Hard Bond or Soft?
Two very different ways of thinking about extended wear bonding
When
it comes to hair system attachment you’ve got 2 categories to choose
from, hard bond and soft bond. The most popular among hair wearers is
soft bond.
But the difference between the two might not be crystal clear. And there really is a pretty big difference, so let’s discuss.
Soft bond refers to all the various types of hairpiece tape
and includes most of the liquid adhesives on the market. Basically, a
soft bond is any form of hair system attachment that doesn’t contain
the ingredient called cyanoacrylate.
What’s
cyanoacrylate you ask?!? Well for starters, it’s a big word and
difficult to spell (we’ve got the dictionary sitting right next to our
desk for this article). Simply put, cyanoacrylate is the generic name
for substances that are typically sold under trademarks like Superglue™
and Krazy Glue™.
Yup, you got it... hard bond is
essentially superglue gel. As you can imagine, it will certainly keep
your hair system secure for extended wear, but can you live with the
risks?
Learn more about Cyanoacrylate at Wikipedia
What are the risks from using hard bond?
Most
commonly used by the retail salons and Hair Club®, hard bond should
only be applied by a trained hair replacement professional. But first
consider the drawbacks:
- The
base ingredient in hard bond is cyanoacrylate (superglue in gel form)
and that means it is a carcinogen and could lead to health problems
with long-term use
- Just like superglue, it must be kept far away from your eyes and mouth at all times to avoid accidental consumption
- Even
a short delay in attaching your hair system after applying the hard
bond could cause serious damage to your unit. We all know that
superglue has a nasty habit of drying very quickly so you don’t get too
much wiggle room for mistakes or adjustments
Avoiding the risk but still getting a secure extended wear attachment
We
believe strongly in the dangers of using hard bond, so much so that we
don’t sell it. Because of this, many hair wearers and clients will ask
us for a safe alternative. Although it is true that hard bonding
provides a super secure attachment, you do have similar options in the
soft bond category.
Getting a secure, long-lasting hair system attachment using soft bond all comes down to proper scalp preparation.
Easily 9 out of 10 hair wearers that have problems keeping their hair
replacement on tight for more than a few weeks made their first mistake
by not fully cleaning and preparing their scalp.
Choosing the
right soft bond toupee adhesive for extended wear is easy. You’ve got
two great options depending on your personal preference for tape or
liquid.
Soft bond hairpiece tape for extended wear
Proflex Hairpiece Tape:
These mini tape tabs provide such a strong bond that the manufacture
actually pokes tiny holes through them to make clean-up easier. Ideal
for use with lace hair systems, Proflex will provide 3-5 weeks of
secure soft bond attachment.
Soft Bond Liquid Adhesive for Extended Wear
Ultra Hold Liquid Adhesive:
This is a super-strength brush on liquid adhesive that can easily
provide up to 4 weeks of secure soft bond-based hair system attachment.
Made by Walker Adhesives, its solvent based glue and so strong it
should only be applied in very thin coats.