What’s the difference between Natural Beaded Rows, Sew-In Tapes, Beaded, & Individuals?

There are so many Hair Extension options on the market, which could make choosing which is best for you VERY confusing.

Because of that, I wanted to give you a simple breakdown of these methods to the best of my ability.
I am a Licensed NBR Artist (1 of 100+ in the world), and have been Certified in another Sew-in Method, been Certified in a Tape Method, and have had training on Individuals. I’ve never done beaded extensions but have seen them enough and have learned enough to share some knowledge with you in this blog post today. This information is provided based on my professional opinion & knowledge. If you have any questions, comments, or insights, I would love to hear what you have to share in the comments down below.
Additionally, I will only be sharing photos of my previous, current work, and picture I’ve taken of other’s work. If you’re curious as to what the other methods look like, please DM me on Instagram or ask in your next appointment.

Let’s start with Individuals
Individuals are very small bundles of hair that are attached by keratin bonds or small beads. These bonds are attached all over the head where you can’t see the bonds. This method allows you to go 3-4 months without having to move up the hair extensions but requires you to purchase new hair every single time you have a move-up. Purchasing hair every move-up is required with Individuals because the keratin bond is desolved at your move-up, desolving the bond that keeps the bundles of hair intact. You MUST wash with sulfate free shampoo or the bonds could desolve in-between move-ups and potentionally fall out.

This is a growout photo of a beaded method, I do not have a personal picture of a beaded install since I do not provide this method. Continue reading to learn more.

Beaded
Beaded hair extensions use machine wefts of hair, beads and natural hair to attach the extensions. The wefts are attached to the hair by sandwiching the wefts between your natural hair, taking sections of the sandwhiched hair & hairextensions and sealing it with a large bead until the entire weft is attatched. I’ve never done this method so I’m not completely sure about move-up requirements or replacements. From what I’ve heard, move-ups are required every 8-10 weeks and the hair is replaced every 7-9 months.

Tapes
This method uses pieces of taped extensions with natural hair sandwiched in-between. The brand I had offered previously had the option to choose ethically sourced tapes that were traditional or with hair on top of the tape. Like the individuals, tapes must be applied all over the head where you cannot see the extensions and MUST be washed with sulfate-free shampoo to prevent the tapes from desolving between move-up appointments. Move-ups are required every 6-10 weeks and getting new hair is required every 6 months.

Sew-In
This method I previously offered uses ethically sourced Machine wefts that are either individually placed or stacked. The row is created with your natural hair and several large silicone beads to create the track. Wefts are sewn in to the hair track using nylon thread. Move-ups are required every 8-10 weeks and hair should be replaced ever 6-9 months.

Natural Beaded Rows (NBR)
Natural Beaded Rows uses multiple ISLA wefts and colors to blend into your natural hair. ISLA wefts are handtied wefts that are created for the method of NBR, is ethically sourced, and uses less silicone than other methods out on the market. The track is created with small beads and cotton thread, using less points of contact on your head and avoiding the process of sewing the track into your hair. Because of the unique placement of NBR, you are able to achieve more overall fullness and have more coverage where it counts. Move-ups are required every 6-8 weeks and although the wefts last 6-8 months, hair is replaced when needed to continue to give you the results you desire (it all comes down to how well you take care of your hair at home).

I hope this helped clarify the beauty industry’s saturated market for you! If you want to learn more, ask your questions down below or check out more on my blog!

Next week, I will be sharing how many rows are needed with NBR Hair Extensions!