Whether one chooses a liquidadhesive as opposed to a tape is truly a personal choice but it also has agreat deal to do with the attachment wanted as well as the base material andoften a combination of both tape and adhesive is used.
Generallyspeaking tape is used for daily wear if tape is being used as the onlyattachment method or in combination with hair clips. Daily wear tapes areusually pretty aggressive and hold quickly but often will loose their strengthby the end of the day?hence the name. These tapes can be used on theperimeter tape tabs as well as the frontal area and are very effective as wellas safe for skin contact. There are also very good extended wear tapesthat really give a good hold for up to 7 days and work very well for perimeter,frontal or even total head bonding. This type of tape has a good hold forlonger periods and does not breakdown quickly, it also is very good used onlace bases, fine welded mono and thin skin bases it is truly an all purposetype of tape with a good track record for hold. If a hair wearer hasproblems with sensitive skin or is recovering from an outbreak due to areaction to another tape or adhesive there is now available a tape thatactually has a medicated factor that will help to heal the skin while givingthe hair wearer a light hold.
Adhesiveshave long been the favorite for permanent attachments. They can be latexbased, resin based, silicone based or acrylic based and each has its ownfunction, good qualities and bad qualities. Latex adhesives aren't usedmuch these days. The original latex adhesives were made with naturallatex which is rubber. This was an effective material but could oftenresult in a toxic allergic reaction so the adhesives people have since replacedthis with synthetic latex. Latex is soft and pretty comfortable to wearbut it can bleed when the wearer perspires with a milky appearance and is notso easy to get out of hair and base materials. Resin based adhesives aresofter and great for grafting where the system is completely adhered to thehead. Good quality resin based adhesives stay soft and pliable and bynature should absorb the body oils and perspiration during the duration of itshold. The hold time for these products is about 21 days. Siliconeadhesives are the most costly but the safest for use on skin. They areclear, stay soft and will work on many types of bases including lace. Theuse of silicone adhesive on lace works well because it is water resistantaffording a longer hold time, it dries clear and can't be seen through the lacemaking it very popular among lace wearers and those with lace fronts. Acrylic adhesives are hard drying but have the longest hold. In the classof acrylics is ?Crazy Glue? and we all know the type of hold you can get withthat. When using acrylic adhesives tape is also incorporated and isplaced on the perimeter of a to make clean up and removal easier but if the adhesive gets on the base or thehair it is impossible to get out.
Thebottom line is that it will take a few tries for any hair wearer to find theright tape, adhesive or combination that will work for them. Always besure to test the adhesive or tape by placing a small amount behind your ear onthe skin and wait 24 hours to be sure there is no negative reaction.
