Jen,
You are definitely not alone with the "fear factor". I have been wearing a topper for 3 years this month. I bond myself. I do it once a month, and sometimes I even delay it by a week just because I am dreading having to de/re. The reason I dread it I think is mostly psychological reasons.....i.e. having to see myself without hair, having a reminder that I wear hair, a reminder that I have a hair loss problem. Keeping the piece on makes me forget all of that and while it's on, I can "pretend" I'm not losing my hair and live a normal life.
Secondly, it's just darn time consuming (especially when you're doing it once a month because there's a bigger clean-up) and then there's the worry about getting it on straight.
With all of that said...let me just say.....it is ALWAYS so worth it at the end of each reattachment. Because I know I did it myself, and didn't have to rely on anyone. When I started wearing hair, I did a lot of research and found a site where it was highly encouraged that you learn to do it yourself and I'm so glad I did. However, my very first attachment, I took it to a hair dresser. Her salon was an hour away and she charged $75, and she got a lot of hair trapped underneath it and the bond didn't hold for long. I actually intended to keep going to her, but I got an allergic reaction, probably from the way she bonded it so I ended up frantically calling her and came in a week later to have it de/re. It was after that experience that I thought, no...I have take control of this myself. What if something similar happened and I was on vacation? How would I know what to do??
So to answer your questions...
What if I seriously mess it up and put it on crooked? I have done this too many times. It DOES get easier with practice. Right now, even after three years, I can feel that mine is on crooked.You'd be surprised how much you CAN'T tell that it is though unless the error was made in the front (you placed it either too close to the hair line or too far from the hair line). You can definitely dettach and reattach if it bothers you too much. Usually when i make an error it is that it is further out to one side than the other but you can't tell so I just leave it and hope I don't make the same mistake the next time. Tip: Spray rubbing alcohol on the tape and on your scalp right before applying and this will give you a few seconds to adjust the piece and get it on straight.
What do you do if you need to redo it multiple times?
I think I may have answered this above. The downside of course would be wasting time and supplies. But, I say do what makes you happy. If you are a perfectionist and need to get it on exactly straight....than by all means redo. The advantage is that since the tape is fresh, it will be a lot easier to remove off of your scalp and off the piece than if you were removing say, from a couple weeks wear.
Is it better to try just tape the first few times?
My first application was with glue. Personally, I did not like it...it was SO messy. And i only tried it because I couldn't grasp the thought of having tape on my head....it was just so foreign to me that I didn't give it a shot until after I had the bad experience with the glue. But I also know a lot of wearers like glue so you'll just have to try both to find out which one you prefer.
How long should it take?
I would assume everyone learning curve is different. I felt I knew what I was doing after the second try. And I've never been able to complete the entire process....removing topper, washing topper, shaving my head, taping fresh topper, applying in under an hour, but I hear others can do it in less than that. Usually, I try to do mine on the weekend. I remove it in the morning...let my scalp breath all day...and just wear a baseball cap....then in the evening I reattach. I like having a nice break of wearing nothing.
I hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.
