Mattsmom277
Active Member
It's been two months since I had those extensions put in and I'm proud to say I have NOT pulled my hair! I was loving the extensions initially. They were attached close to my scalp and it really did do what I hoped, eliminate ability for my fingers to get in there and start pulling. They looked gorgeous and my hair was thick and lucious again, back down to my waist. The color was a identical match etc. I felt better about myself and confidence built again. It stopped me hibernating too which was positive.
I knew going into extensions that they required maintenance, but I really am disappointed they did not tell me how MUCH maintenance! As in $$$$$$$$$$$$$. My hair grows fast (luckily!) so where they attached the clamps were getting further from scalp causing matting of my natural hair from the root to the clamp. Not only was it painful but it was damaging my natural hair. The maintenance as it turns out in reality, is once a month to have pieces reattached that came out, get a trim etc. But they don't warn you as the clamps get further out and the matts develop, it will HURT. Like HADES! And I'd say at least 50-60 have fallen out just while routine brushing or showering. Also, shampoo doesn't rinse properly from the matted areas so my head itches like I've got lice! I didn't even bother to go for second month "maintenance". I had to decide what to do. 1) have them all removed and reattached at roots (read another $4-500) or 2) take them out and see what there was to work with and then decide on option 1) or see if there is a haircut that might make it look good again.
I called to find the cost of taking them out so I could assess my regrowth. $125 ... Umm heck NO! So my genius S/O being the champ he is, gets out his plier type tool thingee (gosh I'm pathetic, tools are NOT my thing). And proceeds to get me started taking some out and then I continued on and used the clampy tool to break the bond and they slid right off. Took about 2 hours but my hair was not damaged from removing them myself because my S/O was so right about his tool working instead of trying to yank them off (can't imagine! My scalp is in pain majorly from the matting and whatnot).
So I now have a plastic shopping bag FULL of lucious black waist length locks of human hair. I can't believe how much there was!
Next came investigating the true result of a couple months without pulling. Well I'm astonished. Of course it isn't fantastic looking and I have maybe 1/10 of the thickness of my normal hair when I've not pulled. When I had the extensions in, I had her cut my hair just slightly below my shoulders in a straight cut. There is enough regrowth to no longer notice bald spots (yay!) and although there is a thinness noticable to myself and those who know my normal hair, probably most new people would think I have thinner hair with damage in certain sections. But my ends are healthy and .... yes I did say there isn't any real noticable bald spots. Mind you the hair in those sections is short short short, but it's growing in and with the bald spot not there, the longer sections kind of camaflouge it. Actually the best my natural hair has looked for some time!
So I'm going with the no more hairdresser thing until Feb -March at which time the regrowth should be nice and thick and a couple/few inches long. Then my superintendent who is a former hairdresser, is going to give me a super short, super wispy, pixie cut
I'm actually excited to have short hair. Only did it once, right before I met S/O. And then grew it back to my waist. But its time and with so much white creeping in, a short cut should look cute and I can add some color if I want and have fun with it.
I want to thank you all for sharing in my pain of dealing with trich and your encouragement when I wrote here about it. I'm feeling its under control at this time and if it EVER starts being a problem again, I'm determined to seek help from a doctor. I do have a anti anxiety script that helped in the past, finally got it from the walk in. But haven't needed to take it to not pull with the extensions in. I've decided I'm starting them tomorrow morning regardless just to keep on top of things and hope trich doesn't rear its ugliness again.
Not going to post a picture as I'm a bit shy at taking pics especially with my hair so thin (not that anybody would know really that its strangely thin for me personally). But when I have full regrowth and get that pixie cut the first thing I'm doing is coming to post a photo here of my final success in knocking off the plucking! Wish me luck ladies (and gents for the odd one of you who share our boards)!
I knew going into extensions that they required maintenance, but I really am disappointed they did not tell me how MUCH maintenance! As in $$$$$$$$$$$$$. My hair grows fast (luckily!) so where they attached the clamps were getting further from scalp causing matting of my natural hair from the root to the clamp. Not only was it painful but it was damaging my natural hair. The maintenance as it turns out in reality, is once a month to have pieces reattached that came out, get a trim etc. But they don't warn you as the clamps get further out and the matts develop, it will HURT. Like HADES! And I'd say at least 50-60 have fallen out just while routine brushing or showering. Also, shampoo doesn't rinse properly from the matted areas so my head itches like I've got lice! I didn't even bother to go for second month "maintenance". I had to decide what to do. 1) have them all removed and reattached at roots (read another $4-500) or 2) take them out and see what there was to work with and then decide on option 1) or see if there is a haircut that might make it look good again.
I called to find the cost of taking them out so I could assess my regrowth. $125 ... Umm heck NO! So my genius S/O being the champ he is, gets out his plier type tool thingee (gosh I'm pathetic, tools are NOT my thing). And proceeds to get me started taking some out and then I continued on and used the clampy tool to break the bond and they slid right off. Took about 2 hours but my hair was not damaged from removing them myself because my S/O was so right about his tool working instead of trying to yank them off (can't imagine! My scalp is in pain majorly from the matting and whatnot).
So I now have a plastic shopping bag FULL of lucious black waist length locks of human hair. I can't believe how much there was!
Next came investigating the true result of a couple months without pulling. Well I'm astonished. Of course it isn't fantastic looking and I have maybe 1/10 of the thickness of my normal hair when I've not pulled. When I had the extensions in, I had her cut my hair just slightly below my shoulders in a straight cut. There is enough regrowth to no longer notice bald spots (yay!) and although there is a thinness noticable to myself and those who know my normal hair, probably most new people would think I have thinner hair with damage in certain sections. But my ends are healthy and .... yes I did say there isn't any real noticable bald spots. Mind you the hair in those sections is short short short, but it's growing in and with the bald spot not there, the longer sections kind of camaflouge it. Actually the best my natural hair has looked for some time!
So I'm going with the no more hairdresser thing until Feb -March at which time the regrowth should be nice and thick and a couple/few inches long. Then my superintendent who is a former hairdresser, is going to give me a super short, super wispy, pixie cut
I'm actually excited to have short hair. Only did it once, right before I met S/O. And then grew it back to my waist. But its time and with so much white creeping in, a short cut should look cute and I can add some color if I want and have fun with it. I want to thank you all for sharing in my pain of dealing with trich and your encouragement when I wrote here about it. I'm feeling its under control at this time and if it EVER starts being a problem again, I'm determined to seek help from a doctor. I do have a anti anxiety script that helped in the past, finally got it from the walk in. But haven't needed to take it to not pull with the extensions in. I've decided I'm starting them tomorrow morning regardless just to keep on top of things and hope trich doesn't rear its ugliness again.
Not going to post a picture as I'm a bit shy at taking pics especially with my hair so thin (not that anybody would know really that its strangely thin for me personally). But when I have full regrowth and get that pixie cut the first thing I'm doing is coming to post a photo here of my final success in knocking off the plucking! Wish me luck ladies (and gents for the odd one of you who share our boards)!
