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Hi Jo,
So sorry to hear about Cocoa. I know how hard it is to lose a pet. They are part of the family! I'm sure Taz is missing him too. My thoughts are with you!
JulieHD Hair Tech
Not sure if I missed it somewhere in the threads-- but what base are you using?
I have worn hair for 10+ yrs & have been working with HD since Dec 2008 to try to get a sytem that is correct. First came in with looped vs knotted hair and fell out in handfuls. Remake came in way too light/wrong density. Ordered a second system-- it also came in light density & had to have a hair addition. That came back with looped hair and excessive fall out.
I would be interested in hearing from women who wear hair 10" or longer-- heavier density. I have been trying the HD14 base. We aren't really sure why the instructions seem to have been ignored or if it's a problem with the knotting or poly being cured correctly. Very very frustrating as the hair is great quality but if it doesnt' stay in ........ ??!!??
I have had the good /bad and tangled over the years and am very very careful to handle with care, start at the bottom, never rub or tangle, only use high quality products, use the satin pillowcase etc setc.... so I'm not doing anything different in terms of how I care for the hair.
I have tried some of the Back to Natural shampoos/conditioners but am not really impressed or seeing the results others have waxed poetic about. KMS spray in conditioner /detangler suggested by HD Mary is great and I use Aveda all natural products and conditioners. I am going to look into the WEN products.
I've had grafts that have lasted 6-9 mos that have remained in better shape than these at 2 mos. I find we are ordering a bit higher density to compensate for the fall out.. in reality it would be better to have the density a bit lighter and the knots/poly holding better.
If anyone with a heavier density came comment on the bases and their experiences I would be very appreciative of the input(.IE women who seem to have systems that take them through at least 3-4 mos) I have always used a skin base( though a bit cooler and thinner than DH 14!!) 10 yrs ago the perimiter bonds moved too much after the first week or two and it felt insecure to wear them. I have no recent experience with other skin bases and I have heard lace bases can have more breakage and fallout???
I know this is long -- but it's been a long haul trying to get this right. Any suggestions from those with more experience with the bases would be welcomed.
Hi Diva-
Before I came to HD I used to wear nylon/conventional bases similar to the HD02. They shed quickly and ended up with bald spots. Those units were knotted but the shedding experience sounds similar to yours.
I wear a full lace base, the HD03 without the poly edge, and do not have the massive shedding problem. There is a standard amount of shedding because I have 16" very curly hair at 110% density so there is a little bit of tangling and pulling naturally as I gently comb through the system which could loosen and pull the hair out. I also used to wear the HD26 base and did not experience the sever shedding you are describing.
It doesn't sound like the products that are causing the problem for you but I would caution you with the KMS leave-in. It has a lot of alcohol in it and that alcohol could be weakening the hair and causing breakage. You should be able to tell if the hair is falling out or breaking by checking them to see if you see the kink from the looping and if it's a full strand of hair or just a piece of a strand.
Sue
Curly Sue -- Thanks for your comments -- I only use the KMS product sporadically when I have a tangle issue -- so it's unlikely it's an overdose of alcohol. The Aveda products are all "alcohol free" . Which daily conditioner do you use?
As for the lace base, I had been cautioned against lace in the past because of my length & density ( used to be 14" length/density varies from 110-120-- style is similar to Babe's but a tad shorter now with sides a bit more angled) I was also cautioned that knots can absorb product and bacteria & deteriorate and break easier ???
Your hair def looks much fuller than mine at "extra heavy " density. Same with Babe's and other before and after photos showing "medium" density.
A repair that was done was terrific and I have worn for 3+ mos -- no fallout and it looks great. My confidence with "new" is shakey. It's been very confusing with the density because the first mistakenly looped graft came through much fuller at "medium" than the "heavier density" we've ordered since.
RE:breakage.. I know there can be breakage but it was defintely " v -loops" coming out of the first and second graft.] The only other thing I can think of is this base is really hot and I'm wondering if perhaps the cap expands enough to let the hair come loose, but I am NOT seeing knots ( which I have in the past with the old bases) .
I am toying with a larger cap but want to wait and use my old back up hair first before I change the shape and size. . I don't like having to "over order" density in order to allow for fallout ... hence my quest to figure out a durable and RELIABLE base( cooler would be great too)
I think I'm repeating myself because I'm nervous about the process. I really do appreciate the help. I have battled medical issues and my family doesn't know I "wear hair" or they'd be really worried about me. I am trying to keep it that way and the inconsistency of it all is unnerving. So thanks to anyone who can offer advice.
