Help - Panic Mode: My Hair Fell Off ...!!

[deg_dilemma]

OK it's not as dramatic as it sounds but I was attempting only my 2nd-ever refit at home and doing the usual half/half (side to side) method of lifting,cleaning,shaving,glueing… and then my piece just fell off!

Damnit I thought how the hell am I going to place it correctly back on my scalp. It's not as easy as it seems! And with the hairpiece off, it looks so frail and the glue can go everywhere.

Somehow I managed to place it back on my head in approximately the same position. But it was largely down to guess and luck. I went front-to-back because I have a tiny bit of hair at the front that is my front boundary. I used Adjust-A-Bond but it didn't really help much because I have never had to do the whole hair at once and was panicking a bit.

Fortunately it looks OK, but it has made me think how I should be doing the de/re at home (on my own).

How do you guys deal with this? I mean, how do you take the hairpiece off and then know exactly where to place it on your head afterwards?

 

[Noah]

Sounds like a riot. Keep a firm hold on your trousers! It could be one of those days.

Here is how I do it: I put the tape on the back and sides of the hairpiece, leaving the backing paper on, but I pull up and fold over a corner of the backing paper on each bit of tape (to make it easier to get off later). I also put 2 small pieces of tape (about 1 square centimetre), one on each side of the piece, about the middle of the sides and an inch or so in from the edge. I take the backing paper fully of those 2 small piece, and give them a spritz of alcohol. I then put the piece on my head and move it into perfect position - no gaps or overlaps. You need a good mirror for this, and ideally a second hand-held mirror to see the back. The alcohol stops the adhesive from taking effect immediately, and gives me a few seconds to move the piece around. When I get it into the perfect position, I press down on the two small pieces of tape and stick them into place. They then anchor the whole hairpiece.

I then flip up the back, pull off the tape (using the folded-over corners), and stick it down - sides first, and then the tail. That just leaves the front. I hold it down with one hand, and mark the position of the hairline by digging marks into my forehead with the thumbnail of the other hand (some people use a make-up pencil). I then flip the front up and clip it out of the way. I apply a coating of glue using the thumbnail marks as a guide; dry it with a hairdryer, repeat. Then I spritz the glued area with alcohol, and bring down the hairline and apply it onto the glue - middle of the hairline first, and then the sides. It is worth giving your head another spritz of alcohol when you do the hairline, so that you have extra time to smooth out any wrinkles. Then I press the hairline firmly into the glue with the teeth of a comb held sideways. Done!

Hope this all makes sense. Good luck.

Noah

 

[deg_dilemma]

Hey Noah. Thanks for the info, that is really good stuff.

Yes it was a riot. Worrying but I think I got through it for now. I have to learn somehow, else I have to pay £80 every month for a refit.... and its 4 hours of my life every month. Whereas at home I can do it in an hour I reckon (2 hours today though hahaa).

I have a skin base and use an all-over glue bond. So what I did today was to apply glue to my scalp all-over and to the whole base... which effectively meant that I had to stick it all down in one go. The Adjust-A-Bond (I guess) is similar to using alcohol, but due to the all-at-once method I did, I couldn't really adjust the system much once it was on. I kinda just slapped the system onto my head

But having reading your post, I can see how I can adjust my method of de/re. I can apply glue to just the back border and then get that into the correct position and stick it down. Then I can flip up the front and middle and glue those on. I think that will work.

Sheesh, this is one heck of a learning curve though!

 

[Noah]

Yes, that should work. You could even get some low tac daily wear tape for the two small squares, if you want to use my method. I can do an attachment in 15 or 20 minutes with a pre-taped piece, so it's worth persevering.

 

[Fanjeera]

People usually do full scalp bonds in two parts, especially with lace. You just can't land it all at once correctly. Half first, then the other half. Back or front.