Tape V Liquid Hairpiece Adhesives

Attaching a hairpiece effectively requires tape or glue and making the choice will often depend on base materials, base design, your lifestyle and preferences! If your goal is to achieve a long-lasting bond you’ll need to take into account if you’re extremely active and perspire often or if you live in extremely hot or cold environments.

What's the difference between tape and liquid hairpiece adhesives? Read on to find out more…

Base materials

Different names are used to describe base materials and these include:

  • Thin skin: different layers of liquid polyurethane are brushed and heated dry to make skin of varying thicknesses.
  • Poly: solid polyurethane with a thickness of more than 0.08mm.
  • Lace: common types are French Lace and Swiss Lace.
  • Mono: short for monofilament the most common are fine mono, fine welded mono, and superfine welded mono.
  • NPU/PU coating: with two inside layers of gauze and net this base is then coated.

Hairpiece glues

Men’s glue on hairpieces has advantages of being very strong and providing more of a precise attachment. The typical way of applying glue to the scalp is with a spatula or brush so that the exact position can be determined, resulting in a very natural hairline.

The perfect fitting of the curve makes it possible to get an undetectable front hairline when attaching a thin-skin or low hair density hairpiece. When the liquid adhesive dries out there’s little or no shine which is another benefit, and durability is also a key factor.

One disadvantage of a glue adhesive is that if it's not applied properly it may run. Another downside is the drying time which can be much longer, and as a few layers are needed with in-between drying time the bonding process may be incorrect.

Other issues with liquid adhesives are that the chemicals that are within the glue are typically flammable, and any fumes can be irritating particularly if you have any respiratory problems.

Glues are particularly suitable for a thin-skin base, clear poly base French lace or Swiss lace front, and poly sides and back.

Hairpiece adhesives

Tape is extremely versatile and most base materials work well with it with the exception of ultra-thin skin which can easily be torn. It’s simple to attach and if a mistake is made sprays designed specifically to loosen the tape can be used to allow for repositioning.

Tape is also best for sensitive skin and comes in an entire range of types. Contour tapes, thinner lace front tapes, traditional waterproof strips, and double-sided hairpiece tape are all readily available.

A disadvantage of the taping method is that it’s easier to remove so can occasionally be accidentally pulled off with hair attached which can be damaging. Then reattachment can cause durability issues. Bear in mind that tape may cause an unnatural hairline with a shine that can be noticeable with certain bases.

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