Manemaxx review (in progress)

Hello dahlings!

Once upon a time, I had long, beautiful hair.  Then I had kids, 4 of them.  And with every birth, I'd lose more hair, and boob, and sanity, until one day I woke up with virtually no hair, boobs, or sense left.  I figure the hair is the only one of the three I can do something about in a reasonable amount of time.

My hair was very damaged from coloring, or bleaching I should say since my natural color is very dark and I went through an "I just wanna be blond" phase.  Three hi-lifts later and my hair didn't break off, it committed suicide and jumped off my darn head.

I admitted defeat and went to the stylist to get a fresh start, meaning she cut all the damaged hair off (that was left).  Think Kate Gosselin before her extensions and with shorter bangs.  Yeah, short short, lol...VERY short.  To top it off, I have a pie pan round face...I look like someone should be moving hair around my head with magnet pen.  This style would look great on someone that can rock it...I can't pull it off though. 

It's been a few weeks and my hair has grown out a bit, and I hope enough to do extensions successfully.  It's about an inch and a quarter at the shortest parts (like around the nape of my neck and around the ears, and 2 inches at it's longest (on the top of my head, the crown area). 

I've had fusion extensions before (two years ago), when my hair was longer, and I didn't like them.  They looked okay, but when the keratin glue dried, it became very hard and brittle.  The woman that did them charged 500 for just the install, and I bought the best hair I could find (pretipped).  The bonds were very bulky, and worse, she didn't roll the top of the bonds well, so they were sort of sharp and very itchy.  I ended up having them removed about 2 weeks after I got them, and the removal was horrible! 

This time, I decided I'd have to DIY my extensions if I wanted them, since 1000 dollars for install and hair isn't in the budget.  I bought two packs of Saga Velvet 14in. aksent body in number 1, microrings, the hook, pliers, a glue pot and black keratin glue sticks.  I cut some hair from the weft and tried my hand at pretipping so I could install microlinks.  Didn't go well.  The glue was VERY hot.  I'd dip a small section of hair, and go to roll it and dang near burn my prints off!  I tried putting on latex gloves (several layers) and it was still very hot.  If I waited a second for the glue to cool before I started rolling, it'd turn hard before I could get the bond small enough.  I went through a whole pack of hair with nothing to show for my efforts but some Godzilla size bonds and burned fingers.

So, I bought some SS hair from Sallys (that stuff is CRAP), because the bonds are thin enough to fit in the rings.  Needless to say, that didn't go well.  The install around the back of the head was horrible since I couldn't get a good look at how much hair I was pulling through the ring, and by the time I'd clamp it, my arms were exhausted.  The microlinks I used were the "Fusion" brand, and when I went to uninstall, I had a hard time getting them to open (some just folded in half the other way instead of opening which meant I had to CUT those out!). 

I bought tape and glue hoping to do my own wefts, but no luck.  My hair is too short to do that well, the tape wouldn't stick to the wefts, and I gave up.  With longer hair and better tape/glue, I'm sure I could do it but this was all BSS crud, not the LG or Super Blue- having the right products makes all the difference. 

So, I was going to give up when I ran across a Manemaxx post online.  I've decided to give this a shot.  I figure there's got to be a few more women out there like me, very short hair, limited options (clip ins are nice but I don't have enough hair to blend them well) and a desire for long, beautiful locks that don't scream, "HEY!  I GOT A HEAD FULL OF WEAVE!"

Since my hair is short, I decided to go with a wavy texture of hair for the install.  There's not much to blend, but I feel like a heavier, more wavy texture will cover my head better.  I've bought 8oz. of Bohyme Egyptian Wave in #1, 18in. and I'm currently looking for another 4oz of the same thing in either 1b, or 2 (subtle highlights around face).  It sounds like the big problem with EW is shedding, but since you cut it off the weft for the tembond install, I'm not worried about that.  I've bought the Manemaxx starter kit without the hair in "smoke" colored tembond.  The kit is 170'ish dollars, and while that's pretty dang pricey, it's still going to be cheaper than the Fusion install I had a while back. 

