Going From Concealers To Dyi Hair System

[notsohairymon]

Hello, I started to very quickly go at around 30 or so from a very thick, full head of hair to what from all but very close up looks like a NW6 pattern but very close up looks like an "extreme buzz" all around of peach fuzz on the bald area.

As such, I went the concealer route and for the most part have successfully done so for almost 20 years, especially if I keep the sides short. As I started to grey a bit on the sides the last 5 years or so, I started to dye the sides black and sometimes when I got lazy reinforced it with spraying "My Secret Hair Enhancer". While I think sometimes I was a bit sloppy and "gave it a bit away" and some may have snickered behind my back it generally went surprisingly well, I have a very young face/skin and I have had people say they thought I was 10-15 years younger than I was if I gave away my age.

Besides that I don't think it has been "perfect" every time, my other frustration through these years has been that it is almost impossible to go swimming, you have to be careful in the rain, you have to take it off when sleeping (though sometimes to save money I did sleep with it on, sometimes only a little came off, more often most of it came off), and actually my biggest pet peeve with the concealers is freaking out over bumping my head on something which can produce a weird looking "spot" on the head and put some concealer onto whatever I bumped my head into. But I put up with it as I had some job and financial issues for several years and this was a very low cost solution that I learned pretty quickly to DYI very well and it improved my appearance dramatically, I mean if I had an old looking face I probably would've had no problem with the "shaved head" route (though I would find the shaving to be a pain, I have a good friend who does it), but I often feel like "if only I had...." I would look fantastic (and feel I often do with the concealers, it really enhances the thin hairs in my bald areas). I am a little shy about posting a photo but if it would help I may be convinced to.

However, I have had a successful f/t job for the last year and a half and am off from it for a month. This has encouraged me that it's the perect time to make a change. My father was very similar to me (except he suddenly balded at 40 instead of 30) and in an era of "bad toupees" he was still able to wear (albeit at a high monetary cost) some really high quality hair systems that few if anyone noticed and looked great in them. He has been gone for over 20 years bless his soul so I can't get advice from him!

I don't quite have the budget for that, and certainly not for something like Hair Club for Men. My local area has 2 salons that actually specialize in men's hair replacement (and they have been here so long that at different times my dad went to both of them) but they too are out of my budget as I already looked into them. However, going the Internet route of Hollywood Lace, Hair Direct or Top Lace I think I can afford.

So what I need to know is suggestions on which one of the three to go with and where to start. Though I have a month, I am thinking of starting stock so I can get it sooner and "play" with it, I am not too worried about color because I already dye my sides and may even keep using the dye spray unless there is a problem with mixing a hair system with that. I pride myself on DYI and want to continue doing so; though I live in a major metropolitan area, I am not sure of salons that would work with an outside hair system. When I do go to a barber for the sides, it's only when they start to grow enough to look thicker than the top and he just cuts it down enough to not be so.

My main concerns are budget, undetectibility and usability (i.e. can I sleep in it, swim in it (I don't need to do something intense like go on a diving board and would even be OK with not going underwater, but with the concealers I freak out even when I get accidentally splashed, my dad was an avid swimmer but almost never went underwater). Based on the prices of the 3 places I mentioned, I could replace as little as every 2-3 months if I had to. Also, I was thinking of getting 2 of the same system in case something happened to one of them along the way, if I do that and mostly wear one of the two, do they still wear out at the same time in terms of replacing? As for attachment, I would probably start with double sided tape (that's what my dad did so although it's been over two decades I've seen him do it) and with more DYI confidence turn to the glue.

Again, I have been silently reading your forums for a long time. You seem like a great bunch and any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[Hair Newbie]

I used Toppik before for years when I don't wear baseball cap . I hated that I couldn't go straight to swimming pool with Toppik. I wore hair system for over ten month now and I wish I would have done the hair system route years ago. They are totally undetectable and you can swim , sleep on it.. Now that I don't have to spend hours every morning in the bathroom to style my bio hair anymore. I loved the convenience of wearing hair system. Some people said putting them on , remove it , cleaning can be a hassle and time consuming but it wasn't in my case. It really depends on the individual, but for me they're more easy than dealing with compare to my bio hair. You'll just have to try them to know if they work for you. They are extremely affordable too.

