Help! Salon Always Does Maintenance On My Piece. How Do I Do On My Own

[Joeyrd18]

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been wearing a system for 4 years now but I’ve never cleaned, removed , or attached it myself. Well desperate times calls for desperate measures and I’m going to have to learn due to salons being as I still required to be on camera.

My questions are. What materials should I buy to clean my unit, my scalp, and then re-attach ( my Hair Stylist uses tape and glue, thats all i know ) and its a lace unit. I guess what I’m really asking for help with is a shopping list. There seems to be tutorials online. Also I don’t know if you have to comb it a certain way when you reattach so the “part” stays intact. My maintenance was supposed to be Thursday and its already starting to get a little loose and grimes.

I realize these are all dumb questions but I’ve been completely reliant on Salon. I’ve attached a photo just in case.

 

[ChromeyFirefox]

You need to firstly ask your salon.

Failing that, you need to let us know what the base is.

 

[cottonReville]

He said it's lace.

If it's a combination of glue and tape, you most likely have a taped perimeter sans the frontline, where glue is applied. The reason glue is used in front is tape is comparatively thick & glue gives a more natural appearance.

As far as the best products are concerned, I don't know how to answer that question. It seems contingent on the person.

Also, tapes are contoured, so it'd be good to know which best suits your base design.

As far as glue is concerned, white, water-based glue (a la Ghostbond) is apparently gentler than acrylic-based.

You ought to contact your salon, if they're open.

 

[Noah]

Don't panic Joeyrd; it's not difficult, and we can talk you through the process. It would be useful if you could answer a few questions though:

Do you have a thicker polythene rim around the back of your unit? You can probably feel it through the base if you do.
How often do you get maintenance from your salon?
Is it just the front hairline that is grimy and loose, or do you feel the whole system needs to be cleaned and reattached?
When you say you are required to be on camera, is that because you are working on Skype or Zoom, or does your job involve being on camera?

Noah

 

[Joeyrd18]

Don't panic Joeyrd; it's not difficult, and we can talk you through the process. It would be useful if you could answer a few questions though:

Do you have a thicker polythene rim around the back of your unit? You can probably feel it through the base if you do.
How often do you get maintenance from your salon?
Is it just the front hairline that is grimy and loose, or do you feel the whole system needs to be cleaned and reattached?
When you say you are required to be on camera, is that because you are working on Skype or Zoom, or does your job involve being on camera?

Noah

Hi Noah, thank you for your response. Yes I’m have to be in a suit on skype. My salon is closed down due to the corona virus and I can’t get ahold of them. All I know is it’s lace, she puts one layer of glue on my scalp, and there’s tape on the whole Parameter.

So I guess my question is, what type of tape should I buy, and how do I actually clean the unit once it’s off my head remove the excess glue in Grease and what not

 

[Joeyrd18]

You need to firstly ask your salon.

Failing that, you need to let us know what the base is.

Hi Noah, thank you for your response. Yes I’m have to be in a suit on skype. My salon is closed down due to the corona virus and I can’t get ahold of them. All I know is it’s lace, she puts one layer of glue on my scalp, and there’s tape on the whole Parameter.

So I guess my question is, what type of tape should I buy, and how do I actually clean the unit once it’s off my head remove the excess glue in Grease and what not

Also my maintenance is every 3 weeks, Think my base is lace all around

 

[Noah]

Thanks Joey. Here is my suggested list of the things you need.

- Adhesives - If you are used to tape all the way around, I would suggest you buy Walkers 3-mil thin lace support tape for your hairline and Walkers No-Shine tape for the back and sides. Tip: always buy the curved contour strips and not the rolls. They are a bit more expensive, but they have backing paper on both sides. The roll tape only has backing paper on one side, so it sticks to everything - fingers, scissors, hair, itself - and you end up throwing half of it away.

- removal / cleaning fluid - the best thing is 99% isopropyl alcohol, and another poster (BaldBearded) said recently that it is still available from Walker Tape Company. See if you can get some of that. If not, you can use one of the proprietary brands like C22, available from Hair Direct amongst other places.

- (assuming you can get some isopropyl alcohol) a squeezable bottle with a long narrow nozzle (like an American mustard bottle). Allows you to soak the base of the system with alcohol without getting it on the hair, when you are detaching.

- a bottle with a spritz nozzle - you can spray a light mist of alcohol on your head to delay the adhesive setting. It gives you a few seconds to get your system into the perfect position when you are attaching it.

- Mirror - ideally a well-lit wall mirror plus a big hand-held mirror

- A brush or comb with blunt teeth, to avoid snagging the base

- Shampoo - any mild shampoo is OK. Choose one 'for processed hair'

- Conditioner - choose a good quality one. I use American Crew.

- Some spring clips - for keeping the unattached part of the system out of the way when you are putting on adhesive

- towelling sweat band to stop alcohol getting in your eyes.

If you are used to having scalp protector - a barrier liquid which goes on before the adhesives - you will need some of that. Also, if this lock-down goes on for a while you may need colour-correcting shampoo or conditioner for correcting any sun damage to the hair colour. A polystyrene wig head is useful for applying tape to your piece.

 

[Noah]

Happy to talk you through the removal and reattachment process once you are ready. As you say, there is a lot of great information on YouTube and elsewhere, more or less mixed with advertising and self-promotion. Here are a few of the more educational websites:

- Hair Direct - https://www.youtube.com/user/hairdirect
- Hair4All - https://www.youtube.com/user/hair4all
- Mike Ford - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIAGr1b1pMBZ9Itc0DpVnHA
- Andre Paie - https://www.youtube.com/user/andpaie
- Phil Ring - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmCKkbhI-t8Y2mNEs1xEAw
- Curtis Mitchell - https://www.youtube.com/user/MrRETIRINGEARLY
- New Roots - https://www.youtube.com/user/newrootsonline/
- Hair System DIY - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2QD5dN_hs2f4_cszAxy_HQ
- Laurent Wehrung (in French, but understandable) - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxOh1Vclu6zcNJ_Ll1QG4KQ