Elite Thermofiber hair New Install (pics)

You look great, girl! Great job! I like the color match, and it really seems to blend seamlessly with your natural hair. The curling you did looks awesome! Again, GREAT job!

Great hair, very beautiful

So exactly how did you curl your elite thermofiber..... and how long does your curl last?

it looks greak!  the color's perfect, too.  did you use protac?

Thank you sooo much for your replies.

the thing i didn't like about protac was the the "flap" that i suddenly happened to have on my head.  i could flip it up or down (which was bizarre!) and there was limited airflow to the scalp (which was warm and humid-feeling).  all in all, i loved it for easy of use, and i'd definetely use it for a quick install for the weekend and such.  but i can't wear it long term.  i'm rockin' some Elite and LG now, and i definetely like the smaller flap area!

i don't think there's any reason to be afraid of acetone.  think about all the junk you put in your hair and LEAVE in there for extended periods of time (bleach, dye, hairspray, heat, etc).  the acetone is only on for a short time and is washed out immediately.  i'm not saying it's good for hair, but it's not the worst. 

from what i can tell, the LG is not unlike rubber cement.  it's a self-vulcanizing (drying/hardening) rubber.  once solid/dry, it's like regular rubber/latex.  oil might work, but i doubt it since i don't see it penetrating the bond.  the reason oil works on protac is that the tape itself is membraneous, allowing stuff to soak into it.

the bond of the weft is definately smaller, but i'd recommend help putting them in.  i didn't part as cleanly as i should have, and used WAY more of my hair on the top of the sandwich than necessary, so i've got pretty much all the hair on my head incorporated into the darn things.  next time i'll know better.

i washed this morning (not the ends, though;  just the scalp and the area covered by my hair since i used product on it) and everything seems hunky-dory.  the drying process went by much better since i didn't have to worry about damp getting it gummy.

it's only been in since sunday, and this is my 1st wash, so it's hard to tell what the future might bring.  but i'm keeping my fingers crossed and so far so good.

I used the half tapes for my install.  Like misslou said about her LG install I felt the same way about my protac install.  I felt like all my hair was tied up in the protac.   I parted my sections real cleanly but I had a hard time bringing the hair on top of the tape.  Maybe I should have worked harder on bringing the thin layer of hair on top of the tape.  Sometimes I would just let all my hair go and flatten it onto the tape and then reclip it for the next row.  The flap feeling is not what bothered me.  What bothered me is the feeling that all my hair was tied up in the tapes.  I couldn't even scratch my head.  Maybe I installed it wrong? 

Edited by juliap - October 26 2006 at 11:15am

I agree completely about the difference between Protac and LG. Protac was much more hot, thick, heavy and sticky for me, even with half-tapes. The LG bond is smaller, drier, and lighter for me. Julia, I didn't like that hat feeling either. I've found by using LG and putting less hair in, with the bonds in a smaller, more concentrated area, I mostly avoid that feeling of not being able to get air, and my fingers, to my scalp. I work out every day and the Protac was just so hot and damp. Even after blowdrying, I'd sweat (that time of life, you know!) and feel like I had a rain cap glued to my head.

I only put one triple weft horseshoe around my head, temple to temple, and one double weft across the back about an inch below the horseshoe. This gives me a band around my head of only 1/2 inch on the sides to about 1 1/2 inches in the back where I have any extensions bonds at all, making the install much more comfortable. I also like having more of my own hair "out."

As far as removal, I took down my two week LG install last night, using only a bit of citus remover. It took a little time to carefully slip all the hair out of the bonds, but it was simple and non-damaging. I sprayed on the remover and watched a movie, working the stuff into the bonds and easing the wefts off. Next time I'm going to use a straightening iron on the bonds after putting on the remover to make it even easier. Cleaning the wefts and my hair was simple, too. All the glue boogers came right out with a good shampooing and conditioning.

I'm ready for a fresh LG install today after coloring my roots this morning. I'm finding LG so easy to install and take down that I can easily redo everything every three weeks or so. I like to take the wefts out the night before so they can spend the night drying. An hour for root touch-up and an hour for reinstalling and I'm good to go!

I LOVE that color! It's beautiful!!!!