Hmm...I've heard of the tape being used with wefts, but are you sure this is the same thing as Ultratress? To my knowledge, Ultratress are fairly standard miniwefts that are bonded to the hair with an adhesive, not tape; I've never actually had them, though, so I wouldn't know.
Looking at this Cybermane tape process, quite honestly, it would make me skeptical.. I don't know how secure or safe those would be (of course, they look like they'd be a breeze to install).
That's funny--simultaneous posts. I assume they mean you get 60" of weft, not hair? A claim of 60" long human would be too much--even in this crazy business! :)
60 inches of weft was my take on it. The tape they use is the same tape they sell for wearing toupees and other hair systems so its safe to use, so I dont have a problem with that. Ive considered trying the tape myself.
Did I read a discrepency in their installation?? In the pictures all they show is the tape, but if you read what comes in the kit, it lists a bottle of adhesive and a bottle of adhesive remover. What are those for if all you use is the tape??
I do believe what is meant by the 60 inches, is the width of the weft.
I have no experience with the method in particular, nor do I think it could last for 12 weeks but I have never heard anything negative about cybermane. From my understanding they are a reputable company. I have seen this type of method on other websites too, but I cant remember where and it was awhile ago.
Ok, I said I wasn't going to post here anymore, but I just couldn't resist sharing what I know about the Ultratress 2 extensions:
Ultratress 2 is put out by a hair piece company called Gemtress. Cyberhair is a salon owned by a nice gal named Charlene, who I have chatted with a lot in our yahoo message board.
Ultratress 2 (there was an Ultratress 1 that was similiar, but a little different in application and they don't offer it anymore) is a seamless extension weft system. Basically, the wefts come in sets of 5 pieces that are 12" wide and 18" in length)
This is the technique for this method:
You put the red liner hair piece tape on the polyurathane side of the wefts and part your hair where you want to put the wefts.
Put the weft with the hairside down (tape side facing you) the drop some of the hair down from the top and stick onto the tape. (just a small section)
You take the brush on adhesive and apply it over the weft( and your hair) and then take another weft (of the same size of course) and apply it on top of the other weft, so your natural hair is sandwiched between the weft pieces.
I did these on a few clients and have worn them myself, and they are ok. The hair is decent quality. They did stay in my hair for 12 weeks, but I added an extra layer of tape in the 'sandwich' .
I did the method as advised in the instructional DVD Gemtress sent me and the wefts started coming out of my clients hair after a couple of weeks.
Removal is ok if you use their solvent (it an oily substance) There is still a lot of gummy adhesive residue in the hair to deal with though.
I think it would be a pain to reuse them, because you must get all that oily remover off before you can readhere them and trust me, it's not easy to clean the oil off the wefts.
Also, I find that you almost always need to buy 2 packages, one is not usually enough for the average extension job.
Ultrastrands are just Gemtress' version of a strand keratin tip fusion method, like Great Length.
You must be licensed to purchase wholesale from Gemtress, but some independent stylists are reselling it to the public at retail prices.
I'm glad you decided to post again, and I do hope you keep coming back here.
Now that you mention it, I think I did hear that there was an Ultratress I and Ultratress 2; the way you're describing the "sandwich" application, it sounds a lot like the technique Sherrie uses.
A friend of mine from Heralopecia is in the process of ordering a Gemtress integration piece--the Jade style, which looks beautiful. The price seems quite resonable, so I'm curious to see how that goes.
Metalgirl, do you think there's any advantage to using Ultratress II instead of traditional wefts, or is it about the same?
The Ultratress 2 wefts, like all of the seamless wefts that are becoming popular, are nice because they are flat. They are really just a this piece of plastic with hair injected into it. It goes in the hair very nice with no bumps.
I don't like using all that adhesive in the hair to apply them, so I think that I would still choose sewn in hand tied wefts.
In the January edition of Modern Salon, a hair extension artist name 'Piny' is featured. I guess he does extensions on a lot of celebrities and rock stars. Anyway, in the article he says he prefers sewn in wefts over individuals because he feels that the sewn in technique doesn't damage the hair as much as the individual extensions.
In the article is shows pictures of his technique he uses to make a track, using microrings. I do something similar on my clients and it does work pretty good.
I came across this thread when doing a search on ultrastrands.
Just to show how opinions on "new to you" methods change over time, it is amazing is it not? I have been reading and following this board since mid 2003 and am always fascinated how individuals' mindsets and opinions go through cycles.
I remember when WaWa was THE hair, then Plastikhaar was THE hair, then FINA FINA hair was THE hair(did NOT get to try this-dangit), then RK was THE hair, and a few others that weren't praised quite so high. And now...well I guess it remains to be seen.
I don't know what I would do without continually rechecking who has tried what and their opinions on it past and present. I would never want to actually buy every brand out there nor try every method, so it is nice to hear the feedback, but it can be misleading when an individual praises a particular hair or method but months later may come back and say they would never use that type/brand again or vice/versa.
This wasn't meant to bash anyone, honestly, just an observation over time that has perplexed me for more than 2 years.
Anyone 'get me' on this, or am I sounding PMS-y-ish?
Well, I know why my opinion changes, and then maybe you'll understand it from the professional's view point:
I have signed up for many classes where the vendor promises that their extension product is the best, most damage free, etc. They gladly charge me $1000-2000 to teach me their wonderful method. And silly me, being the trusting person that I am, I believe the 'hype' they tell me about their product, after all, why would they lie....
So after you put this method on some clients, and start to see all the problems, that's when my opinion changes.
I am only a victim to unscrupulous hair extension vendors, I never mean to harm anyone or mislead/misinform anyone with my advice.
I don't think that anyone on this board has ever purposefully misled anyone regarding method or specific hair and I certainly would never accuse you of all people. You were one of the first to give a very detailed explanation of skin wefts, before they were the new "hype".
I respect you and your opinions with the highest regard!
I also know that manufacturers and hair pros (like you, Kristen, Char, Sand, Rae, and so many others here) can take a crappy product (or method) and drastically improve or completely reinvent it. So I know that can affect ones opinion over time.
It just really irks me when I see posts that completely 'bash' or have an over dramatic 'warning' when alot of times the ones doing stating it have never tried the process on themselves or anyone else. I have seen it on countless boards and just don't understand it. This is why I am very cautious when stating my personal opinions.
Oh yeah, one thing I see I left out, it isn't only the pros who can make miracles happen either. Many talented DIYers here have also tweaked and perfected some fallible methods here as well. So my respect to all!
I just received my set of tape/hair from Cybermane today. They cost $175.00 plus shipping.Igot the package,and the instructions and was soooo disappointed. You cannot open the package or they are not returnable, so I can't feel the texture, but it looks like cheap coarse asian hair. The color I got was "nutty", I thought it would be a light brown, but it is almost the color or coffee grounds. The instructions were next to nil, you wouldn't know how to apply them just by reading their instructions. I am sending them back, llet you know about their customer service. I bought the prostrip tape and made myself a set using some beautiful remy hair I already had from some nice clip ins. They were super easy to apply.
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