How Often Should Hair Extensions Be Moved Up?

“Moving up” is the maintenance visit: the extensions are taken down from wherever your hair has carried them and refitted close to the scalp again. It is the single most important appointment in the life of a set, and the one most often stretched — usually because the extensions still look fine from the front. This is why the interval exists, method by method, and what it costs to keep.

Why the interval exists

Every semi-permanent method attaches the extension a short distance below the scalp. Your hair grows about a centimetre a month, and the attachment goes with it. After six weeks it has travelled a centimetre and a half; after twelve, three. At some point it is far enough down to show, to tangle with the hair around it, and to swing rather than sit. The tangling puts strain on your own hair at exactly the point the extension hangs from, which is where extension damage actually comes from. Moving up resets that clock.

The interval for each method

Tape-in: six to eight weeks. The panels are removed with a solvent, the hair is cleaned and re-taped, and it goes back in at the root. The hair is reused for three or four fittings.

Weft: six to eight weeks. The row is taken down, the track is brushed out, and the row is re-secured higher. Same hair, same cycle as tape.

Micro and nano rings: eight to twelve weeks. The longest interval among the reusable methods, because there is no adhesive to degrade. The ring is opened, slid back to the root and closed. Nothing is replaced.

Keratin fusion: three to five months, then removal. Keratin is not moved up. The bonds hold for the full period because each one is small and independent, then they are dissolved and the set is refitted with fresh bonds. Longest interval, but not reusable.

What decides where you land in the range

How fast your hair grows. Faster growth, shorter interval. Most people are near a centimetre a month; some are well above it.

How much you have in. A full head shows grow-out sooner than a partial set for volume, because there is more of it to tangle.

Your routine. Oil at the roots shortens tape’s interval sharply. Sleeping with the hair loose shortens everything, because tangling at grown-out attachments is what the visit prevents. The care guide covers the routine that keeps you at the long end.

Hair texture. Wavy and curly hair hides grow-out longer than straight hair does, which is a reason to keep the appointment rather than a reason to skip it.

What happens if you stretch it

The extensions keep looking acceptable from the front for a while, which is exactly the problem. Underneath, the attachments are tangling with each other and with the hair between them. At the next visit the tangles have to be worked out before anything can be moved, which takes longer and costs more, and some hair comes away with them. Stretch it far enough and the strain has done its work on the roots. Nothing about a late visit is cheaper than an on-time one.

What the visit involves and costs

Around forty-five minutes for rings, an hour to ninety minutes for tape and weft, depending on how much is in. The attachments are taken down, the hair and your own roots are checked, the extensions are refitted at the scalp, and the whole head is brushed through. From ₹3,000 on our price list; a full refit that replaces the tape and re-preps the hair is from ₹4,000. Book the next one before you leave — we will, if you do not.

Signs it is due before the date

The attachments can be felt when you run a hand over the roots. Tangling at the roots that brushing does not clear. A panel or ring that has started to slide. Any tenderness. Any of these means come in now rather than at the scheduled date. Our guide to removal covers the cases where taking them out is the better call.

Frequently asked questions