I feel your anger!  That's why I hate GL.  Most likely your stylist told you they would last 6 months because that's what GL teaches their people, and many stylists aren't aware how damaging that can be.

In reality, sure they WILL probably last 6 months, meaning the hair will still be good and they will still be attached, but just because you CAN do something does that mean you SHOULD do it?

Most of us consider 12 weeks the cut off when they should be removed and than reattached.  That's due to your natural hair shedding, thus causing the extension to be attached to your head with less of your natural hair, and it just creates too much tension on the natural hair.  Too much tension and you could get breakage.

Another big reason is that as the extension grows away from the scalp, their natural tendency is to want to 'dred' up with the surronding extensions. You don't want little dred balls throughout your hair!

And finally, if hair grows 1/2" per month on average, think how far that attachment will be hanging down in 6 months time, about 3".  It's harder to disguise the attachment site when it's hanging so low.

Keep us posted on what happens when you talk to your stylist!

They can last that long but you may have damage to your own hair and the hair just doesn't look as great but I don't think you could get her for fraud as it can last it is just not recommended.  It is way overpriced. Just diy and you will be fine.  There is great hair available on line and it is kind of fun to put hair where you want it!

Thanks! I tried do it yourself methods, I do not know what i am doing. So I am lost there. I would prefer a professional doing them.  I am disappointed that they only last that long.

All the other methods only last 3 months right? So what is the difference than with another brand or not?

Alot of times you can get hair for a lot cheaper and if you have an extensionist install them for you they sometimes charge per hour and it still works out to being less expensive than GL.  My GL stylist was awesome and put in the hair that I brought her and I tried out shrinkies and showed her how to do it because I also had the fear of diy. Now I do it myself and really starting to save money and I have also started doing others hair and it has turned in to a pretty good side job.  Good luck, it will all work out in the end.  Shrinkies.net has great hair, lush, bohyme, elite, and yourhairshop.com also has awesome fusion, stick, and bohyme hair that is long lasting and looks great.  Just because an extension system only lasts 3 months doesn't mean the hair only lasts three months.  Some hair people can use for a year or more depending on how well they treat it.  Especially with micro or shrink links where the hair is reuseable once you take it out, this is not true with GL as all that beautiful hair goes straight into the garbage! 

You can't wear any extension method longer than three months.. A responsible stylist should know this.. It's not about the system it a simple matter of hair growth and hair behavior.

The new hair growth underneath the extensions will mat and lock if you leave them in longer than 3 months. I learned this the hard way with braids I had done years ago..

I thought that since I had the chunkier braids (think Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice) that this wouldn't happen to me despite my stylists warnings.. So 5 month later, when I finally took these braids down and started combing out my own hair, I FINALLY saw it.. the knots, the locks, the mats.. and we're not talking about where the hair was braided.. The NEW GROWTH close to my scalp was a sea of matted hair..

I was lucky, with some good old school CREME RINSE, olive oil and a wide tooth comb I was able to save my hair.. But I know others who were not as lucky..

Now I religiously take my weaves and braids down on or before the 12th week.. Forget what your GL stylist says, for $1500 they will say anything.. The ladies here are right.. You don't want to wear any extensions longer than 12 weeks.

On another note.. $1500 seems kinda stiff.. Aren't there other strand by strand methods/stylists that would be a LOT less than $1500 per installation?? (Just a thought)

Hey Metal! Thanks for the welcome..

Gee.. ya makin' me blush..

I don't know if I know all that much, but I do have a general philosphy I go by, and it goes something like this... When you spend good money on something make sure you know EXACTLY what you are getting..

I think most of us who have been wearing extensions for a while have ALL learned the hard way what not to do and what not to buy.. I know I certainly have.. So I did my homework.. I've learned a lot from my own beauticians, the staff at EP, friends who also wear weaves, professionals like yourself and others on this board, etc.. So I just pass on what I've learned from all of these sources.. I just hate to see others making my past "unbeweavable" mistakes  (and there were many)..

This hair and the installation of it costs way too much to just do it without understanding what you are paying for.. and not all of those costs are money.. Some of those costs include, time, embarassment, and the loss of your own hair.. Just my three cents..

On another note.. I too am a former student of Sac City College.. lol

I'm sure you'll be fine with your extensions.

