Any African-american Men W/hair Unit?

TheMissingHair

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All:

Wondering if any African-American males with hair units are lurking on these forums? I have an appointment to get a hair unit installed and was hoping to ask a few questions. It seems hair units for black men are just now becoming popular. That or maybe I just never knew it existed until recently.

If you Google "Wade the Barber" then click Gallery > Hair Units you can see some of the styles. It just so happened the article I read about "man weaves" mentioned this barber, all the articles I read seem to be about Wade, and he just so happens to work out of Maryland so no flying to another state to get it done as I've heard from others.

I'm not completely bald but to get a crisp shape-up I'm forced to now use hair fibers and holding spray. For my balding crown and thinning top I spray Black Ice and/or TopSol. I became very good at it. To the point no one would believe I was balding. The problem is 20-30 minutes to get my hair right in the morning, and I've ruined many a pillow cases! :)


So here are some of my questions...

1. What is maintenance like? When my top hair starts to grow back in, how does that affect the unit?

2. How easy is it to remove and clean?

3. How delicate is it?

4. I get hot easily, am I going to be baking in this thing in the summer?


Basically I love to see any photos you have and hear about your experiences good and bad.

Thanks in advance.
 

TheMissingHair

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Well, so much for that huh? I got it done. Looks good. When I figure out how to blur my face I'll post a pic.
 

Noah

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Hey TMH, sorry you didn't get any response to your message. Seems like we are the local milk people here LOL. Kudos for taking the plunge. I'm glad it's looking good.

Hair systems for African American men do seem to have become a thing in the last 12 months. The first time I ever saw one was this video:

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They went from nothing to amazingly good pretty much overnight. They look so good and so fine that initially I thought they must be using some different technique, but it seems to be just the usual lace system (you will know this better than me). The tight curly hair seems to enable the hair to be cut really short without the base showing.

I can try to answer some of your questions even though I am not African-American:

1. What is maintenance like? When my top hair starts to grow back in, how does that affect the unit?

Once you get used to it it takes about an hour a week. You will release the system with alcohol, soak it in alcohol to get the spent adhesives off it, shampoo it, condition it, let it dry, buzz and stubble on your hairpiece area, and then re-apply. I change mine every week, but lots of guys leave it for longer - 10-14 days is pretty average. However, if you leave it on too long the adhesives start to break down and mix with your scalp oils, and then they become grungy and difficult to clean off. So there is an ideal point for doing maintenance, where you get the maximum wear but the minimum clean-up time, and it will be different for each person. Regrowth isn't an issue if you are doing maintenance every 14 days or less. The hair doesn't grow that much in that time.

2. How easy is it to remove and clean?

Easy. Just make sure you soak the adhesive areas with alcohol for long enough to allow it to do its job in breaking the bond before you pull away the piece, so as not to cause shedding. Shampooing is just normal. It's important to condition the unit well after you shampoo, and it is best to keep the conditioner off the base and the knots. I scrunch the base of my unit up in my fist and just condition the hair shafts which are sticking out.

3. How delicate is it?

Not that delicate. The only issue I have ever had is ripping the lace with the tooth of a comb, so best to get a brush or comb with rounded teeth.

4. I get hot easily, am I going to be baking in this thing in the summer?


If you are wearing a lace piece, it's exactly the same from a temperature point of view as having your hair back. The base is totally airy and almost non-existent, so it doesn't trap heat at all, but of course the hair does.

Good luck, and enjoy the new hair!
Noah
 
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