Anyone who buys a hair replacement system should know how to maintain it, It is a big question that customers offen stuggle with. If you are not well advised, it will be tricky to figure out how to manage hair systems. That’s why we come up with this complete maintance guide.

Before we learn how to do daily maintenance, we need to understand the factors that will shorten the lifespan of hair replacement system. The following information will help you know the main causes of hair loss, hair tandling and a broken base.

 

Hair system material selection and manufacture

As we all know, the lifespan of a hair system depends on the hair quality, base material, and different ventilation methods.

  • Base material: The raw material plays a crucial role in determining the durability of hair replacement hair system. Each materials has different life span. Generally, the hair system is less detectable, the lifespan is shorter, especially, super thin 0.03mm skin hair system. Base material for hair replacement system can be divided into 3 categories: the skin/poly hair system has the shortest lifespan, lace is in the middle and mono is the strongest one.

  • Hair quality: We usually have 6 types of hair used in hair system: synthtetic hair, indian human hair, chinese hair, european hair, remy hair and virgin hair. It should be noted that all kinds of hair types go through chemical treatments and processes, the only difference is some go through more than others (Heavy or Mild). This is even the case for the very best quality. Because all hair goes through chemical processes and the more processes result in the weaker hair. If you choose a specific color, the more chemical treatment you do, the lower the quality of your hair, causing tangles and hair loss.
  • Different ventilation methods: Our hair replacement systems are all made by hand, instead of the machine. In order to keep the knot as invisible as possible, the knots need to be very tiny. The tiny knots are very fragility and therefore it is common for the hairs on a hair replacement system to start shedding at the 3-month mark. The most common causes of hair loss is the bleached knot, the chemicals used in bleaching can make the knots weak and prone to hair loss.

Use improper shampoo and conditioner

Shampoo and conditioner are certain things we use when we wash our hair, is your shampoo casue your hair system shedding? Have you noticed this problem? Have you read the the list of ingredients on the back of a shampoo bottle? Believe it or not, shampoo can have a bad effect on your hair to some extent.

Here's a complete list of the harmful chemicals found in most shampoos that not only damage the hair system, making it prone to hair loss and shortening its life, but also harm people's physical and mental health, including cancer.

● Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate are two types of sulfate, a common ingredient in shampoo and one of the most destructive chemicals. When you rinse your shampoo, the surfactants break down the proteins needed for hair growth and remove the protective oils from the hair, causing it to dry and break. It can also cause allergic reactions to some extent.

● Parabens

Parabens are used as a preservative to prevent bacteria from growing in cosmetics and shampoos. It may present the onset of bacteria in hair products but look out for words ending in – parabens such as methylparaben and propylparaben in the ingredients list. They are similar to fragrances, beacuse they will affect people’s hormones and mimic the hormone estrogen and have been linked to an increased growth of breast cancer cells.

● Sodium Chloride

Sodium Chloride is simply salt. Salt may be good for our immune system, but it’s definitely not good for your hair health. It plays the role of maintaining thicker consistency in shampoos and conditioners. Sodium chloride will reduce the health of your hair, make your scalp dry and itchy, and make your hair dry and brittle. Fragile hair will eventually break! So often wear a hair system to swim, the water in the pool will make the system damaged, shorten the lifespan.

● Propylene Glycols

Although Propylene glycol helps with shampoo concentration, it will help the scalp absorb other chemicals in shampoo. But it is a skin irritant, will damage the health of your hair from the outside, not so much to the hair system, but to more than just your hair itself.

● Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA)

DEA and TEA are emulsifiers and foam agents that reduce the surface tension between different substances so that ingredients that are water-soluble and oil-soluble can blend together. These two chemicals can also cause irritation to the skin. They can also destroy keratin - a key component of hair. This ultimately leads to dry, brittle hair.

● Chemical Fragrances

For many of us, the deciding factor for purchasing the shampoo is its scent. They may smell nice but these fragrances contain thousands of hidden chemicals, they will cause a hormonal imblance and disrupt the reproductive systems. They can also cause cancer, asthma and make their way into women’s breast milk. Like many ingredients on this list, it is also an irritant to the skin and scalp, which can lead to hair loss.

● Alcohol

Alcohol is very common component in shampoos. Most alcohols have a drying effect, and the higher up in the ingredient list it appears, the more of it the product contains. Products containing a lot of alcohol can be very drying and over time open up the cuticle layer, increasing the chances of tangling.

