Daily Wearer. Five Weeks In And Wearing A System Couldn't Be Easier. [pics]

[Laconian]

So I'm five weeks in and my side hair has finally grown to a length where I no longer look like Bert from Sesame Street.

My bio hair is coarse and thick so I was worried initially about how well it would blend with the much better quality system hair. Well, perhaps it isn't perfect, but I'm very satisfied with the effect and minimal maintenance.

This hair system has taken years off my face and boosted my confidence and quality of life to no end.

I really recommend any men out there battling male pattern baldness to give a hair system a try. It took me several months, hundreds of Youtube videos and countless hours of reading forums before I finally decided to take the plunge.

And the crazy thing is that when I finally got the system I was ready to toss it out after the first day. Why? Because I had a high-maintenance glued-down exposed hairline and a long, inconvenient hairstyle. It was a nightmare.

But I decided to give it one more shot, went back to my technician and cut the system significantly shorter and this time went for an unexposed hairline and only tape. That was five weeks ago.

Since that time, I've slept in my system only the first two nights. After those two nights, I became a daily wearer, meaning that I remove my system at night and put it on in the morning. Best thing ever for me. It literally takes a few minutes with my method.

I won't get into my method here because I've already written about it in detail in this thread: https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...f-taking-another-shot-at-wearing-hair.124295/

The products I use:

Syoss Pure Smooth shampoo ($4 USD)
Garnier, Fructis, Papaya Hair Food Mask ($5 USD)
Chi Argan Oil Leave-in Conditioner ($12 USD) (also use it as my only styling product)
Walker Ultra Hold Mini Tabs ($17 USD where I live, one pack will last me about 3 - 4 months.)
Rubbing alcohol

I've been washing and deep conditioning the system once a week, but I want to stretch that out to at least 10 days. Tomorrow is day seven for my system and it still looks very fresh. The Chi Argan Oil is doing a great job and the fact that I take the system off before I shower and go to sleep really helps keep the system clean and fresh.

Another benefit of being a daily wearer is that you can take a day off and just wear a baseball cap if you don't have any social plans. I also wear a cap to the gym on the days when I know I'll be sparring. That way instead of having to de-re the system at the gym, I can just leave it at home and simply take off the cap for the sparring sessions.

Once again, for anyone out there hesitating: just go for it. But learn to be independent, think outside the box and create a method that works for you. What your salon gives you is just the foundation. The rest is on you.

 

[Hair Newbie]

So I'm five weeks in and my side hair has finally grown to a length where I no longer look like Bert from Sesame Street.

My bio hair is coarse and thick so I was worried initially about how well it would blend with the much better quality system hair. Well, perhaps it isn't perfect, but I'm very satisfied with the effect and minimal maintenance.

This hair system has taken years off my face and boosted my confidence and quality of life to no end.

I really recommend any men out there battling male pattern baldness to give a hair system a try. It took me several months, hundreds of Youtube videos and countless hours of reading forums before I finally decided to take the plunge.

And the crazy thing is that when I finally got the system I was ready to toss it out after the first day. Why? Because I had a high-maintenance glued-down exposed hairline and a long, inconvenient hairstyle. It was a nightmare.

But I decided to give it one more shot, went back to my technician and cut the system significantly shorter and this time went for an unexposed hairline and only tape. That was five weeks ago.

Since that time, I've slept in my system only the first two nights. After those two nights, I became a daily wearer, meaning that I remove my system at night and put it on in the morning. Best thing ever for me. It literally takes a few minutes with my method.

I won't get into my method here because I've already written about it in detail in this thread: https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...f-taking-another-shot-at-wearing-hair.124295/

The products I use:

Syoss Pure Smooth shampoo ($4 USD)
Garnier, Fructis, Papaya Hair Food Mask ($5 USD)
Chi Argan Oil Leave-in Conditioner ($12 USD) (also use it as my only styling product)
Walker Ultra Hold Mini Tabs ($17 USD where I live, one pack will last me about 3 - 4 months.)
Rubbing alcohol

I've been washing and deep conditioning the system once a week, but I want to stretch that out to at least 10 days. Tomorrow is day seven for my system and it still looks very fresh. The Chi Argan Oil is doing a great job and the fact that I take the system off before I shower and go to sleep really helps keep the system clean and fresh.