However, it's nothing to do with an expert chick. Everyone who posts here is a professional who knows their stuff and no-one wants to bad mouth anyone else. If after three months your natural hair starts to shred and go on to cause tangling I don't see how any system in the world can change this. Nothing will stop your hair growth (exc. medicinal treatment). It puts a further strain on your hair after this amount of time so I don't see how GL can be the exception to the rule?

I have to say that I've always been extremely put off by the 6 months promise. Like everyone else, I always recommend removal at 3 months.

All you can do is go ahead and see what happens. Let us know.

Is everyone here a licensed cosmetologist? Just wondering. I saw several people who are not on here.  Not being rude, just wondering. :O)

Also, I know a girl who works at  salon, had another professional put them in and they fell out a few days later.  So not sure what that means.

PaulaJayne1 wrote: She said up until the 6 month they were great with no problems. She also said her grows really slow.

PaulaJayne1 wrote: Also, I think it depends if you have an expert and how they were put in your hair too.  :O)

Based on what you stated when you started this thread, your EXPERT failed to explain to you that wearing any extension system longer than 12 weeks puts you at risk for matting and hair loss for ALL the reasons the ladies here have all previously posted.. (Hair growth rates, natural shedding, etc..) 

Now that said, if you want to wear your extension system for 6 months, more power to you.. I HOPE you have no issues with it.. I don't want to see anyone's hair mat, tangle or worse.. BUT you came to this forum asking for suggestions and information on how long to wear your extensions.. You came to this forum questioning your EXPERTS information..

PaulaJayne1 wrote: I am reading here all over the place that they will not last 6 months at the most 3-4 months.  I work for attorneys and to me this is fraud and that she assured me they would last 6 months.  I know they want to make a $1500.00 sale so I am sure that is why they tell people this.  To me this is Fraud.... I am upset now that they are not going to last this long for that kind of money.....  I just got them in January, so when do you think I will have to take them out?

You don't need to be a licensed cosmetologist to be a hair extension professional.

I wish you well.

PaulaJayne1 wrote: Is everyone here a licensed cosmetologist? Just wondering. I saw several people who are not on here.  Not being rude, just wondering. :O)

PaulaJayne1 wrote: My stylist is a different person that the one girl that had hers in 6 months. Two different people.  Thanks for all your information. :O) I will ask the stylist all these questions tonight when I see her.

It is NOT the stylist that determines how long you can wear extensions.. But okay.. Bless your little heart.. You really are missing the point we all have been trying to make, and that's okay.. I wish you luck.. I REALLY hope your GL extensions and your stylist live up to the promises made to you.. Holla back if it works.. There are others here who will benefit from your experience if it does..

Here's the thing about it though... Many of us here have had our own personal extension mis-steps.. (Bad hair, bad installs, bad information, bad stylists, etc..) Many of us here try to pass on those experiences here in this forum so we can all learn and benefit from them. In the end it is your hair and your money.. So you are right.. You should talk to your stylist, and then decide what works for you.. Good luck..

hey paulajayne -

ya know, caveat emptor. good luck to you and please report back how things go: good, bad, indifferent.

did you see/feel your stylists bonds? just curious if she showed you where the bonds were at 3 months. did she suggest you go in for regular maintenance in the interim once they are in?

Yes, I looked at hers. They were not down that far. I saw and felt them. They looked fine.    I will post my results as time goes on. :O)

What does this mean? caveat emptor?

hey paulajayne -

ya know, caveat emptor. good luck to you and please report back how things go: good, bad, indifferent.

did you see/feel your stylists bonds? just curious if she showed you where the bonds were at 3 months. did she suggest you go in for regular maintenance in the interim once they are in?

oh it just means - let the buyer beware. you seem comfortable with the risks and benefits and seem to trust your stylist and you've heard the concerns here.

i usually wear pinchbraids (a different type of strand-by-strand application) and if i had my set of perfect circomestances i'd have them redone every 4 weeks because i like the attachments close to my scalp. at 2 months the bonds are hard to conceal with about an inch of regrowth which, for me, doesn't work. now, my hair does grow fast but not freakishly so lol, but for me keeping any system in for longer than around 6-8 weeks is just not feasable.

good luck!