● Formaldehyde

Many people think formaldehyde can be had only in decorating material, also can contain formaldehyde in shampoo actually, among all harmful shampoo composition, formaldehyde is probably the scariest. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen and has been proven to be absorbed through the skin in animal testing. In addition to being carcinogenic, formaldehyde and its releasers can cause ‘allergic’ reactions, including skin irritations and asthma.

● Synthetic Colors

Most shampoos and conditions often add synthetic colors for a better color, these colors come from petroleum or coal-tar sources, all of which come with harmful health effects. Many even links to various diseases, especially cancer.

● Dimethicone

Dimethicone is a type of silicone. It is basically plastic that contributes to product buildup making your hair feel greasy to give the illusion that your hair look shiny. In reality, it will weigh the hair down, make it heavy, limp and lifeless. If the hair and scalp are covered with this plastic film, it can block moisture and nutrients from entering and clog pores on the scalp, leading to skin allergies or hair loss.

 

WRONG WAY TO WASH YOUR HAIR SYSTEM

 

● The adhesive wasn't cleaned thoroughly.This is the first and the most important step before you wash the hair system. Many people overlook this. The adhesive is not easily removed by water and needs to be removed with a special remover. If you don’t clean it thoroughly, they will mix together with dust, causing the hair sticky and seriously tangling.

● Excessively hot or cold water.Some people think that washing your hair in hot water is bad for your hair, while washing your hair in cold water can help keep your hair shiny and strong. I don't think so. In fact, whether you wash your hair or your hair system, you should use warm water. Hot water will damage your hair roots, if they are weaken, then your hair becomes frizzy and start to turn gray prematurely. Cold water will closed the hair’s cuticles, then reduce the volume of hair, which will make the hair look less fluffy and stick to the head. Also, cold water dosen’t clean your hair as efficiently as warm water does.

● Over Conditioning.Although you may think that you are helping to eliminate matting by using large quantities of conditioner, the reality is that too much conditioner can swell the hair causing the cuticle layer to remain open. Actually, dry, weak, overly soft, limp and/or flat curls, no matter how much conditioner you add to it, are usually the first signs that your hair is over conditioned. Over time, hair that is excessively conditioned with moisture-based conditioners becomes porous and starts to develop dryness as a result.

● Use hairdryer in the hottest setting. In general, we recommend air drying. Even coarse, dense locks can't withstand the very high temperatures that some hairdryer models emit, the heating from it will split the knots and cause shedding. Especially for synthetic hair, the heat from the hair dryer will melt the fibers in the hair system.

● Brushing or Combing While Wet.For many people, it’s natural to brush or comb your hair while it’s wet to make detangling easier. But for hair systems, it’s not allowed. It can cause the hair to break, stretch, or frizz. And combing hair with fine teeth is also easy to cause hair loss and shedding, which is why we often recommend the use of a wide-toothed comb or a cushion brush.

 

FRICTION

Hair systems can in fact face friction very often as they are dry due to absence of sebum. This friction is generally due to sleep with hair system, the hair system and pillow friction caused. n case you are using a pillow case that is made up of any harsh material then more friction will be generated when sleeping. Constant friction will open up the cuticle and damage the hair, causing tangles that make it difficult to comb, and eventually hair loss.

When wearing a hair system, and then put a hat or helmet on it, it will also cause friction and shorten the effect of the adhensive. Excesive gromming can also create a lot of friction.

EXCESSIVE IRONING AND DYEING

Hair colorants use hydrogen peroxide as a penetrating agent to raise the pH of the hair, relax and lift the cuticle, thereby penetrating beyond the cuticle and causing the hair shaft to expand. Ammonia raises the cuticle of hair, and hydrogen peroxide can damage hair color. Your hair is instantly damaged because the cuticle should not be lifted. Once the cuticle is lifted, the next step is to dye the hair the color you want. So hair colorants use hydrogen peroxide to break down natural hair pigments. Hydrogen peroxide can make hair extremely dry, which is why dyed hair has a straw-like texture. When the hydrogen peroxide developer sits, the cuticle is still held so that the dye penetrates into the open cuticle and dries out. The longer the cuticle is held up, the more fragile it becomes. Once you rinse your hair, the cuticle falls off. But the damage is done.