 

[notsohairymon]

I used Toppik before for years when I don't wear baseball cap . I hated that I couldn't go straight to swimming pool with Toppik. I wore hair system for over ten month now and I wish I would have done the hair system route years ago. They are totally undetectable and you can swim , sleep on it.. Now that I don't have to spend hours every morning in the bathroom to style my bio hair anymore. I loved the convenience of wearing hair system. Some people said putting them on , remove it , cleaning can be a hassle and time consuming but it wasn't in my case. It really depends on the individual, but for me they're more easy than dealing with compare to my bio hair. You'll just have to try them to know if they work for you. They are extremely affordable too.

Thanks that is really helpful and is giving me more courage to order one next week and try it. It would probably be (not too much) more work for me than now, since I keep my hair relatively short so I don't have a lot of styling issues when I work the concealer in. But it's funny, like you (in your concealor days) I sometimes in casual situations "let my scalp breathe" and just wear a baseball cap.

I know what I wrote up there was pretty long so maybe you can address a couple of other questions from it in another reply:

1) How often do you replace your systems? And do you have 2 of them? If you do and you only use the other as an "emergency spare" does it last longer than your "main" one?

2) What do you use for attachment and do you find it to be a lot of work?

3) Would my dyeing my bio hair or even using a spray like "My Secret Hair Enhancer" to match the color of the system affect the system in any way (i.e. the parts of the system hair that touch the bio hair).

4) This is going to sound crazy and stupid (and I didn't ask it in my OP) but can you wear a hat or baseball cap with the system on? (In certain rare situations where I am out in the sun a lot I might want to as my forehead burns easily.....right now I only wear hats with concealer off as it gets all over the hat and I look really weird when I take the hat off....in fact another frustration I didn't mention is I almost never wear "wool winter hats" when it's really cold out.

Thanks again! In addition, if you have a suggestion between the three companies I mentioned let me know.

 

[nick2788]

I used caboki for a little while. Doesn't really work well if your hairline is practically gone. I wouldn't use it again. I went the hair system route recently, had it professionally put on about 3 weeks ago on June 23rd. It was okay for the first week but it's been a disaster ever since. The poly where the hairline begins is clearly visible for some reason and nobody including the stylist that put it on can tell me why...mind you I paid $850 to have it done so I'm very disappointed, I've tried making a new thread about it here but it keeps saying "awaiting moderation".

Didn't mean to hijack your post, just upset about the whole thing. I'm honestly ready to just rip the darn thing off at this point.

The brand of hair system that I have on is Hairskeen. The stylist used some French based adhesive that I've never heard of before called CapiBond. It looks like a white based type not glue to me. I switched to Ghost Bond Supreme.

As far as dying your naturally growing hair, I used for men natural hair color to dye me bio hair back to it's natural color. I think I screwed up though because by the time the hair system was delivered to the stylist, the color was off. The hair system is too light in color and doesn't blend in completely with my bio hair, so I either have to dye the hair system itself, or wait for the dye to fade in my natural hair to see if it matches better. I used Just For Men and the box said the color lasts for 8 weeks so we'll see.

 

[powerguy2011]

I used Toppik before for years when I don't wear baseball cap . I hated that I couldn't go straight to swimming pool with Toppik. I wore hair system for over ten month now and I wish I would have done the hair system route years ago. They are totally undetectable and you can swim , sleep on it.. Now that I don't have to spend hours every morning in the bathroom to style my bio hair anymore. I loved the convenience of wearing hair system. Some people said putting them on , remove it , cleaning can be a hassle and time consuming but it wasn't in my case. It really depends on the individual, but for me they're more easy than dealing with compare to my bio hair. You'll just have to try them to know if they work for you. They are extremely affordable too.

But dont you think psychologically Toppik route had more confidence if you want to be open about it with someone as its kind off like a makeup and still using ur bio hair but with a hair system I think its harder to explain? I am kinda in your shoes now the toppik is really great for me because my hairline is find main issue is on mid part and slightly crown area but still as you said the hassle of combing it and swimming etc..

 

[notsohairymon]

I used caboki for a little while. Doesn't really work well if your hairline is practically gone. I wouldn't use it again. I went the hair system route recently, had it professionally put on about 3 weeks ago on June 23rd. It was okay for the first week but it's been a disaster ever since. The poly where the hairline begins is clearly visible for some reason and nobody including the stylist that put it on can tell me why...mind you I paid $850 to have it done so I'm very disappointed, I've tried making a new thread about it here but it keeps saying "awaiting moderation".

