thanx for the reply amm, i will consider going to a pro.

I've heard the horror stories w/fusion too.  I think a lot of the damage came from the removal, obviously.  When fusion was popular, stylists where also saying you could wear the extensions for like 6 mos.  So this could have contributed a lot to the horror stories we've all heard of. 

Anyone try the fusion clips from Kristin's site?   

I've been wearing fusion for 6 months now, and I do it myself.  It can be wonderful or it can be horrendous.  It all depends on how you install, care for, and remove it.  The wrong sized bonds and bonds not positioned and sectioned correctly will cause your hair to be pulled out at the roots.  The wrong amount and distribution of glue will cause the bond to break down in one area and not in the other, resulting in ineven tension on the natural hair, equalling breakage.  Not being gentle enough with brushing and styling will cause the same thing (and what most people consider gentle is still too rough for fusion).  Impatient or improper removal will rip hair to shreds.  

That said, if it's installed correctly, cared for like it was spun gold, and removed right, it really doesn't cause the horror stories that everyone speaks of.  Problem is, no one really takes all of this seriously until they've already ruined their hair. 

Another thing to note:  the type of glue (keratin based or wax based) will also produce different results.

So far, fusion has been the only satisfactory method for me.  I am open to other methods, but so far I haven't been able to produce the results I want with the other methods. 

I tried sewn in wefts, chrissy v bonded wefts, shrinkies, and pinchbraids.  While I like the continuity of wefts (a.k.a. no pieceyness like strand by strand), they're too bulky for my comfort.  Shrinkies are a pain in my butt with all the pretipping, plus I find it hard to get the residue out of my natural hair AND the shrinkie itself is slightly more noticeable than my fusion bonds.  Pinchbraids, I obviously can not braid.  Even if I could, again they are more noticeable than my fusion bonds.   

What I would really like to see are some really thick wefts, but without the bulky edge where they're sewn together.  I know there's a such thing as "hand tied" wefts, but I'm under the impression that they don't have as much hair in them, which wouldn't work for me.  I need lots of extension hair or it just doesn't blend with my natural hair.  

Ideally, I'd like to see a weft with tons of hair on it, but instead of having the bulky edge where it's sewn together, have something as thin as a fishing line.  I don't know how that could be accomplished though.

BirdOfEden wrote: I've been wearing fusion for 6 months now, and I do it myself.  It can be wonderful or it can be horrendous.  It all depends on how you install, care for, and remove it.  The wrong sized bonds and bonds not positioned and sectioned correctly will cause your hair to be pulled out at the roots.  The wrong amount and distribution of glue will cause the bond to break down in one area and not in the other, resulting in ineven tension on the natural hair, equalling breakage.  Not being gentle enough with brushing and styling will cause the same thing (and what most people consider gentle is still too rough for fusion).  Impatient or improper removal will rip hair to shreds.   That said, if it's installed correctly, cared for like it was spun gold, and removed right, it really doesn't cause the horror stories that everyone speaks of.  Problem is, no one really takes all of this seriously until they've already ruined their hair.

Bird- I totally agreed with you!!!  BRAVO  This is the best post I've read so far.  I've seen both amazing and horrible hot fusions and on the same side of the coin, some amazing and horrible cold fusions.

Bottom line- choose a method that's most comfortable for you, Broome.  Extensions in general do take a lot of patience.

-Charlene

Bird,

If you want really flat wefts, you should try the seamless wefts.

Thanks everyone- I ended up doing my latest install with fusion chips on the sides ( I love them, by the way), and shrinkies in the back because I just couldn't navigate the back with the chips or the glue gun, or the nail hair that I had. Shrinkies definitely rock for ease of application in my book.

I keep seeing so much of the seamless wefts.Looks like something I might be interested in.I saw the tape on a site recently.But it didnt say exactly how to use it.

I would like to try DIY fusion.  I had a bad expireance before, but that was because of the removal, I believe if I do it myself It will go MUCH better (the woman was literally ripping them out!)

Although to be easier on me I will get the nail hair, or pretip it with fusion myself before installing.

Cybermane - glad you agree! 

Metal - what is a seamless weft?  And can it be used without the tape you speak of?

