Hi travbjork, Welcome along.
Most, if not all of your questions are asked /answered regularly ..just have a read through some of the old/er posts / pages ... I appreciate all kinds of thoughts /scenarios run through a person`s mind when considering wearing, and sure, it can be a real minefield....the more research /reading through the forum particularly one`s dealing with newbie issues /questions, the easier it will be to begin wearing. I know it can be tedious but if you can`t find an answer to a particular question, you`ll get replies faster ... I`m sure you can appreciate that it gets repetitive and time-consuming for guys to respond to the `` regular`` questions.
Question 5 above is covered by question 4 .... i.e. I [and most wearers] NEVER shampoo the hair daily....you`ll ` lift` the colour and dry out the hair totally ...dryness is the main problem with system hair ..it gets no natural oils and anything you can do to moisturize it will pay dividends in terms of how it ` looks` and life-span of the system. I find ``little is best`` when it comes to various styling /cleaning products..... you can easily shampoo your growing hair daily if you need to, whilst avoiding the system hair....it`s fine to dampen /wet it ... I spritz daily with water and use a leave-in [spray on] conditioner....there are many available and one with a UV protector added would be best for where you live [sunny]. I use ``PPI Enhance leave in conditioner`` [Just Google it ]
You need a system -specific shampoo and conditioner rather than off-the-shelf ones .... there are many suppliers -- again, just do a Google search ....
Regular styling products can and do build-up on the hair leading to frequent shampooing... it`s a cycle which leads to shortening of the wearable life of the system and it`s time-consuming.... I keep it as simple as I can.......
You`ll have to experiment with various bonding products [tape/glue] to see what works best for you...... it`s not possible to say what will work with your individual physiology and local climate...... a lot of guys use Oil Resistant White Glue for strength / longevity of hold .....again.... just do a Google search for suppliers. The ` White` glues are water-based and generally a bit easier to work with than acrylic ones..... you may need several thin coats applied directly to the scalp [NOT the system if it`s a lace one] and each coat must be allowed to go practically dry before the next one is applied ......tapes are faster to apply and less ` messy` in my opinion but may not ` hold` as long as some glues ...it`s all a big balancing -act !
You`ll find a styrofoam head handy ....you can sit the system on it overnight if you wish to leave it off now and then [ I remove mine nightly ] ....also handy if you need to trim off some lace..you can use T-pins and pin the system to it while you work.
I`m not sure why you ask about colour ..is the stock system not a good match ? Colouring can be tricky and as a new wearer you`d be best to avoid it if possible while you deal with other things......
You need lace-release to free your system from your head [bonded area] and a glue -melter or Citrus solvent to remove residues from the scalp and/ or lace ..... make sure you have proper supplies to hand before you start ...lists of supplies have been well-covered in other threads...... regards!