I had a few questions (before I settled on Bohyme hair) so I called the number on the website a few days ago.  I didn't get anyone, and honestly, I was getting worried that the great personal customer service I've read about wasn't there anymore since it's been a few years and it appears the company has grown.  To my shock, Tiffany called me back (had to leave a message since I was out getting kids from school) and left a number to reach her.  I like that, especially considering I tried to place an order with hairsisters.com on the phone and they hung up on me 3 times (kept putting me on hold, then disconnecting the line), while eating, laughing, and talking to people around them.  I was terribly unimpressed with hairsisters.com, but I hope the hair is okay- we'll see. 

I'll update this post as the items arrive and write about quality, value, ease of install, etc.  Please pass along any tips for hair care, websites with good customer service, install help...anything!  I wear color number 1, which seems to be in high demand so it's fairly hard to find...I'm sure much like the blonds experience since it appears they don't make a large quanity of blond colors (I know my bss has tons of hair, but only a very little in light colors). 

I ordered the manemaxx yesterday- today I got the "your order is being packaged" email, so we'll see how long it takes to get to NC.  Ordered on the 12th, today is the 13th...maybe last part of next week?!  (fingers crossed)

I'm hoping to look like Chewbacca by the end of the month!!

So....

I was going to get the Bohyme EW, but I've decided to go with "soft wave" instead (same line) because after feeling the EW, I know it's not what I'm looking for.  Sometimes I'll see photos of it and it looks so silky and curly, but in fact, when I checked it out in a BSS today, it's very frizzy and doesn't have any shine at all.  Honestly, it has a fried hair look about it, and I could see where it would be itchy.  It didn't feel as nice as any of the Bohyme in the gold line. 

I changed my order with hairsisters.com, and I have to say, their customer service SUXXXXXXXX!  But, I did manage to talk to Theresa who is a dollbaby!  She helped me out a ton, and I swear, if not for her, I'd fired off an email to the BBB to file a complaint.  I kept calling and getting hung up on, even before I could say anything!  I wasn't complaining, I'd just say "Hello" and boom...she said it might be some storms messing with their lines, but the same thing happened earlier in the week when I was trying to place an order. 

I got an update from paypal and manemaxx...the box has left the building!!  WHOOHOO!  Now, if I can just get this hair here, I'll be set to go! 


Ready...set...WEAVE!

I got a very nice email from Tiffany letting me know how much hair to order....BUT, I was stupid and in a rush to get the tembond, I ordered from hairsisters because I could verify the hair I wanted was in stock.  I bought WAY too much of it I bet, but I know that hair is packaged by weight, which means the longer the length you pick, the less "strands" there are.  I bought two packages of bohyme soft curl in jet black, and one in 1b so there's a little variation in the color. 

A few things I'm curious about, and will be emailing Tiffany in regards to...

My hair is a few inches short in a few places.  It tends to stick up in the morning, or when there's a wind out.  I was wondering if the bond has to be made next to the scalp, or can it be made down the hair shaft a bit to help these bits on the top of my head lay down. 

For people who want to do a highlight color, can you order lighter tembond in the same package (so 1.5oz in black, 1.5oz in brown for example). 

I'm in NC, and it's summer...it's VERY hot.  I'm wondering about going to the pool or the beach, although I don't care to get in, will my bonds melt if they're in direct sunlight.  If I wear a hat, since it'll get hot underneath, will I have the same problem. 

I'll post what I find out. 

Well I have never tried Tiffany's tempbond, but I have read many many great reviews of this install method. I am impressed by the fact that it does not contain chemicals and the removal method is very gentle.

You're right on with that assessment, Frenchie.  If I hadn't needed to call in to place my order(wanted to check stock, and I didn't feel secure putting my card info. in through their website), then I wouldn't have had any problem, I'm certain.  After placing my order, I received timely emails regarding my order, and a shipping notification, so the only issue was with their live customer service. 