Bird -

I concur with Cyber - VERY WELL SAID about the details of fusion that must be correct. Having said all that, and I know this is a PAIN, could you expound?

Many of us are not, um, trained professionals. Would you be willing to give a few pointers?  i.e. What is the proper amount of glue? What is a reasonable sized bond?  How does uneven tension occur? What is ideal sectioning? etc. etc. etc.

Many thanks!!! -Fina

I'm not a trained professional either.  I'm just an avid DIY'er. Having waist length hair and watching it break off to chin length because of a bleaching error will really motivate a person!  Because I had no formal training, I had to experiment with different techniques and I learn through observation.

I don't know how well I can explain in words, but as for the amount of glue, most people would normally think to use the least amount of glue necessary to form a bond, and that's what I thought too.  But you have to take into consideration that over time the bond begins to break down, and if you are using a small amount of glue then it's going to break down quickly.  That's where a lot of breakage and pulling out happens.  If the bond is breaking down on the outside (or even just the left or right side which happens when there is uneven glue distribution) you end up with a weaker area of the bond but another area still has a firm hold, which causes the whole strand to be supported by the weight of that one area where there's a firm hold = breakage.  To aviod that, you need to use more glue so that as the bond breaks down over time, it's only breaking down it's own layers on the outside and never breaks down far enough to where the hairs are.  Also, when using less glue, it doesn't always get evenly distributed through the natural and extensions hair (even though it looks like it is).  You want to thoroughly saturate the bond site and have extra "padding" to compensate for break down.  I know it sounds like I'm saying to use a LOT of glue, but that's not what I'm saying at all.  Too much glue is unecessary and defeats the purpose of fusion, which in my opinion, is the virtually undetectable bonds.  I like the bonds to be as small as possible.  I'm just trying to explain something that's hard to illustrate with words.   Uneven tension can also happen with improper sectioning and more often the direction of and tension on the natural hair when forming the bond, AND how close you make the bond to the scalp.  I have been using 1/4" x 1/4" square sectioning in rows.  I actually got out a ruler and measured the first few so I could get an idea of what size they should be, though I'm sure that other sizes would work well too.  I sometimes make smaller ones for the hair line in the front as I tend to go very high.  I think the key is to make the sections neat.  Stray hairs and uneven sectioning pulls more at the hairs that are out of line.  While forming the bond, your natural hair should be laying in it's natural direction.  If you pull it up (which I had a tendency to do at first), it will sit unnaturally and get pulled out.  Same thing will happen if you are pulling too tight when you are making the bond.  I like my bonds very close to my scalp as I find that they feel and look most natural and undetectable that way, BUT, if you make them too close, it will again cause tension and breakage.  Again, this is something that can easily be shown, but is very hard to put into words.  I feel like a mad scientist, it sounds more complicated than it actually is.  You just have to experiment and visually see what is working and then adapt your technique.  Then again, you could do an impeccable head of fusion and still get tons of damage and breakage because what you thought was gentle care, just wasn't gentle enough for fusion. 

OK. Good. I don't feel so clueless. I concur on everything you say and I do know what you mean, especially on point of not using *enough* glue, but then again, also not overdoing it.

Thanks for taking the time to put it all into words!!

Hey Bird- what kind of glue do you prefer for DIYs? 

When I used to experiment with gun fusions prior to taking the professional classes, the 'over the counter' glues I've tried, do disinergrate.  Some melt on contact with a hot iron or even under the hair dryer and some turn powdery.  I now use the professional kinds and had better luck ever since.

Fina- After my experiments with the glue guns, I decided that pretips ones are the best for me.  Since they can be trimmed, I am able to determine the width per strand.  I can make them really tiny too and use them on the bangs.

I also use square partings with a shield.  The shield prevents short traveling hairs from getting caught in the extension.  Plus the square parting distributes enough weight since sciencetifically a square is even on all sides.  Another tip is to use a shield that has a guide line because this will help the extension grow straight and even like an "l" as opposed to a "c" or "s" pattern which are more prone to breakage.

Scenario- determine even parting with shield, melt and saturate every hairs on desired strand, press and roll extension strand evenly in a downward movement.  Takes a lot of practice.

