Ok, first of all hello to everyone. I have been here a while but this is my first post.

I have a front partial, bought it from toplace a while back - and I'm ready to take the plunge and attach it. It is cresent shaped, about two inches on the temples and no more than an inch in the front.

You guys are experienced, and I am not - so I need a list of things to buy for attachment/detachment/cleaning/washing etc.

I have done some research and know the website split ends, but there are so many products, glues and shampoos!

I also need to do knot bleaching, so a product for that as well.

So if you were are newbie and wanted to buy a complete and total "starter kit" , starting completely from scratch, what products would you buy?

Thanks in advance. I'm ready to make this order and get started!

http://www.forum.toplace.com/showthread.php?tid=1719 Welcome. Try reading through this thread, lots of help for ya. And going over the old topics you'll see lots of answers for your questions. Regards

Howdy...welcome to the forum. There is a lot of information on `old`threads/posts, but yeah it can be time-consuming and maybe a bit confusing for total newbies..... don`t stress too much over this game...it IS a big step to take, but it needn`t be a huge ordeal either. There are a myriad of products on sale on loads of sites, both for bonding and maintaining, and it can be difficult to know where to start ! Some things are a `must-have`, others are more of a personal choice and a bit of trial-and-error to see what works well for you. Your initial `set-up` costs can be on the high side, but once you get `going` in the wearing, they last quite a while....such as glue.....only applied sparingly and thinly, so a bottle can last months ! Only problem can be , if you shell -out for a particular one, and then find it doesn`t do the job you require and you have to try another..... how a glue and/or tape `works` varies from person to person and is influenced by your local climate, and individual physiology.... if you have an oily scalp or tend to sweat easily will have a bearing on what way bonding products will `behave`for you. Tape is relatively cheap, glues can be pricey. Debbie`s site gives a little synopsis alongside each one and gives the strength-rating and expected bond-duration ---again, these are all subject to `local` factors. A lot of guys use the [strong] glue known as `Oil Resistant White Glue` [ Google it for suppliers] and report good results with it....might be a good idea to start out with that. You may not need to have to bleach knots...the factory is supposed to bleach them at the front and crown --recently some guys have reported issues with visibility..hopefully that has now been resolved... again it depends on the style you wear and the colour of the hair and it`s density...darker thicker systems are not going to show any knots really....lighter colours and lighter densities can obviously allow more `visibility` and if knots are not properly bleached, it then becomes an issue.. no point buying a bleaching kit if you don`t actually need one..wait until the system is in your hand and you can see it....
As a starter, you`ll need 2 bottles of Lace-release [as you`ll use that a lot] a bottle or two of Glue-melter such as `Pure`, I`d definitely get a bottle of a Citrus-based glue Solvent such as C-22, or De-solv-it [you can Google them] a few rolls of tape [varying strengths] a good glue such as the ` ORWG` I mentioned and maybe an `alternative `one, just to have a `fall-back`..the white glues are usually popular ..the acrylic glues can be a little trickier to apply, but not majorly-so, get a bottle of knot-sealer, and a shampoo and conditioner [preferably specifically formulated for system hair] and a leave-in [spray-on conditioner] for daily maintenance. A decent hair Serum can be very useful for if/when hair feels a bit dry...even with the best care-routine, the texture can go a bit `off`..a Serum can help combat that. Some supplier-sites have very comprehensive ranges ...literally everything from a needle to an anchor, others have a more limited range ..this can increase your costs due to shipping costs incurred by ordering from several sites. If you Google ``PPI Enhance hair conditioner`` you`ll get a list of suppliers...it`s one I use all the time and it`s great--simply spray it onto damp hair and allow to dry -in .... it`s quite cheap and goes a long way, and doesn`t build up on the hair. Hope that helps.

Thanks! Your post is very informative and I'll go down and get a checklist of products from it.

I have already received the piece from toplace. I've had it a couple of months now.