I'm VERY impressed with the customer service through Tiffany Twist, however.  Not only did she call me back when I left her a message, she responded to an email I had sent requesting stock information.  In the world of beauty supply, being able to communicate in clear, concise, direct language about stock availability is a bit of a rarity.  And when you're spending a few hundred bucks on hair, or anything actually, having a well organized "front end" customer care department(even if it's just one person) inspires product confidence. 

 

The install is complete!  Here's the skinny.


First of all, let me say that Tiffany Twist/Manemaxx has wonderful customer service.  While I never talked to her, she responded to my email promptly, and even left me a message...yes, she called!  Never had a company return my calls, ever, ever, lol.

Shipping/packaging of the Manemaxx product gets an A plus. 

When I judge value for the dollar, I consider the cost of component parts that are included, those you have to purchase yourself, and I mentally assign a dollar figure for the proprietary technology...i.e. "is this something totally new and different that I can't get anywhere else", "is this what is being advertised", etc.   I bought the starter kit without the hair, which cost about 200$.  In this kit, you get a La Petite wax melting pot, Super Looper Brush, 3oz of the tembond, an eyebrow brush for removing the bonds, 2 alligator type clips, one small metal clip, a fusion shield, a wax stick for stirring the tembond, a rat tail comb, a pamphlet with instructions for installation, a DVD tutorial.  I'm fairly sure I'm not forgetting anything.  The component parts (not counting the tembond, DVD, and pamphlet), if purchased at your local BSS would cost in the neighborhood of 30$.  So 200 less 30 leaves 160$...the you count shipping, another 10$ for us, so we're at 150$ essentially for the tembond, DVD, and pamphlet.  This is a little much.  The pamphlet could be better done, with clearer color photos instead of black and white (and sorta fuzzy honestly).  Seeing the pamphlet made me thankful I purchased the package with the DVD.  As for the DVD tutorial, it's not terrible, and Tiffany Twist is certainly lovely to look at, but some of the shots where she's demo'ing the product aren't in frame clearly, the angle makes it tough to see at times, and I wish she had spent more time showing how to properly install the bonds (maybe a troubleshooting section where she shows some things that can go wrong and how to fix them).  Also, some shots of what consistency the tembond should be would have helped know where to turn the heat in the pot up, or down.  She does a full head install on herself, but it's done in 5X speed which means you can't see any detail at all.  In the package itself, it would have been nice to get a list of products she recommends for washing the bonds, or even better, travel size containers of shampoo/conditioner for those of us that live in BFE and don't readily have access to a lot of stores.  All that being said, I think (totally IMO) a more reasonable price point for what you get would be 125$. 

 
The install was grueling...and I do mean grueling!  To recap, I have very short hair, so I was going to length and fullness.  I did a full head install, probably around 250 bonds, using Bohyme Soft Wave in 18in.  The total install time was about 12 hours, with very few breaks.  Yes, my arms feel like crap today, lol...Motrin is my friend. 

You absolutely need to let the bond melt for an hour on the highest setting before starting your install (with a full 3oz).  I turned it on before taking the kids to school, and by the time I got home (stopped for breakfast), it was the right consistency.  However, you must be careful because this stuff with burn your prints off if you're not careful with the temp!  I was using "smoke" and from my experience, the darker wax colors, and reds, melt much hotter than lighter colors.  The first few bonds were extremely difficult.  Either I was waiting too long to put in on my hair because I wanted to give the wax time to cool a bit, or I'd place it on and pinch the top and bottom, only to jerk my fingers away because the wax was too hot.  There's this happy medium that was difficult to find and maintain, between too hot, and so cool you can't get it on your hair fast enough.  Of course, as I used the bond and there was less in the pot, I had to turn the temp down (not below "wax" setting but right at it). 

Small bonds were easy to make, so I highly recommend this for anyone wanting microbonds around the face for highlights.  The only problem I had with bond size had to do with how to hold the bonds at the top and bottom.  When I'd hold them, as the wax would cool, I would find the top and bottom of the bond were large and flat under my fingers.  Since you can't roll, I have many, many bonds that are flat and somewhat sharp on the edges. 

