher and is labelled that way. We would rather show the published ranges than invent a figure for a head we have not seen. The row logic holds everywhere: start low, stagger, keep clear of the edges, stop before the covering hair runs out. Very thin or very short hair, a sore scalp, or wanting length for one night are reasons to ask a stylist about clip-ins, a halo, or waiting.
What you need to install along the map
To install tape-ins along a placement map you need double-sided tabs, an application tool that presses each tab across its full width, sectioning clips, a remover for the move-up, and your wefts. The Complete Tape Extension System is $95 and covers everything except the hair.
We do not sell hair. Re-tab any brand's double-sided wefts with our tabs. Our remover is built for our tape and underperforms on other brands' adhesive. More in does Vanity work with other brands.
Start with the Complete Tape Extension System: 60 tabs (30 sandwiches), the application tool, The Clean Remover, and a step-by-step digital guide emailed after your order. In ten years of daily use in our salon the tape holds six to eight weeks and releases with no oily residue, so there is no re-wash before you re-tab at the move-up.
What this guide is based on
Written by Jaci Finch, licensed cosmetologist in Utah with 21 years behind the chair. The row logic and keep-clear zones are practitioner guidance from tape-in work at Vanity Hair Salon in Orem, not a controlled test.
Every distance and count on this page is another publisher's figure, attributed and dated. We have not tested those figures and do not yet publish our own scalp gap, hairline distance, row count or gram weight.
Questions we get asked
Where is the best place to put tape-in hair extensions?
In horizontal rows across the back and sides, from the nape to just below the crown, each covered by the hair above. Keep off the hairline, the part, the top and the outer edge.
How far from the scalp should tape-ins be?
Published guides say about a quarter to half an inch (Ugeat Professional, Cooviphair, A Plus Nails). Too close pulls at the root; too far and the weft shows. We have not set our own figure yet.
How close to the hairline can tape-ins go?
Perfect Locks says at least half an inch; A Plus Nails says one to two inches from the front. The real test is whether the tab stays covered when you move and tie your hair.
How many rows of tape-ins do I need?
A Plus Nails puts most installs at three to five rows. Thin hair uses fewer, lower rows; thick hair can take more.
Is 20 pieces of tape ins enough?
Twenty pieces is 10 sandwiches. Published ranges put that at the volume or fine-hair end: often enough for volume, usually not for full length on medium or thick hair.
Can tape-ins go on top of your head?
No. The top section covers every row beneath it. Tabs there show at the part.
Should tape-ins go horizontal or vertical?
Published charts draw horizontal partings that curve with the head on the sides. We have not tested angled placement and set no rule on it.
How do you place tape-ins for thin hair?
Fewer rows placed lower, thinner sections, lighter wefts, and short side rows or none.
How do you layer different lengths of tape-ins?
Longest wefts in the lowest rows, shorter ones higher, then a stylist cuts them into your layers.
Can you wear a high ponytail with tape-ins?
Yes, if the rows sit inside your ponytail line. Tell your stylist before the install, and wear it loosely.
Why can I see my tape-ins?
The top row is too high, rows sit too near the edge or the part, or the bonds have grown out and a move-up is due.
When should tape in extensions be moved up?
Every six to eight weeks, in ten years of daily use in our salon. On short or thin hair, tabs showing can set the date sooner.
How should I sleep with tape in hair extensions?
On dry hair, in a loose braid or low loose ponytail. A sore spot when lying down often means a crowded row.
Do I need a placement board?
No. A sketched head outline with a note per row does the same job at every move-up.
Do you sell a placement chart or board?
No. Vanity sells tabs, a remover and an application tool. No board, chart or mapping product, and no hair.
Sources
Every price, specification and claim about another brand on this page traces to one of the references below. Each was read on the date shown. Where a figure could not be verified from a primary source we've left it out rather than estimated it.
- Perfect Locks: tape-in hair extensions guide Half-inch hairline distance; 20 to 30 sandwiches for a typical full head; fine, medium and thick counts Accessed 2026-09-28
- A Plus Nails: tape-in hair placement guide Three to five rows; 10 to 40 sandwiches by result; quarter-inch scalp gap; 0.25 to 0.5 inch between sandwiches; one to two inches from the front hairline Accessed 2026-09-28
- Ugeat Professional: placement of tape-in extensions Quarter to half inch off the scalp; one to two inches between rows; the 3 nape, 2 sides, 1 to 2 crown pattern Accessed 2026-09-28
- Cooviphair: tape extensions placement and care guide Quarter to half inch off the scalp; about half to one inch between sandwiches Accessed 2026-09-28
- JZ Styles: The Placement Guide mapping mats A $50 set of three mapping mats (left, back, right) used to record weft positions Accessed 2026-09-28
- Hotheads: placement charts PDF placement charts, including tape-in and hybrid-method charts Accessed 2026-09-28
- Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology: weft hair extensions causing a horseshoe pattern of traction alopecia (2012) Hair loss over the occipital and temporoparietal scalp (the back and temples) matching where glued-in wefts were worn; Ahdout and Mirmirani, J Am Acad Dermatol 2012;67(6):e294-5 Accessed 2026-09-28
- American Academy of Dermatology: hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss Traction alopecia can become permanent untreated; pain from tightly pulled hair is a warning sign Accessed 2026-09-28
About the brands mentioned. We aren't affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any other company named on this page, and we earn no commission on anything we link to. Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Prices, specifications and formulations are those published by each manufacturer at the time of writing and change without notice, check the current listing before you buy. Where we rank a competitor above our own product we mean it, and where we rank ours first we say which criterion produced that result so you can reject it. Reviews and comparisons here reflect our own experience behind the chair plus published information; they aren't laboratory tests unless a page says so explicitly. Nothing here is medical advice. If you believe we have described your product unfairly or inaccurately, email info@vanityhairsolutions.com and we will correct it. Last reviewed 2026-09-28.