I wash my unit twice a week with Nearly Natural Silk Protein Shampoo and I soak in the shower and condition every day with the Nearly Natural Silk Protein Conditioner. I use Nearly Natural Moisture Mist as my daily leave in conditioner when I get out of the shower in the morning and I use it again at night when I comb out my hair before bed.
I never heard that information about knots absorbing product and bacteria. I suppose it is possible but I don't have any issues with smell or breakage at the knots that I know of, so I haven't experienced that issue.
Lace is much cooler than nylon so it's probably cooler than a skin base. It also allows your scalp to breathe more. I guess my density is considered medium or medium high at 110%. The fullness could be affected by the products one uses and the styling.
I have had a density issue in my last three units as well. They are coming in much lighter/thinner than they used to. I had to send two of the three back to have hair added because they literally came in so thin that it looked like I was losing my hair, which is NOT the desired effect! The third I kept because I needed a unit at the time. When they were returned they were more dense than I had expected but I could live with that knowing they will shed over time a bit anyway. I understand that the inconsistency is extremely frustrating. It's definitely on the factory end because my density specs have not changed.
I don't think you can wear a lace base with extra heavy density though. If you could get down to 120% density, you would just need to go with the NY lace (HD26) base. I wore those for 8 months before I switched to HD03. I'm not sure how long you plan to be able to wear each unit so I suppose durability should be considered. The HD26 bases are super durable. I wore them for 4 months with no issues--they could probably go double that at least if the hair stayed in good shape. The HD03 is durable too in my opinion if you take care of it, could probably go at least 5 months or much more. I just like to get fresh hair every 3 months.
I don't know if this helps at all...
It helps a lot.. thank you.
I should be in med -high but we "over ordered" because 2 had come in so light. Again-- I'd rather order less as it's initially too heavy but I expect them to look good for more than 2 mos!!! It's not so much the base-- it's either the knotting is poor( also they had been looped 2x) -- or the poly isn't being cured properly.
I'd be happy with a good solid 4 mos wear ... but my experience with 3 so far has not been good.
It's really costing me $$$ as well because the back and forth isn't always timed for my salon appts. Until I know I can do this on my own I am not "cutting" free of my stylist. I pay her to color my own hair and attach the graft.
I will go read up on the bases you have used. THANK YOU for taking the time to post.
You're welcome! I understand the frustrations all too well. I used to have a huge problem with every base coming in a different size (off by up to an inch with each base being a different shape) and over processed hair. I'm not sure the point of having a template if they don't use it to make the actual base. If they do use it then why such variation?? Anyway, both of those issues have been resolved with the past three units but the density was a problem. Ugh, it's just not an exact science.
However, I encourage you to maybe start getting comfortable with doing your own attachments. If you can get the base cleaning down, the actual attachment is the easy part. Might make coordinating things a little easier and less expensive for you?
I'm not actually relaxing when I hear about the incorrect bases and over processed hair. There has to be enough quality control that some things simply shouldn't make it out the door or to our door if that's the case.
I have no problem cleaning the base, but I would need to find out about coloring my own very resistant gray hair ( currently use Wella hair color@ the salon)
The problem I had a few yrs when I tried my own attachment (on a long trip) was that I had a terrible time placing the hair exactly right. I had 14-15" wavy long hair/partial cap -- I had to lean forward to keep long hair out of the adhesive & I couldn't quite get the front lined up exactly right-- hard to see while looking down. ( used the bonding adhesive for full cap bond-- dries clear and lasts 3-4 weeks -- so as soon as adhesive meets adhesive-- it sticks!)
Probably takes lots of practice -- but it was stressful and that's why I haven't quit the salon yet !
I did buy a bottle of the Adjust a Bond and am wondering if it really works ?? --I'd be interested in hearing from women with long hair who may have used it. Seems everything I saw noted was by men with short hair.
Does it compromise how well the adhesive holds ?? Will it give me time to slide things into place in order to avoid bubbles and the cap not hitting/fitting in all the right curves and contours??
I'm really glad I decided to start posting today-- I've been stressing by myself and your comments have helped so much.
I clip the hair up on top of the unit in two little buns so I can see what I am doing. Others braid the hair. These methods also keep it out of the adhesive.
Yes, the adjust-a-bond works. I spray it on the adhesive and on my scalp and I get a couple of minutes to adjust the unit. It does not compromise the bond because it evaporates.
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