Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lori Van Decker on May 20, 2013 at 12:36pm

Wow, I've been wearing Indian Remy lace caps for a while and the only time the hair got very knotted was on a cap similar to the one in your photo....the full lace with poly perimeter. The texture was a full wave, length 16 inches. It didn't happen until the wig was eight or nine months old, though. It could have something to do with the processing for the curl/wave. After that experience, I only ordered silky straight without the poly perimeter (as nice as that was for holding the unit on).

You might try conditioning the hair with coconut oil (same stuff you can eat/cook with) and a wide tooth comb.

Permalink Reply by Lori Van Decker on May 21, 2013 at 11:34am

Another thing I believe screwed up my unit with the poly perimeter was using a super-hold lace wig adhesive directly on the poly strip. I believe that it got through the poly strip to the hair roots and caused a bit of damage.

It is processed hair, which requires a lot of product to keep it looking good.

Give the coconut oil a try. Also, always keep the hair well oiled with a Moroccan Oil type product, especially at the nape of the neck. I've found that to maintain the hair well.

I have found that the Remy Indian units that I've purchased for around $200 usually look good for six months, which is about the same if not better than an equally priced synthetic that isn't custom fitted. They don't last forever...but I don't pay thousands for them either.

Permalink Reply by Sue on May 22, 2013 at 3:58pm

Lori, I have to ask... Where do you get a remy Indian for $200? Is it custom?

On the matted hair, be careful to keep the conditioner and oil off base as much as possible so you don't loosen the hair from the base. Just take your time and the knots will come out. Good luck.

Permalink Reply by Lori Van Decker on May 22, 2013 at 5:28pm

I send my measurements to a company in China and they make the caps to custom fit. I have a small head in the ear-to-ear measurement, and they have done a great job delivering to my measurements. I hesitate to recommend them here. They may have made the unit that RayG has issues with. Personally, I have had few issues with the units and no serious complaints, especially considering what I paid for them. I wash them using a Wen-type product and use KeraSilk conditioner. I oil the hair regularly with Moroccan Oil, and once every few months, I do a deep conditioning with coconut oil and use knot sealer after I wash them (when I remember). I purchase about four a year.

Permalink Reply by Andrea on May 24, 2013 at 2:10pm

Hi Lori, Would you mind sharing where you purchase your custom wigs from? And how much life you get out of each unit? ... and, do you need to glue or tape, or do they stay on ok?

Thanks so much!

Permalink Reply by Lori Van Decker on June 5, 2013 at 6:50am

I buy from orderwigsonline.com, but all of the Chinese vendors seem to sell similar products at competitive price points. If the fit is good, I don't need a lot of glue. I use Got2b Glued spiking glue as an adhesive. It holds well and washes out easily. I use it with all my wigs, even the synthetics. Works great!

Permalink Reply by Rose Marie' on May 20, 2013 at 8:46pm

Hi

I don't think you ruined it. I think the hair quality may not been as good as it should have been. This looks like processed human hair...often when this is used in a wig the hair is coated...the coating can take a few months to wash off but when it does the result you have shown in your picture can happen.

How long were you told your wig would last? How did they instruct you to look after it?? I would go back to the people you bought it from and ask them is this the normal longevity of their wigs. If so, I don't think there will be anything they will do. If they think it should have lasted longer they should take the hairpiece back and investigate the problem.

Hope that helps.

Rosy

Permalink Reply by cathy clark on May 24, 2013 at 11:32am

Often Indian non Remy hair only has had some of the cuticle removed-especially if the color is still brown, not blond, in other words it is half processed. So probably there is enough cuticle, which if not aligned , can start a tangle, and as others have said, the tangle got managed for the first few washes by a factory installed coating. So not much you can do when this happens. I have read some full lace wig wearers who try to keep this from happening by coating the hair with Argan or Morocaan oil BEFORE doing the shampoo-not sure how the hair feels with all that extra oiling, but maybe helps.

You actually can work on the matted hair, with more oil, and a very wide tooth comb, but has to be done carefully and slowly and not everyone has the patience for that.

When I have ordered wigs with Indian hair, colored blond, I prefer if the processing is severe and has removed all the cuticle. But then the hair becomes sort of shiny and crisp after the first few months.

Another example-on my very old Indian Remy hair Yaffa wigs, I find that the wefted parts of the wig never tangle, no matter how often washed, but the hand tied mono area does tangle after a while-so I think that the machine made wefts all got sewn with the cuticles aligned-all going in the same direction, but that in the hand tied area some hairs got misaligned.

Permalink Reply by sully on May 26, 2013 at 12:40am

I had this happen to me also within the first two washes. My hair felt dry and I decided to wash it and immediately tangled. I brought it back and I was told there was nothing she would do for me. I did some research and found out that if the cutcile is going in the wrong direction or the piece is over processed it will does this. I find it hard to believe that manufacturers will doe nothing for you concerning this. It just makes you feel taken advantage of. I would try and take it back to the salon and see if they will send it back for analysis.

Permalink Reply by Andrea on May 26, 2013 at 10:55am

Hi RayG, do you mind me asking where you purchased your wig from?

Permalink Reply by lina on May 29, 2013 at 1:36pm

Hi Andrea,

Yes, I got this from Toplace.com, it was very beautiful out of the package and I know other alopecians buy from them. One woman said hers last about 1.5yrs. This one lasted 4 months :( The density was very heavy too, so I'm wondering if that had anything to do with it.

Permalink Reply by Sue T on June 4, 2013 at 2:27am

I also wear custom lace cap wigs with a thin skin perimeter. The thin skin a a bit of a compromise in that it isn't quite as invisible as lace and the hair is a little more directional where it is injected into the thin skin but I have developed an allergy to most of the adhesives and the thin skin will stay put without it.

I buy from cooperwigs in China. I always order European hair as it has little or no body wave so is less prone to tangle. The hair is listed as virgin hair but as they then dye it to my specification (I usually have a darker root) it has to have been processed to some degree. Although unlike Indian remy hair they wouldn't also have had to use a relaxer to take out the body wave.

I find that my wigs last around 6 months of daily wear before they begin to show their age. This is usually more due to slight loss of hair from the parting area of the unit than from the hair beginning to break down. They will go on for another few months before I consign them to the bin or just wear them around the house Like Lori, I do take quite a bit of effort to keep the wig in good condition though. It's also a good idea to pin the wig to a poly head to wash and condition it, always ensuring that you work in movements from the root to the tip of the hair in order to reduce any possibility of tangles, combing the conditioner through the hair after application to take out any minor tangles from the shampooing and to allow be to set the position if the parting. After rinsing out the conditioner, I let the hair drip dry on the wig overnight. If an straightening is needed it is always done using an appropriate product on the lowest practical heat setting