The "shake" is critical.  Not only does it get rid of the excess bonding agent, but it helps to keep the bonding hairs from separating. 

I put in a lot of bonds, I was getting worried that 3oz wasn't going to be enough.  It was, however, not enough is left for another install, and honestly, I think the starter kit should come with 5oz instead of 3 for a few reasons.  Three oz. doesn't come up very high in the pot when melted, so you're dipping your strands in the hot pot, trying to avoid the very hot sides, while holding a piece of hair (mine wouldn't stay in the shield)...not easy.  And if you find yourself quickly going through what's in the pot, controlling the temp of the wax becomes very difficult...again, having more tembond would lessen the temp variation during the install.  During your maiden install, you want to concentrate on placement and technique, not so much on temp testing the wax every row.

This product can be messy if you're not careful, but cleanup is very easy.  My only complaint is that wax can stick to your fingers, and if you don't clean them between bonds, it gets picked up by your next bond. 

I've had a little shedding from the bonds so far, but nothing bad at all...more about how crappy this hair is in a minute though.

So far, I've only lost 2 bonds.  Two out of 250 isn't bad at all.  It's only been a day though, so I'll update on that as the week progresses. 

Sleeping last night was tough.  The bonds were hard at first, but soft by this morning.  I'm thinking the heat from my head, and living in the South with 76 degree nights probably contributed.  The bonds have shaped more to the contour of my head...so think of your hair as a new baby...the first few nights are going to suck, but if you can get through them, it does get better.

This bonding method is great for hair with a little length to it, but not good for VERY short hair like mine (then again, what is).  If my hair were to my shoulders, I'd be over the moon, but at the moment, you can see some of the bonds, well, a lot of the bonds actually, because I didn't have enough hair in "the flop" to cover them well.  The best thing to do if you have short hair and want to use this system is make your larger bonds towards the bottom where they will be hid by overlying hair, with your smaller bonds on top. 

Also, starting with the front and sides, although necessary during your initial install, is a PITA because the hair gets in the way and keeps you from being able to get a good look at the back when you move to that area.  Even with clips, I fought to keep the hair out of my eyes most of the time. 

As for the Bohyme Soft Wave hair I purchased from hairsisters....this stuff is CRAP, and I do mean a big stinky pile of it, lol.  It was tangling before I could even get it out of the package!!!  I have synthetic hair that feels better than this stuff, and honestly, if I didn't know better, I would swear that it IS synthetic.  It feels like plastic, not at all what I've felt from Bohyme before and I will not be purchasing this hair again...ever, ever.  If you're going to go through all the time and pain of a full head install, you want to use the best hair you can find.  No luck with this stuff so I will be purchasing something different for my next install.

Oh, and having used keratin glue before, as well as a few other products, I can honestly say that the wax from Manemaxx definitely feels different, and more natural.  The proper temp for bonds is warm, not hot, and I felt good about putting it on my hair (when I was able to keep that temp in the pot).  I could tell that this isn't a damaging product, and the bonds that I removed came out very easily...so easily, I'm surprised I haven't lost more bonds!

All in all, I'd give this product a B+ for very short hair full head installs.  Once you get the hang of it, it's actually not hard at all, just time consuming...(helps if you grab yourself a beer), and if I can figure out how to keep the temp/consistency right, along with what to do about the "fingertip" shape left by the cooled wax, I'd say this is at least a definite must try for any DIY'er. 

Off to pop a few more Motrin!

  

Whoohooo...had an eureka moment!  When your bonds are showing, especially with black hair, it's not really the bond itself (at least not for me) but the scalp between the bonds that makes them stand out.  So, I took my Wet n' Wild "blackest black" eye marker (this thing is WAY cool btw), and colored between the bonds on my scalp.  Worked PERFECTLY...not only did the bonds almost disappear, but my scalp hair looks thicker because there's not that giant part.  At first I was just going to use my mascara brush but I knew I'd hit the bonds with it and I wasn't sure if something in the mascara would harm the wax.  Actually going to the scalp was a much better option.  I know they have these markers in all shades of brown, too.  Just an FYI for a quick fix!

