First time wearer looking for expert online consultation

[powerguy2011]

Hi all, been lurking in this forum and found tons of useful information.

However the negative encounters scared me and I opted to go with professional service.

The price is not an issue for me as I want the best thing possible. I found a hair center that uses CNC hair for around 5k$ for a system.

again the price is not an issue, but after consulting with them I couldnt reach to agreement. They say its custom but then the density they have is only 1,2 and 3.

Also my hair is a bit tricky As I have miniaturization hairloss type with a strong hairline. Thats why I thought a partial system would be great for me. and the CNC offers non-shaven method which makes it even better as a first time wearer that is not sure about commiting. specially that my mid part have enough hair and I dont feel good shaving it for different reasons.

The main problem is they did not understand my style. I wanted the system to act as a support for my current native hair and want it to be just burried under the native hair from all edges instead of acting as a double layer hair.

I was looking for hair system expert who have knowledge and can offer paid online consultation to show him my hair and come up with a plan for how to style it

 

[grincher]

While price may not be an issue, I want to chip in and say $5k for a unit seems unjustified because once you go over a certain level (as with most things in life) there is a marked diminishing of returns. In my years of wearing, I do not see a strong link between price and quality (over a certain level).

 

[deg_dilemma]

I can't advise on a supplier as I'm in the UK, but $5k is just stupid. Don't get drawn in by their marketing hype.

Even $1k will get you an amazing premium system. With recent inflationary cost increases, I pay around $700 a system and it's fully customised for my requirements.

 

[powerguy2011]

Thing is I really need to keep my native hair and their 3d base system with their medical grade installation method is the only one I found that can be installed without shaving your bio hair. I would like to keep whatever hair is there. Also they claim that their system lasts for 1 year plus

 

[Hair2019]

Thing is I really need to keep my native hair and their 3d base system with their medical grade installation method is the only one I found that can be installed without shaving your bio hair. I would like to keep whatever hair is there. Also they claim that their system lasts for 1 year plus

I hate to break it to you, but you are being sold a bill of goods. You're being scammed by a company who is preying on your inexperience to take your money basically. NO hair system should ever cost $5000 for a start. Even $500 is higher than most good quality custom systems cost.

You cannot keep all your bio hair with a hair system. You have to shave at least some of it (or all of it if you go for a full cap). The hair system then attaches to the area you shaved, using tape and/or glue. I have not heard of any method of attaching a hair system without tape or glue, unless you're talking some sort of clip in hairpiece, which is more of a clunky 'wig' than a 'hair system'.

Also, NO hair system, no matter how good, is going to last you a year. Even if you push it to a year, it will be well past its best by then. ALL hair systems shed hair and eventually get to the point where they no longer look good. Depending on the type of base, density of the hair and quality of the system, you'll get 6 to 9 months absolute tops (with a lace system) where it still looks good. With a skin system, you can expect 3 to 4 months in my experience. A year? Maybe if it's a clunky mono base, but don't expect that to look natural or look good for the whole year.

 

[HairlessWhisper]

Hi,
The reason they are saying you don't have to shave your hair is because their CNC base is opaque, meaning you can not see through it. Most men prefer thin, transparent bases that allow you to see the real scalp underneath it.

However, most companies offer some opaque base types. For example, there are thick poly bases (over 1mm) which come in different skin tones, as well as silk top bases which have 3 layers with the hair knotted into the middle layer. These bases, like the CNC product, are designed to create the appearance of a 'second scalp' that sits on top of your scalp from which the hair appears to grow, instead of allowing your own scalp to show through.

I personally have worn thick poly skin with injected hair, and the realism is excellent as long as you don't wear the hair in a style that exposes the front edge.

You could use a strong hair gel like got2b glued to attach it, so that you will be able to remove the hairpiece without tearing your growing hair.

However, all of these pieces will sit on top of your hair.

I think I understand what you want, which is for the base of the hairpiece to have openings that your own hair can pass through, so that it can be incorporated into the hairstyle, instead if covering it. I have heard about something like that, I believe it was a mono base or something with very large openings in the mesh. You have to understand, though, that the realism of these pieces is quite poor. The finer mesh bases such as Swiss lace will give better realism, but will not allow your hair to pass through.

