Damage Control pt. 2, Karen, I need immediate help!

Remember me, starring role in the theatrical production where our own hair had to be put into big 50's bouffants? I'm home from our first dress rehersal, and we had the hair done so we could get used to dancing in it and troubleshoot any problems.My stylist was very nice and understanding that I wanted minimal damage done to my waist length hair. She started off trying to do as little teasing, etc... as necessary but for the demands of the production and of having a style that wouldn't fall apart during the dances, etc... she ended up having to do a great deal of teasing and use a ton of hairspray. The finished style was kind of a big poofy french twist up the back and kind of a big beehive on top, but with a a side part that kind of draped across one eye before getting swept up into the beehive. She did a really good job with it and it was quite entertaining to watch being created and really a marvel in engineering. I was nervous at first and kind of biting my lip but after a while just kind of said "What the Hell" and enjoyed it since this is going to happen again for 2 more dress rehearsals and 9 performances. It did hold together for the whole performance even though I could feel it sway a bit from time to time. It definitely needed all the teasing and spraying she did to stay up.But anyway, here I am at home and for the past hour I've tried to get my hair back to normal using detangler and T.L.C. but I obviously don't know what I'm doing. I've got this giant 12 inch high mass of teased hair on my head that is so stiff it is almost one solid mass. Can someone take me step by step through the unteasing process for VERY long, VERY teased and VERY sprayed hair? I'll wait up for a little bit and then I'm going to bed. I hope sleeping on it doesn't do any further damage. I need to get good at this because I'm going to have to do it 11 more times!Karen or someone, please help me out ASAP. For the record my hair is all one length to my waist and very straight and in excellent condition, although right now you would never know that.Stephanie

Kevin,You didn't write anything, just reposted my first letter. If you have something to say let me know.Stephanie

Hi Stephanie,OUCH....so sorry to hear about your hair. Sounds like you have a long production ahead of you.I am so sorry I missed your first post. I slipped out of town for a few days to try and get some sleep. LOL. The only way is to separate me from the computer and then my brain slows down a little. :-)I read the post from Laura Jane and I think she had a lot of great tips. I would take her advice.Whenever I have my hair highlighted they put it in a cap and when it is time to take the cap off, it is usually tangled. My hairstylist carefully wets my hair and then globs on a lot of conditioner and then carefully, from the bottom, picks the tangles out. It takes a while though and it does hurt a little.Basically I can't improve on anything that Laura Jane said but I will see if I can find out anything else that might help.Hang in there. So sorry.Karen> Kevin,> You didn't write anything, just reposted my first> letter. If you have something to say let me know.> Stephanie

Karen,It took me almost 4 hours to undo the teasing, and I'm sure I did some damage in the process even though I was as kind as possible. Our next dress rehearsals are Tuesday and Thursday with our first performances this Saturday and Sunday. Please let me know as soon as possible any other advice or this could be a long 3 weeks and take all the fun out of what should be one of the fun highlights of my life.Stephanie

>We originally were supposed to use wigs and have them and tried numerous times with them. Unfortunately the dance sequences are very acrobatic and they either flew off or started leaning to the side. The wig experts on the staff did what you are suggesting and they held for the most part but sometimes an incorrectly executed move knocked them off or yanked them so hard and it really hurt! That is why all involved basically voted on not using the wigs. With our own hair we didn't have any problems with hairdos falling out and improperly performed moves didn't hurt like having hairpins yanked across your head. So for the performance it has been better. Unfortunately for me who has the longest hair on the cast by far it is turning out to be a real problem. Thanks for the suggestion though!Stephanie

Hi Stephanie,I called a hair stylist I know who has worked on medium to long hair in the past and she told me of one case where a woman client was in a car accident and in the hospital for 3 weeks and never combed or brushed her hair and no one else did either.Her bra length hair was a total tangled mess. This stylist and 2 of her stylist friends spent literally hours detangling the hair because the woman did not want it cut. There were several knots that they were sure had to be cut out, but somehow they got through them.Here is what they found:1. They got spray bottles with warm water and carefully spritzed a small part of tangled mess. Then they used a giant pick and bottles of leave-in spray. She said they used Joico Integrity because it has cones (amodimethicone) in it with makes the hair slippery and easier to detangle.2. They each took a section and from the bottom, picked and detangled and picked and detangling...spraying as they went along.3. After they got all of the tangles out, the stylist had to trim some of the ends because of the damage. :-(4. The stylist applied a deep conditioning pak to the entire head and hair and then wrapped her hair in a plastic cap and then put her in a heat cap (from the beauty supply store) and then put her under the hair dryer. She sat and her hair "cooked" for 1 hour.5. The client's hair came out OK.The stylist told me to tell you to condition, condition, condition in between performances and just be as careful as you can.I will continue to ask for you. Hang in there.Hope this helps a little.Karen> Stephanie

>I can't believe you willingly teased and sprayed your hair just to give me advice! You are either the world's most generous helper or insane. I'll try some of what you did after our next dress rehearsal which is coming up shortly.For the record, how long is your hair right now and how much did you tease and spray it?Stephanie

> Karen,Thanks for all the efforts you are making on my behalf. I am sure that with everyone's help I can get through this thing and maybe even enjoy it a little.Stephanie

Hi,This is my pleasure.I did find an article written by Vidal Sassoon stylists Elizabeth and Tim Hartley who work behind the scenes at the international designer shows.To just cut to the gist of how they deal with model's hair...here is a direct quote of what they recommend for models that have their hair done and redone and redone."To make sure you are camera-ready", Elizabeth and Tim recommend "using two new styling innovations". First, they protect the hair against heat styling with Vidal Sassoon Heat Defense, which, according to Elizabeth and Tim, "leaves hair with a smooth, shiny finish".To help model's hair withstand the torture tests of styling and restyling, they use "Vidal Sassoon hairspray with Formesilk". "Some hairsprays get really tacky to the touch, but this one doesn't do that. It's perfect for versatile cuts. You can spray it through the hair, brush through it and the hair falls back beautifully into place," says Elizabeth. "With a little know how and the right product you'll be ready for your close-up. "Basic answers:1. They use a good leave in conditioner2. They use a soft hair spray that prevents damage and allows for massive recombing.This does really help with the "undo" but it gives some insight into what other hair stylists are doing.Just some other info to pass on. :-)I am going to keep searching. :-)Best wishes,Karen> Thanks for all the efforts you are making on my> behalf. I am sure that with everyone's help I can get> through this thing and maybe even enjoy it a little.> Stephanie

>What a relief to know you didn't tease all of your hair. I wouldn't wish this upon anyone. It's kind of funny though that once you conceed that it is going to happen and necessary the whole process is almost amusing. Looking in the mirror at a whole head of severly teased hair as long as ours is quite a site and the before-after transformation is really something. Geeze, listen to me. I must finally be accepting the next 3 weeks of hair torture.If nothing else I've learned that in the hands of a talented stylist you can do some amazing things with very long hair, and if you're willing to put up with the hassle you could really amaze people on occassions like Halloween or such.