My once beautiful long hair is finally growing back in from chemotherapy for breast cancer. I had had it bonded by my hair salon about 6 months ago with Cinderella bonds that shed like a cat almost immediately and had hair that was split and damaged before I ever even washed it.I took a chance on ordering 2-18 inch packs of #613 and 2-16 inch packs of #613 of laavoo hair. The hair looked beautiful and was a perfect match for my own color, but there is no way of telling until it's been washed, conditioned and blown out over a few weeks to really know how it will hold up.My stylist, who specializes in hot fusion bonds, put in 1 pack of the 18 inch laavoo hair (50 U tips) and one pack of Cinderella hair (25 U tips) 5 days ago. I have very fine hair and a tiny head, so more would not have been possible (this amount also equals a full head of hair for me). We are experimenting to see which hair holds up better.After one wash, conditioning and blow dry yesterday, the high priced Cinderella hair was tangling in the middle, while the laavoo hair stayed tangle-fee, but did shed quite a bit. The laavoo hair has more weight to it than the much more expensive hair though and combed out better.One star off for how huge the actual keratin U-tip are and the shedding. My stylist tried to cut some of the tip off with great difficulty. This is an FYI for those with fine hair or those who want to be able to pull it back without the bond showing (the more expensive type has much smaller Keratin u-tips).I will update this review after 4 weeks in, but for now, I'd like to thank other reviewers for their input as it helped me choose laavoo hair. You were all correct in saying the hair is thicker than most online hair, even though each strand is a bit different in strand width, health and quality. As the industry is unregulated, it's hard to know what you're getting and with blonde hair, just how much processing went into coloring the hair (causing damage).If my laavoo hair holds up well, my stylist, who does at least 10 hot fusion bondings per month on clients, will be ordering directly from laavoo hair instead of the company that charges $125-$150 per pack. We are both hoping this is the case.I hope others will try this brand and leave reviews on their experiences. Also, if this is your first time with bonds, please remember on length that it's not going from the top of your head. The lower layers will fall much longer - I'm 5'7 with a long neck and the 18 inch lower tiers fall just a few inches above my waist.Update 5/13/17: hair has been washed, conditioned, blown dry twice a week and my own roots above the bonds colored once over four weeks time. Shedding is normal for bond hair and definitely occurs (these shed the same as much more expensive bonds). The bonds themselves are holding up well and the hair looks good (just thinner). Minor tangling at the ends responds well to Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer. Color has not faded at all. Overall, incredibly satisfied with both the 16" and 18" laavoo U Tips and both my hair salon and I will not go back to paying ridiculous amounts for Cinderella hair. Thank you for providing such a wonderful alternative to Great Lengths and Cinderella hair, especially for women whose hair is growing back from chemotherapy on a budget due to medicals. I look like me again!