 

OXIDATION

Oxidation is a chemical reaction that occurs anytime your hair system is exposed to both oxygen and harmful UV light at the same time. When these UV light rays make contact with the oxygen molecules that are on your hair system, they affect the color hues of your hair system, turning orange or red. It's a very slow process, but it does damage the outer layer of the hair shafts on your hair system. Oxidation also damages hair, making it more fragile and prone to breaking and fraying. The hair of your hair system is much more vulnerable to oxidation than your own hair, since it has processed to remove the cuticle, which is a protective outer layer of the hair. Therefore, excessive oxidation will damage the hair system.

You must have looked at all the causes of damaged hair systems. Are you curious to know how to solve these problems? The following information will help you understand the solutions on how to maintain it.

The hair replacement system maintenance is the most grueling and also the most important aspect of getting a non-surgical hair replacement system. It is not only extremely tedious and time-consuming but also throws up lots of complications.






HOW TO SHOWER WITH THE HAIR REPLACEMENT SYSTEM

The high-quality hair replacement system makes it possible for people to shower with it. However, you can’t just wash or scrub your hair system like you wash your own natural growing hair. You need to follow a specific method, otherwise, the lifespan of your hair replacement system will be shortened.

1.The first step is to moisture the hair system. Use a boar bristle brush and some olive oil to condition your hair. Make sure that every strand is covered by olive oil appropriately.

2.At the same time, create a 1:1 mix of water and shampoo and put it in a spray bottle. This step is to dilute the shampoo so that it becomes easy to lather and apply.

3.Once the spray bottle is prepared, you can spray the shampoo-water mix onto your hair system. Please notice two important things while doing this. The first is that do not spray too much. Spraying too much will make shampoo buildup in the hair system, which will affect the appearance and may even cause irritation in your scalp. Secondly, do not spray near the area where the system base is attached to your scalp. It will affect the adhesive and cause the hair system to come loose.

4.When you wash the hair, gently press and slide it through each section of the hair. You can use either a soft sponge or your palms for this purpose. Don’t rub the shampoo into the hair system the way you would have with natural hair, it will damage and tangle your hair system. Then, follow one particular direction when applying the shampoo. The best way is to press and squeeze away from the system base instead of towards it to prevent tangling and damage.

5.The following step is to rinse your hair system. Remember to only use lukewarm water. If the water is too hot, it will cause the hair system to detach since the heat will melt the adhesive. Also, make sure that you rinse away from the system base instead of towards it. It's important to wash away all remaining shampoo, since a build-up of shampoo can cause itching and compromise the bond of your hairpiece.

6.You can blot or dab the hair system with microfiber towel to dry your hair system, don’t rub it. Microfiber towels don’t catch and pull the hair so they’ll keep your hair system safe.

 

REMOVING AND CLEANING THE NON-SURGICAL HAIR REPLACEMENT SYSTEM

Although you can shower with the hair system attached to your scalp, the better way is to remove it and then clean it. Cleaning the hair system when it was taken off will give you more control over it, which will ensure its lifespan. Removing and cleaning hair system is also a time-consuming process which requires much effort. Here are the steps you need to pay attention to.

1.Spray adhesive remover onto the edge of the system base and allow to penetrate the residue for 1-3 minutes. This gives enough time for the solvent to soak in and make removing the adhesive or residue much easier.

2.Remember to pull the system base from the back to the front. This will prevent the frontal hairline of the hair system from getting damaged. As you pull the edge of the hair system up and away from your scalp, you’ll have to continue spraying adhesive remover to the contact area. Remember, you should never have to struggle with the hairpiece or use too much pressure. It should come off smoothly.

3.Soak the hair system in a plastic or stainless steel container capable of holding arm water with liquid solvent. Always do this in a well vented area. It usually takes 10-20 mins of soaking time to remove any extra adhesive.

4.Once soaking is complete, remove your hair system from the solution and lay it in the sink face up (the hair will be on the bottom). Use an old gift card or you fingernail to gently brush the broken down adhesive residues.

5.After getting most of the excess residue off, place the hair system back to the sink full of solvent for 2-3 more minutes. Then repeat the above step to make sure there is no adhesive residue in the hair system. It is essential to completely remove any adhesive residue from your system to guarantee the efficacy of your bonding.

6.Finally, after rinsing thoroughly wash the unit again, this time using a mild shampoo to balance the acid level and lastly condition.



CONDITIONING THE NON-SURGICAL HAIR REPLACEMENT SYSTEM



It’s important to remember that a hair replacement system is an investment. By taking proper care of it, you will keep it looking natural and make it last longer. The process of conditioning the hair replacement system is very similar to shampooing it. We recommend doing a deep condition of your hair system at least once a month - or preferably every other week.