Wow Bananas, your review is really great and detailed!!

Thanks for the reassurance Frenchie.  I'm trying not to be discouraged since this hair is SOOO awful.  It's like getting a new car that you love to look at, but hate the way it drives.  The bonds are great, but this hair is totally tangled after one wash.  I've lost less than 10 bonds so far, and that's saying a lot since brushing this hair is like trying to brush steel wool.  The bonds are really, really soft though, which I expect is due to the heat and humidity here in the South. 

As for the price of the starter kit, I can't complain too much since I paid more for this hair and out of the two, the bonding materials will certainly hold up longer than this rat's nest.  Ugh...you spend hours and hours working on something only to realize you're going to have to take it out long before you wanted to...it's terribly frustrating. 

I know it'll go faster on the next install, and I'm already looking for hair recommendations.  And, I have to reorder some tembond.  It actually wears really, really comfortably.  Considering I have a zillion bonds, I haven't been itchy, not like with the fusion I had before...I almost tore my scalp off!  The bonds are easy to mold when they're soft, so all the edges are nice and rounded now.  I really do highly recommend the Manemaxx, I can tell from the texture of the bonds that the bonding material isn't harming, or pulling on my natural hair at all.  It's really not like anything I've seen, and considering all the pulling I've done while brushing, it's holding like a champ.

On a side note, the melting pot is the "la petite wax warming pot"(it comes new and still in the original box when you order the starter kit) and exactly the same one I bought at my local bss when my daughter and I started waxing our own eyebrows.  Of all the things that I would have tweeked about the kit, it's actually a good pot for melting wax, so she picked a nice brand to send out....it's only the amount of tembond that I would change.  Three oz. doesn't come up high enough in the pot to keep you from having to reach in a bit low to dip your hair, and I burned myself on the inside edges of the pot a few times.  Of course, I have a touch of arthritis in my hands, so as the day wore on, I was losing a bit of the mobility in my fingers. 

I hope to post some photos this weekend once my daughter digs our camera out of her room.  I almost hate to post photos of this install though because the hair isn't a good advertisement for the tembond, lol.  I don't want any guilt by association! 

Wow, so cool, the way you describe that type of bond makes me wanna try for sure. Anything comfy and non damaging in the long run, is pretty good in my eyes.

I've been looking for some good virgin indian hair, but my hair is jet black, so I'd have to go through the extra step of coloring the hair myself since all the virgin hair I've found comes in a color closer to 1b- I've found the asian hair is closest to my natural hair color (but it's a trade off since the indian hair is closer to my natural texture).  I also saw a new brand of hair at my local bss, at the moment I can't remember the brand, but it only came is super straight.  The texture was a "light yaki" but omg!...this stuff was SOO soft and wonderful feeling.  Thanks for tip on Divavocal, I'll be sure to PM her if I can't find a vendor rec. on the board.

Manemaxx update-


I wore the tembond for about a week, and lost less than 10 bonds total (out of hundreds).  I had almost every bit of my hair in a bond, so we're talking a lot of bonds, but also a lot of weight, on my head.  Last week wasn't terribly hot for NC, but we had some days of high 80's temps, not to mention how hot the car gets when it sits, so there were plenty of times when the bonds were exposed to 100 degree heat. 

The bonds stayed in my hair well, but they were very, very soft the whole time.  I pinched a few shut, but they didn't stay shut.   The bonds on the top of my head were easy to pinch flat and contour to my head, which was nice and helped hide them.  I got quite a few compliments on how natural my hair looked.  I washed my hair a few times, always with sulfur free shampoo (there's a new line of sulfur free products at CVS) and there was minimal shedding.  I'm really surprised at how well these bonds held considering how soft they were and the level of heat they were exposed to at times.  I have black hair, which really does absorb heat when in the sunlight, and the black bonds got very hot.