With that being said and done correctly, hot fusion extensions, in my opinion are remarkabley transparent and if done with a really good non-disinergrating glue, can hold without worries.

Charlene

BirdOfEden wrote: What brand of glue do you use?

I use Great Lengths pretips.  I've tried the Balmain, Mega, Cinderella, UltraStrands, SoCap and have done hot box fusions, gun fusions, pot fusions prior to saving my money for the professional classes.   In the end, my hot-fusion-clients seem happier with the GL. even after introducing them to newer hot fusion methods in the market today.  {hey whatever they want, you know...}

I also do cold fusion with pretips using metals.  For my homemade pretips, I use Bohyme's and Oran's glue.  Torain glue, I think is similar to Oran's.  Oran's gives off a sticky feel.  I hate to pretip and can't wait to take the Mark Barrington Shrink Link class. 

I use to buy hair by EuroLocs but not anymore because the pretips do disinergrated {they may have changed their glue, but I'm not sure and surely not interested anymore}.  Anyway, I am happy to take the Mark B. class since he has stronger pretips and he can pretip any hair {talk about custom order!}. 

Reading this thread reminds me of my past and how I used to hunt for the perfect glues and the perfect tools since I could not afford the professional classes.  That was over 17 years ago and back then the Internet was nothing.  I admire all the DIYs in their quest for "perfect hair extensions" who, like myself in the past, had very limited resources.  

-Charlene

I wish I could try the other glues, but there's no way I'd ever spend that much money to become "certified" in the big brand name methods.  I wonder if Kristin's will be able to offer her fusion chips in glue stick form. 

OK...I have to add my 2 cents to the fusion talk, and I know some of you may disagree with me on this

(Bird I agree with everything you've said) and I do believe fusion is a complicated method, which is why I would not recommend fusion to a DIYer. Except for maybe a very experienced DIYer. It is complicated, and if your sectioning, tension on the hair, amount of glue, careful removal and all the other things you have to be careful of, are not done correctly you can really have alot of damage. And the sad thing is that sometimes you dont notice much damage with the first or even the second removal. Alot of times the real damage isnt as noticeable until after a few installs/removals when the damage is much more severe and visible.

I wont disagree that fusion can work well if done CORRECTLY. But I really dont think just anyone can do fusion correctly, and it takes alot of experience and practice to do it right. And unless you are really , really good at it, its not a good method to do on yourself.

Bridget wrote: Would you say that the fusion chips from Kristin is enough glue to saturate correctly and evenly on untipped hair??

Hi- I find that a 1:2 ratio works for me.  So in other words, 1 part hair strand to 2 parts glue; since the 1 part glue covers the top and the other part covers the bottom giving an even saturation.

Hope that helps, Charlene

PS. Bridget- Thanks btw for your sweet comment on my pic in the Balmain thread .  Would have shown my appreciation sooner but I've noticed that the topic starter was banned  which left me in a state of speechlessness .

I concur about DIY fusion.  It's easy to make a debaucle of!  I just couldn't bring myself to spend over a thousand dollars on it, especially with such a short lifespan.  If I had that kind of money I'd get Ken Paves!!!  But I don't, so I had to figure out how to do it myself. 

Come to think of it, I think I generally use a 1:2 hair/glue ratio too, for longevity.  Obviously you don't HAVE to use that much glue to make the bond, but if you want it to hold up, it's better to use more. 

I'm really curious about the origin's of Kristin's fusion chips and how they are different than other glues.  Also if they could be bought in stick form.

I'm a fusion DIYer for a few years now. Here's a few tips I wish I had when I started:

First I want to mention that I have had a lot of damage with fusion from not being careful enough with it.  I have a nasty habit of picking at the extensions without realizing what I am doing and constantly have to remind myself not to.  I also have been very rough on my hair when brushing it in a hurry after washing it.  And I swim a lot and let it stay wet all day. All very big NoNos.  When I behave and take good care of my hair I don't get as much damage.

I have hair that is anywhere from 2 inches to 6 inches long depending on what part of my head we're looking at.  I put on hair that is 18 to 22 inches long in some spots.  On the top layers of my hair I use shorter pieces but I am using hair that is a lot longer than I should.  I remember reading somewhere that using anything that is more than 4 inches longer than your own natural hair is too stressfull.  I use longer than that so that prob adds to the damage I have.

