could anyone in the know please tell me the base I'm looking for that would insure hair (non-shed) durability for more than one to two months?
I've tried 2 types of knot sealer, non-sulphate shampoos, great ease in caring, etc. and I just can't keep these things alive for very long
its a drag to have a great head of hair for 2 weeks, then watch it start to thin, shed, and become something you have to manipulate in the second month
Hmmm.... I've always said that knot sealer is overrated, but you shouldn't have major shedding after a month or two in most cases.
Does this happen to you EVERY time? In some pieces the hair isn't tied as tight as others and they tend to shed a little more, but most of them hold up pretty well.
I don't use knot sealer, I wash the things all the time, remove daily, etc... and I can get 8-10 months out of a good one, and the problem is usually frayed front lace and color fade rather than too much hair loss that makes me retire them.
double lace is nothing more than two layers of lace of your choice. you can get double sfs lace or double french lace...so, yes, it would be stronger than one layer of lace.
DebbieS.
I'm a long time PSB wearer and I never had any shedding problems, they just don't shed and when I toss one aside for a new piece, they still look good and wearable.
For the past few months, I also wear #64 all-laces and they seem to be as strong and durable.
In both cases I'm not careful with myh pieces, I wash them often and I use mousse and gel whenever I feel for it.
I threw out so many pieces last year that I could have continued to wear but I like getting new pieces. Maybe Toplace will set up a recycle system one day haha
I really apprectiate the forum here, but I just can't believe that guys can go many months with a lace piece, combing it to style, conditioning, etc.
I'd love to see some pics of a piece that is density correct, cut in styled new and then after 6 months without a big difference in appearance, density and blend
how come some guys concur that these pieces shed quickly and others say they don't? Is it a personal standard of wearing? Meaning some guys don't mind if whatever lift their hair had is gone or their base is balding after a few months?
or are you telling me that these units look as sharp much later as that first cut-in after they were received?
and why would you throw pieces out if they still were right? "I like getting new ones?" Come on, man.
Actually--- I really don't like the first month or so of a new piece until it's really "broken in" and settled down. But that's a different issue.
Problem is, none of us are really seeing what you're doing to these pieces, what kinds of brushes you have, etc. to know for sure.... but I guarantee you that no one is lying when they say they can get at least 6 months from a lace piece and it still looks fine.
Daily-removers like me put more wear and tear on the base and hair from washing and removing, but not sleeping in it every night will DEFINITELY extend the life of a piece. Still, there are guys who sleep every night with a piece who can get them to last too.
Stokely: I already went to the New-York TL convention with an all SFS (yes all SFS!) that was close to 7 months old! And the reason I kept that one for so long it's because I did such a successful and perfect cut-in that I liked very much.
The fragility of most pieces is a non-issue and I strongly recommend to everybody to just keep focusing on getting it cut-in properly and enjoy life
In past posts, I already shared my opinion that I consider it a waste of time to try to find the perfect products for hairpieces because they can live longer than you think no matter what you use.
The only one thing that I'm careful about is the sun in summertime. I use a dark color shampoo more often from May to August and whenever I spend more time in the sun. As for the rest, I don't even think about it....
Stokely wrote:
"
I can't IMAGINE anyone getting a year out of these pieces
don't they brush their hair with sopme kind of part?
in the shower everyday there is hair, does conditioning kill the knots?
I would like to try the new skin unit, but I just want these units to be sharp, feel good, and last a little longer
I'm obviously doing something wrong
-Stokely
"
I easily get 8 months+ out of a french lace unit with NO detectable shedding.
- Does conditioning kill the knots ? Kinda, as it can/will loosen them.
- You shower every day, are you "scrubbing" your units on your head and using shampoo ?
If so, stop it. I rarely use shampoo on the unit. I do shampoo my own hair, daily, in the shower which, of course, gets some shampoo on the back and sides of the unit, but that's it. There's no need to shampoo the heck out of them, unless maybe you use a TON of product of some sort on it. Even if you do, don't shampoo daily and try just rinsing in COOL water when you remove the unit.
- Don't brush the unit when it's wet, the knots easily untie when wet.
You need to look at some of the shed hair and see if it's come untied, or actually has broken, or is still tied and has broken the lace.
I'm now wear my first SFS unit from TL (I've been wearing french lace) and now, after two weeks, no sign of shedding yet.
I would love to see a piece worn for a hair and still looking good.I find it hard to believe....But then again,who really knows......Let me in on the secret,because getting a year out of a unit would be sweet.
Stokely: to be honest, I never understood the 'don't comb the wet hair on your unit' mantra and I never agreed with it... The first thing I do when I get out of the shower is to brush my hair and often, the quicker we do it, the better chances we get to have it dried in the style that we want without too much gel or mousse. Also, when I let dry my hair that is already brushed the way I want gives a very nice and interesting look too.
But I only brush with the wide tooth brush type, it has well-spaced bristles and it also detangles without hurting the hair.
Except for the taping or gluing, I don't do anything else different than when I had my real hair.
Does anyone else concur with NYWig that sleeping in the piece will dramatically decrease the lifespand of the piece? What if you use silk pillow cases?
I have switched to silk pillow cases.......The good thing about them is your hair won`t be standing straight up when you awake.....Silk cases gets thumbs up.
I believe the following "possible" reasons have been given about shedding. I have never gotten more than 2 months from a piece because of the shedding myself. I don't feel the knot sealer has done anything for my unit which tells me that it's not the knots that are the culprit here.
Scratching the unit (when you have an itch you itch it).
Normal oxidization (you have no control over this).
Possibly your water (this has been talked about in many threads). I have yet to purchase a filter but plan to soon. I think chlorine in water can really do a number on the hair. It only makes sense. I won't be convinced of this until I prove it to myself.
Friction from hats.
Friction from pillows.
Tearing of lace (too much pressure when using the paper slide technique to clean the lace of glue).
Over bleaching the knots.
Coloring the unit hair too often or leaving the color on too long.
Conditioner loosening the knots.
I personally feel that it has to be the drying effect caused by chlorine in tap water. This is dead hair on your unit without the normal conditining/nutrients that comes from the human body. Over time it is going to dry and become brittle no matter what you do to it. The hair will lose it's elasticity. The only thing I can think of that might slow down this process is to avoid any chemicals which are known to be drying agents (chlorine, harsh shampoos, etc...).
Yea.. I've recently gone to cleaning my piece with all distilled water now.. It has substantially decreased the shedding. I was only getting a few weeks before, if that before I could see knots coming undone on my recent french bases. It has completly illiminated the knots coming undone.. but it has drastically helped, and this current piece is ~5 weeks old now.. about as long as the last several pieces have lasted me.
I only have been washing my piece with distilled water.. and every other re-attachment I shampoo it with no sulfates shampoo.. and put some pretty silk or treseme color anti-fade stuff it it. I believe the rest of the knots that are still coming undone are due to scratching.. and sometimes wearing a hat b/c I always wore hats a lot before I lost my hair, but not as much as before.. but that might still contribute to it.
Also, leaving the piece on a tad too long and scratching it when the glue starts to bleed thru is a mistake that can be made also..