The piece I have seems to have knots visible. Looks a bit like doll hair on the scalp. Its dark brown. It is for a "spikey" front. Also there is a name tag under the front of the hairline - it has my name on it and is visible when placed on the scalp. How do you remove that?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Name-tag is on the back..never on the front, so have a look at the other end of the system [front] and see if knots are showing there--normally they are bleached there and at the crown. Once the hair is cut-in and styled the knots may well be practically unseen with the hair lying on top... read the last three posts on this page:
http://www.forum.toplace.com/showthread....883&page=2
and bleaching is covered on this list :
http://www.forum.toplace.com/search.php?...id=&page=2
Bleaching is harsh on hair and can lead to premature shedding...best to avoid it if you can...try fabric-dye remover before bleaching...depending on what `way`the hair`s been coloured at the factory ..it can be `hit-and-miss`.

Thanks so much for the help paul, hard to gather all the info on the site, there is so much! Hmmm. The front of the piece is actually just about 3/4 of an inch, with most of the hair being temples. So they put the name tag right on the 3/4 of an inch in the middle, no hiding that whether you'd call it front or back! lol. Also none of the knots look bleached to me, they all look like little dots on the hairline. When applied though, the knots may disappear, not sure. For sure there is a name tag right below the hairline though. Any suggestions?

Is it just a small system like a partial? On a normal sized topper the tag would be back behind the crown-point, so, not so much of a problem. Some guys have had probs. with knots being visible recently ..... I don`t know why this is...maybe you should contact John directly about it...send a pic. It`s very very risky to cut the tag off on a new system....I used a sharp blade a while back....kept the lace stretched [relatively ]tightly on a flat surface....slid the blade in `flat` [parallel ] with the lace...I went really slowly and still managed to slice a line of lace !! I did it on an older system too ,and the stitches on the tag had loosened-up, and there was a bit more of a gap between the tag and the lace, so I `got away`with it...... I think your best bet really in the long run, is send it to Debbie and ask her to do both..... you can check out the details by clicking the `services`link on her site http://splitendshairreplacement.com/
I`d still contact John about the knots though....it should be sent from the factory properly bleached, especially if it`s small system/partial.

(01-19-2012, 06:30 AM)Paul In Ireland Wrote: Is it just a small system like a partial? On a normal sized topper the tag would be back behind the crown-point, so, not so much of a problem. Some guys have had probs. with knots being visible recently ..... I don`t know why this is...maybe you should contact John directly about it...send a pic. It`s very very risky to cut the tag off on a new system....I used a sharp blade a while back....kept the lace stretched [relatively ]tightly on a flat surface....slid the blade in `flat` [parallel ] with the lace...I went really slowly and still managed to slice a line of lace !! I did it on an older system too ,and the stitches on the tag had loosened-up, and there was a bit more of a gap between the tag and the lace, so I `got away`with it...... I think your best bet really in the long run, is send it to Debbie and ask her to do both..... you can check out the details by clicking the `services`link on her site http://splitendshairreplacement.com/
I`d still contact John about the knots though....it should be sent from the factory properly bleached, especially if it`s small system/partial.

Yeah, honestly I think that there is a problem, or a couple with the system. I'll contact debbie and ask about this. Thanks so much, it was just confusing me because I figured I had to remove the tag and bleach myself.

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(01-19-2012, 06:30 AM)Paul In Ireland Wrote: Is it just a small system like a partial? On a normal sized topper the tag would be back behind the crown-point, so, not so much of a problem. Some guys have had probs. with knots being visible recently ..... I don`t know why this is...maybe you should contact John directly about it...send a pic. It`s very very risky to cut the tag off on a new system....I used a sharp blade a while back....kept the lace stretched [relatively ]tightly on a flat surface....slid the blade in `flat` [parallel ] with the lace...I went really slowly and still managed to slice a line of lace !! I did it on an older system too ,and the stitches on the tag had loosened-up, and there was a bit more of a gap between the tag and the lace, so I `got away`with it...... I think your best bet really in the long run, is send it to Debbie and ask her to do both..... you can check out the details by clicking the `services`link on her site http://splitendshairreplacement.com/
I`d still contact John about the knots though....it should be sent from the factory properly bleached, especially if it`s small system/partial.

Yeah, honestly I think that there is a problem, or a couple with the system. I'll contact john and ask about this. Thanks so much, it was just confusing me because I figured I had to remove the tag and bleach myself.