But I have had more damage from bonding wefts (the removal process plays a big part in that damage).  And since I have very fine hair braids show through which is fine for when I want them to show but not okay when I am trying to get the hair to look natural.  So fusion is my method of preference for a natural look.

A few things I learned along the way:

Go to a professional at least for your first application to see how it is done.  It really helps to see it done right.

Use good quality human hair.  It is less likely to tangle into a rat's nest after a few washes which means you are less likely to yank at it when brushing.

Make the sections small.  Huge chunks of strand extensions put a lot of stress on your natural hair.

Only add the same amount of extension hair as the size of the strand of natural hair you are adding to. (Does this make sense?)  Not sure how to word it clearly.  Don't use a giant hunk of extension hair and add it to a thin strand of your own natural hair because it will eventually pull out leaving a bald spot.

Use a shield when applying the hair!  Best 1$ you will ever spend.

http://www.hairpiece.com/product.asp?pf_id=XTN411 - http://www.hairpiece.com/product.asp?pf_id=XTN411

I like the purple individual shields from His and Her but they are 1.75$ and you can get clear for 1$ at hairpiece.com. Pricey for a little piece of plastic, but worth not burning your scalp or ripping out stray hairs by mistake.

On the upper rows of hair I go every other strand.  One strand of extension, one of natural hair left down.  Helps hide the extensions because they blend with the natural hair and there is less damage because half the hair is left alone.

I use very small sections and many rows which takes forever to do but looks better.

Invest in great conditioners and detanglers.  Helps with the brushing gently part.

Keep your hands busy with something during movies and while reading or riding in a car if you are a picker like I am.  If you notice you figit with your hair at certain times, find something else to occupy those hands.  One of my friends uses cuticle clippers to trim split ends while she's riding in the car.  Her idea helps me not to pick while I'm in the car. I hold drinks during movies and reading so that I don't mutilate my bonds with my nails.  Things like that make a big difference.

And this is how I do my extensions:

I buy hair on the weft because it is easier for me to blend. I use at least 3 different colors to match my color. I lay out one color of weft hair, then I place the next color on top, repeating until I have all the colors added.  I safety pin the wefts together and brush the hair out to make sure I have the right color blend.  Then I will cut a handful of hair off the pinned wefts and use small chunks for each extension strand.

I section my natural hair into a neat row.  Then I pull a small chunk of my hair into the shield and clip the shield into place on my head.

I use a hot pot from a craft store that I got for I think 6 bucks.

I melt one Mega Keratin Glue disk at a time in the hot pot.  I only use maybe 4 or 5 disks total for a full head of hair.  And that is with a lot of wasted glue left over that I throw out because it turns too dark from heating or gets strands of hair in it.

I pinch an equal amount of extension hair and trim the end off the top to make a clean straight edge.

Then I dip that edge of hair into the hot glue, only using the littlest bit of glue to coat the top.

I stick it to my natural hair and pinch.

Then I use a double sided heating clamp that I bought for about 100$ from hairpiece.com. They call it a purging tool.

http://www.hairpiece.com/product.asp?pf_id=APE147%5F3 - http://www.hairpiece.com/product.asp?pf_id=APE147%5F3

I clamp the glue for a few seconds with the purging tool until the glue melts throughout the extension hair and my natural hair.

I wait a second so I don't burn all of the flesh off of my fingers, and then I roll the glue and pinch it to make a tight bond.

Let it set for a second and then remove the shield.

Finish the row, then do another row, and another until you are done.

It takes forever but I have had good luck doing it this way.

oh and I forgot.  I use two mirrors so that I can see the back of my head clearly.  It takes some time to get used to reversing all of your hand movements, but you get used to it eventually.

It's very slow going the first few applications.  I started out doing half my head a day.  Now I can do my full head in 8 hours, or six hours if I do bigger strands. 

I still haven't learned the art of razor cutting the hair.  When I try it looks bad.  But I'm pretty good at the application considering what I have to work with.

I'll look for some recent pictures of my last DIY fusion application.

Great instructions Halo 

I read that a few of you would like to know about getting the fusion chips in stick form, I'm looking into it and I'll post it up when I find out