Removing Hair Extensions/"Great Lengths"

[W.L.]

Great Lengths Hair Extensions are applied with an extremely
hard glue, that does not break down with normal extension
removing creams, or oils, so don't waste your money on these
products if you have had GL-Hair extensions attached to your hair.
They use GL-hard glue which is extremely hard on your hair. Do
not listen to the ("Keratin-Polymer-Safe-Almost like Normal Hair")
stories that you read on the web about GL. Its the worse thing you
can put on your hair. Prior to removal shampoo hair, & while hair
is wet apply SYSTEM-911 EMERGENCY PAK. A Reconstructor for
damaged hair. Its by Hayashi Systems, & is distributed out of
Los Angeles, & London. You can buy it at a beauty supply store.
Put the entire 8 oz. on your head, & especially the extensions!!
Massage it in, & then put some plastic wrap over your head & leave
this cream in your hair for 2 hours. I left it in my hair for 3 hours.
This will loosen-up the hard glue & make it easier to remove the
extensions. At least 30 extensions just fell out while I was in the
shower. The rest of them I had to pull on, or twist & they finally
came out. Great Lengths didn't have any good advice on removal.
Even applying a drop of pure ammonia will not break down this hard
bonding glue. Not even bleach, or pure acetone. I got the best advice
above, & with "Hard glue", you may need to cut some of them out.
Never ever allow anyone to apply your extensions with hard glue!!!!!!

[Guest]

This Is scarey. I currently live in Paris, and Had them applied In Dec 2004.
And have maintained them every 6 weeks. I currently have these 2 knots that I can not get out for the life of me.
Please help me try to get this product, since I am in Paris, as I can not imagine what will happen when they get my hands on my head. I am afraide I might have to cut these 2 dreadlock knots out of my head, and am totally distraught.
Please help.
Many thanks in advance.
Signed,
Soon to be a bob marley look alike ..

[STARJETTY]

I HAVE GLUE HAIR EXTENSIONS... CAN'T GET IN TOUCH WITH HAIR DRESSER AND AM DESPERATE TO REMOVE THEM.......WHAT PRODUCTS CAN I USE........

HELP

[Guest]

Well, first of all, that first person either doesnt know what she is talking about, or she didnt take care of them at all.

TAKE OUT GREAT LENGTHS EXTENSIONS WITH 99% ALCOHOL AND LOTS OF IT AND PLYERS THAT DONT CUT, HAVE A FRIEND DO IT FOR YOU!

you are supposed to get them taken out then reapplied every 5-6 months, not just checked. It you have really bad knots like that, you either left them in too long or didnt take care of them, its as simple as that!

[mony]

how do i get that product to remove my extensions

Great Lengths Hair Extensions are applied with an extremely
hard glue, that does not break down with normal extension
removing creams, or oils, so don't waste your money on these
products if you have had GL-Hair extensions attached to your hair.
They use GL-hard glue which is extremely hard on your hair. Do
not listen to the ("Keratin-Polymer-Safe-Almost like Normal Hair")
stories that you read on the web about GL. Its the worse thing you
can put on your hair. Prior to removal shampoo hair, & while hair
is wet apply SYSTEM-911 EMERGENCY PAK. A Reconstructor for
damaged hair. Its by Hayashi Systems, & is distributed out of
Los Angeles, & London. You can buy it at a beauty supply store.
Put the entire 8 oz. on your head, & especially the extensions!!
Massage it in, & then put some plastic wrap over your head & leave
this cream in your hair for 2 hours. I left it in my hair for 3 hours.
This will loosen-up the hard glue & make it easier to remove the
extensions. At least 30 extensions just fell out while I was in the
shower. The rest of them I had to pull on, or twist & they finally
came out. Great Lengths didn't have any good advice on removal.
Even applying a drop of pure ammonia will not break down this hard
bonding glue. Not even bleach, or pure acetone. I got the best advice
above, & with "Hard glue", you may need to cut some of them out.
Never ever allow anyone to apply your extensions with hard glue!!!!!!

