Hello friends. I've commented here using my main Reddit profile and this one once or twice. I want to keep my anonymity as I am not "out" as a hair system wearer to anyone but a few people very close to me. I've been doing self-installs and maintenance for the past two years and I'd like to share some tips and tricks I've learned that I wish I had known from day one. Obviously, everyone should do what works for them but I just figured I would share what works for me. The few people I have told about my system were all shocked. It looks fantastic in my own humble opinion.

These are obviously tips based on my system type and install routine: .03mm poly unit taped all around with bond the front few inches. Installs bi-weekly with hairline redo weekly.

1. DIY is the way to go in my opinion. Besides the obvious cost savings, doing your installs and maintenance yourself means you're not at the mercy of a salon for emergency maintenance and issues when they come up (and they will)
2. When it comes to installs I cannot stress enough how much you need to make sure you ARE.NOT.SWEATING. If you only take one thing from this post let it be this. I'm not an overly sweaty guy but I've found I will break a slight sweat on my scalp with any kind of moving around whatsoever or if my apartment isn't frigid. Sweat on your scalp will ruin an install faster than anything else.
3. Search for "lipgloss brushes" on Amazon and buy a bag if you use bond. They're perfect for precise bond application and you don't have to clean a ton of bond off your finger if you apply it that way
4. Shower caps! Buy a bunch and use them for hairline redo day. I flip up the front of my system and then put a shower cap over the back and sides with a headband to secure it. Pair that with some plastic gloves and the days of bond all over your system and bio-hair during hairline maintenance are over.
5. Straight system every time with no stress: By far the hardest part to me on a DIY application was getting the unit perfectly straight and in the right position every time. I used to mark the system and my head with a barber's pencil and spray my tape with alcohol so I could perfectly position the unit. This worked fairly well but was stressful as hell. I could hear the Jeopardy music playing in my head while I tried to get the unit in place straight before the alcohol dried and I was screwed. Now I mark up my system and head same as before, but I put the system on my head with no adhesive whatsoever and position it with a headband on top to keep it from sliding all over the place. I can take my time and get it just right, then I flip up the back and do my back taping. Now the system is straight and secured in place. I can do the rest of my installation stress-free. This has been a game-changer for me.
6. Dont over wash/condition/product your system. I wash and condition my system pretty much once a week and deep condition every other week when I'm doing a full re-install. On a daily I wet it with water and a couple of sprays of leave-in to brush out any tangles. Brush it into place and let it air dry. That's it. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this but at the beginning of my hair system journey I used to go wild with the leave-in and would blow-dry and style my hair with product constantly. Not only did this affect the life of my systems, but my hair looks WAY better now than it did back then. I consistently get 5 months out of these poly units and they honestly still look good when I replace them.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions!