Care and reuse

Wash it the same night

Cool or lukewarm water, a drop of mild soap, fingertips only. Rub in small circles across the whole adhesive face until it stops feeling tacky and starts feeling squeaky. Rinse until no soap is left — soap residue is itself a film that stops it gripping.

Never hot water. Heat is what degrades the adhesive, and it is the single fastest way to kill one of these.

Dry it face up

Lay it adhesive side up on a flat surface and leave it. No towel, no hairdryer, no radiator. A towel leaves lint embedded in the adhesive; heat does the damage described above. It air dries in about twenty minutes.

Store it on its film

Once dry, press it back onto the plastic backing it arrived on and keep it flat. That film exists to protect the adhesive between wears — it is not packaging, it is part of the product. If you lose it, any smooth plastic will do in a pinch.

What actually ends its life

Three things, in order. Lint, from drying on a towel. Heat, from hot water or a hairdryer. And oil, from putting it on skin that still has lotion on it, which transfers into the adhesive and does not come out.

Handled properly you should get around fifty wears. Handled badly you can get five.

It has stopped sticking. Is it finished

Usually not. Wash it properly — warm water, mild soap, fingertips, a full rinse — and let it dry completely face up. Most inserts that feel dead come back. If it is still dull and slack after a proper wash, that one is done.

Body tape is single use

The tape is not silicone and does not recover. Cut what you need, use it once, bin it. The roll is five metres, which is a lot of evenings.