How to extend softness and general lifespan?

[HighAboveTheseCrowns]

I started wearing about two months ago. There's been stress but overall I love it and feel way more confident. My only worry is making each system last long enough that it's actually affordable to continue.

Two months in, my system is starting to feel a bit drier and stiffer. It will just stick up if I push it one way in a weird stuff way that it didn't before when it flowed a bit more naturally. This happened at about one month in too (not as bad though) and I kind of accidentally fixed it somehow but I'm not sure how?

What kind of stuff can I do to remoisturise and make the hair a bit softer again to get more life out of it? I condition regularly and use leave in conditioner but is there other stuff I can do, any kinds of monthly deep treatments or anything?

Cheers

 

[George Hen]

Some of the things I do which I think help a lot with longevity:

1. Gently brush morning and night, just before bed and straight after getting up. This helps loads with preventing tangles or knots in the hair.

2. I don’t use any products in the hair. A lot of people here really like UV protective leave-in conditioner which makes a lot of sense. I’ve tried a few different things and prefer not to use anything. The main reason is probably because I find those products can get through the base and affect the bond sometimes or cause a bit of irritation. I might’ve been overdoing it but I’ve tried both and no products seems to fit better.

3. I wear a hat a lot when I’m outside in the day to protect the system from the sun. Not convenient for everyone but that’s my alternative to using leave-in conditioner and it definitely helps a lot with fading and sun damage.

4. When I take the system off to clean and reattach (roughly once every 2 weeks), I condition the system, then shampoo. I do those fairly quickly but make sure the hair is well covered in both when I do them.
After shampooing I condition again and leave the conditioner in the hair for 10 minutes before washing it out.

5. Something new I’ve been trying recently: after washing out the long conditioner I dry the base of the unit with a hairdryer on a cool setting. I try to dry the base well but the hair as little as possible. This seems to pay off and the hair seems more nourished for a longer period of time Vs if I try a lot of the hair.

Hope some of that’s useful

 

[HighAboveTheseCrowns]

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I am already doing most of these. I do 1, 3, and most of 4 (will try the ten minute conditioning though). I do use leave in conditioner to make sure it doesn't dry out though I have noticed it gets worse if I overdo it on that but the feeling of that usually goes away after a shower whereas it has lasted a few showers now. I also always let my hair air dry.

I reattach once a week so I will try the extended conditioning this weekend and hopefully that helps a bit. I am mostly trying to find out if there is stuff that can bring it back to life a bit once it's starting to feel a bit rough rather than ways to keep it from getting rough if that makes sense?

 

[HairlessWhisper]

I am mostly trying to find out if there is stuff that can bring it back to life a bit once it's starting to feel a bit rough

Olaplex #3 can work miracles, it's the best thing on the market.

There used to be a Redken conditioner with Cationic protein but it's been discontinued.

Deep conditioning causes the color of my pieces to fade, so usually what I'll do is mix up some demi color, let it develop for 8-10 hours and combine with the conditioner in a 1:6 color:conditioner ratio.

 

[Robrover]

Limit how often you wash it. Don't comb it too often or too hard. Use Silicon Hair Mix every now and again.

 

[Noah]

- shampoo only once a week. The rest of the time wash with water only.
- every time you shampoo, condition with a rich good quality conditioner. You can get specially rich conditioners for prosthetic hair, and it may be worth investing in one. Try leaving the conditioner in the system overnight if you can. Remember if it's a knotted system to keep the conditioner away from the base and knots.
- always use a sunscreen any time you go out. I use a leave-in conditioner with the sunscreen in it, but you can just spray a liquid sunscreen on. Get one with a high SPF - 30 is best.
- argan oil is good to add a bit of extra glossiness, and if doesn't make the hair heavy and greasy like other products.

 

[mroizo]

My current French lace system is almost six months old and still holds up ok well.

