Can You Soak A System In Rubbing Alcohol?

[cottonReville]

I feel it'd be the ideal way to simultaneously remove adhesive/adhesive residue & clean the piece, making shampoo unnecessary.

Is this a crazy idea?

 

[firewatch9999]

Alcohol is drying so I would think this would be a bad idea

 

[Noah]

I feel it'd be the ideal way to simultaneously remove adhesive/adhesive residue & clean the piece, making shampoo unnecessary.

Is this a crazy idea?

No, it's a perfectly sensible idea. I do it every week with my system. 99% isopropyl alcohol (surgical spirit) is more effective than rubbing alcohol, which is only about 90% pure. Use a flat dish and fill it with about a centimetre of alcohol, then press the base of your piece down into the alcohol so that it is all submerged, but try to keep as much of the hair out of the liquid as you can by lying it over the edge of the dish or propping it out with a spoon or whatever you have around.

After 20 minutes soaking like this, all but the most hardcore glue and tape usually just falls off or can be scraped off with your fingernail or the edge of a credit card.

You still need to shampoo the piece afterwards, to remove the alcohol.

 

[cottonReville]

No, it's a perfectly sensible idea. I do it every week with my system. 99% isopropyl alcohol (surgical spirit) is more effective than rubbing alcohol, which is only about 90% pure. Use a flat dish and fill it with about a centimetre of alcohol, then press the base of your piece down into the alcohol so that it is all submerged, but try to keep as much of the hair out of the liquid as you can by lying it over the edge of the dish or propping it out with a spoon or whatever you have around.

After 20 minutes soaking like this, all but the most hardcore glue and tape usually just falls off or can be scraped off with your fingernail or the edge of a credit card.

You still need to shampoo the piece afterwards, to remove the alcohol.

I did that today after detangling w/ conditioner & comb didn't work.

I put the base in to make sure no adhesive was there and after a few minutes the tape came off perfectly.

I also submerged the knotted portion in for a few min. to see if adhesive were the cause of the dreadlock. Noticed the alcohol turned dark from color running.

 

[Fanjeera]

Do all solvents damage the hair?

 

[cottonReville]

Do all solvents damage the hair?

That's a question I'd like to have an answer to as well.

The only solvent I've purchased is C22, for which I can see no reason for application, beyond getting very stubborn adhesive residue off the scalp - something which can be achieved w equal ease using any number of inexpensive oils, including mineral/Baby.

 

[Noah]

99% isopropyl alcohol is far more effective than oil in breaking down adhesives (the active ingredient in C22 is also isopropyl alcohol). Alcohol does slightly dry the hair out, but if you are careful you should be able to soak the base while keeping almost all of the hair out. I soak the base of my pieces in alcohol every second week, and the hair does not get dried out. I still get 5 good months of wear from each system.

 

[cottonReville]

I threw out my C22, finding it to be disgusting in every way, scent included.

I remember I couldn't return it to Amazon as it's flammable, but I recall its being overwhelmingly oily.

Whatever the case, I really can't imagine anybody's needing it.

 

[Fanjeera]

99% isopropyl alcohol is far more effective than oil in breaking down adhesives (the active ingredient in C22 is also isopropyl alcohol). Alcohol does slightly dry the hair out, but if you are careful you should be able to soak the base while keeping almost all of the hair out. I soak the base of my pieces in alcohol every second week, and the hair does not get dried out. I still get 5 good months of wear from each system.

How about charcoal lighter fluid? Or Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover?

C22 and Autoglym are expensive, isopropyl alcohol and charcoal lighter fluid are not. I once tried isopropyl alcohol, but it was just so toxic to my lungs and skin (and so I thought it can't be good to hair either -- it seems to almost burn and eat into). Right now again on C22, but plan to move on to charcoal lighter fluid, which I still haven't tried. The most important problem for me still is effectiveness. None of them have been good enough yet, but I am prolonging the soak time up to 48h with C22 now and plan doing 2 soaks.