Didn't mean to hijack your post, just upset about the whole thing. I'm honestly ready to just rip the darn thing off at this point.

The brand of hair system that I have on is Hairskeen. The stylist used some French based adhesive that I've never heard of before called CapiBond. It looks like a white based type not glue to me. I switched to Ghost Bond Supreme.

As far as dying your naturally growing hair, I used for men natural hair color to dye me bio hair back to it's natural color. I think I screwed up though because by the time the hair system was delivered to the stylist, the color was off. The hair system is too light in color and doesn't blend in completely with my bio hair, so I either have to dye the hair system itself, or wait for the dye to fade in my natural hair to see if it matches better. I used Just For Men and the box said the color lasts for 8 weeks so we'll see.

OK now you are making me a little nervous....my real fear is I order one and if it doesn't work out I can't get my money back. Granted I am trying an option that the way I am "starting out" may only set me back $200-400.....one reason I didn't opt for one of the two "hair replacement only" salons in my immediate area that my dad was familiar with decades ago is they each wanted (depending on the type of system, etc.) $800-1000 up front followed by significant monthly "maintenance fees" (from what I've read this is approaching Hair Club prices). I hope I don't run into your problems.

As for Just for Men, I found that the more expensive "brush in" version (not the one for beards which is actually cheaper but the autostop) did a better job on my sides and stayed in longer (but not 8 weeks! I would say at best it was 3-4) than the regular Just for Men. I am not sure how easy it is to DYI dye a hairpiece without ruining it, I am hoping it doesn't come to that for me. Good luck!

But dont you think psychologically Toppik route had more confidence if you want to be open about it with someone as its kind off like a makeup and still using ur bio hair but with a hair system I think its harder to explain? I am kinda in your shoes now the toppik is really great for me because my hairline is find main issue is on mid part and slightly crown area but still as you said the hassle of combing it and swimming etc..

No, I still feel people will think it is just as "fake", but I think done right (unless you are only thinning and don't have outright bald spots) with a really good system you have a better chance of it not being noticeable than with the concealors. If it looked better than I look with Toppik I would be more confident.

Especially in a case like me, I agree with another poster that if you have no hairline at all Toppik will look like obvious crap because the front is what people notice first and with no hair it will look like paint. My case is a little weird, my hairline is full of hairs that are 3-7 inches long, but they are colorless. With nothing on you only notice this hair if you are like a foot away from me or less but they are long and hairy enough that with Toppik or similar it would look like I have a complete hairline.

 

[nick2788]

OK now you are making me a little nervous....my real fear is I order one and if it doesn't work out I can't get my money back. Granted I am trying an option that the way I am "starting out" may only set me back $200-400.....one reason I didn't opt for one of the two "hair replacement only" salons in my immediate area that my dad was familiar with decades ago is they each wanted (depending on the type of system, etc.) $800-1000 up front followed by significant monthly "maintenance fees" (from what I've read this is approaching Hair Club prices). I hope I don't run into your problems.

As for Just for Men, I found that the more expensive "brush in" version (not the one for beards which is actually cheaper but the autostop) did a better job on my sides and stayed in longer (but not 8 weeks! I would say at best it was 3-4) than the regular Just for Men. I am not sure how easy it is to DYI dye a hairpiece without ruining it, I am hoping it doesn't come to that for me. Good luck!

I don't want to discourage you, I love having hair on my head, I started balding in my early twenties and it's been over 10 years(32 now) since I've had a full head of hair. I'm just not particularly happy with the brand of hair system that I have, especially after hearing all the rave reviews. Maybe I just got a lemon? It's possible, I don't know.

As for the stylist, I believe she cut too far into the hairline when she was trimming the hair system to fit my template and as a result, there's no graduation or recession of a hairline on the sides, but it's fine up in the front. And like I said, the color was off but that could've been my fault since I dyed my natural hair. But I believe that once the dye wears out, the color still isn't going to match. I feel like the color of the hair system is too "ashey".

