Occasionally, you can get wrinkles around the edge of your hair system’s base during attachment. Sometimes wrinkles happen as part of the regular attachment process, and other times there are different issues causing them.
A poly perimeter
A poly perimeter usually requires a layer of red liner tape followed by a layer of extended wear tape or glue on top. These three layers — the poly, red liner tape, and adhesive — can create a stiff edge around the perimeter of the hair system. Depending on the size of your system and the shape and contour of your head, it can be difficult to wrap that stiff edge around the curves of your head without creating wrinkles, bumps, or gaps in the bond.
When these raised areas don’t lie flat to your head, they create a space between your scalp and the hair system. This in turn allows more access to water, oil, and sweat, which ultimately results in quicker lifting. This is usually more of an issue with larger systems that have more curves and contours. If you’re experiencing this issue with a poly perimeter on lace, try eliminating the poly from your next order. If you’re wearing a monofilament base, you’ll probably have to switch to a different base material, like lace, to avoid the poly.
System that is too large
If your hair system does not properly contour to the curve of your head, or if the base is too big, you will likely experience gaps and wrinkles. Hair systems that are too big can create huge wrinkles or folds. Folds and wrinkles caused by inaccurate sizing are uncomfortable. Check to see if you inadvertently made your template the wrong size, or if the system wasn’t made correctly to your specifications. Either way, you’ll need to have the hair system remade or redesigned. In the meantime, you may have to do your best with the folds and wrinkles until you get a new system. Or, at your own risk, you could attempt to alter the base on your own to temporarily correct the problem.
Stretched base material
Wrinkles around the perimeter can be caused by the base material stretching, especially if you have a lace base. A minor amount of stretching will not cause a problem, but if you’re inadvertently stretching or pulling the base out of shape during the attachment process, you are more likely to get wrinkles.
If you’re using tape on lace, be sure not to stretch the tape too much when you apply it. It’s okay if you bend the tape a bit to get around a tight curve, but too much stretch will cause the lace to shrink back and wrinkle.
How to fix a wrinkle
If a small wrinkle occurs while you’re bonding, you can usually fix it easily if you deal with it immediately after attaching your hair system.
First, spray some Adjust-A-Bond on your clean fingers. Then, lift up the small wrinkled section of the base and spray some Adjust-A-Bond under it. As it releases from your scalp, reach under the wrinkle and separate the folded material. Once the wrinkle is released, press the edge of the base back down against your head and hold it for a few seconds while the Adjust-A-Bond evaporates and the adhesive begins to stick again. If it’s a small wrinkle, this usually works. However, if you have a larger wrinkle, or you wait too long after bonding to fix it, you might not be as successful and could compromise the bond.
Remember, touching the adhesive too much can ruin the bond altogether, so be sure not to touch or manipulate the adhesive more than you need to.
This remedy is only recommended for wrinkles around the perimeter of a system that fits properly, without any size or contour issues.
If your system has long hair that you clip up during bonding, check for wrinkles before you let the hair down. It’s easier to fix a wrinkle while the hair is still up and out of the way.