Another benefit of being a daily wearer is that you can take a day off and just wear a baseball cap if you don't have any social plans. I also wear a cap to the gym on the days when I know I'll be sparring. That way instead of having to de-re the system at the gym, I can just leave it at home and simply take off the cap for the sparring sessions.

Once again, for anyone out there hesitating: just go for it. But learn to be independent, think outside the box and create a method that works for you. What your salon gives you is just the foundation. The rest is on you.

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Looks really good @Laconian . I think a large majority of wearers are preferred to wear 10-14 plus days. I feel like you and I are the minority who prefer to sleep without the system.

 

[NYCHairGuy]

Count me in on the "hate to sleep in the system" thing. The one time I did it, it felt like I was wearing a hat and I was up half the night worrying about messing up the system in my sleep--which of course I did by sweating during the night.

 

[Hair Newbie]

Count me in on the "hate to sleep in the system" thing. The one time I did it, it felt like I was wearing a hat and I was up half the night worrying about messing up the system in my sleep--which of course I did by sweating during the night.

I got used to sleeping and kept the system on for 10-14 days when I first started wearing it. I have an oily scalp and tend to sweat a lot especially doing any cardio exercises. It bothers me that I can't clean or rub my scalp daily with all the dried sweat trap underneath. Once I learned that daily removed workout for me it's like to win the lottery.

 

[BaldBearded]

WOW you look amazing. Doesn't hurt that you have good looks to start with!!!

 

[deg_dilemma]

Looks good man, and natural. Happy to hear you're loving it.

 

[Noah]

Nah, you look too feminine there. Just kidding, you look terrific man. Great beard too btw: it looks like velvet. Kudos for putting up full-face photos.

 

[newbiemicroneedler]

Like others are saying you look handsome to begin with n the hair complements it. But is there a reason you went for a lighter hair color?? Your beard is way darker, I am assuming that's your natural color or do you dye it?

 

[Laconian]

Nah, you look too feminine there. Just kidding, you look terrific man. Great beard too btw: it looks like velvet. Kudos for putting up full-face photos.

Actually as a daily wearer I oscillate between the feminine and masculine. The contrast is striking. During the day I'm looking handsome & pretty and can't stop checking out and playing with my hair in the mirror. But at night I transform into a hideous Gargamel-like predator on the prowl for underage smurfs.

Like others are saying you look handsome to begin with n the hair complements it. But is there a reason you went for a lighter hair color?? Your beard is way darker, I am assuming that's your natural color or do you dye it?

I wanted the hair system to match my eyebrows and bio hair on my head, which is significantly lighter than my naturally almost-black beard.

It's summer time and I've had some sun exposure, so my system is starting to get a little lighter. I'll go for demi-permanent colouring (Goldwell Colorance) when the contrast becomes too noticeable.

 

[cottonReville]

Looking great.

Have you faded that 5 weeks' growth, or is that how you piece falls on the 5 weeks' worth?

I ask because that looks short to me for 5 weeks.

I've daily worn since I got into this a month ago, and got sick of seeing myself at night without my piece, and big hair on the sides, so one I just shaved my whole head, going for the extreme undercut.

It looked good, aesthetically, but I felt like I looked like some kind of serious murderer, w that cut.

12 days later I had enough stubble on the sides that I dyed my hair dark brown & looked a lot more respectable.

The only issue is, I got drunk within a few days and shaved my head again!

I think that was a week ago, so I'm going to dye dark again.

II.

But the undercut is the way to go. Bald on the sides, hair on the top is extreme - but a nice fade is easy to maintain, modern & basically precludes the possibility of detection, as the average person's idea of what a toupee is, is inaccurate

 

[tabletable]

If it wasnt posted on this forum and I had to guess if I thought the hair or beard was fake Id put my money on the beard. Looks great!

 

[cottonReville]

Eyebrows and beard should be darker than hair on top of head...

 

[Laconian]

@cottonReville, I'm fading the sides by myself about once a week but I haven't touched the top side hair at all in over six weeks now so that's all the growth I've had. Maybe it looks shorter than usual because my bio hair is really curly. For now I'll keep growing it in and see where that gets me.

I'll have to dye my system shortly. In artificial lighting (like for example in the pics I posted) the piece looks natural but in daylight there's a noticeable contrast now between my bio hair and the system. It definitely got lighter since I started wearing it.

