help! just extended my natural dreads...

[laura.]

my natural dreads are a little over a year old and are too short to really do much with. since i put them in and maintain them myself, and it is tax return season, i decided to splurge and let someone else spend all day on my hair. he recommended synthetic - kanekalon, so we matched the color the best we could and mixed in a bit of lighter and darker to break things up, yada, yada. now, i'm not trying to fool anyone into believing that this is my real hair. however, i was quite clear about wanting a "natural" and realistic look. i.e., similar thickness with a smooth transition at the joint. i was assured that would not be a problem. plus, he said he could make them look more "natural" by making them messier/bumpier rather than the perfectly smooth spiral kind. cool.

how he put them in - he threaded some hair through the bottom of my dreads, wrapped and tied off with string. then he backcombed and twisted, pulling some up over the joint and steamed.

and they are huge. much fatter than my natural dreads with a big lump at each joint. they are surprisingly soft and loose and i asked if they'd tighten up or mature. he said "of course", but it sounded like he was just saying what i obviously wanted to hear, regardless of what the truth is. the soft and loose part does not bother me, only that the joints have a massive amount of hair wrapped around them so that part is especially large and dense. i unwrapped, trimmed and re-wrapped a couple of them at the joint. i crocheted a bit and steamed and palm rolled. not too bad. i could do my whole head. and i could tighten them up with a crochet hook - which would give them a more similar texture to my real dreads. which, of course, would take hours - and was i thought what i was paying him for.

my question for you is - do synth extensions installed this way tighten and mature on their own? how pissed should i be about this? i paid $300 and the stylist stayed 2 hours after closing to finish up (so, of course i tipped him for his efforts). but if i'm not reassured that they will settle in and be a little - less big, i may cry...

if i can figure out how to post a pic, i will...

~ laura

[laura.]

http://img823.imageshack.us/i/photo1987.jpg/
i think it looks great while up


http://img231.imageshack.us/i/photo1988.jpg/
but i have 2 to 3 times more hair installed than what would match my natural thickness...

http://img202.imageshack.us/i/photo1991l.jpg/

http://img847.imageshack.us/i/photo1992.jpg/

[corpseesproc]

if anything I'd think they would get more big, you're pretty much going to have to keep resealing them to make them tighter for as long as they are in as synth dreads always keep on loosening up, well the ones I've had do
And from looking at the pics I highly doubt they are going to mature and match your real dreads by themselves.
I'm not an expert so i'd listen to other people over me, but I'd feel majorly pissed off and would be asking for my money back

[Aricyn]

ummmm... i would be insanely pissed off i would demand that the "extensions" be taken out of my hair and my money be refunded back to me and take it somewhere that will extend with human hair..
thats really appauling that a salon would do such a terrible job the colour isnt even close imo =\
sorry not trying to be horrible just sayin i think your well within your rights to be super super annoyed and i wouldnt accept that at all!

[brandalynn]

If you really paid $300, you need to go get your money back. Natural dreads shouldn't be extended with kanekalon. Kanekalon won't mature as human hair will. It should have been done with human hair. The size difference where the kanekalon was added looks quite significant. I don't thing resealing is going to get them as small as your natural dreads. If it was my head, I would be demanding my money back as well as removal of the kanekalon. Here are a couple of links for extending natural dreadlocks with human hair weft. The first is from here on the forum, and the second was dug up from discussions in the real dreadlock discussion area. I hope I didn't come off as sounding mean, I'm just trying to be helpful.

*edited to add* You can find affordable weft on ebay.

http://hairextensionsforum.com/viewtopi ... 62&t=10569

http://quinnster.fqdn.net/dreads/vibrata.html

[rivetlicker_]

I'd be pissed off too. I'm not sure what the guy was thinking. (Oooh, quick buck).
Kanekalon does not behave like human hair and I think he was pulling your leg regarding the whole "tighten up and mature" bull. I think you've been rorted. I agree that you go back and have them removed and get your money back.