I had one client leave in her extensions for 18 weeks, and in between that time, she also had bleached her hair, working around the extensions.

So after 18 weeks, her bleached hair had litterally melted into giant dreads.  When she called me crying that she wanted her extensions out, I refused to work with her.  I told her that since she ignored my advice about when to remove them that I wasn't obligated to service her anymore.

She was crying and said then she'd have to cut them out herself. I told her that's not my problem anymore.

I don't like people who don't follow my professional (and yes I'm licensed for 15 years) advice, screw up their hair and then want me to fix it.  I just won't go there!

Metal,

My stylist said the same thing to one of his clients.. I was in getting my extensions taken down and having them redone (at the proper 12 week interval ), and another one of his clients had an appointment to have her extensions taken down that same day as well.. Only she had worn these extensions nearly 6 months!!!!! When he began removing the extensions and ATTEMPTED to comb out her hair, he was PISSED.. Her hair had matted so badly that he had to DRENCH her hair in conditioner to help loosen the knots.. When he finally got her own hair combed out (and he did manage to save her hair) he told her two things:

1. She was going to have to pay EXTRA for the work he had to do to save her hair. (Her hair was really a mess..)

2. He would NOT do this again.. He told her that if she refused to follow his advice about when to remove the extensions again, that she could do her own extension removal OR she could get someone else who didn't care how she took care of her extensions to do her hair PERIOD!

Now when Jonathan does extensions for a client, he tells all his clients the same thing.. (Except me..  he KNOWS I am religious about caring for my extensions..) So now he marks on his calendar when it's time for a client to remove their extensions, and he calls to remind them.. If they don't come in within 2 weeks of his reminder, he will not do the removal.

I was talking to the woman, and she told me that the only reason she left her extensions in that long was because she thought that if her hair still looked good she could wait on removal/reinstallation.. (I have to admit that her hair did look good before I saw the mess underneath the EP hair) So she really thought that she could wait.. The ONLY reason she came in to have her extensions redone was because she decided she wanted longer hair.. THAT's the only reason she came in to have her extensions redone! Can you imagine how long she would have waited if she didn't decide to make a change to the hair length!????? and what the heck would her own hair have looked like????

at 2 months the bonds are hard to conceal with about an inch of regrowth which, for me, doesn't work.

Why pay all this money to have them in only like 2 months?  She explained the process to remove them to me.  They also charge $50.00 an hour to take them out.  She said a month prior to removal to stop using the Anti Tap solution that was provided by great lenghts because they will be begin to loosen up so her removal would be easier.  I am not saying that I am waiting the whole 6 months.  I will see how my hair goes. I would never go past 6 months.  That  is crazy.

Ok, according to my calculations:

I got the extensions put in January 18, 2006 so

3 months would be 4-18-06

4 months would be 5-18

5 months would be 6-18

6 months would be 7-18

So, on 4-18-06 if they are not growing that long and I feel that my hair is in danger of matting, etc. then I will take them out.  If not, I may go to 5-18.  We will see how it goes.  Believe me, I do not want to damage my hair at all....  Also, I wear the extensions curly. I dry it upside down and scrunch it.  So you really cannot see in there because it is fluffy and curly. So I may be able to make to the 4 month area.  I hope!!!

hey paulajayne -

i hope you don't think i'm bashing here, you seem genuine and i do wish you luck..you are doing homework and i have to say i'm biased because...as you pointed out...i know an inch of regrowth bugs me, there's no other way around it. so as you said, if you are paying $1500 for a system that will only last 2 months it's outrageous. that's why (in my biased opinion) the 6 month thing comes up - it doesn't sound so expensive budgeting it out over 6 months now does it?

i guess, being the cynical cynical person i am, i really do wonder if there's not that much regrowth on your stylists hair if those very bonds are the ones that have been in for a few months now, or if they have been replaced. i know your friend had a good experience, which is great..and you seem dedicated to protecting your hair, which is great. i looked into the GL's many moons ago .... the more i researched it, it seemed that regular routine maintenance (for a fee, of course) was the norm and not the exception. so really over a period of 6 months there would be the initial steep fee, then a routine 4 or 6 week fee for maintenence...so by the end of 6 months and removal it wasn't really $1000-$1500, it was much more. add on top of it the special GL shampoo, anti-tap, conditioner, etc etc etc.

