WOW!!! how the hell are you able to manage getting such a longevity from your system!!! i wear swiss lace from Hair bro and mine last MAXIMUM 3 months... after about 2.5months hair shedding becomes a massive issue , and i generally change then every 3 mths... i have managed to get up to 4 or 5 with a PU / lace combo , but i must prefer full swiss lace. There is no way in hell i could imagine getting more then 4 mths from a system ... and i am a seasoned wearer of 6 yrs and am VERY gentle with them.. silk pillow , good quality conditioner etc ... i want to know whereyou get these systems from please !
It's a medium/medium light density Swiss lace stock system from Hair Hub in the UK, and cost just under £200. Their systems are very good quality for a very reasonable price. However, they have had to change their production source due to the pandemic, so I don't know how good the quality will be in the future (hopefully just as good...).
I am not sure what to tell you as to how I've been able to get such longevity, as I've simply looked after my system in the ways I've described. I reattach once every 2 weeks (on average) and also only wash/rinse it once every 2 weeks, with a very gentle shampoo or sometimes just with the Back2Natural conditioner (which restores the colour and makes it nice and soft and shiny too). I don't even bother with silk pillows etc, though I do tie my hair back in a pony tail when I go to bed.
I use Supertape on the perimeter (sides) and contoured tape on part of the front, with a little bit of Walker Tape Safe Grip extended wear adhesive for in the middle part of the front. When taking the system off, I am very gentle and I don't spray alcohol on the hair or through the system - instead I put some onto a cotton pad and gently dab the edges of the system, slowly pulling it back, until it is all released.
I don't use any styling products like hairspray or gels (except for only VERY occasionally, like if it's an extremely windy day) - I find these sort of 'clump' in the hair system, even styling products designed for hair systems, and brushing them out can be quite tough on the system. Instead I just spray and brush through some leave in conditioner (which is ProTouch leave in conditioner from Hair Direct) several times a day, which seems to work fine.
I am not sure why you haven't been able to get more than 3 - 4 months out of your systems, but it could be the quality of Hair Bro systems, or something else, perhaps. But that's still a reasonable lifespan for Swiss lace actually. I have quite long bio hair on the back and sides, and the 6 inch system sits on top, giving me the look of having long hair. This, coupled with the medium density might help too, because shedding isn't going to make as much difference in hair like mine as it would for someone with shorter and lower density hair. Well, that's a possible theory of mine anyway (and as I said, my current system hasn't shedded much at all).
All I can say is that what I'm doing seems to be working well for me, and based on how things are going I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to get 6 months to a year out of my current system (if I'm forced into a situation where I have to use it for that long).
My plan with my supplier was to have a 10 inch custom system delivered to me every 4 months, but if I can get 6 months or more out of them then even better! It may be different with 10 inch hair, though, so we'll see how long that lasts once I eventually get my first custom. But 6 inches on a Swiss lace base is lasting me ages so far.
It's going to be interesting to find out how far I can push the limits anyway! I'll surely keep you guys posted on how things go as we are here to help each other, especially at this challenging time.
i currently have 5 systems stocked up and will buy a few more for sure!!!!
