Advice For The Following As I Am Not Sure What To Do ?

munt · Feb 21, 2018

Hi to all

I have been considering a hair piece for sometime now and always put if off for various reasons mainly i don't want to do this and look a total twat like some of the guys i've seen on youtube it just don't look real at all
( sorry to be so frank but its the truth ).

I live in the uk in the South East Anglia area and the options are limited for me to get a consultation as there is only one guy called Chris Chapman which i did make an appointment to see but i changed my mind and did not attend . The reason why i did not attend was purely because when i spoke to him everything was going fine until i asked if he could style my new hair into a (1950s) pompadour to which he replied never heard of that style which seemed strange due to his age , as he was clearly around in that era so after some thought i decided to cancel the appointment.

I have recently found a salon ( The Red House, Hall St, Long Melford, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 9JQ ) which seems to use Total Cover Plus hair pieces i believe , but i have not yet contacted them.
any member used or heard anything about them ?.

I think for the initial first time i would like to have this done at a salon as they should have more experience in getting the correct piece and know the correct density shape and style im would like to achieve.

The type of base im looking for is unclear to me Lace ? polyskin ? due to my work as im on stage most weekends (singer) and i do breakout in a sweat whilst working, but during the day i just do normal day to day routine mainly at home or in the garden.

I have read that poly skin pieces are fine but they,
1 Don't breathe very well and trap the moisture in .
2 Give you a better undetectable hairline .
3 But don't last as long .

I have also read that lace systems are also fine but they dont,
1 Have such a undetectable hairline .
2 Breathe better than polyskin.
3 And last longer than polyskin .

Once i have had the new system fitted by the salon color matched , cut in to the style i would like , i would like to go down the DIY route as i have the following available to me,
1 A good hairdresser who is willing to cut and blend the new DIY peice in for me.
2 Also attach the DIY piece should i require them to , but my aim to to attach myself .

When i go for the consultation what questions should i be asking to make sure i get what i want from them , and not what they want me to have as my age is 56 and i don't want to look 20 with a cat stuck on my head.

thanks for any help in getting what i wish to achieve
munt

Noah · Feb 21, 2018

Hi Munt

You are quite right: there are some very unnatural looking hairpieces on YouTube, and not all of them are from cheap outlets. But take it from me, it is possible to achieve a very natural undetectable look if you go to the right place and exercise good judgment in what you aim for. I will send you a PM about individual salons.

For anyone who sweats a lot my recommendation would be to go for lace and avoid skin. I don't think there is much difference between fine lace and thinskin in terms of longevity. I would say lace gives a more undetectable hairline, but skin mimics scalp better, so it looks better if you are going for a very low density piece with a lot of 'skin' showing, or if people are often looking down on top of your head. Skin is definitely an easier clean-up than lace. Skin is normally attached with a full-scalp glue bond, whereas lace is usually attached just at the perimeter, and you can use tape of glue.

But breathability is the big difference. Lace is very breathable - water and sweat just runs through it, and you can feel the rain and wind on your scalp. Thinskin is a very fine impermeable plastic film sitting on your scalp.

Noah

BaldBearded · Feb 21, 2018

Hi Munt,

I am betting that @Noah and @grincher will chime in, but I will give you what I know, as a person who is in the process of getting my first unit.

I live in Israel but am using a company called OneHead Hair Replacement (http://oneheadhair.com). They can do everything via video chat, I personally decided to fly to Madrid, for a consult. I believe that they have a place in London.

I am getting Lace, because I live in a hot climate, and tend to sweat.

If you go DIY, you should check out https://www.myhairexperience.com, Curtis, is awesome.

In order for a hair system to look good, it needs to have the right color and density. If you want a pompadour you will need to have the unit correctly vented (if using lace, knots tied in a way to support hair going back, and exposing hairline). If you don't want it to look like roadkill, make sure the density is correct for your age, remaining hair. That is why so many systems look fake. Also, the color needs to be right. My system is varying from 60-80% grey, as well 60-80% density, depending on zone. OneHead sat with me for hours, figuring out what would work.

Any good company will work with you.

I have seen the Total Cover Plus videos, and frankly, I think their systems look, terrible. I have heard excellent things about UK Hairsystems. (http://www.ukhairsystems.com/).

Best of luck, let us know how it goes.

Steve

munt · Feb 25, 2018

Hi to all

Just an update ......

Went to see Chris and we got on great Here's what was discussed.

Hair system type is a light to medium density mono piece
Size 18 cm long and 10 cm wide.
colour is a brown shade number 2
The piece will be custom made using real hair @10 cm long

He has suggested that i keep my front of my hair to soften the piece.

As you can see from the above its quite small in size but he has said it will give me what is required for my needs as i have an abundance of hair to use as i have only lost a small amount of top hair.
He also said he would keep the hair i have on top ( not shave the hair just for a trial period ) so i can get to see what it would look like without any alteration to how i can style it at the moment.

Hope im doing the right thing as im nervous about looking a twat ( im sure we all felt like that in the beginning. )
During the consultation he only took a brief measurement of the piece required , he never took a template of my head ?
He said he would contact the piece maker so im thinking he will do the template once i agree on the price ? as this was not discussed .

He also said that glue is ok to use but it leaks through the lace and will get into the hair is this so ?

munt