Attaching long curly hair

• CurlySue Member since 5/16/2008 Posts 48 Connect

  Attaching long curly hair 05-17-2008, 4:39 PM Just switched back to bonding after a hellish year with a sew-in piece. Diane at HD did my first attachment and I was dreading the day I was on my own...My HD piece is 16" long and very, very curly in an attempt to match my own remaining hair. I knew tangling was going to be an issue in this process but could not find any tips on what to do with the length of the hair during the solvent process and the attachment process.  Well, I held my breath and took the plunge. I am no longer a virgin.  It was a harrowing experience. I thought getting the piece attached in place would be the hardest part, turns out it was the easiest. This is NOT something I want to do every week, I can tell you that! I have a lace front and reinforced sides and back. Diane used red tape on the reinforced part and supertape over top (for easy cleanup) and in the front. She did a great job sticking the hairpiece on me and so it was not easy to get off. The super tape had a great hold. I was impressed. I only removed it because it starting itching a lot and Diane mentioned that the longer it's on, the more the adhesive breaks down causing cleanup to be difficult. I had it on for 9 days. I would like to go at least 2 weeks. When I removed the piece finally, the supertape came right off the lace front, no problem, no residue. The idea of the red tape under the supertape making the cleanup easier wasn't so great. That red tape was a real bugger to get off so I got a good lesson in soaking in solvent and cleaning with Dawn. Ugh.  This caused MAJOR tangling because there is no way to soak the base in a minimal amount of solvent and have the hair tied up because then it won't allow the base to lay flat. I wonder if I should skip the red tape? The super tape broke down easily but the red tape did not. It took two hours for me to get it off my head, get the tape off, and clean the piece. I lost tons of hair (from the piece) in the process from all of the tangling. The weirdest thing was the white solids that came out the piece with I was rinsing the Dawn and the solvent out. That was pretty gross. OK...long story short, I survived. I used the Remove to get the tiny bit of stick off of my head. Then I made sure I washed my head with Dial liquid soap and and exfoliating glove three times. I used the SeaBreeze and the Scalp Protector. But the piece is not sticking very well. The front seems fine, but the back and sides peel right up. Is it possible to use too much AdjustABond? I did spray a light mist twice on my head and the piece because there was a few minutes in between and I thought it might have dried. Maybe I didn't get all of the adhesive and solvent off?? Anyway, I was wondering if you know what I did wrong. Maybe I didn't clean my head well enough back there? Maybe it lost it's stick from me adjusting it?? I don't really know what to do because I don't have another 3 hours to redo it...   I'm trying to be patient because I'm a newbie to self-attachment and I assume it's going to take time to get used to this. I'm just not sure what to do since the piece is about 1/3 attached and 2/3 unattached.  I suppose I'll have to wait until I can't stand it anymore and repeat the process...   Anyone with long curly hair, can you please provide tips on how to avoid horrific tangling in the cleaning and reattachment process? With all that hair in front of my face I had NO idea where I was placing the piece for attachment. I couldn't see anything. I use my own front hairline and I was afraid that everything would get stuck together. I think I got lucky!   Also, I read a hairlady post that mentioned TDi knot sealer. HD never mentioned that to me. Does it really work? I would imagine it would be good for hair that is prone to bad tangling since it gets yanked on so much when I am trying to gingerly get those tangles out.   Any help would be most appreciated. I VALUE everyone's opinion. We are all in the same boat and it's nice to know we aren't alone...even if we feel like it!

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• Beth Mccurdy Member since 5/4/2008 Posts 9 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 05-18-2008, 8:49 PM I'm not sure I can address all your issues...but you're on the right track of asking the questions...did you use too much bond? did you dissolve long enough? did you get it clean enough prior to reapplying the bond??  The red tape will not stick to the the system if it is still soiled- logical. The red tape is just for clean up purposes really - it is not really an adhesive for the lace- you can also use the proflex strips for the frontal without red tape at all - keep very clean and watch for break down - it really depends on your physiology- if you are acidic it will break down quicker. Anyway, one big trick is putting a conditioner in the hair itself and then braiding the sides prior to dissolvant It keeps it from tangling while working on the matrix. You can then use an alcohol or mineral oil type dissolve ... it works well and shampoos out without the damage you are referring to. The itching can be relieved with the enzyme spray - it is something we use to neutralize the bacteria (thus the smell) and helps to keep the adhesive from dissolving.   If the tape still is not adhering... try the alcohol and shampoo once again, if it is real gooey - try the mineral oil and then alcohol and shampoo for final step of getting it off. Hope this helped - Beth If not, try to email me direct and I'll see how I can help   beth.mccurdy@yahoo.com   Beth McCurdy

