https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/nor...-improving-hold-time-and-hairl-t1710-s20.html
TAKEN FROM ANOTHER FORUM:
This is something I wanted to try (for a reason other than hold time) but always thought it would weaken my hold time. I discovered the massive gain in hold time and huge improvement in the appearance of the hairline by accident. My results may or may not be specific to my base material choice (Injected thin skin) and glue preference (NX Gen Unifying Adhesive).
For those who wear thin skin or ultra thin skin and opt for an all over glue bond, you will be familiar with how quickly the piece sticks to your head upon application and how critical it is to get it in exactly the right place. There is no luxury of being able to quickly pull it off and reposition it, as we would have with lace. At least, not when there's glue on both the scalp and the piece. The system just sticks in place too quickly. It's instant.
I decided to see if 99% alcohol could provide me a bit of repositioning time like Adjustabond is supposed to. I had tried alcohol for this purpose with lace in the past but I'd never tried it with skin systems. With skin having no holes, I was concerned that the alcohol would have no way to evaporate and instead would soak into the glue and ruin the bond. I gave it a try anyway despite expecting failure. This is how we learn new things.
After putting 2 layers of NX Gen on my scalp and 1 on the system, I sprayed 3 fine mists of 99% alcohol over my scalp and 2 over the system then quickly placed the system on my head. I was able to easily slide it around to get the positioning just right. It afforded me about 5-7 seconds to position it. It sounds like a very small amount of time but it's quite a lot, especially when I was used to having one and only one shot at placing it perfectly the first time, with no repositioning time at all.
The first thing I noticed was that the edges didn't want to stick down. "Oh no" I thought. "I've messed it all up. What a bad idea this was." Luckily I had prepared for the unexpected and had a bandana with me. This turned out to be crucial. I put it on my head, tied it tight and made sure it was pressing tight against every area of my system. I rubbed all over my head with my fingers for a few minutes, then left it alone.
I kept the bandana on for 30 minutes before taking it off to find that the system was very well bonded. A quick warning: For the first 1-2 minutes the alcohol made my freshly shaved scalp sting.
"Wow, what a tight bond" I thought to myself as I began to brush the hair up and out of it's squashed flat style. And what a flawlessly invisible hairline! At every angle I could see no line, no base edge, nothing.
But things got even better from there. As the days went on I remained impressed with how tight the bond was and how perfect the hairline stayed. When it came to detachment time one week later, nothing had changed. No lifting anywhere, no line, nothing. I was just as happy exposing the hairline on day 7 as I was on day 1.
To rule out a fluke I have since done 2 subsequent attachments with the same method and got exactly the same results. Perfect hairline, no lifting anywhere right up to the last minutes before reattach time. And another bonus was no odour. In the warmer weather I usually get a slight odour towards the end of the week-long attachment but now there's nothing at all. My head smells clean and fresh right to the end.
How/why does this improve things for me so much? Here's my theory:
The alcohol softens the glue on both the scalp and the piece and allows them to smoosh together. When the piece gets pressed onto the scalp there is alcohol trapped in there between the scalp and the piece. This does what alcohol does best (aside from killing living cells, working as an engine fuel and ruining lives) and that is it evaporates any remaining oils and moisture that may still be in there. This means an extra clean bond.
The next part, and a crucial one, is the bandana. This uniform pressure being kept on the entire bonded area is important. Not only does it ensure the whole piece is pressed in tight as the glue cures, but it presses the front edge of the thin skin into the glue on the forehead, allowing it to sink in really well and for the edge to disappear.
I highly recommend skin wearers give this a try. And don't forget the other huge gain and the reason that I tried it in the first place: it gives you a few seconds to reposition the system so it lines up perfectly where you want it.
Good luck and happy wearing to all.
All the best,
Hairenough
Has anyone tried this method? Does it work?
TAKEN FROM ANOTHER FORUM:
This is something I wanted to try (for a reason other than hold time) but always thought it would weaken my hold time. I discovered the massive gain in hold time and huge improvement in the appearance of the hairline by accident. My results may or may not be specific to my base material choice (Injected thin skin) and glue preference (NX Gen Unifying Adhesive).
For those who wear thin skin or ultra thin skin and opt for an all over glue bond, you will be familiar with how quickly the piece sticks to your head upon application and how critical it is to get it in exactly the right place. There is no luxury of being able to quickly pull it off and reposition it, as we would have with lace. At least, not when there's glue on both the scalp and the piece. The system just sticks in place too quickly. It's instant.
I decided to see if 99% alcohol could provide me a bit of repositioning time like Adjustabond is supposed to. I had tried alcohol for this purpose with lace in the past but I'd never tried it with skin systems. With skin having no holes, I was concerned that the alcohol would have no way to evaporate and instead would soak into the glue and ruin the bond. I gave it a try anyway despite expecting failure. This is how we learn new things.
After putting 2 layers of NX Gen on my scalp and 1 on the system, I sprayed 3 fine mists of 99% alcohol over my scalp and 2 over the system then quickly placed the system on my head. I was able to easily slide it around to get the positioning just right. It afforded me about 5-7 seconds to position it. It sounds like a very small amount of time but it's quite a lot, especially when I was used to having one and only one shot at placing it perfectly the first time, with no repositioning time at all.
The first thing I noticed was that the edges didn't want to stick down. "Oh no" I thought. "I've messed it all up. What a bad idea this was." Luckily I had prepared for the unexpected and had a bandana with me. This turned out to be crucial. I put it on my head, tied it tight and made sure it was pressing tight against every area of my system. I rubbed all over my head with my fingers for a few minutes, then left it alone.
I kept the bandana on for 30 minutes before taking it off to find that the system was very well bonded. A quick warning: For the first 1-2 minutes the alcohol made my freshly shaved scalp sting.
"Wow, what a tight bond" I thought to myself as I began to brush the hair up and out of it's squashed flat style. And what a flawlessly invisible hairline! At every angle I could see no line, no base edge, nothing.
But things got even better from there. As the days went on I remained impressed with how tight the bond was and how perfect the hairline stayed. When it came to detachment time one week later, nothing had changed. No lifting anywhere, no line, nothing. I was just as happy exposing the hairline on day 7 as I was on day 1.
To rule out a fluke I have since done 2 subsequent attachments with the same method and got exactly the same results. Perfect hairline, no lifting anywhere right up to the last minutes before reattach time. And another bonus was no odour. In the warmer weather I usually get a slight odour towards the end of the week-long attachment but now there's nothing at all. My head smells clean and fresh right to the end.
How/why does this improve things for me so much? Here's my theory:
The alcohol softens the glue on both the scalp and the piece and allows them to smoosh together. When the piece gets pressed onto the scalp there is alcohol trapped in there between the scalp and the piece. This does what alcohol does best (aside from killing living cells, working as an engine fuel and ruining lives) and that is it evaporates any remaining oils and moisture that may still be in there. This means an extra clean bond.
The next part, and a crucial one, is the bandana. This uniform pressure being kept on the entire bonded area is important. Not only does it ensure the whole piece is pressed in tight as the glue cures, but it presses the front edge of the thin skin into the glue on the forehead, allowing it to sink in really well and for the edge to disappear.
I highly recommend skin wearers give this a try. And don't forget the other huge gain and the reason that I tried it in the first place: it gives you a few seconds to reposition the system so it lines up perfectly where you want it.
Good luck and happy wearing to all.
All the best,
Hairenough
Has anyone tried this method? Does it work?
haha