Hi, I am new here. I got GL hair extensions about January 8, 2006. I love mine!!!! I have researched for months and months before I chose to do mine. I went to a reputable salon in Michigan that did an outstanding job.  Katie the girl who did mine matched them perfectly. My hair was straight when she put them and when I washed it two days later it has this awesome curl to it!!!! All I have to do is dry it upside down and scrunch it!!!! I paid $1500.00 but to me it is well worth it to have an experienced person do them.  She has them in her hair too!! I want to do them again.  How long will they last? I take extremely good care of mine, wash every two days, brush with a boar brush 3 times a day, use GL shampoo, conditioner and their tap water. I do not use any curling irons on them or straighteners either. Just a hair dryer on very low.  She told me they would last up to 6 months with proper care.

they WILL NOT last 6 months.

Never keep extensions in longer than 3 months or you will damage your natural hair

The hair may last but the install must be redone after 3 months to avoid damage (possibly permanant) to your natural hair and scalp!

Wow.. Good thread!

My salon said I could keep them in 4 months, but I don't want to risk damaging my hair in the process.

Four months would be pushing it.

Again another example of the great Great Lengths lie..."oh yeah, they'll last 6 months, now that will be $1500..."

The extensions would probably last 6 months but no telling what a matted, broken mess your own hair would be.

I fell victim to the GL lie and I started out with bra strap length hair as I only wanted extensions to help with the sides of my hair that had broken off. THe extensionist thinned out my hair and cut it so that it wouldn't show a blunt cut, she cut it before she even put extensions in (it about made me sick but she said that was how it had to be done) then told me to leave them in for six months. At 5 months the hair was getting stringy and I had them removed and I now had shoulder length damaged looking hair that looked like I was old and balding!  I had no other choice but to do extensions again because my hair looked horrible!  It is now a year later and my hair is improving but it is still not as good as it started.  I am now doing shrinkie installs on myself and my hair is beginning to grow again.  Be careful!  Especially with the removal! 

I am suprised of all the bad stories.  The girl who did mine has been wearing them on and off for two years.  She has had no problems and hers lasted almost 6 months.  Also, my friend in NY had them in for 5 months also and had no problems and when they took them out her was alot longer, stronger and thicker and no balding spots etc.  

What was everyones hair condition before they put them in?  Mine was very healthy fine/thin hair but I have alot of it. It was barely shoulder length.  Also, she just barely nipped the ends of my hair before she put them in.  I am getting kind of scared now after reading all of this.

I can believe that they can last 6 months WITH MAINTANENCE. Although its still not good, a full take down should be down every three months. At 3 months any bonds that have not been replaced are going to be hanging at least an inch and a half away from the scalp. Besides the fact that it would be hard to to keep them from showing, theres the fact that they are easy to catch with a brush and pull out, there is more stress on the natural hair from the bonds hanging so far from the root and they will be attached by less hair, due to the natural shedding. And then theres the tangling and matting that occurs from the natural hair shedding. I cant even make it 3 months with an individual strand method, my hair grows to fast, I ususally need a re-do by 10 weeks tops.

I believe with GL they actually do maintenence where they replace bonds that have fallen or the ones that have grown out too far. So they dont actually last 6 months as you have to keep adding new hair. They just dont do a FULL takedown all at once. Kinda catchy...eh? They say they last that long but they are really replacing a little at a time instead of doing the whole thing every 3 months. Its just not a good thing in my opinion. With just doing partial take downs its too easy to get stray hairs in bonds, miss bonds that should be replaced etc....its just best to do full takedowns and re-installs at the 3 month mark.