I think a consultation for you would be more about managing expectations, and presenting you with a number options that are not exactly what you want, so you can choose for yourself which is the least bad.

I agree that it's completely unnecessary to spend $5k for a hairpiece you can wear on top of your growing hair. You can get it for under $300.

 

[HairlessWhisper]

As far as I can tell, the CNC is just a thick poly base. The skin color doesn't have to be perfectly matched. It just has to be 'close enough'. The only premium specification is the virgin hair, which by itself does not justify the cost.

 

[Hair2019]

I personally have worn thick poly skin with injected hair, and the realism is excellent as long as you don't wear the hair in a style that exposes the front edge.

Speaking of hair styles which expose the front edge of the hair system, for example a central parting or side parting, how do you disguise the edge of the system and make it blend in with your forehead? With longer hair, I often wear it in a central parting but there is always a small area at the front of the parting where there is some lace or skin on the hair system exposed. When you part the hair in a parting, the small bit at the front of the parting has no/very little hair on it - it's just exposed lace or skin. Now it's mostly pretty undetectable, but under bright lights or really close up you can usually see a slight ridge of lace or the shine of the skin base. Added to that, as the hair system sheds over time, the parting widens slightly and the front edge gets more and more exposed. Is there any way to disguise the front edge of a parting on hair systems? Perhaps using some sort of brush on concealer? Or using ultra thin skin etc?

With a central parting the sides of the hairline can be covered by the hair, but it's just this bit in the middle that bugs me. I've since moved to a less exposed hairline but I'd like to try and solve this issue if I can.

 

[HairlessWhisper]

Now it's mostly pretty undetectable, but under bright lights or really close up you can usually see a slight ridge of lace or the shine of the skin base... Is there any way to disguise the front edge of a parting on hair systems?

This is a very unpopular opinion on hairpiece forums, but: You can't make a hairpiece completely undetectable under the most unforgiving conditions.

I do not like the word "undetectable" wrt hairpieces because it's an absolute, and it's a myth. But you can achieve a look that's very natural in most situations with effort and ingenuity. Often the way to achieve that is in the big picture, not the details. IOW if you are wearing your hair in an unusual style that's meant to hide the underlying structure of the hair(piece) as much as possible but all the edges are concealed, that is probably going to look more 'wiggy' than a more structured style with an edge that can be seen at close range under very harsh lights.

If we're on the same page: The best way I know of to disguise the exposed front edge of a hairpiece is to extend the glue line slightly in front of the hairline/front edge, and press the base firmly into the glue with a pair if tweezers or a plastic comb.

There's still going to be a difference in the luster of the base, glue and skin- which you can use makeup to blend with a poly base (it will stain your lace), but again there is going to be a difference between the texture of the makeup and your skin. The only advantage to this is you can create a gradient with the makeup whereas the hairpiece has an edge.

UTS still has a visible edge under extremely unforgiving conditions, but if you're wearing regular thin skin or thicker, you can graft on a piece of the thinnest poly base you have on hand to the edge right in front of your part in order to help it 'melt' into the glue (use hair system tape to join it and liquid poly or clear nail varnish to fuse). Note that it's a short term fix and you'll be adding more material to the front edge of your piece every time your graft breaks off and has to be reapplied.

 

[Hair2019]

This is a very unpopular opinion on hairpiece forums, but: You can't make a hairpiece completely undetectable under the most unforgiving conditions.

I do not like the word "undetectable" wrt hairpieces because it's an absolute, and it's a myth. But you can achieve a look that's very natural in most situations with effort and ingenuity. Often the way to achieve that is in the big picture, not the details. IOW if you are wearing your hair in an unusual style that's meant to hide the underlying structure of the hair(piece) as much as possible but all the edges are concealed, that is probably going to look more 'wiggy' than a more structured style with an edge that can be seen at close range under very harsh lights.

Yeah, this is true.

If we're on the same page: The best way I know of to disguise the exposed front edge of a hairpiece is to extend the glue line slightly in front of the hairline/front edge, and press the base firmly into the glue with a pair if tweezers or a plastic comb.