[Inextenso]

Hi, as a professional extensioner, i would not choose to use Great Lengths Extensions. I have to say I have seen good sets, and bad sets of them - as always it depends on who puts them in.

Also With any extensions it depends on how well they are looked after. I would always advise extensions to be removed after a Maximum of four months. Most of our clients can safely leave thiers in between 3-4 months depending on how fast their hair grows and how well we teach them to look after them! After 4 months damage to your own hair growth is inevitable. Leave extensions longer and they are a huge risk.

We remove Great lengths extensions safely with de-natured alcohol, which can be ordered from your local chemist you will have to order half a litre and it will cost under £4.. explain why you need it.

Soak the bonding by applying the alcohol on cotton wool, You have to let it soak in, and of course it evaporates. DO NOT SMOKE OR LIGHT CANDLES NEARBY! Re-apply as needed. Then crunch the bonding through the cotton wool with pliers that have no sharp edges.

If you had your extensions applied by a professional.. please get them removed by one, it is so much safer!

visit http://www.chic.ik.comfor tips and advice and some good pictures

[RebeccaNan]

Hi I just wanted to reply to the Great Lengths Removal, I've done Great Lengths for 5 years, and have a solution formulated to remove the bonds for my clients, and professional removal is recommended! In a bind, you can use Alcohol, 90 percent is going to work the best, you can use isopropyl, or even pure grain alcohol (the kind you can drink) saturate the bond, and then smash the bond with a needle nose plier (make sure the plier doesn't have a wire cutter on the inside, it will cut your hair), the bond will break down to a powder, and be released out of the hair, I removed my last set this way in front of the T.V.

[happy123]

HI,

I need some help and advice! I got great lengths extensions in March with one stylist and they last over 4 months. Last week I had them removed and put back in over 2 days and was horrified at the breakage to my hair. I have always had fine, thin hair that breaks easily, but it really damaged my hair. I don't know if it was the way the stylist did it or not. He was harsh with it and kind of ripped them my hair, he was not gentle at all with the tangles or the way he took them off down my hair. Now I'm scared. I have them back in now so my hair is good again, but I don't want it to get worse and worse each time I get them. Does anyone have suggestions for me? I'm going to go to someone else to get them next time and tell them what happened. In the mean time, I need to strengthen my hair so Im looking for supplements, or vitamins or something to make my hair stronger. I heard Nioxin 90 and that line is good. Someone help me please! I want to stop while I'm ahead and not get them again if that is what I should do. Or, was it just the removal process?

[cindyropp]

I had hair extensions put in 5 weeks ago in La Jolla, CA. They are about 75-80 individual strands that are not great lengths but similar, I guess from indonesia. She put them on with a great lengths technique and glued a little piece of plastic to the end of my hair. After 5 weeks, about 15 have fell out, I took about 6 off because it was thicker on one side. A good chunk of my hair has fell out. The strands get twisted and won't lay flat, the plastic is freying on the ends and I have a bald spot now on the back of my head. I paid $1000 and I am mad.
I think I found a way to get them out. I researched the internet and read something that pure Lonolin and alcohol combined on the plastic will loosen the glue. Just for the heck of it...I added some weave remover stuff from the beauty supply. After about 20 minutes some have come out. I also did the same thing and used heat by squeezing a curling iron on it..but that sometimes made the glue hard and I ended pulling out some hair with the glue.

[Guest]

these extensions have become the most frustrating thing in my life!!!!

I am a busy extensionist who does both prebonded and strand fusion - however I refuse to use great lengths ( way too expensive and to be honest if you research you can find better products....)

Under normal conditons I will not remove anyone elses extensions! my theory is ' you put them in, you take them out'. Due to 2 extensionists 'missing in action' I had to remove a set for two clients, as they had no alternative. I might add that one of the stylists refused to remove the extensions, unless they were reapplied same day ( to hide the damage one thinks!)

Please note I contacted great lengths for their help! (wasted phone call!)