If you want to condition your hair system when it is attached, then you need to dilute the conditioner with some water and apply it gently to the hair. As was the case with the shampoo, you have to make sure that the conditioner stays away from the system base.

Following below steps to condition the hair system:

1. After washing the hair system, you need to dry out as much water as you can with a towel.

2. Then, applying the conditioner through the hair from the root to the tip. You can use the wide-toothed comb to brush the hair gently to make sure the conditioner is evenly distributed throughout your hair system.

3. Leave the conditioner on for 5 – 10 minutes.

4. Thoroughly rinse your hair system with lukewarm (not hot) water to make sure there is no conditioner left. When rinsing the hair system, keep the hair hanging downwards in one direction and do not allow the hairs to cross over each other which will causes serious tangles

5. After removing the conditioner, blot dry your hair system by gently pressing or patting the hair with a cotton towel. DO NOT rub the hair.

6. Finally, Let the hair system dry naturally or alternatively blow dry your hair system on a cool setting. Do not brush or tug abruptly when blow drying the hair system! Press firmly around perimeter after blow drying.

Tips:

You should always use cool or lukewarm water to shampoo and condition your hair, using warm or hot water will eventually take out the wave or curl of a synthetic hairpiece.

SLEEPING WITH THE NON-SURGICAL HAIR REPLACEMENT SYSTEM

You have to remember is that your hair system is an investment, so even the smallest things can damage that investment. There is really only one big no-no when it comes to sleep and that is to NEVER sleep on wet hair. Please make sure your hair is completely dry before you go to sleep. Sleeping with the hair replacement system can be a simple thing. But, if the proper precautions are not taken, your hair system can get damaged. So how can you and your hair system get a comfortable night’s sleep? Let’s find out!

1) Use a silk pillowcase:

Silk pillow is more expensive than other materials like cotton or polyester, but its gentle touch will save you a lot on hair system repairs. Silk is less damaging because it is the only material that will allow the hair of your hair system to rub against the pillow without creating excess friction.

2) Secure your hair system:

Make sure that your hair system is fully secured before going to sleep since the loose hair system will move around more while sleeping which will cause more damage. If you use clips to secure your hair system, adding more clips to ensure that your hair system stays in place while sleeping. If you like to use adhesive, we recommend MAX Adhere 360 Waterproof Adhesive or Pro Hair Labs Ghost Bond Supreme Adhesive. If you prefer hair system tape, we recommend that you use an extended-wear tape such as the Walker Tape Easy Green Tape or the Walker Tape Ultra Hold Tape. These hair tapes and adhesives are specially designed for long-term bonds and will better withstand the stress put on your hair system from moving in your sleep.

3) Braiding the hair

When you go to sleep it is also helpful to put the hair of your hair system in a loose braid or a hair net so that you can prevent the hair from tangling while you are asleep. For the most secure option, you can even put the hair in a braid and then in a hair net.

Braiding the hair loosely will prevent tangles while you sleep. Depending on the size of your hair system, two to three braids should be enough. However, before making the braids, you have to make sure that you detangle the hair.

By following the above simple steps and precautions, you can get a nice night's sleep without causing excess damage to your hairpiece.

 

BRUSHING THE NON-SURGICAL HAIR REPLACEMENT SYSTEM

Properly brushing the hair replacement system is very important since excess force can make the hair break. By brushing your hair every day to prevent tangles can help your hair system last longer. We recommend you brush your hair at least once a day, and not too much. Excessive brushing is the one of the major factors that causes excessive hair loss of the hair replacement system.

There is also a specific time to brush your hair. Only do it when it is completely wet or completely dry. Anything in between means that your hair replacement system may be damaged.

In terms of equipment, we recommend you use a large wide-toothed comb or soft 100% boar bristle brush to brush your hair replacement system. Both of these options allow you to remove each tangle one at a time. This will help you avoid placing unnecessary tension on the knots.

This is something you have to be conscious of as well while brushing or combing your hair system. If you see any tangles, remember to address each of them one by one. While time-consuming, this will prolong the look and health of your hair system.

Be careful when brushing your hair replacement system. This will help to avoid root tension. Please brush the hair only from the root upwards. If the hair system gets tangled you should also avoid excessive tugging on the hair. This can be a major cause of hair shedding from your system.

Originally published Friday, December 27, 2019 at 9:56 am +0800

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