Category: Cancer Care

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Proper Prior Preparation – removing and attaching your hair replacement system

Image of a beautiful blonde woman removing her hair replacement system

There is really only one rule to follow when it comes to removing and attaching your hair replacement system and that is proper prior preparation.

When removing and attaching your hair replacement system, first of all you need to remove your hair system for clean up and re-attachment. You may damage your hair system if you don’t take proper care at the removal stage. Firstly apply an adhesive remover such as Lace Release directly to the scalp where the hair system is attached starting from the back of the unit. Removing back to front is essential to protect the front hairline so peel up from the back and gradually lift forwards. Continue to peel forwards spraying or dabbing with your adhesive remover as you go. Once the hair system is removed you can start to clean your scalp and hair system separately.

Before attaching your hair system you will need to make sure you have completely removed any of the adhesive residue from the lace or poly on the base of your system. Use a good solvent such as C22, Ghost Buster or Ultra Safe by spraying directly onto the base of your hair system and leaving it to penetrate – depending on the level of residue this can be anything from 15 minutes to an hour or even overnight.

Once the solvent has penetrated, start to remove the residue with a paper towel, a microfibre towel, a nail brush or even a spoon, whichever you prefer. It is imperative that once all the adhesive residue has been removed, you remove any of the oily solvent from the base of the hair system. You can do this by using a grease cutting washing up liquid – original Fairy Liquid is a good option.

You are now ready to shampoo and condition your hair system using a properly formulated shampoo and conditioner such as Walker Tape Bond Breaker or Professional Hair Labs Pro Series, making sure you apply the shampoo and conditioner base side up to ensure you do not push the hair back through the system.

Your lifestyle and hair wearing habits will largely dictate which process you use to remove and attach your hair system, but whether you take your system off daily or after several weeks, the key to a successful and long lasting bond is scalp preparation.

Scalp Preparation:

ONE
Remove all adhesive residue: Use a good solvent such as C22, Ghost Buster, Ultra Safe or the S3 Sensitive Skin Solvent if you have sensitive skin to remove ALL traces of the adhesive residue. You can use a paper towel with the solvent and rub vigorously until your scalp is clear of any residue build up.

TWO
Wash the scalp thoroughly: Shower and wash your hair using an exfoliating Scalp Scrub with a good shampoo. Finish off using a good sulphate free shampoo. Repeat as often as necessary to remove ALL traces of residue.

THREE
Dry your head: Fully dry your head using a towel and and/or a hair dryer. This would be a good time to shave any hair or stubble from the bonding area. At this point you can also apply a medical grade alcohol to ensure the scalp area is pristine clean.

FOUR
Apply a water proof sealant: Use a scalp protector on the bonding area to protect your skin as well as encouraging adhesion, ensuring the sealant has fully dried before attaching your hair system.

Youll find more helpful advice and tips on which adhesives and tapes to use to attach your hair system here:
HAIR TAPES ADVICE
HAIR ADHESIVES ADVICE

The more care you take with your hair system, the longer it will last, the better it will look, and the greater you will feel!
You can buy any of the products you need for all of these procedures from our online hair care shop.

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How to protect your hair in the sun

May is the gateway to Summer and we can all now look forward to some lazy, hazy days basking in the rays of the sun until the Indian summer in September finally takes a bow and ushers in the autumnal rain. Sounds idyllic. Sadly the Great British Summer rarely lives up to our expectations and so we will inevitably pack our suitcases for a couple of weeks and head off to some guaranteed sunshine abroad. We all know that the sun’s rays can damage skin but don’t forget it will also damage your hair.

So exactly how do you protect your hair in the sun?

If your hair has prolonged exposure to the sun, UVA and UVB rays can damage the hair cuticle resulting in discoloration, dry and brittle strands, broken or split ends, thinning and frizziness. If the sun can do this to a healthy head of hair, think how much damage it can do if you wear a hair system or wig. We know that one of the biggest problems in keeping a hair system looking natural is lack of moisture. Prolonged sun exposure will only exacerbate the dryness in your hair system and so it is vital to continually add moisture into the hair whilst on holiday. To make matters worse, chlorinated water in swimming pools or using hot straightening irons or rollers can make your hair more vulnerable to the summer stresses of heat and sun.

Don’t panic though, help is at hand from Nearly Natural, the makers of a vast range of products to keep your hair system looking and feeling moisturised in any weather conditions.

One of the best products for use in the sun is the Nearly Natural Moisture Mist with Sun Filter. This little diamond of a product is an aloe and hydrolysed silk leave in conditioner that increases flexibility of the hair to decrease damage during styling; it can also be used in between shampoos to re-vamp your hair system quickly. It is a great product if you use hair straighteners as it prevents that dried out look.

The perfect companion to the Moisture Mist is the Argan Oil Hydrating Serum which repairs, nourishes and protects your hair system for astounding smoothness and shine.The deep penetrating Moroccan argan oil will be deeply absorbed into your hair producing incredible shine and smooth as silk feeling so you can expect long lasting conditioning results.

Another ‘must have’ product is the Nearly Natural Sheen Pre Thermal Moisture Mist which replenishes the natural oils back into the hair and provides protection when exposed to heat from hair dryers, hair straighteners or the sun. It smells great too!!

So when you start packing for your holiday don’t forget to take sun protection for your hair; that way your hair will come back from it’s summer break looking as healthy and relaxed as you and your skin.

If you want to find out more about the Nearly Natural range of products visit our website.

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Bad hair day – What a Tangled Web

Image of woman having a bad hair day

Weve all had a bad hair day. You know the one where you wake up and your hair looks like a bird’s nest and nothing that you do helps?

Tangled or matted hair can be extremely frustrating! Especially when you wear a hair system. The hair in a system is already dependent on you to add moisture because it does not produce its own sebum. Trying to get the tangles and mats out of a hair system can lead to costly repairs or even total replacement of your system. So it can be an expensive venture when your battle plan for a bad hair day is not executed properly.

Tangles come from friction on the hair system and the first rule always has to be prevention is better than cure. A major cause of friction comes from sleeping with a pillowcase made from coarse materials. The constant contact with linen leads to hair breakage. Most times, simply using a satin pillowcase will dramatically reduce the level of friction and extend the life of your hair system. Avoid wearing hats or helmets for extended periods of time. This will also help to lengthen the time bonding adhesives stay effective. Friction is also caused by excess combing and brushing. Using a moisturising product like Nearly Natural Moisture Mist will help reduce friction while youre in front of the mirror styling your hair.

On a bad hair day, when the hair in your hair system gets tangled, it can mean a lot more than just a few extra minutes of combing in the morning. By detangling your hair system the wrong way, you may inadvertently be diminishing the condition and life span of your investment.

Here are some simple, safe and effective tips that every person wearing a hair replacement system can use to get minor hair tangles out and avoid the frustrating bad hair day:

  • Before getting into the shower, wet your head and brush all the hairs toward the same direction. This adds moisture to the hair strands and will ease friction while washing.
  • If your hair is tangled before you get in the shower it helps to dilute your shampoo with just a little bit of water before applying. This will also make it easier to rub the shampoo in to the hair.
  • Using a wide-tooth comb or a specially designed Vent Brush in the shower while you shampoo will help prevent hair strands from intertwining and getting caught on each other.

If you need practical hair help then I am ready, willing and able to help and advise you. You can get in touch with me in several ways, detailed on my  CONTACT PAGE >