Hair Extensions Forum

I haven't got a braid sealer and I've already tried to seal them using a hair straightener which didn't work

Maybe a lighter? I don't know if that would work I'm going to try it myself if your still wondering...lol noone has answered you so I though maybe a lighter could do it? if your still wondering I could post and let you know if it worked.....

You can do it with a lighter, but it's a little more tricky than using a braid sealer

Another thing with using a lighter is you have to prepared to possibly burn your finger a bit and to have the hair melt into your hand. If you have a strong hair dryer then you can fuse the ends with that - sometimes it looks quite messy though depending on the hair.

Another down side to using a lighter is that the end stend to snag your clothes if sealed with a lighter. I have countless bobbled tops now GRR!

Perhaps heating the tip of a pair of pliers and then putting the ends of the braids/twists in them might work.

I've tried both straighteners and pliers and was unsuccessful with both of them.

I always use a lighter

Just if it melts black it will be hot, very hot, so be careful with your fingers!

Im going to braid my hair for the first time and i have no idea how to seal the ends! Help me?! haha

I always use a lighter to seal braids

A good tip: braid further than you want, then hold the end taught between your fingers and start to melt the braid where you want it to end.. don't let it burn it all the way through though, just long enough to melt the hair. Then lick for fingers (saves the burns!) and quickly roll the melted bit. It will quickly cool and start forming a narrow solid tubey shape. Repeat the melting until the unwanted end of the hair melts off this time, and then roll the end quickly into a neat point before it seals

Hope that helps

PS your fingers will eventually get used to the burns.. or lose all sensation at any rate

I used to use a lighter but now I heat my hair straighters to heat 3 (dunno the temp but 4 is really hot) and then put the end of the dread between them and twist the dread slightly. Looks the same and really easy and you don't risk burning the dreads

But straighteners don't work with braids or twists, I've tried and all it does is melt the hair on the outside, which falls apart as soon as I remove the rubber band from the end. I used my GHDs on it too and got the same result.

Rubber band? I assume its for open ended braids and twists? Or am I just being dim :S I can't think of anything else than a lighter then, unless you dunk the end in boiling water, that might work.

Well I didn't really want open ended braids cause I always feel the little 'lions tails' look weird against dreads when used in falls. I'll eventually have to splash out on a braid sealer I guess..

with the braids have you tried making them slightly longer and then putting part of the braid in the straighteners? that should keep the ends sealed without breaking. Also the heat on your straighteners could possibly be too high, with mine the hair that melts off stays molten for a few seconds before going solid, i'm assuming your does too but maybe not. Trying to think why the seal would just break off

Another interesting way to seal your braids will be to deep the ends in very Hot! Hot! water.

But please remember you must be very careful not to burn yourselve with the hot water. you can put a thick towel arround your neck to prevent burns. when buying your hair extensions always ask for one that will seal in hot water.

i always heat up a pair of pliers on my gas hob and make sure that the hair im about to seal is wet, to stop the hot metal burning through right away. then i twist the end real tight and clamp down. if you do it right it evaporates the water off (sizzling sounds) and then melts the kk. then you can trim off the wispy hair left under the seal. voila!

If you decide to use a lighter I can recommend a silicone rolling pad. It protects your fingers and gives you a smooth surface of the seal. Most websites that sell hair have the pads too.

/Jenni

hellooooooo,,
it depends wot kind of fiber u use,,the old school nylon jumbo melts fine with a lighter,,thats how we always back in the day,,i still havent regained full feeling in my thumb & index finger,,lololol,,as mentioned allready,the snag factor with burned ends gets pretty bad,,its almost like velcro,,it ruins ur clothing,,KK fiber dosent really melt very well with a lighter & it goes black,,it is possible to burn the ends if the hair is dark but not ideal,,it becomes brittle & the ends will more often than not break apart,,also the smoke that comes off KK hair is pretty toxic,,u could try putting some rubber bands tightly around the ends b4 dunking em them in hot water,,not individually but reasonably small sections,,this will make a tight crimp & prevent the ends from unravelling,,cut them at the very begining or top of the crimp,,i would also as recomend u braid them a bit longer just so u got a extra to work with,,then u can cut most of the crimped part off,,when i use TK hair that comes with the big wave on the end that is left unbraided i put a teeny weeny drop of nail glue to hold em together,,