Shrinkies still the favorite???

I think if you use the shrinkies and the heat tool from docs you should be fine. But I would go for a better brand of synth tho in my opinion, use a monofibre, like Prostyles, Dome or Plastikhaar for the curl. Just regular synth like what you have posted could rat up really easy and wouldn't be good for long time wear, if that is what you are looking for.

whew i mustve gotten lucky, i just tried out shrinkies for the first time and it was easy! just heated my hair straightener up and clamped down and they shrunk down to a little miniature size and that was that...it was so easy that now im wondering if i did something wrong? i even had fun doing it, like there was some evil fun in making the little shrinkie shrinkie down in size... my only question is i started rolling the shrinkie right away and it was hot, burned a bit, is it ok to wait for it to cool off a sec or should i maybe set my iron down a bit?

LOL! No, you did everything right and it's actually great fun to dominate that shrinkie.

Yep, when it's hot it can smart your fingertips.

Fingerguards wouldn't help much because they're too bulky to work with. Just be gentle on yourself and press them together and turn them (if they won't roll) and make sure they get good and tight. Sounds like you're doing everything perfect.

I think just about anything would be worth trying. I think the main key with this is patience. Do just a few and allow them to set up and cure until they're good and dry. And then test them to see how they do with a washing.

As far as Gorilla Glue goes, just when you think you've put on just the right amount, you've probably put on too much. Serious, the stuff expands while it dries and the end result is pretty hard. It can make a great small tip or a horrible one that's too large and hard to wear if too much is applied.

I'm on day 2 with about 80 shrinkies. Only lost 2 strands so far. My only complaint has to do with the hair...it really looks unnatural. It's a synth I got at hairpiece - the one that cost $10 instead of $6. Its biggest problem is that it doesn't blend - the strands don't brush together to lay like real hair - the sort of separate into strands and it looks bad. That plus it's super straight and my hair has just a slight wave so the difference is obvious, at least to me. It was really long, but the next day I ended up cutting 6" off to nearly the length of my own hair, just so it wouldn't look so fake.
I think the main problem is styling. The girl who did me took about 5 hours to put in the shrinkies alone, so there was no time to actually "style" it once it was in.
The ends, when cut, are very unnatural looking. I think someone who knows how should do something to it with a razor - that's what either Prostyles or Dome's site recommends, I think.
This was my first experiment with both synth and shrinkies, and although I hate the results, I am learning about what will eventually work.
Shrinkies are good - they stay in well and are comfortable. I think they're not as invisible as microrings, however. The hair - well, just waiting for my Plastikhaar color ring to arrive. But yesterday I was so distraught, I was considering ordering some expensive cuticle to redo this mess right away...but today I'm better! lol

Yes, Jenny, I do think that has something to do with it. Plus, my own hair is very fine so it adds very little substance itself. Plus I think the hair is just so-so - kind of 'yaki' in texture although not labeled yaki. And it's silky straight - bone straight. A little wave would go a long way.
I don't want to put too much more effort into this installation since I already don't like it. I did put a few microrings on the sides to fill in and help with the mullet effect.
Right now I'm reading an old thread about AMM's gorgeous DIY 'do and am getting reinspired!

leia1979 wrote: I used the Proclaim latex glue from Sally's (99 cents a bottle), let them sit for a day, then coated the tips with nail glue. I'm actually impressed with how well they turned out. It was simple, cheap, and non-toxic (or at least, the bottle didn't say anything).

You know, leia, I used it too when the LG I was using got too gummed up at around 1/2 bottle. I agree - the Proclaim tips turned out okay! It's kind of weird, tho - at one point in its set-up process, it separates into sort of water and white latex, so if you roll the tip at that point, the tip doesn't dry clear. I found it best to let the Proclaim practically dry, THEN roll, then dry, then coat with nail glue. But the tips turned out very nice, although not rock hard like LG tips.

Emma, it was on synthetic hair. You just have to really let the latex dry first, much moreso than with LG which sets up much quicker. Just my (recent) experience.

I used latex glue on human hair. I put glue on a few before I went back and rolled them to give it a little time to set (so you end up with less glue on your fingers).

Jenny, I think maybe Doc's pretipped hair has keratin or some other fusion glue. I just know that when I started installing the hair I tipped, I didn't hear a sizzle anymore. I wondered if the glue used to tip the hair is what determines the sizzle.

That's a good point, Sherrie. It'd probably be a pain to use Keratin then.


Leia, I've never "sizzled" with Shrinkies either, and I used Liquid Gold and the nail glue. I think I haven't been cooking them for long enough, though. :)