I found that the following helps to extend the lifespan of the system:
- Wash the hair with mild shampoo every two to three days
- Use Argan oil mist and wide-tooth comb after shower to detangle the moist hair carefully
- Use conditioner with coconut oil after shampoo for a few mins or apply leave-in conditioner after shower

Using some hair gel/wax and some hair spray is ok, however, combing it out of the hair before sleep is important.

 

[HairlessWhisper]

Wash the hair with mild shampoo every two to three days

that's really a lot and tbh unless you are sweating bucketloads through the lace (or perhaps even if you are), i don't think there is really a need to ever shampoo a hairpiece. Conditioner alone should remove the dirt and buildup, but more gently than a shampoo.

 

[mroizo]

that's really a lot and tbh unless you are sweating bucketloads through the lace (or perhaps even if you are), i don't think there is really a need to ever shampoo a hairpiece. Conditioner alone should remove the dirt and buildup, but more gently than a shampoo.

I use baby shampoo that is extra mild for careful washing and then massage the conditioner in for a few mins. Living near the equator for a few years now and it's above 30 degrees during the day most of the time. So showering twice per day is the norm here. When I just shower but don't wash the hair, I wear a shower cap to not get it wet. Coupled with the climate and doing some sports (gym, jogging), the hair starts to smell funky if it is just rinsed with water but not shampooed at least every three days.
The only downside to the more frequent shampoo wash that I found is that the hair colour washes out over time.

 

[jeepwrangler]

Some of the things I do which I think help a lot with longevity:

1. Gently brush morning and night, just before bed and straight after getting up. This helps loads with preventing tangles or knots in the hair.

2. I don’t use any products in the hair. A lot of people here really like UV protective leave-in conditioner which makes a lot of sense. I’ve tried a few different things and prefer not to use anything. The main reason is probably because I find those products can get through the base and affect the bond sometimes or cause a bit of irritation. I might’ve been overdoing it but I’ve tried both and no products seems to fit better.

3. I wear a hat a lot when I’m outside in the day to protect the system from the sun. Not convenient for everyone but that’s my alternative to using leave-in conditioner and it definitely helps a lot with fading and sun damage.

4. When I take the system off to clean and reattach (roughly once every 2 weeks), I condition the system, then shampoo. I do those fairly quickly but make sure the hair is well covered in both when I do them.
After shampooing I condition again and leave the conditioner in the hair for 10 minutes before washing it out.

5. Something new I’ve been trying recently: after washing out the long conditioner I dry the base of the unit with a hairdryer on a cool setting. I try to dry the base well but the hair as little as possible. This seems to pay off and the hair seems more nourished for a longer period of time Vs if I try a lot of the hair.

Hope some of that’s useful

Thanks George, this has been extremely helpful for me. I brush with a WetBrush detangler before bed and when I wake up. Very smooth, no hairs in the brush after.

I use a watered down leave-in conditioner that I put into a spray bottle, and let it dry after applying, which makes it pretty easy to style (I like the messy look.)

And for the bangs I'll use a tiny tiny dab of gel just to give it a bit of a flick. But I may switch to a clay-based product as my buddy says it's easier to comb out than gel.

 

[yurguardianangel]

Thanks George, this has been extremely helpful for me. I brush with a WetBrush detangler before bed and when I wake up. Very smooth, no hairs in the brush after.

I use a watered down leave-in conditioner that I put into a spray bottle, and let it dry after applying, which makes it pretty easy to style (I like the messy look.)

And for the bangs I'll use a tiny tiny dab of gel just to give it a bit of a flick. But I may switch to a clay-based product as my buddy says it's easier to comb out than gel.

Hair wax.
But I don't bother anymore with that as it goes greasy easily and the hair clumps together and looks terrible.

 

[jeepwrangler]

Hair wax.
But I don't bother anymore with that as it goes greasy easily and the hair clumps together and looks terrible.

OH MAN! I totally forgot about hair wax, I loved that stuff as a kid.
I'll experiment but the gel seems good so far.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Do they have summer vs. winter hair systems? I bought a new similar wig but it is much less dense and seems cooler....