[laura.]

yeah... i thought that's what i'd hear. i'm so upset. i emailed the owner with pics and then called, saying i want them removed and that i want my money refunded. she will not refund anything, but offered to have me come in and have them "resized" with the same stylist who installed them for free - that is, if i can't wait the 2 to 3 months it takes for them to "set". she insisted the sizing discrepancy was merely a matter of interpretation and that sal surely would have made them thinner if he knew that's what i wanted. (really!?!? i brought it up 4 times! and yes, i told her that.) i don't want to spend an entire day there again with a stylist whose opinion and skill i no longer trust. i feel embarrassed and am not a confrontational person... i don't know what else to do.

and the color! i know. i think the picture makes it look worse than it really is, though - since the synth is so shiny. he referred to the color twice as "perfect".

ugh. i have a headache. thanks for your input, gals. i really appreciate it.

laura

[Phoenix]

I won't repeat what has been said about the dreads but I reccomend you look into your consumer rights as a buyer. Technically you have brought goods (the dreads) and service (the installation). I'm not sure what the rights are like in the US (I'm assuming you live in the US because you quoted dollars) but if they're anything like the ones we have in the UK you should be able to demand a refund as they are not satisfactory quality for human hair extenders and the stylist should never have reccomended synth.
Edit: He won't be able to resize them without completely taking them out. The only way to 'resize' them while attatched to your head would be to resteam them. They would return to the size they are now eventually though.

[NirvanaMarie]

Oh dear... You should be able to get your money back. You could report them to the Better Business Bureau. It seems the stylist was a bit uninformed. Human hair extenders would definitely be the way to go. Hopefully you can get your money back and go somewhere that has a better knowledge of dreads. Or you can always try to do them yourself, we have some awesome tutorials

http://www.doctoredlocks.com/catalog/xc ... goryid=175


Good luck!!!

[..::AtomicLox::..]

*headdesk* People like that make professional stylists look SOOOOO bad. We're not all like, that I promise!

I would definitely take it up with the owner again. It's really not fun to have to be confrontational in that manor, but the reality is that the work was unprofessional and the stylist was not simply misinforming you but actually told a big fat lie. Synthetic hair loosens over time, it does not tighten. The bumps are appalling, and how anyone could actually call that "a matter of interpretation" is complete nonsense.

I am SO sorry you had to go through this nightmare.

If it comes down to you threatening to tell everyone you know in the area of your experience with that salon (carefully word that when you say it, so it can't be taken as slander!), I would again request your money refunded and explain that you never again want your hair in the hands of someone that tried to convince you this was "perfect".

On the upside though, they really do look fabulous up!

[patricia*star]

Oh nooo laura, i know its hard but you need to get your money back and also avoid getting anything else done by them. Cant you get someone else to go in and complain on your behalf? i always get my OH to sort stuff out because he manages to get refunds and things without being confrontational and without any sort of conflict. You could get one of your parents or a older sibling to help?

Hope everything turns out ok for you hon

[brandalynn]

If you don't mind my asking, where did you get your hair done?

[laura.]

