Having tape hair extensions - an honest beauty editor review

Oct 31, 2024

Extensions have been on my 'never repeat' list, but is it time for a rethink?

I’m sitting in the salon chair and my hairdresser is twirling glossy, smooth strands between his fingertips. ‘What do you think of your new hair?’ he asks. ‘It’s beautiful,’ I say, smiling as I reach to feel the silky texture for myself.

A typical successful salon trip, right? Well, not quite. You see, not a single strand of the hair that I’m stroking has grown from my own follicles – and right now, it’s not even attached to my head.

It’s a slightly surreal moment, not least because hair extensions have long been on my ‘never again’ list. I remain traumatised by the mid-2000s iteration, with rock-hard glue bonds that dug so badly into my scalp that, after five sleepless nights, I had to admit defeat and get them removed. I still can’t decide what hurt more: the tugging, the financial hit, or seeing my Cheryl barnet deflating like an undercooked soufflé.

And that’s how my mindset remained until decades of chemicals and curling finally caught up. After a lifetime of being boring but basically unproblematic, my hair simply stopped working. Past ear-length, it’s become rough, brittle and infuriatingly style-resistant. Extreme heat is the only way I can coax any semblance of shape into it, yet the more I use my tongs and straighteners, the more damaged and broken the ends get. Chopping off four inches of shred proves fruitless, as the fraying simply heads upwards like the fuse on a lit bomb. I’m genuinely at a loss.

With party season fast approaching, I take my mid-length crisis to Domenico Casella, hair whisperer at elite London salon Neville. I grumble about my frazzled ends and make uncertain noises about a chin-skimming bob. ‘Or…’ he says, ‘have you ever thought about extensions?’

What, those insufferable things that gave me insomnia in the noughties? ‘Not these days,’ he says. ‘We’d do tape extensions, which are a game-changer for midlife women. They’re light and sit flat to your head, so they’re comfortable and don’t put unnecessary stress on the hair.’

Tapes, he explains, are 4cm-wide wefts of real hair with a pre-glued band that’s pressed on to your roots with a specialist tool. Remarkably, a full head takes less than an hour to apply. After six to eight weeks, the tapes need to be removed (they move down as your own hair grows) but can be reused up to three times. ‘Tapes don’t involve any heat, and we dissolve the medical-grade glue to gently remove them, so they’re not damaging,’ Domenico reassures me.

Now, I should strongly caveat that tapes – if poor quality, done badly, kept in too long, removed incorrectly or not looked after properly – can harm hair, so it’s vital to have a consultation, fitting and upkeep with an experienced pro. If you have active hair loss, you should be going to your GP, not a hair salon.

In my case, Domenico says they’ll help my breakage grow out. ‘Your own hair is sandwiched between pairs of tapes, so if you heat-style it, you’re shielding what’s yours.’ Like putting a screen protector on your phone? ‘Exactly,’ he says. ‘They’re very discreet, too. We use the latest Showpony tapes, where hair wraps over the joining band so nobody sees them – even close up. People assume extensions are all about Love Island hair, but we have lots of midlife clients who use them mainly for volume, on hair of all lengths. Nobody even needs to know you’re wearing them.’

This time of year, however, is exactly when you do want people to know you’ve made an effort, so when fitting day arrives, I’m struck by the urge to go for a look nobody could miss. As Domenico deftly attaches a full head of shiny, 20-inch extensions, I’m tempted to keep the full length. ‘Imagine these at the work Christmas party,’ I think.

However, Domenico gently advises that they’re far too long and also need cutting to blend into my own hair. It does still feel a shame, until I take a reality check and realise I’d feel a bit self-conscious with a waist-skimming mane – do I really want to feel like I’m cosplaying Rapunzel? There is, after all, a fine line between getting dressed up and playing dress-up.

So we go with Domenico’s recommended maximum: hair that sits at a more believable length and blurs my spindly ends with its thickness. Sometimes, less really is more.

As he snips away, he outlines the ground rules: sulphate-free shampoos to preserve the glue, gentle brushing, no tugging or high ponytails – and never skipping heat protection. ‘Remember, it’s real hair so it gets damaged, too,’ he says.

I bounce out of the salon with my magnificent new hair and slip on sunglasses, hoping to be mistaken for some passing superstar. (This is Belgravia, so it could happen.)

As promised, the tapes aren’t uncomfortable to wear, although there’s a transitional weekend when I’m acutely aware of them just being there, in the same way you know when you have a hat on. Some salons let you try a test tape, which isn’t a bad idea.

Come Monday, when I walk into the GH office, I realise exactly why the tapes are called Showpony, because I’m instantly petted and vetted. As colleagues stroke my head and search for the near-invisible, perfectly colour-matched tapes, I’m half expecting to be given a sugar lump. ‘You look amazing, like a different person,’ I’m repeatedly told. Thanks – I think!

Realistically, I don’t have the budget to make this a forever feature of my regime, but right now, I’m delighted to escape the vicious cycle I’ve been stuck in. My new ’do is surprisingly easy to maintain with minimal heat styling. Admittedly, it takes ages to gently dry, but I find it only needs washing once a week, and (since most of the hair isn’t mine!) waves now last for days instead of hours.

Having a good hair day, every day, is a wonderful confidence boost. And while I know this mane is pure fantasy, I’d love it to be a route back to a reality I never appreciated until I lost it. ‘Boring but unproblematic’ will do me just fine, once I reluctantly let go of my Hollywood hair.

Playing the, ahem, long game, my plan is to reuse my tapes, giving my natural hair a break so it can hopefully flourish all on its own again – whatever length it ends up. And you know what? A chic, healthy bob is going to be very in for 2025.

• Nationwide prices for hair extensions tapes vary hugely from salon to salon; expect to pay from £300 for a half head. Prices start at £450 at Neville Hair & Beauty with Showpony ethically sourced hair extensions.

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