Hair Extensions Forum

Hi Everyone.

I am very new here on this forum, and I'm also relatively new to synthetic hair extensions. After 26 years of natural dreadlocks, I got bored with my hair. It's been one year since I significantly clipped my dreads back to a fraction of the length they were, and began braiding synthetic hair onto them, allowing the fake hair to hang free.

This past year has been a huge learning curve as I've figured out on my own how to handle, attach and care for synthetic hair extensions.

I have a question that some of you may be able to help me with. I'm presently strictly using Shapeshifter Monofiber from Doctered Locks. My dreadlocks are trimmed to just about earlobe length. I'm braiding the loose fiber onto my dreadlock stubs, and the fake hair hangs loose, from where my dreads end, down to my waist. I'm learning ways to put it up and style it, but mostly I like for my hair to hang loose; I like the way it feels on my body. What I need help with is methods to control tangling. Since I've had dreads most of my life, I'm not really sure how real human hair behaves, but I've heard that synthetic hair is much more prone to easily tangling than human hair is.

I take very good care of my synthetic fibers. I use Johnson & Johnson No More Tangles to comb it out at the end of the day. I spray Proclaim's silicone based "Spray On Glosser" on it most days. I mostly only comb my hair with a wide tooth comb (actually, I use a hair pick with metal teeth; the polished chrome metal teeth seem to glide through the fibers with much less resistance than any other comb or brush I've tried.) I braid my hair and cover it with a satin cap at bed time. I regularly use heat to keep the ends smooth and free of frizz.

All that said, I'm pretty active. I move around a lot at my job, and at night I'm a competitive pool player, which means that I'm constantly walking around and bending over a pool table. It doesn't take much, with all that activity, to get my hair into a tangled mess. I am so open to suggestions on how I might be able to enjoy my loose synthetic hairstyle, and enjoy my active lifestyle at the same time.

Thanks for any advice or guidance.

Peace,
Miharu

I've been trying to figure out how to post pictures here. (I know, I'm not super computer savvy.) I think I have this wired. If it helps, here's an image that might give you an idea of what I'm working with. I'm certainly open to suggestions, as I've been working out this hair extension business on my own. For any who have suggestions on managing my tangle dilemma, thank you in advance.

Miharu

I'm glad you are enjoying our Shapeshifter! You are doing somethings that will definitely help, but I have a few suggestions to make it a little easier for you. The first is brushes. I would suggest getting one of these http://www.doctoredlocks.com/catalog/Purse-Size-Looper/. You can throw it in your purse and you can keep your hair detangled. I would suggest ditching the products you are using, synthetics can not absorb it. Running a flat iron through the hair and hitting it with a bit of hairspray will help. Continue braiding it at night, that will help. Hopefully that will help a bit!

Right, here is the best tip I ever found.

Synthetic hair is plastic.

You need something that works with plastic...

Car dashboard spray. It comes in several nice smells which is a bonus. It shines the hair and de tangles it. Basically you are coating your plastic hair with a plastic spray.

Latex spray works well too ( for latex clothing).

I used to wear synthetic falls for work everyday and used dashboard spray. It is the best thing to use. Hair shiners and gloss wi clog up synthetic hair.

Seriously... Try it, it works!

Thank you for the words of wisdom, Nirvana and LittlePinkFaery.

While I'm willing to look into using dashboard spray, I do need to be cautious about using products that are not specifically intended to be used in direct contact with the body. My skin tends to be very sensitive to many chemicals, especially low quality, strong fragrances such as might be found in car cleaning products.

Thanks Nirvana; I will keep a looper brush in my purse and see if that doesn't help. I've been curious about using hairspray on Shapeshifter. I've noticed that most hairspray is alcohol based, and I've had a concern about how Shapeshifter fiber will respond to repeated exposure to alcohol. I do use "Miracle 7" hairspray on my natural bangs every morning after I flat iron them, but I have not tried hairspray on the synthetic fiber. Do you think that Shapeshifter will tolerate hairspray okay? If it will, that might do the trick along with a looper brush for helping to manage the tangles.

Thanks again. I really am having a great time playing with hair extensions. I appreciate all the wisdom and experience that you all bring to these forums and freely share with us newbies.

Peace,
Miharu

I have nothing to add, aside from I think your hair is amazing.

DreadstarMonstar wrote:I have nothing to add, aside from I think your hair is amazing.

Oh, thank you, DreadStarMonstar! It is an amazing amount of fun! I love playing with and balancing the variety of colors. I really cannot even walk out of my house without some random stranger telling me that my hair is beautiful. Truly. In the grocery store, at the museum, in pool halls, even walking down the street, people commment everyday. I do enjoy standing out.

Thanks again.

Peace,
Miharu

I'm surprised the detangler wasn't effective. I've found Breck to work great. Perhaps using it with the other product is the issue. Long extensions human or synthetic is always a challenge. The friction that comes with movement is the culprit. Extensions encountering cottons, fabric covered head rest in cars, fabric covered sofa and chairs. Being mindful of that can reduce stress on the extensions, and sleeping on a satin pillow case is a must, putting a satin scarf on your headrest helps as well.