Here (republished from my collected works!) is my list of the things you need or might think of if you are doing your own maintenance. This is for a lace unit.
Must haves:
- Adhesives - there are thousands of variants. I use Walkers No-Shine tape for the back and sides of my piece, and usually Davlyn Black glue for the hairline. I also use Walkers 3-mil tape for the hairline when I need an extra-strong hold. It is the only tape which is undetectable enough for an exposed hairline. Other popular glues are Ultrahold and Ghostbond. Tip: if you are buying tape, always buy the curved contour strips and not the rolls. They are a bit more expensive, but they have backing paper on both sides. The roll tape only has backing paper on one side, so it sticks to everything - fingers, scissors, hair, itself - and you end up throwing half of it away.
- 99% isopropyl alcohol (called surgical spirit in the UK) - useful for installing, detaching and cleaning the piece. Buy it in bulk from DIY stores or pharmacies. When you soak the base to get old tape off, put the alcohol in a shallow dish, then press the base down into the alcohol to submerge it, but keep the hair out as much as you can.
- A squeezable bottle with a long narrow nozzle (like an American mustard bottle). Allows you to soak the base of the system with alcohol without getting it on the hair, when you are detaching.
- A bottle with a spritz nozzle - you can spray a light mist of alcohol on your head to delay the adhesive setting. It gives you a few seconds to get your system into the perfect position when you are attaching it.
- Mirror - ideally a well-lit wall mirror plus a big hand-held mirror
- A brush or comb with blunt teeth (e.g. the little plastic bobbles) to avoid snagging the base
- Shampoo - any mild shampoo is OK. Choose one 'for processed hair'
- Conditioner - choose a good quality one. I use American Crew.
- Leave-in conditioner with sunscreen - a must for daily use. Get one with SPF 30 or higher.
- Some spring clips - for keeping the unattached part of the system out of the way when you are putting on glue
- towelling sweat band to stop alcohol getting in your eyes.
- Colour-correcting shampoo or conditioner for correcting any sun damage to the hair colour.
- Knot sealer - will increase the longevity of your system
A few nice-to-haves:
- Scalp protector - a clear barrier liquid to prevent irritation of the scalp, or to stop sweat interfering with your bond
- A polystyrene wig head - for putting tape on the system, or drying it after washing
- small sharp scissors (e.g. nail scissors) for cutting tape to size, trimming excess lace etc.
- Detangler, obtainable from the local chemist/drugstore/supermarket
- A lockable box to keep your supplies and spare systems in, if you are concerned to keep your hair-wearing private.
Noah
