10.5mths from ONE system , how the hell did you do that!!!!! i wear full swiss or french lace but i can only get MAX 3mths.. however i am super paranoid about shedding and as soon as i see too much shedding i replace! this normally happenes around the 2.5-3mths mark when i feel like too much shedding and density will be off. But 10.5 mths is insane!! what base do you wear? and where do you get this system ? i also wear my hair longer in the front maybe 5-6 inches and maybe 4 on the top .. maybe that plays a part ?
I used to get ~6 months from each system. The single best change I made for longevity was switching from only using glue to only using tape at the front of my system. Tape created a more solid and reliable bond, less lifting, irritation, scratching and therefor hairloss. I started doing that just before I changed to that system and figured it would help. Didn’t think it would almost double the life I got out of it though!
I wear the hair down at the hairline which helps to cover the tape. I also probably go for slightly heavy density in my systems so, although it can look a bit exuberant (but definitely suits me and isn’t ridiculous or anything), it takes ages for it to get too thin. My hair type is also naturally quite thick, wavy brown hair so that helps with coverage and density in general.
other things which definitely help:
I very gently comb (wide toothed comb) before bed and as soon as I wake up every day.
If I wash my hair I just use water, I almost only ever shampoo when I remove the unit which is once every two weeks. Obviously shampoo if it’s necessary outwith that but rarely tbh.
I never use product of any kind in the system.
I wear a hat pretty much any time I go outside - it’s just become a habit over time. I’ve noticed my last system didn’t really fade as a result so I didn’t even have to dye it.
this is important and something I only started doing with my last system:
When I remove the unit I clean it (very carefully with the tape removal so that it doesn’t lose hair), then I condition, shampoo and then one final long condition for at least 10 mins, always ensuring to wash the unit upside down to avoid hairs going through the lace.
My systems are lace with a poly border on the back and sides.
I use tape all round the system, down the middle and a bit of glue on the back for security when bonding.
10.5 months was pushing it in some ways but, in others, I could’ve kept going with it for another 6 weeks if I had to.