So I received my first Swiss Lace unit in the mail yesterday.

Being a newbie, I would like to put it out to experienced wearers to answer:

Now what?

What steps need I take before wearing?

Wash the Unit?

Knot sealer?

I'm ready to start but want to get it right. I very much respect the members of this forum and your vast knowledge....so please help a Newbie!

Thank you sooooo much in advance!

Hi John,
Your first step is to cut off the excess lace. All units come with extra lace that the customer trims off. Some people like to cut right up to the hair line. Others like to leave a row or two lace (it disappears when attached). And you also need to shampoo the unit. It looks curly at first and shampooing it will allow it to 'relax' and loosen up. Knot sealer is not required--it's a personal choice. Most hair wearers don't use knot sealer. Although it does help control shedding somewhat the downside is that the knot sealer is acrylic and makes the base a little stiffer. Also, the knots need to 'turn' in the direction of the hair styling so if you do decide to seal the knots it's a good idea to do it after the unit has been shampooed a few times and has 'settled in' to the way you style your hair.
Regards,
John

Well, I'm not as experienced as others are on this forum, but the first thing I do when I get a new unit is this:

1. Cut all the excess lace. I cut it all the down to 1/16 of an inch from the hair.

2. Wash the unit. Preferably using a shampoo that is sulfate free. There are various options out there that many here have recommended.

3. Shave and/or prep your coverage area. Make sure your head is clean. This ensures a better attachment.

4. Attach the unit. This is can either be done using tape, glue, or Got2B Glued.

Admittedly, this is still vague because I'm not sure what you've done so far up to this point and what you're leaning towards when it comes to attachment. If you haven't bought any adhesives yet, I would do that. It's recommended you test various glues and tapes to see how your body reacts to them. They perform differently from person to person. A tape that works great for me may have advise effects on you. For beginners, it's a good idea to start with Got2B Glued. It's safe on your skin and is more forgivable than glue or tape. I would look up some older posts for this stuff to see how to apply it properly.

Sorry, this isn't everything but I hope this can get you get started. Wearing has a steep learning curve, but if you stick to it, it'll get easier and easier.

My tips.

1. Remove hairpiece; get glue off with hot water and wash cloth in circular motion.
2. Let hairpiece soak in a basin of 1 teaspoon sized Karasilk Shampoo for 1 minute.
3. Rinse out with warm water.
4. Rub ¼ sized Karasilk Conditioner in hands, put in hair avoiding knots.
5. Leave to absorb for 3 minutes.
6. Rinse out with cool water.
7. Semi-dry out the base material with hair dryer on cool from a distance + blot dry.
8. Use Karasilk leave-in conditioner.
9. Knot sealer.
10. Use wide-tooth comb to style the system.
11. Scalp protector + 99% alcohol on head.
12. Apply Got2BGlued Hair Spiking glue on head.
13. Attach Hair system to head, with Got2BGlued; you have minutes to adjust it into place.

@ToplaceUSA I had no idea about the knot sealer in that way, would you recommend against it overall, I guess the only benefits is it lasts longer due to less shedding, but if it makes the base stiffer I think I might give it a miss from now on, also I would like your opinion of my routine above, thanks.

I would wash twice a week, monday morning and thursday evening.

my advice is to ignore all official toupey tape/glues, and go for Got2BGlued, the best glue is ORWG but the cleanup is not that easy, it leaves residue on the base, just use got2bGlued, there is no reason NOT to use got2bGlued other than its not 100% strong after 48 hours, in which case just do a re-top on the front line if you need it, then the next day you're back to washing your unit again anyway.

Thanks to all replies so far....I am getting an idea of the routines required....any other tips are welcome....

This forum is awesome!