One of the things I tried to do when I got my first piece was to really look after it and not brush it too much as we have been advised. This causes shedding and I want my hair to last as long as possible.

However, recently after using lots of shampoo, including some colour corrector, and then a conditioner (which I left in a little too long by accident), I just left my hair to dry without combing. The next day it was like a birds nest - totally tangled, mangled and looked terrible. I guess making it ultra clean had dried it out a little. It has been on the go now for about 6 months also.

I brushed it a bit - taking care not to be too rough. I wet it a little after application and styled it. For the rest of the day, every time I looked in the mirror I thought - "that looks like a big rug". There was a ruggish quality to the hair.. it was kinda like the hairs were clumped together and the hairline didn't look realistic anymore.. it's didn't sit naturally. No matter how I tried to style it, it looked pretty bad and I wasn't happy with it. The previous week - I remember my hair looked more amazing than ever... what did I do wrong?

That evening I got home... and I "brushed the crap out of it". I used a fairly non-harsh brush (for female hair mostly), but I brushed every inch of that hair from every angle - forward and back. The hair ended up looking wonderful again! It was like I combed it back into life somehow. It looked realistic, the hairline looked amazing, the hairs sat naturally on my head, it was perfection. It wsn't like a birds nest, or a big rug anymore!

So some tips:
1) Sometimes you need to brush the crap out of your system. I don't know why. Sometimes those hairs just have a life of their own! And no kind of styling, water, gel or anything your hands can do will be enough to make them look right sometimes... you need that brush action!
2) You really should brush/detangle the hairs out when it's wet after a washing so it doesn't dry up into a tangled, ruggish mess. Then you probably won't really have this problem.


Note: My systems are usually pretty thick, and I don't care if it sheds a bit when I "brush the crap out of it". So please take this into consideration. I don't know what the best approach is if you have this problem with a lower density (or even if you would have this problem).

Colin,

As a long term wearer (and fellow irishman )
I too have experienced that problem many times.

A few hints,
1 Please resist the urge to recolour as this can completely change the texture of your piece, if you think about it, adding colour will only make each individual hair a little thicker. (I only go now for synthetic hair)
2 I'd probably say use as little conditioner as well as I have found that a piece can look very full after a wash.
3 If you have the above problems go to superdrug and buy one of those little spray bottles that you pump to build up the pressure inside and fill with water, give piece a good spray then style, works wonders. Bottle is about 3 inches tall probably costs less than 2 euro.
4 sometimes with styling your hair it helps if you go along with the bone shape of your scalp just press with your hands but not too heavy along certain parts of your scalp and your piece will take that shape. (woman tend to have a more free style than us guys so doesnt apply to them)
5 to get the crown area to look more natural use a good piece brush to try and lift the hair a little at the crown area so that it is not lying too flat, You can usually do this by combing forward towards the forehead.
6 I know that it has worked for you this time but I'd resist the urge to do vigerous combing as it will undoubtedly only lead to shedding of hair.

Thanks for all the tips you yourself have posted in the past as it has helped me too,

regards
cam

Colin, I know what you are talking about. I would like to add that I spray a leave-in conditioner on my hair every morning as soon as I get out of the shower. I gently pat it down with a towel, then spray the conditioner on and brush through it. It makes the hair much softer and easier to brush and style. Actually I think the bottle says de-tangler on it. Also, every once in awhile I take a fine tooth comb and just comb through hairs good especially near the base. For some reason they seem to get matted together there, but a comb will usually help out.

You'll also find that if you seldom actually wash the unit with shampoo it helps.
Nothing really "builds up" on the hair, unless you put all sorts of styling bunk in it causing buildup.
I very, very seldom actually wash the unit with shampoo.
It does get wet in the shower, as I wash (with shampoo) my existing hair on the sides and in the back, but no shampoo on the top of the unit itself. A little does get on the ends at the sides and back, but that's it.
When I remove the unit (once a week now, though sometimes I do it twice a week) I, again, do not wash it with shampoo. I simply rinse it out very good with cool water in the sink.
That's it.
Washing often causes a small handful of problems, not the least of which is to accelerate the color fading of the unit.
Conditioner is most likely ok, and I use it sometimes.
After I rinse it in cool water, I spray some Nearly Natural on it, add condition, let it sit for the prescribed time, then rinse it out.
Works great.

We could take our clue from many of the women who wear very long hair (my wife being one of them with hair just short of her waist). She Always shampoos her scalp, but seldom washes the rest of the hair. She does condition it.
There is nothing that gets in the rest of the hair, requiring shampoo to remove. The longer part of her hair is like the hair in our units. Nothing (oil from the scalp wise) to keep it from drying out.

I bet if you ask any of the ladies with long, long hair, you'll get a similar answer about their care of it.



Fred (StealthTJ)

pantene has a product that is a spray detangler with light conditioner. i use it quite often and it really helps get through tangles. sometimes you need more than other times.

i also soak my hair in a sinkful of water with about 1/2 cup of baking soda every time i remove it.

I am a woman with long hair, pretty dense, and I do wash it in the shower while on my head, but only once before removing it completely for a good wash/rinse/condition/glue remove/etc.
I have to use products in my hair to get the look I want, so using shampoo is a must for me.

A few things I do that I think helps is I use warm, not hot water, and rinse with cool water. Also, when it's wet and I have it off my head, I squeeze the water gently from the top down, then use a comb/brush (the type Debbie recommends - with the little plastic ball bristles)and I gently comb it in sections, starting at the bottom and work my way up. That way if there's a tangle you get it out quickly without it building up like a snowball.

I would think regardless of your density you could try these tips.
Good luck!

Tina