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• CurlySue Member since 5/16/2008 Posts 48 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 05-18-2008, 9:17 PM Beth, thank you! The braiding idea is key! That will help immensely with the tangling and mess. I didn't redo it and it seems more secure today so I'll see how the next few days go. I'm just using Supertape for bond and no liquid bond so I don't think I used too much. Last time the supertape (with no red tape) worked great on the front lace--NO mess, pealed right off the lace. So, I am happy with that. I will check out proflex too. Good to know that the red tape is just for clean up purposes because it really made the cleanup impossible. I used it again to see if I have better luck next time. If I don't, can I skip the Red tape and just use the supertape or is that a bad idea? The system was clean and the red tape stuck fine to that, the supertape didn't seem to stick great to my head this time but it's definitely better today.  The solvent I'm using to get the tape off of the hairpiece is C-22. Is that one of the ones you are referring to? It is citrus based. If not please let me know what you think I should try exactly. Are you suggesting straight alcohol and/or straight mineral oil to dissolve the tape? Also, what is the enzyme spray specifically? Do you apply it to your scalp before bonding? Let me ask you a question. It seems as though Lace Release is alcohol, Adjust-a-Bond is alcohol and now you are telling me to dissolve the tape with alcohol (if I am reading correctly). Do I really need all of these products if they are all essentially alcohol? I don't mind purchasing them if they are necessary, but if they are all alcohol couldn't I just being buying alcohol from the drug store?!?  I will email you if I have more questions. Thanks so much for the offer. Thank you, your help is invaluable.

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• horselover Member since 10/3/2006 Posts 19 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 05-22-2008, 4:37 AM I do a re-attache every two weeks.   I do not use a solvent to remove my unit, I just peel it off starting from the back.  I then use a tweezers to start a spot and peel the supertape off the unit.  (I have a poly lined one)  Underneath the supertape is my red liner, and I leave that on.  I use a microfiber cloth to remove any excess broken down supertape and glue (front attachment area).  Very easy cleanup.

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• CurlySue Member since 5/16/2008 Posts 48 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 05-22-2008, 10:36 AM Hi, thanks for the tips. I had to use lace release to get it off. I would have ripped off my skin otherwise! I needed to do the reattach because it was getting very itchy and I was told the longer I keep it on, the more the tape will break down and the harder the cleanup will be so I was a bit paranoid. Anyway, I tried to remove the tape with tweezers as well, to no avail. I soaked it in solvent and that turned the supertape to goo but didn't release the red tape. I ended up sliding a few toothpicks between the red tape and the poly lining, then I was able to peel it off with some serious force. Maybe I should just leave the red tape on like you do? Question: You use the microfiber cloth wet or dry on the lace area? Do you use the Dawn or dish soap to clean it? That's one of the things that made the hair so tangled.  Thanks so much for your help! I really need it!

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• horselover Member since 10/3/2006 Posts 19 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 05-26-2008, 1:02 AM Hi, I use the microfiber cloth dry to get the goo off of the redtape.  I wash my scalp very well using dawn and exfoliating glove. Dry my scalp.   Then I attach supertape to my dry unit over the redliner tape.  I use scalp protector before reattaching the unit also.  Also adjustabond when attaching.    When I'm all done with the attachment, I may shampoo and condition my hair and style it if I have to go out that day.  I know you should let the heat of your scalp help meld the tape onto your head for a day, so it lasts longer, but is not mandatory.

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• CurlySue Member since 5/16/2008 Posts 48 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 05-27-2008, 11:12 AM Thank you. Other than not removing the red tape, I completed the same process, so that's good. It is still attached pretty well after 10 days except for about 1/4" on the front edge lace, but that's because I actually overlapped my hairline a bit and the tape isn't sticking to my hair. That's OK--it was my first try. I am detaching on Friday and attaching a different unit that doesn't have the poly reinforcement, so no red tape will be needed. In the meantime I will be cleaning this one and possibly not be removing the red tape per your suggestion. I am also going to try the baking soda bath to try and soften it.  Thanks for all the tips horselover--they make me feel less scared!!

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• horselover Member since 10/3/2006 Posts 19 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 05-29-2008, 9:29 PM I'm glad I could help. I tried the baking soda bath and it really didn't do anything for my unit.  But some people say it helps their units feel softer. Maybe it works better on shorter hair.  If it doesn't work for you, try the amonia/bleach bath. It makes my units so soft again, I don't know what I would do if I hadn't tried it.  I had a squirrel nest that I couldn't even brush out and it saved my unit.  Make sure you use Clorox bleach and follow the directions carefully.

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• CurlySue Member since 5/16/2008 Posts 48 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 05-30-2008, 10:41 AM Hi--I'm going to try the baking soda overnight and see if it helps. I'd rather stay away from the bleach/ammonia mix if possible because I used to have that done to my systems when I went to the salon and it only lasted a few days anyway while simultaneously diminishing the life of the hair. They also had to dye it again every time they did that because it lost so much color. After doing that process repeatedly the hair dyed to black instead of brown because of the hair being so overprocessed. So, I'm a little wary of that but I'll definitely save it for the squirrel's nest crises! I know what that's like too. I think also that because every unit has different donor hair that some products/processes work on some units and not others. My shower water softening unit is arriving today as well. If those two things don't help I'm going to try that Axis product that babe recommended http://www.hairdirect.com/store/Axis-New-Again-8oz.aspx She said it's as good as the bleach/ammonia concoction. I'll let you know how I make out.

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• CurlySue Member since 5/16/2008 Posts 48 Connect

  Re: Attaching long curly hair 06-03-2008, 10:04 AM Beth, I just wanted to thank you again for the braiding tip. I first wetted my hair and combed it out and then put it in two pigtails with the rubberbands at the base and then braided each one and rubberbanded at the bottom again. I also came up with a system for getting the red tape off without having to soak it in the adhesive remover. The braiding was key and made the whole process go much faster and with much less stress on me and my hair. Thank you!

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