Every few years a red-carpet photo sends half of Miami looking for extensions, and the questions are always the same three: will anyone be able to tell, will it wreck my hair, and what does it actually cost. Tape-in extensions answer all three better than most methods — which is why they're the most requested extension service in our house.
How tape-ins actually work
A tape-in is a thin weft of hair attached between two slim adhesive tabs that sandwich a small section of your own hair. No heat, no glue guns, no beads. Because the tab lies flat against the head, it sits comfortably under your own hair, doesn't announce itself when you put your hair up, and is genuinely easy to sleep on — a real consideration that people don't think about until week two.
We work in Hotheads for tape-ins, and placement is priced by length: from $499 for 10–16 inches, $549 for 18–20 inches, and $599 for 22 inches and up. Every price is published on our hair extensions page rather than quoted only once you're in the chair.
The part nobody tells you: move-ups
Extensions are not a one-time purchase; they're a relationship with a maintenance calendar. As your own hair grows, the tabs travel down with it and need to be moved back up — for us that's a retape and maintenance appointment, from $399 depending on length, and typically every couple of months. The hair itself is often reusable across several move-ups when it's been cared for properly, which is what makes the ongoing cost far lower than the first appointment suggests.
Skipping move-ups is the single most common way extensions go wrong. Tabs that have grown out too far put tension on the hair they're attached to, and that's where the damage stories come from — not from tape-ins as a method.
Will anyone be able to tell?
That comes down to color matching, and it's where working with a full color house matters more than the extension method does. Your extensions have to blend with your actual hair — including any balayage or highlights already in it, which means matching a gradient rather than a single shade. We treat that blend as color work, because it is. If you want the deeper version of that argument, our post on balayage, ombré, and sombré covers how dimensional color is built in the first place.
Are you a good candidate?
Sometimes the honest answer is not yet. Hair that's fragile from over-processing, or too fine in certain areas to conceal a weft, needs to be strengthened before extensions are a good idea — and a stylist who tells you that is protecting both your hair and your money. Every extension service here starts with a free consultation that includes exactly that assessment, before any hair is ordered.
If tape-ins aren't the right fit, they're not the only option: we work in three boutique lines — Bellami, Hotheads, and Cinderella — including Cinderella's individual-strand methods (keratin-bonded, I-tip, and T-tip), which suit some hair types better. The comparison is on our extensions page, with pricing for both.
Free consultation, seven days a week, at 1301 Alton Road in Miami Beach — and if you want a quote before you come in, text a photo of your hair to (305) 604-0550 and a stylist will come back with one.
Visit Us on Alton Road
Free consultation on all services. Open 7 days a week at 1301 Alton Rd, Miami Beach.