I'll be using Goldwell Colorance demi-permanent dye as it has the best reviews in general and seems to be popular among system wearers as well. Here's a colour chart: https://www.hair-gallery.it/extra/colorance-IT/#page/4

 

[kyuss]

Instead of having to take your system off every time you shower you might want to invest in some cheap shower caps. I get packs from the dollar store to keep my system dry when I want to have a quick shower.

 

[cottonReville]

Instead of having to take your system off every time you shower you might want to invest in some cheap shower caps. I get packs from the dollar store to keep my system dry when I want to have a quick shower.

Same.

 

[cottonReville]

Instead of having to take your system off every time you shower you might want to invest in some cheap shower caps. I get packs from the dollar store to keep my system dry when I want to have a quick shower.

Plus, they come in handy for shaving & face washing, the latter of which I do twice a day

 

[cottonReville]

@cottonReville, I'm fading the sides by myself about once a week but I haven't touched the top side hair at all in over six weeks now so that's all the growth I've had. Maybe it looks shorter than usual because my bio hair is really curly. For now I'll keep growing it in and see where that gets me.

I'll have to dye my system shortly. In artificial lighting (like for example in the pics I posted) the piece looks natural but in daylight there's a noticeable contrast now between my bio hair and the system. It definitely got lighter since I started wearing it.

I'll be using Goldwell Colorance demi-permanent dye as it has the best reviews in general and seems to be popular among system wearers as well. Here's a colour chart: https://www.hair-gallery.it/extra/colorance-IT/#page/4

Sounds good. Heard anything about Bigen? It's permanent, but way, way less destructive than typical Revlon type dyes. as it doesn't strip-then-deposit. It merely deposits, which is to say, you can only darken your hair with it.

 

[Laconian]

Instead of having to take your system off every time you shower you might want to invest in some cheap shower caps. I get packs from the dollar store to keep my system dry when I want to have a quick shower.

That's a good tip but I shower at night so the system comes off either way. Plus I like to wash my bio hair and scalp thoroughly every day as it gets very oily and dirty very fast.

Sounds good. Heard anything about Bigen? It's permanent, but way, way less destructive than typical Revlon type dyes. as it doesn't strip-then-deposit. It merely deposits, which is to say, you can only darken your hair with it.

I've just finished reading a bit about Bigen. I like how it's not only ammonia but also peroxide free, but I'm not touching anything permanent. I'll be darkening my hair and based on reviews a lot of dyes in general have a tendency to leave the hair black or almost black.

I'll be very careful and meticulous with my colouring process. Goldwell Colorance instructions say to leave it in for 20-25 minutes, but for starters I'll go for 5-10 minutes and see where that gets me. It's always easy to darken hair, but lightening it is pure destruction.

 

[cottonReville]

That's a good tip but I shower at night so the system comes off either way. Plus I like to wash my bio hair and scalp thoroughly every day as it gets very oily and dirty very fast.




I've just finished reading a bit about Bigen. I like how it's not only ammonia but also peroxide free, but I'm not touching anything permanent. I'll be darkening my hair and based on reviews a lot of dyes in general have a tendency to leave the hair black or almost black.

I'll be very careful and meticulous with my colouring process. Goldwell Colorance instructions say to leave it in for 20-25 minutes, but for starters I'll go for 5-10 minutes and see where that gets me. It's always easy to darken hair, but lightening it is pure destruction.

Ok, I'm definitely not looking for black hair!

I'm trying to send the unit back to Lord for a reasonable medium brown color. This thing is blonde.

...

Going to read about Goldwell Colorance. Thanks for the tip.

 

[cottonReville]

That's a good tip but I shower at night so the system comes off either way. Plus I like to wash my bio hair and scalp thoroughly every day as it gets very oily and dirty very fast.




I've just finished reading a bit about Bigen. I like how it's not only ammonia but also peroxide free, but I'm not touching anything permanent. I'll be darkening my hair and based on reviews a lot of dyes in general have a tendency to leave the hair black or almost black.

I'll be very careful and meticulous with my colouring process. Goldwell Colorance instructions say to leave it in for 20-25 minutes, but for starters I'll go for 5-10 minutes and see where that gets me. It's always easy to darken hair, but lightening it is pure destruction.

I just bought Bigen semi, and it sounds exactly like what you have, right down to the processing time, which I'm not going to play around with.

Have you tried it yet?

Any issued with the lace or knots getting colored?