SO... YAH!!! I'm so happy that I used the manemaxx method of installing extensions
I think the hardest part for me was controlling the amount of bond on the extension hair. A lot of my bonds have too much of the bonding agent and they feel a bit on the thicker side, like maybe a toothpick and a half type of thickness, not too dramatic. I think that the next install will be MUCH easier. The first day I began installing the bottom row at the nape of my neck, about 1 1/2 inches from my hairline at the nape, and from hairline to hairline leaving about 1/2 inch from the ends to allow coverage for a ponytail/updo. About the third bond into the install, the extension would just fall out leaving all the bond in my hair. I would break up the bond in my hair and try to comb it out, but it was so soft... it wouldn't crumble... and I would end up combing out my natural hair from the root! I would try again and the same thing would happen, only the bond would stay in my hair and the extension hair would just fall out... this happened like 5 times on two different bonds over about an hour and a half period of time! I was getting super frustrated. I couldn't see close enough to observe what was actually going on, but I remembered a tutorial video of Tiffany's that I watched on youtube.com where she showed how to install a bond without even using mirrors or anything, she did it without looking at all. I re-watched the video and realized that I was attaching the tip of the extension first and I wasn't laying the rest of the hair on my natural hair, so the bond wasn't able to seep through to secure the hair.
So, I tried again, this time not using a mirror (I found that using a mirror was only useful when picking up a section to bond and parting, but not for actually looking at what I was doing as I was bonding). I placed the extension on my hair, not from the tip of the hair down, but from the bottom of the bond first then gently pressed the tip of my finger on the tip of the bond/extension into the section of hair. Presto! Viola! From there on out I didn't have any more issues, other than dipping the hair too far down into the pot and getting too much bond on it... but no biggie anyways. So, a mirror, for me, isn't needed to install the bonds, it was much easier when I stopped looking in the mirror. I only used the mirror when I needed to get a straight part in the back and when I was picking up the section to bond to.
It took me about 8 hours to do it... keep in mind that the first two hours I wasn't using the best technique. The next day I saw a huge disconnect between my hair in the front and the natural hair on the sides, so I took about 30 mins to install some more pieces around the front. Later in the day I went to my stylist who blended everything together and made the extensions look just a bit more polished (I would highly recommend to anyone who has short hair to do this- it really makes a HUGE difference).
This install was definitely a learning experience. I think that it's definitely a process and no one should expect it to be easy at first, especially if you've never worked with material like this or have never installed strand-by-strand extensions before. I felt pretty well prepared because I studied the technique for about 4 weeks before I installed. I read every review, watched every video, sometimes more than once. I installed practice bonds a week before the full install... and I STILL had a hard time at first. But, all I can say is that it's worth it. I haven't had the bonds in for a long time, only two days, but I am soooo happy with the way it looks.
I have pretty short hair (you will see in the pics below) and consequently had to place the bonds pretty high up on the sides in the back in order to blend well, and no one can tell! They have to look really close even when I pull up my hair to show them the bonds (the color of the bond is basically camouflaged).
Oh- one other thing I thought was kinda difficult is that the bond is so far down in the pot, and the sides and edges of the metal pot get sooo hot, I continuously burned the tops of my knuckles as I would dip the extension in the bond and accidentally touch the edge. The pot is somewhat narrow, so just be careful of that. If there was more bond in the pot, I doubt you'd have a problem like this, but you may have a problem of over-dipping and getting too much bond if you're not careful.
p.s. Don't freak if bond spills all over your wood floor. My dad didn't see the cord, tripped over it and the whole pot went flying and the bond look like it exploded all over my dark wood floor... We scrapped it off with plastic spatulas and rubbed the remaining film off with olive-oil soaked micro-fiber cloths and it all came up. It was kinda a freaky experience, plus I wasn't completely done installing. Luckily there was enough remaining bond that was thicker and stayed in the pot that I was able to finish the full install (HUGE sigh of relief there! LOL)
So, I think that is it.
Before
Getting Ready to Install
The first section
I was about the third or fourth row
All done! Straight
Curled
Front
I have a steamer that I use on my wood floors for when they get really dirty and in the areas where there was a film it would clean right up with that too... the hair dryer is a great idea as well though!