How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

This is a guide to help you decide how many hair extensions to buy for every type of hair extension client - keratin/I-tip/Tape-in. Please make sure you read the entire article. There are important tips at the end.

#1 - Thickening and/or lengthening long-thin hair that is past shoulder length

Long-thin hair can be easily filled in with extension. More or less extensions can be used depending on the client’s budget and how thick they want their hair.

  • Use 50-100 keratin tip hair extensions (808 I tips are thin so use 100-125 strands)
  • 10 to 15 tape-ins single sided application
  • 20-30 tape-ins double sided application

#2 - Lengthening medium hair – medium length hair touching shoulders 6”- 9” long

Medium density hair that is at least shoulder length can be easily lengthened with 125-175 pieces of

keratin extensions. The thickest hair will need the most the higher amount. It is very important to balance the thickness of the client’s hair with the thickness of the hair extensions you put in.

  • Use 125-175 keratin/I-tips (808 I tips are thin so use 150-225 strands)
  • 15 to 24 tape-ins single sided application
  • 30-48 tape-ins double sided application

#3 - Lengthening thick hair – medium length hair touching shoulders 6”- 9” long

Thick density hair that is at least shoulder length can be easily lengthened with 175 - 225 pieces of

keratin extensions. The thickest hair will need the most the higher amount. It is very important to balance the thickness of the client’s hair with the thickness of the hair extensions you put in.

  • Use 175-225 keratin/I-tips (808 I tips are thin so use 200-250 strands)
  • 35-45 tape-ins single sided application (single sided is not recommended for thick hair)
  • 60-80 tape-ins double sided application (the shorter and thicker the hair, the more extensions you will need).

#4 - Lengthening Short Hair 5” long

It can be very difficult to lengthen hair any shorter than 5” – not recommended!

(If you must go shorter don’t go any shorter than 3” and add more extensions at the crown).

Short hair is the hardest to lengthen. Any shorter than 4 ½” – 5” on the crown is not recommended. We don’t recommend I-tip extensions for short hair because of the large quantity if beads. Flat I-tip extensions by Euro SoCap/Seiseta are an exception. These flat I-tips are wider and hold much better than regular I-tips. Donna Bella also makes a flat I-tip.

  • Thin short hair will need 150-175 pieces of keratin extensions or
  • Medium thickness will need 200-225 pieces of keratin extensions
  • thick hair will need 250 pieces or more.

With thick hair you will need to add more rows than average. We have had hair that was so thick that they needed 14 bundles of thick hair extensions which would be 350 keratin pieces. This is rare but be aware that this can happen. People can be upset if you run out of hair.

Important Tips about How Many Hair Extensions to Use

  • Always make sure you have enough hair to finish job.
  • If you are worried about running out of hair:
  • Do the first row in the nape solid then brick lay next 2-3 rows.
  • Bricklaying saves hair; you can always go back and add more later. Apply top rows solid.

Before you start application be sure you have enough hair for the front. Set aside the hair for the front sections before starting. Approximate amounts used in front:

Here at Philocaly, we understand that your 100% human hair extensions are an investment. Fortunately, with Philocaly Hair, your investment will last a long time. Our premium hair extensions are...

The amount of tape-in packages required for a full application depends on the thickness of your client's natural hair and the look they would like to achieve. Check out our guidelines below to determine the approximate # of packages you'll require to achieve your client's desired look.

If you've decided to purchase single packs then this article is for you! Here you'll find out how many packs you need to purchase depending on the final look you want to achieve!

But if you're still not sure whether to purchase single packs or a Full Head Set then we suggest checking out Full Head Set or Single Packs before continuing.

On the contrary, if you are sure then this article can help you!

“How many packs do I need?”...It depends on the result you want to achieve! With hair extensions you can create many different styles, add length whether partial or full, add volume, a fringe or just some locks of hair.

Here you can find a detailed guide to help you understand how many packs to purchase depending on what you're aiming for.


Before continuing....