There's still going to be a difference in the luster of the base, glue and skin- which you can use makeup to blend with a poly base (it will stain your lace), but again there is going to be a difference between the texture of the makeup and your skin. The only advantage to this is you can create a gradient with the makeup whereas the hairpiece has an edge.

Thanks for the detailed answer. I'm trying to understand exactly how to do this as you described. So you extend the glue slightly in front of the front edge, then you put makeup (some sort of concealer that is close to your face/forehead skin tone presumably) over your forehead, the extended bit of glue and a bit of the front of the parting area on the edge of the system?

UTS still has a visible edge under extremely unforgiving conditions, but if you're wearing regular thin skin or thicker, you can graft on a piece of the thinnest poly base you have on hand to the edge right in front of your part in order to help it 'melt' into the glue (use hair system tape to join it and liquid poly or clear nail varnish to fuse). Note that it's a short term fix and you'll be adding more material to the front edge of your piece every time your graft breaks off and has to be reapplied.

This is an interesting idea. So is this separate or in addition to what you described above? So you take a small piece of UTS from another hair system, then press it into the extended area of glue in front of the edge of the parting? I'm not sure what you mean about using tape/liquid poy/clear nail varnish - does this get put over the glue and extended piece of glue and UTS piece, then you put concealer makeup over the top?

I guess the idea is to blend the edge of the front of the parting into your forehead to make it look as natural as possible, without any visible edge (or as close to 'undetectable' as is possible). I was looking into some posts and videos by black women on this subject, as they seem to be experts on this (although they tend to wear full on wigs as opposed to partial hair systems). Some of them say a U-part or V-part wig is a good solution as there is no hair on the parting area of the wig - you use your bio hair there. I wonder if that could be done on a hair system also, at least for the front of the parting? It's possible, but I'd have to see if my bio hair will grow back enough in that area. It's probably more hassle than it's worth. I'd have to make the transition from the bio hair to the system look natural for a start.

 

[HairlessWhisper]

Yeah, Black women are the most adventurous and resourceful hair wearers. Their forums and videos have some great hacks.

I'm trying to understand exactly how to do this as you described. So you extend the glue slightly in front of the front edge, then you put makeup (some sort of concealer that is close to your face/forehead skin tone presumably) over your forehead, the extended bit of glue and a bit of the front of the parting area on the edge of the system?

So the makeup I would just apply a really tiny amount to the poly edge and then 'smudge' it into my skin to blend. Otherwise, that's right.

I really wouldn't bother with the makeup at all unless it's a very small exposed area, like a part, and you can apply it without it getting on the hair. The more important thing is to have the glue slightly in front of the hairline and press it in.

You can also press some hairs into the glue in front of the hairline, to disguise it further, if it suits the style. For a center part maybe not, but for an up and back style that can work.

The UTS thing - I'm suggesting that you can actually fuse a small piece of a thinner poly onto your thicker poly hairpiece semi-permanently. Assuming the thicker poly is also translucent. It will help disguise the edge *if the problem is that the edge is too thick*. Depending on how you bond, it might come loose every time you de/re.

You use the tape and nail varnish to join the scrap UTS piece onto the front in much the same way you use these to repair a tear in the base.

I did this to a .08 poly with buzz cut style that has a shaved design in it similar to this:

https://cdn.luxe.digital/media/2020/05/18164129/best-short-haircuts-men-buzz-cut-shaved-design-1-luxe-digital.jpg

^Where it's like a very narrow band of the front poly edge fully exposed and the rest of the hairline not exposed. Worked out great. Every month or two it would come off and i have to graft it back on (ideally using a fresh new piece of uts).

Positioning the hairpiece behind your growing hairline is ideal if you have enough hair there, the issue is that it can't overlap or you'll see the edge so you might have to leave a small gap that will be too conspicuous unless you set it far back enough or have the density to cover it. It really depends on your hairloss situation.

Another thing is if the front edge doesn't have enough hair in it (and that's why it looks bad), you can trim a couple of mm off the front of the base and that will be the cleanest, easiest solution.

 

[mrdavies]

I agree with cutting a little off the base at the front, I do that for my hairline piece, I have all fine swiss lace though.