the place is called "milio's" in chicago. http://www.milioshairsalon.com/

i think i will take more pictures of the do i "got such a deal" on and link them to consumer review sites like yelp. the owner stands by her original position - and with her best customer service voice, too. i told her that if i spent an entire day having them "resized" i wanted it done by a different stylist. she's not having any of that. i do not want that stylist to touch my hair again. not only are the knots he maid at the joints too big and solid to ever possibly thin down to the appropriate size without cutting out and reinstalling (which she said i'd have to pay for), but when he "cleaned up" my roots, he used scissors. it's "gentler" than ripping. ok. well i found a dread that is now partially separated from my scalp at the root. i usually maintain my dreads myself and i know each one intimately. i know he cut this one (and maybe more??) oh, and to be clear, durring the consultation, he told me that real hair extenders take months to mature, just like my real dreads, but synth extensions don't have to mature at all. once they're in, they're done. it was only after he spent hours putting in extensions i was obviously unhappy about and kept asking about that he told me "they'll tighten up as you wear and wash them". the owner denies he's capable of such a contradiction, because he's a professional who takes great pride in his work, yada, yada. i just don't want to step foot in that place again. i did consult an attorney (who is a close personal friend of mine) and maybe a phone call will be made on my behalf, but i'm not very hopefull. she refuses to let go of $300 but has offered hours of free work to be done that would still leave her out of $200 to $300. the fact that she doesn't recognizing the path of least resistance here makes me think that she's not interested in an amicable resolution. she's just being stubborn. i'm no good at dealing with people like her. i have considered sending her a link to this thread thinking it might give her perspective. but i don't know...

and thanks - they do look fabulous up i'm really not a fabulous person, and do not want big fabulous hair. but at least i can leave my house between now and whenever i get around to replacing them on my own.

thanks for the support and information. if you have any more legal and appropriate ideas about warning my fellow local dreadies, i'm all ears.

laura

[..::AtomicLox::..]

My heart is seriously breaking for you.
There is no way under any circumstance I would ever treat a client in such a way, and it pains me to hear about this. There's a slight chance you could actually sue in small claims court, but I'm not sure it would be worth the time and effort. I'm assuming you didn't sign anything removing them from being liable?
If you can't (or don't want to go to what's turning in to an enormous amount of trouble) get your money refunded, the best you can do is spread the word as rapidly as possible. Reviews, friends, etc.

best of luck... perhaps now that you've found this forum we can help you figure this hair stuff out ahead of time in the future!!

[corpseesproc]

Gah after looking on that page I really wanted to send them an angry email!
I could slightly understand if they didn't have dread extensions listed and it was a thing you asked them to do that wasn't on the menu as such (still not an excuse but more understandable)
But they have them listed there, I wonder how many other people have had their dreads "extended" by the people there and been told lies, but not realised they were lies until it was too late.
I think you should link her to this thread.
I'm sure if you went to another dreadlock stylist irl they would say the same thing too!
(she might not trust the opinion of someone who has only seen pictures)

[Gracey]

I think you should send a link to this board in it's entirety; it seems she has a lot to learn. I'm sorry this has happened to you and I hope that your dreads are not damaged in themselves. I honestly believe you would be able to do a better job yourself after watching a few tutorials, especially as you are practised at maintaining your dreads yourself. Human hair would be way cheaper than what you have spent there and would certainly do the job much more effectively.

[laura.]

so, the illinois department of professional regulation shows the salon's license being expired and not renewed since 2008. i'm not sure if they are bound by law to maintain this license or if it's voluntary, but i have called to ask, but had to leave a message. it's also the state board for disciplinary action, so i'm guessing it's mandatory, but would like to make sure before i call the salon. do you think there's any place in this forum where i could find that answer?

[laura.]

woolhairhabit - that's exactly what i'm going to do! i know i'd be able to do a great job, i just didn't want to spend all that time on it. i figured i'd treat myself for once and pay a pro to do it! never again! if i get my money back, i'm going straight to the wig shop and buying human hair and doing it myself. i'll spend all the money i saved on a baby sitter so i can work on my hair without interruptions. and it will look awesome!

btw - the partially-snipped-at-the-root dread count is now up to 3.

[..::AtomicLox::..]

so, the illinois department of professional regulation shows the salon's license being expired and not renewed since 2008. i'm not sure if they are bound by law to maintain this license or if it's voluntary, but i have called to ask, but had to leave a message. it's also the state board for disciplinary action, so i'm guessing it's mandatory, but would like to make sure before i call the salon. do you think there's any place in this forum where i could find that answer?

All of that information will be on the Illinois State Board website. The tricky thing is that government websites are HELL to navigate and it could be hard to find. Your best bet is to call the department and speak with a representative that can answer all of your questions.