Characteristics of our tape-in extensions packs:

  • each pack contains 12 single 4 cm wide strands
  • two different lengths: 45 cm and 55 cm
  • two different types of tape-in extensions, Standard Tape Extensions and EvolutionTape Extensions
  • more than 40 colors


Before going any further, check out this video to see the "before and after" of each model with a different amount of extensions applied, it can help you understand how many packs are needed to get these results!

1. Full Lengthening

If you want a natural and invisible result then the quantity of extensions should match your hair volume. Therefore, the number of packs you purchase depends on how thick your hair is. The volume created by the extensions has to adapt to yours, otherwise they become visible (either because the quantity of extensions isn't enough for your hair or because there are too many). Besides the quantity, it's also very important to consider your hair length. Thus, there are two factors to keep in mind, a) how much hair you have and b) your hair length.

a) What kind of hair do you have?

Let's group your hair into 3 types of thickness (thin, medium and thick) to better understand how many packs to purchase.

Thin Hair

Do you have fine hair? 3 packs is what you need!

For an even more invisible result choose:

2 Standard Tape Extensions + 1 Evolution Tape Extensions

Magda – Thin Hair – Application of 3 packs

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Before

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Before

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

After (3 packs of 55 cm long extensions).

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

After (3 packs of 55 cm long extensions).

Medium Hair

Do you have a good amount of hair?  4 packs is the right number for you!

For a good and even more invisible result choose:

3 Standard Tape Extensions + 1 Evolution Tape Extensions

Selma – Medium – Application of 4 packs

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Before

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Before

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

After (4 packs of 45 cm long extensions).

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

After (4 packs 55 cm long extensions).

Thick Hair

Do you have a full head of hair? 5 packs is the right amount for you!

For an even more invisible result choose:

4 Standard Tape Extensions + 1 Evolution Tape Extensions

Vanessa – Thick – Application of 5 packs of extensions

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Before 

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Before

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

After (5 packs 55 cm long extensions).

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

After (5 packs 55 cm long extensions).

b) Do you have 15/20 cm long hair?

Another factor you have to consider when choosing the quantity of packs is your hair length. If you want to add full length and your hair isn't very long, about 15/20 cm, then you will need to purchase an extra pack of extensions.

2. Adding volume

Want to add volume making your hair full of body? In this case, you will need to purchase 2 packs of extensions.

If you want to add volume it could either be because you have very fine hair or not a lot, so we suggest purchasing 1 pack of Standard Tape Extensions and 1 pack of Evolution Tape Extensions. With Evolution Tape Extensions your strands blend naturally and won't be detected, click here to find out why.

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Cristina before the application of our extensions

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Cristina after the application of 2 single packs for extra volume

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Cristina before

How many bundles of tape ins do I need?

Cristina after (2 packs of 45 cm long extensions used to add just volume and not length).


N.B.: If you have really fine hair with little volume, you can apply a single strand by putting a single side adhesiveon the back. In fact, when your hair is very thin and with little volume a double strand can become too heavy and visible, while a single side strand will blend better with your hair and be difficult to detect.


3. Partial lengthening

Do you have layered hair and just want to add length to the back side of your head? Or rather, you want to add length to the front? Do you just want to create some side locks?

Because these are all partial lengthenings you just need to purchase 1 pack of extensions especially if the area you have to add length to isn't very big, but if the area should be bigger then we recommend purchasing 2 packs of extensions. If you decide to purchase 2 packs we recommend purchasing 1 pack of Standard Tape Extensions and 1 pack of Evolution Tape Extensions. To better understand why, check out the following article: Standard and Evolution tape-in extensions comparison.

4. Fringe

Want to change look by adding a fringe but don't want to have your hair cut? You can do this by applying 1 pack of extensions.

How many tape

The least amount of pieces we recommend for all customers is our 40 piece packs. This pack is enough for thin to normal hair types and is ideal for ladies with fine hair. A 40 piece pack is considered a standard amount of tape hair extensions, as many people find they use between 30-40 pieces.

How many tape

Tape extensions should be applied like a sandwich of 2 pieces. To add volume you should use 10 to 20 pieces. Thin hair needs 30 to 40 pieces for a full headset. Normal thickness needs 40 to 50 pieces for a full headset.