but of course for GL to say this would be less attractive than saying oh here is a system that lasts 6 months for a little over $200/month...i am only talking about the practicalities of the money and regrowth and you are fortunate that you are forarmed and forewarned...many many women come here posting about their scary removals and trashed hair and stylists who don't look out for their clients best interest...it's from this perspective that i am biased. do a board search here and you can read about these experiences yourself..also you can read about how to remove the extensions yourself if/when you are ready and don't want to pay the fees for removal.

again, good luck, i hope it works out for you!

p.s. please post pics. we all love to see install pics :)

cheryl

Thanks for the information.  The GL products came with the deal.  That is the least they could do for that price...

here is me at the cottage. As you can see I did not get it really long. She cut a little off. I dry it curly.

PaulaJayne1 -- I gotta agree with Cheryl. You did your research on Great Lengths, and you seem very committed to the system. In the world of extensions, there is no one method or type of hair that works for every stylist or wearer.. We do what works for each of us.. So good luck, and enjoy your new hair. That said, at the risk of coming off like I am bashing you, if I had to guess, I would say this sounds like your first run with wearing extensions.. (no offense.. :o) )

PaulaJayne1 wrote: Thanks for the information.  The GL products came with the deal.  That is the least they could do for that price...

But you posed the question about why would anyone pay so much money for extensions only to take them out and get them redone in 2 months... Here's the answer.. What most of us here pay in a year to put in our extensions, remove them in 12 weeks (3 months if you will), and have them reinstalled may cost THE SAME in ONE year as you paid for ONE Great Lengths installation.. (Ask any of the stylists here what they charge for their strand by strand extensions..) The point is, you need to stop looking at price as your guide for how long your extensions should last.. High cost does not necessarily = high quality or longer wear.. High cost is just that.. HIGH COST.. It does not ensure anything else.. (Look around this forum.. there are also PLENTY of reputable stories from ladies who paid a high cost for extensions/hair and got crap in return..)

PaulaJayne1 wrote: Divavocals, are those extensions Great Lengths type, fusion, what type are you referring to that the person had? Just curious..

You keep asking different versions of your same questions as if you are looking for the answer you WANT to hear. Perhaps this is because you are scared you got ripped off.. (remember how you started THIS thread???) SERIOUSLY.. STOP belaboring this point by asking about what method was used, if you're a licensed stylist, or did you get your hair done by an expert.. You will not convince the experienced licensed stylists, experienced DIYs and long term extension wearers here in this forum to see this through your eyes!!!! So take the feedback you got here from the ladies and myself in the spirit in which it was delivered (one extension wearer trying share information to help another) You don't need to sell anyone on the virtues of GL or even justify what you paid for your extensions to anyone here.. (I buy Extensions Plus hair, and it's VERY expensive.. I don't need to justify to anyone why I would rather pay that much for hair.. I am however willing to explain why I think it is worth the cost..)  So exhale girl and good luck.. Keep everyone here posted, and post pics in a few months so folks can see how your GL experience is working out for you!!!!

http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40292&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40292& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting
http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39809&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39809& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting
http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=37024&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=37024& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting
http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36964&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36964& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting
http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36248&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36248& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting
http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33579&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33579& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting
http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31715&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31715& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting
http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31378&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31378& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting
and here's one of my personal favs cause it's a LONG discussion with a long time GL wearer..
http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31227&KW=matting - http://www.hairboutique.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31227& amp; amp; amp;KW=matting

Boy Divavocals, you sure are on top of things here with info and cross referencing past postings.  Reminds me of our Jenny RR....

Does Jenny still into our forum?  Oh Jenny, where are you....

metalgirl wrote: ...Reminds me of our Jenny RR....

LOL... I hope that's a good thing.. I'd hate to think I wore my welcome out already..  Especially since I still haven't finished my "Welcome to the neighborhood" cassarole..

Thanks for all of your information!! I appreciate it..

We will see how long they last.

Ahhh.. Wow!! What a nice compliment.. that's humbling considering you guys are the masters...

So I can keep the cassarole??! (I'll return the dish of course.. )