QuoteReplyTopic: updos w/ hairlocs or great lengths?? Posted: March 05 2005 at 12:09pm
i've never had extensions before, and i''m considering getting hairlocs put in for my 5-day long wedding in india. My concern is that I need to be able to do a variety of different updos and partial updos with the extensions in - are updos possible with hairlocs extensions? Or do the copper attachments show when the hair is pulled back or up? Is it possible to do a sleek pulled back bun? I''m also considering Great Lengths - does anyone have any ideas on which is better for updos? Please let me know - i appreciate it so much!
leia1979
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I want to start off with a word of warning: some of the ladies here have had very bad experiences with Great Lengths and Hairlocs. That doesn't mean that you necessarily will, but I'd hate for your real hair to be damaged. Great Lengths is quite expensive, and the consensus seems to be that removal of the bonds is what causes the most damage. Hairlocs are copper and they seem to have a chemical reaction with some people's hair that can eat away at the hair shaft that's inside the loc. However, there are several brands of locs that are the same basic item but are aluminum or some other type of metal that won't corrode. (Extendtubes seem to be the favorite.) The condition and length of your real hair is a big factor in picking a method. You might also consider pinchbraids, which are generally a less-damaging method (look for the Hairpolice or Dome methods, for example).
With that out of the way, I don't see why either method should prevent you from doing updos. I know with the loc/link/whatever method, it's hard to do so when they're first put in, but after a week or so, you can. If they're tight to the scalp, they usually only want to point down because that's how they were installed. With a week or so of growth, there's enough room to move 'em around. You just need to tell whomever installs the hair to leave room around the hairline and part lines (think in advance about where any obvious partings would be in your various updos to tell the stylist where to leave a little margin of your own hair out to cover the links).
I've never had Great Lengths, but I would think the same principles apply. Make sure you do a bit of research before committing to a method and a stylist, for your own benefit. Good luck!
Yeah, without going off on a long tangent, I've had both Hairlocs and GLs, and I wouldn't recommend either method. The GLs cost me about $2200; the hairlocs were closer to $2400. And they both caused a lot of damage to my real hair.
That said, if you have very healthy, strong hair (and a good stylist who doesn't rush the removal), GLs may be OK--at least the bonds are secure and the hair is good-quality. Hairlocs I wouldn't recommend to anyone. Period.
Ditto everything Leia said about the updos, though--it should work about the same with hairlocs and GLs as it does with any other strand method.
Before you make any decisions, I would seriously urge you to search these boards and others for more reviews of these techniques. There are lots of options when it comes to extensions, so don't feel like you're limited to one or two methods.
thanks, ladies. i really appreciate the input. I''''ll look into other options. I did some more forum research and found this place called the cyberparlour in nyc that does pinchbraided extentions with real hair. i''''m trying to find out more info about them. Their stylist, isaac, got some good press from hairboutique and various magazines.
but I still don''''t know how you can tell who is honest in this business...oh my god, so much drama is out there!
That's funny--I go to Issac! And yeah, you should definitely check him out. He does a beautiful job for about 1/4 of the price of those other methods. And no drama.
jenny - that's amazing you go to isaac. good to know you like his extensions. i'm going in for a consult with him next week. are you able to put your hair into updos without a problem? thanks so much for all your input - i can't tell you how much you are helping! -erin
If enough space is left between the extensions and the hairlines, an updo should be fine. And this would apply to any extensions method, by the way. Just make sure to tell him how you're planning to wear your hair for your wedding and I'm sure it'll be fine.
In general, though, I have to say that I don't think extensions are really all that suited to updos, because of the fact that there will be bonds, braids, wefts, or connections of some kind near your scalp. That said, if they're placed strategically enough, it will give you a bunch of hair to work with to create a nice big twist, bun, or whatever.
Again, just make sure to tell Isaac--or anyone you go to, for that matter--exactly what you want to do with your hair so they can place the extensions accordingly.
You should be okay. This is a customer of mine wearing a weft method (which is usually more bulky than strand methods) and she had no problem wearing it up:
If you look in between her hairline and the ponytail on the side, you can see that it's fairly flat- despite the fact that she has 4 or 5 layers of weft there.
Ahhh, Rae...it's gorgeous. I love the look of big ponytails, and the colors are just beautiful. I wouldn't have thought you could do that with wefts, but it's good to know. :)
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