The system looks perfectly fine to me .... who`s going to be looking so closely at the crown of your head on an escalator ? I can`t see any knots..they`re well-bleached, and the density looks fine too. While I totally understand you have all the usual concerns and worries which all pre-wearers have, you need to relax a bit and take this one step at a time..you haven`t yet attached this to your head and you`re stressing over a trip to the dentist ! You need to firstly trim off the excess lace --this is simple to do-- just get a small scissors [relatively short blades] and work slowly..... hold the hair back / upright away from the excess lace....trim the lace off ` parallel` with the hairs..some people like to leave a few millimetres of ` excess` lace all around...personally I trim off right up to the hair itself , especially at the hairline area. I wear an non-exposed hairline so it`s not really an issue, but for guys who wear their hair exposed [swept-back / upwards] if there`s excess lace there in front, dirt/dust can build up on the under-lying glue or tape and become ` visible` ..... before you begin to try perfecting gluing -down your hairline [in particular], you need to have the system styled / cut-in.....it`s hard to ` see` properly when the hair is long, so it`s almost impossible and a waste of time attempting to have every last millimetre glued/taped down impeccably when going for your cut-in...... just do a ` rough` bonding job with some strips of tape around / along your perimeter...it won`t matter if there are ` gaps` between them....you just need it to be held in place while the stylist works on it..you could also simply bring a tube of ` Got2bglued` spiking glue to the salon and use that ---it`s SO easy to work with for a newbie..... once your head has been shaved just apply a coat of it, allow a few minutes for it to begin to set, then place the system on your head..... it won`t ` grab` the lace as fast or as rigidly as tape or system-specific glue does.....this allows you time to adjust the position if you need to. You asked about the possibility of the front becoming ` loose` ...this can happen at times but it`s usually not sudden ..it can occur from excessive sweating and / or water exposure for a prolonged time especially when the bond has been in place for a few days and is possibly not as strong as on day one.....you can do touch-up`s with glue without removing the whole thing.....one of those wooden coffee-stirrers you get at self -service coffee machines are handy for this ..... never ever allow your lace to sit down onto wet glue.... ALWAYS let the glue go almost dry, otherwise it`ll go through the lace and solidify onto the hairs leaving you with a right ` problem` on your hands .....it takes most glues a full 24 hours to fully ` cure` so avoid sweating /exercise during that time.
You asked about shampooing your hair ....you have to change your thinking when wearing ...system hair gets no oils or lubricants and dryness is your major enemy..anything you can do to conserve moisture and avoid further drying-out will help prevent early shedding of the hair...frequent shampooing will only dry out the hair and remove what little moisture there is in it ..... you can mist /spritz your hair daily / nightly with plain water and add a few darts of leave-in conditioner onto the damp hair, then comb -through and allow to dry naturally...this will prolong the wearable -life of the system..... you can certainly allow the hair to get wet in the shower ,for instance, but if you need to shampoo your own growing [side/back] hair, you can do that but avoid the system as much as you can..... there`s no need to shampoo it like growing hair as it`s not oily nor ` dirty` as such...... also, you can use a hair-dryer on low, and kept at a distance from the hair ....using a hot dryer at close -quarters is not recommended and will dry it out further.....
I wear a cap at work ..like similar to what a policeman would wear...it has a plastic band around the inside of it ...I adjust that so the thing isn`t too tight on my head... whilst it won`t / doesn`t in any way affect the bond, the only risk would be friction / ` pressure` constantly on the same section of hair ..this could lead to breakage/ shedding but I haven`t had it happen to me yet..... I simply spritz with water, then ` back-brush` the hair so it`s standing up from the lace then add a few darts of leave-in conditioner and then style it as normal...... everyone has their preferences --that`s what I find works best for me ..... I don`t sleep with this thing on my head either which helps, but I know that`s not practical for everyone..... if you intend to leave it on while sleeping, use a silk or satin pillow slip as cotton takes moisture from the hair and can also snag the hairs in the [relatively] ` rough` fibres and they can snap off as you move your head in your sleep.
Just take this one step at a time ..don`t try crossing all your bridges at once ......it`s not as hard as you might imagine......a lot of it is just common -sense.....there`s plenty of information on here though I realise it`s time-consuming and tedious when you`re trying to find a specific answer and are pressed for time.
Just start by sitting it onto your head, getting it sitting correctly at the hairline....then mark around the perimeter [ on to your scalp-skin] with an eyebrow pencil.....the stylist can help you with that as he/she`ll be standing behind you.....then they can shave / buzz off that thin hair out of the way....it doesn`t have to be ` correct` to the nearest millimetre...yes tape and glue is designed to stick to bare skin and not growing hair , but for your first cut-in, just use some tape strips around the edge or simply coat the scalp with Got2b glued .....it`s a snip to work with...you can then go home and remove it and do your own more ` permanent` thing at your leisure.
I assume you have a range of supplies/tapes/glues to hand ? It`s trial and error to find what works best for you..all part of the learning -curve.... I like walker no-shine tape....it`s easy to work-with too.....when going for a cut-in and to save time /make things easy/fast, I pre-tape the system at home and take it with me in a bag... once I apply each strip [firmly apply pressure to it so it grips the lace well] then one by one, on each tape strip, slip the tip of a scissors blade in between the tape and the backing-paper........once you have broken the ` hold` just peel off the paper fully, then ` reverse` it so the shiny non-stick side is now facing the tape.....fold one corner of it back onto itself and then lightly press the paper onto the tape strip... the folded-back bit will provide a gripping-point for your fingers later----this is a little trick I do to help prevent the tape/s sticking to the scalp whilst I`m positioning the system...once I have it sitting correctly, I then just lift the lace, catch the folded-back corner of the paper, and pull it completely free of the tape...then press the exposed tape to the scalp.If any ` stray` hairs do manage to get stuck to any bits of tape, just wet the tip of a finger with lace-release[ alcohol] and dab at them..they`ll come free in a few seconds and the tape will not be adversely -affected --the alcohol will evaporate off.
Hopefully I`ve answered some of your questions....check out the HairDirect website..they have a European hub in Holland and carry a huge range of products..... once the page loads, just wait a minute for the European tab to appear and you can then order from there if you wish to.Regards.
p.s. ---give your systems at least 2 mild shampooings before having them cut -in..this will help remove factory-residue and silicone which they spray the hair with to add shine before shipping it off.....silicone can interfere with tape/glue and lead to difficulty with keeping the thing stuck to your head !