Client 1: I have industrial strength solutions in my salon..... tried everything. After 6 hours of soaking, the final technique resulted in melting them down with ghd's and painstakingly combing out the glue - one at a time...... the idea is not to create damage!

my client told me that her last set ( removed at a reputable salon in maidenhead) was 'ripped out' - hence explaining the broken bits of hair she had prior to removal. She said ' it was normal for it to hurt, and she dreaded having them taken out!' I was speechless. THIS ISN'T NORMAL

Client 2: Another client from a reputable salon (very reputable I might ad...!!) This technique resulted in razoring out the extensions.... yes cutting them out! I have NEVER EVER inflicted so many horrible procedures on a client. My heart broke during the various things we tried. I still have one of the extensions soaking in a container of alcohol - it is still hard.

SOMETHING IS WRONG! Either we stop using industrial strength adhesives which ARE damaging the hair at time of removal or we give up.

We need some sort of regulation, so the 'strength' of adhesives is monitored. Great lengths use fab hair, but the bond is an utter nightmare. what is the point of an extension that will never come out?

if the removal solutions can make all my acrylic nails can fall off, and wear a hole in my gloves - AND THE EXTENSION IS STILL IN - we have a problem. it just makes me speechless to think there is stuff like that out there.

my own 'BRAND' of extensions remain hard the whole time they are in, and crumble down to nothing during removal - after little effort. causing nothing to the hair, not even stress! it doesn't hurt and it only takes an hour.

for the first time, I'm tempted to admit that extensions can damage your hair - I've now seen it. That said, I m more determined than ever to change it!!

[Guest]

anyone else have any good advice for removing them?

[mariahdhee]

Ive been searching for a way to remove my GL extensions and ran into this site. I just tried the alcohol soak method IT DOESNT WORK> ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS??????

[Gayle]

Maria,
Just wanted to ask....how did you get on with your removal??
wanting to do mine and like you ran into this site.
thanks

[meechelle]

This is a hard one - literally!

Have you tried calling the person who put them in? or try contacting Great Lengths (www.greatlengths.net)?

To be honest it is not something I would recommend attempting yourself. You can cause serious damage to yout hair. I have removed them form clients with a lot of stress! (my post is the 'moaning' one above!)

Try a series of soaking condioning treatments (even olive oil) before you even attempt the alcohol, as you want it to be as easy as possible!

[was long blonde]

I have great lengths extensions in my hair at present, there is around 20 left, all the rest have come out, i have been back to the salon, it all started when i went to a salon in chester and had some fitted in august 2006 but they were fitted incorrectly i contacted great lenghts who contacted the salon who gave me my money back, and they recomended a salon in manchester, i had them applied in 1stweek september they were fine untill end of october/november had no problems then i they dyed it i politely said i didnt like the colour i have always had steaks but he just wanted to do root touch well approx 4inch and was not pleased i didnt like the colour he dried my hair on a hot setting and honeslty hurt my head, afterwards all the bonds were knotty i losened them 1 by 1 it hurt but didnt no what 2 do i was going away next day and very upset, after that the bonds oboviously have grown down and i have been back to the salon and he keeps saying there ok, and put the 1s back that have come out back in,the 22nd dec i went there with around 25 peices which he put bck in about 10, then the following week over xmas and new year 30 came out i keep telling him that they have grown and very little hair is now holding them, i now have another 20 peices here and the 1s left in,i have paid a lot of money been back and back i no im not 1 of his celebrites but ive paid same money,the salon has all my hair there as ive took it in i have a long drive to there but did it as i thought i would have my hair sorted im compeletly devestated here, my hair was fine still by my bra strap i have pics of me before it was fine not like it is now it doesnt look as long and half as thick as it was you can see by the peices i have here at the moment theres a lot of my own hair still attacthed i no natural breakage occours but there is a lot which is not and dont no where to turn i dont no if you can help with your extensions or advise me i go away 2 family in feb and need help in anyway possible.