I uninstalled for several reasons.  My hair was very hard to section during the initial install, especially in the back where it's the shortest.  My hair wasn't long enough to put in clips, and I started in the front, moving from the sides to the top, then to the back.  This made seeing the back especially difficult since I was installing 18in of hair, and the stuff was all over the place, hanging in eyes (even in clips).  If I had started with the back, it would have been easier, but you've got to get the technique down before you start trying to do it behind your back, backwards in a mirror, lol.  Because I wasn't able to section cleanly, I noticed that I put more bonds in certain areas (like the back-side areas just behind my ears).  Those places started to itch like crazy, although I'm sure it's because of the number of bonds I put in and not the tembond.  I also noticed that in areas where my scalp retains the most heat, the bonds were lightly fusing together and I had to pull them apart several times a day. 

The bonds are wax (or some form thereof), so when they got hot, and very soft, they were quick to stick together.  They were fairly easy to separate, but in the areas where I put the most bonds, the sheer number of them made this time consuming.  The top of my head was one of them, the nape of my neck, and the area behind the ears. 

The uninstall was very easy, and the bonds come out exactly as describe by the Manemaxx site.  The softer bonds were more difficult, since they didn't want to crumble, but if you're uninstalling in a hot/humid climate, that could be fixed by getting in front of a fan, or an a/c vent during your removal. 

Removal IS messy, especially if you're using dark colored tembond.  The dye used in the wax gets on your fingers, forehead, and crumbled bond gets everywhere.  Best way to take them out is to get an old sheet, spread it out on your couch/floor/bed and sit in the middle.  That way you can fold the wax bits up in it and shake it out when you're done.  The really soft bonds didn't come loose easily, and there were a few times when I did pull some hair out by the root- not because I was being impatient. 

The wax that is left in the hair from the bonds wasn't as easy to remove as the bonds themselves.  The wax was soft, and didn't crumble.  I took a fine tooth comb and some hair grease (I'm sure anything with oil in it would work), and went to town.  Once my hair was covered in the oil, I combed through it one section at a time and eventually it all came out.  The part of the uninstall took about half an hour, and about an hour for the actual bond removal making the total time to uninstall 1.5 hours.  Great to do while you're watching a movie! 

All in all, I think this is a great product that does what it says it will do, and provides a natural look.  I don't think it's good for VERY short hair, like mine, since I needed length AND fullness, but in a few months when my natural hair is long enough to cover the bonds, I'm doing it again for sure.  I DO suggest ordering more tembond with your starter kit, especially if you're doing a full head install.  Another 3oz would have made the initial install easier.  This is a great product to use in conjunction with another method, just for adding highlights/lowlights around the face, in thin hair where you don't want tracks to show.  Since you can control the size of the bond by varying amount of hair your dip, microbonds are very easy to do and look totally natural. 

If anyone else has tips or tricks for installing/uninstalling tembond, please post them!  I'm looking forward to doing this again once my hair is a little longer!

Wow thanks again, I really appreciate the detailed review. Placement is really something you work on, through your various installs, whether you're doing lg weft, or tape, or microrings etc. I am still playing with my placement, it is always a little different for each install.

Yes Yes very detailed.  Im going to wait until I get to work tomorrow so I can read it all ;)

Very excited to research this method.  I wish more people would post on this site

Bananas! Thank you so much for your detailed review!!! I am currently waiting for my manemaxx kit to arrive in the mail this week (yah!) and am trolling the web for reviews and any info I can find, so when I hit your review it's like striking gold! I wish people would review products the way you do!

Do you have any pictures you think would help first time installers??

hi,

your reviews are actually amazing. I've messed with clip in extensions and wear them often and they have caused major damage to my hair. but I'm at the point where like i have to keep wearing them because I'm so in love with the long hair, and also because of the damage that they've caused. i have one major concern before investing in this extension method. it is by far the most attractive method to me just by my online research but i have a problem. i am a collegiate athlete and therefore sweat very often and workout multiple times a day. i happen to be a softball player in Louisiana so my head often gets sweaty and hot being outside in this heat. will the bonds stay if i sweat as often as i do and am outside as often as i am? do u think it'll help if i apply the bonds further apart or a little further down my head rather than right on my scalp? i would love your feedback before investing in this product. thanks a million!!

:-)