Alright, so I'm at a salon today getting my latest full cap cut in by a rock star stylist I know. We agreed upon a general style and he begins roughing in the cut on a styro head to make it a bit easier for me to attach. He had another lady he was doing a color on so he left me to attach. He came back and the hair started flying. He cut the majority of the piece with a razor, he was using some crazy techniques and the piece was looking phenomenal.

So he gets to the point where he is going to start tapering the hair on the sides, starting about 1/2" right above the ear. He gets into the left side and after a minute or two stands back looking at the piece, and points out that the hair above the left ear toward the front is ventilated UP when the rest of the piece is ventilated down/forward (correctly).

We discussed it a bit and he told me that it would be impossible to go any shorter in that area. This poses a problem since I HAVE to go a lot shorter in that area to get a cut that works for my head and face.

It's already sticking out a lot. He said we could use a relaxer to redirect the hair, but I'm hesitant to do any more processing for fear of having a bald spot there within a month.

Anyone have any experience with relaxer on hairpiece hair? Debbie?

I have three other units ready to be cut in so it COULD go back to get fixed. Might be best to do that and not chance it.....

What do you think?

Did you try washing it just to make sure it is truly a ventilation issue? Just washing it might help.

JRob,
Dino's right. Remember when a unit is ventilated the hairs aren't 'set in stone'---they're tied in a knot on a lace base. When a unit is washed and styled a few times the knots eventually slid into position-- the direction that the hair is styled in.
Regards,
John

Yep. Same way wet, dry, washed, or unwashed.

I know they are going to settle in, but at the worst spot the hair is basically sticking upward at a 45 degree angle to the base. And this is with a little length left on the hair. As soon as it goes any shorter it will be completely unmanageable.

If I were able to keep it longer I might be able to cheat it with styling products, but unfortunately the hair needs to 1/2" or shorter or it's not going to look right on me.

Sometimes what i do with my clients when the hair is going in a weird direction is to take a hot hair dryer and a comb or brush, and blow hot air directly at the roots(knots) and comb or brush them in the direction i want them to go...all the time moving the dryer around to avoid melting the lace or burning the hair...the hair should be damp when you do this...this usually works, and even after the unit is washed, the hair usually stays in the direction you directed it in...

John is contacting the factory to see if they have any suggestions, but in the meantime I'm willing to get creative.

I will try the hairdryer trick, but it's going to be tough to move the hair enough (essentially 90 degrees). Upon looking at the units closely I can see that the hair in that area only is indeed tied upward. It's only ventilated in that direction maybe an inch or two from the edge, but since it pushes the hairs above it up as well it affects an even larger area. The good thing is he hasn't cut the area all the way down to the length it needs to be yet, so I have a little "leverage" on the hair to work with.

Just got your email John.

Since my current pieces are unusable, I want to talk to you about trying to make one of these work temporarily while the other two get fixed. I'll send you a reply.

Appreciate the help!

Hey JRob,

I had this problem with a crown area before, I loaded the knots up with pantene conditioner I think its called sleek and smooth in a green and white bottle. I let it sit for a few mins then pulled the hairs in the direction I wanted them to go. This helped alot and I could wear the piece.

Well, I'm all for easy fixes and such, but I'm afraid that all of the hair above the ear is ventilated in completely the opposite direction.

I know there is a certain amount of "cheating" you can do, but I have also ventilated hair myself so I know that when you loop the hair through one way there is only so far that it can bend in the other direction. You can move the knot but due to the nature of how it is tied it will still tend to go in a certain direction.

John is getting me taken care of though. Since the first unit is the best of the bunch I'm going to keep it while the others get fixed. I'm going to try using relaxer to redirect the hair. If it doesn't damage it, great. If the hair in that area sheds prematurely I'll just have to get that one fixed later.

Appreciate the help everyone!