In addition to looking up the business it's self, I would also look up individual licenses for both the salon owner and the stylist who worked on you personally, to make sure everything's in order. It sounds to me as though he may be an Independent Contractor and not an hourly paid employee, which could be why the salon owner is being more difficult about compensating you. You should be able to find out exactly how long he's been practicing professionally as well through the State Board website.
I'm not positive about Illinois, but in Oregon you are legally required to have your full name, title and state license number visibly posted at your station at all times. You may cover your home address, but that is all. I'm almost positive that if you called and asked for this information they would be legally bound to tell you. It would also make everyone extremely nervous! Couldn't hurt to ask for their business license number as well, especially if they don't seem to be up to date! Don't forget, most cities require a separate license as well, and many cities are lax on checking up on them... unless there's a complaint.

[NirvanaMarie]

The quote used at the bottom of the website made me giggle with the absolute contradiction... Washington is the save with having to have the licenses visible. You should look into some of that for sure.

[brandalynn]

I have found a few other people offering dread extensions using synthetic to extend natural dreads. What are these people thinking? Am I missing something?

[laura.]

doclocks - yeah, and "milio" hasn't owned the place in 10 years! [rolling eyes]

brandalynn - i'm a member of a dreadlocks forum that focuses on natural dreads and they talk a little bit about extending them. for the most part, everyone except one of the professional stylists have all used synth hair - but not the backcomb, twist-n-seal method. they backcomb and crochet a pile of extensions with whispy ends and then sew/crochet that into the naturals. while i agree with you (now), their reason is that if they're tightened up with a crochet hook (and maybe steamed) they don't have to "mature". the extensions don't feel exactly the same, but the shape is right from day one. immediate gratification for less money.

as for my drama with milio's - after threatening to file a complaint with the state licensing division and having an attorney make a phone call for me, the owner gave in on all three of my big issues.

1 - if i come in, i can choose any stylist - particularly one with continuing ed courses in dreadlock maintenance and extensions.
2 - if that stylist feels that any of the dreads need to be cut out and reinstalled in order to achieve an appropriate size, they'll do so at no extra cost. it's my opinion that almost all of them will need this, but the owner insisted that any cut outs would be reinstalled for a fee.
3 - (and this is the biggest one) if after they're resized i'm still not happy, she'll refund my money.

she refused all these in the beginning and it took me throwing nasty threats around for her to become a bit more reasonable. i don't know why she won't just give me a refund. this seems like such a huge hassle on her end and mine. oh, and their license is current - just under a different name as of 2 years ago.

what do you think? i didn't want to make a big deal about the continued ed courses, but when the stylist was almost finished with my hair, he bragged about how others there went to some dread classes and he didn't have to - while my hair was turning out like this! really, i don't want to go back, but i feel like after she suddenly became so reasonable, i don't really have much of a choice in the matter unless i just want to walk away.

and if i do go back, and some other stylist spends a few hours making my shit look WAY better, what do i do as far as a tip? i mean, i don't want to give the salon another penny, but the new stylist doesn't deserve to get stiffed - what do you think would be fair??

[..::AtomicLox::..]

I would ask the owner how and if she's planning to compensate any work done by a different stylist. Honestly, you're not going to get the best work out of someone in a bad mood because they have to devote their day to clean up after someone else's mistakes and not get anything in return. As far as a tip, that has to be up to you. If you feel that the next stylist is deserving and really does work for it, you'll know.

I would also ask for a consultation with a new stylist, before you get in to any actual work at all.

Thirdly, I would get this woman to make every statement from here on out in writing, signed and dated.

[Desiree]

I'm so curious - how did this end??

[trippytroll]

yeh i just read all this and now wantin to know the outcome, i wouldnt have given up until i had a refund and i certainly wouldnt have been tipping anyone at all, no offence but that install was really bad
hope it all got sorted for you