The stylist charges $150 to take off and put the system back on, but I wasn't obligated to sign up for any monthly maintenance program. I ended up doing it myself the other day. But, the poly where the hair line begins is clearly visible. I've had to revert back to wearing a hat over because it's embarrassing and it's obvious that I'm wearing a hairpiece! I even tried switching glues to no avail, I'm really starting to believe that there's something wrong with the hair system itself. The stylist has no idea what the problem is

Imagine having to spend $850 for a hair system and having to wear a hat over it...

I included some pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like up close.

 

[notsohairymon]

I don't want to discourage you, I love having hair on my head, I started balding in my early twenties and it's been over 10 years(32 now) since I've had a full head of hair. I'm just not particularly happy with the brand of hair system that I have, especially after hearing all the rave reviews. Maybe I just got a lemon? It's possible, I don't know.

As for the stylist, I believe she cut too far into the hairline when she was trimming the hair system to fit my template and as a result, there's no graduation or recession of a hairline on the sides, but it's fine up in the front. And like I said, the color was off but that could've been my fault since I dyed my natural hair. But I believe that once the dye wears out, the color still isn't going to match. I feel like the color of the hair system is too "ashey".

The stylist charges $150 to take off and put the system back on, but I wasn't obligated to sign up for any monthly maintenance program. I ended up doing it myself the other day. But, the poly where the hair line begins is clearly visible. I've had to revert back to wearing a hat over because it's embarrassing and it's obvious that I'm wearing a hairpiece! I even tried switching glues to no avail, I'm really starting to believe that there's something wrong with the hair system itself. The stylist has no idea what the problem is

Imagine having to spend $850 for a hair system and having to wear a hat over it...

I included some pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like up close.

Thanks for clarifying. The reason for the "maintenance fees" is the places I looked at you have to get a system from them and continue with them (kind of like hair club). I don't know if you got your system from a salon or if they are a place that will help you take off/put on/adjust an outside system, I wouldn't expect a place like that to have monthly fees of any kind.

 

[Noah]

Hi Nick 2788

The main problem with your hairline is simply that it is not glued down properly. Skin systems depend for invisibility on the base membrane having total adhesion to the skin, otherwise, as you can see from those photographs, the base is shiny and visible. I'm note sure why you are not getting that adhesion, but I'm sure we can find a solution. If you still can't post or PM, you are welcome to email me at emptyheaded1976@yahoo.co.uk and I will try to help you find an answer.

There is a secondary problem, unfortunately. The stylist should not have trimmed into the factory-made hairline to fit the template - the trimming should always be from the back, leaving the graduated hairline intact. Losing the graduation does compromise the natural look of your hairpiece. That was a pretty basic mistake on her part. You may be able to recreate the graduation by some judicious plucking, although it is not easy with a skin base.

Noah

 

[notsohairymon]

Hi Nick 2788

The main problem with your hairline is simply that it is not glued down properly. Skin systems depend for invisibility on the base membrane having total adhesion to the skin, otherwise, as you can see from those photographs, the base is shiny and visible. I'm note sure why you are not getting that adhesion, but I'm sure we can find a solution. If you still can't post or PM, you are welcome to email me at emptyheaded1976@yahoo.co.uk and I will try to help you find an answer.

There is a secondary problem, unfortunately. The stylist should not have trimmed into the factory-made hairline to fit the template - the trimming should always be from the back, leaving the graduated hairline intact. Losing the graduation does compromise the natural look of your hairpiece. That was a pretty basic mistake on her part. You may be able to recreate the graduation by some judicious plucking, although it is not easy with a skin base.

Noah

Hi, just wondering, while that is good for me to know, do you have any thoughts on the questions in my OP?

 

[Noah]

NSHM - I prefer not to critique actual sellers names on the public forum, so I sent you a PM.

Noah

 

[Hair Newbie]

1) How often do you replace your systems? And do you have 2 of them? If you do and you only use the other as an "emergency spare" does it last longer than your "main" one?

2) What do you use for attachment and do you find it to be a lot of work?

3) Would my dyeing my bio hair or even using a spray like "My Secret Hair Enhancer" to match the color of the system affect the system in any way (i.e. the parts of the system hair that touch the bio hair).

4) This is going to sound crazy and stupid (and I didn't ask it in my OP) but can you wear a hat or baseball cap with the system on? (In certain rare situations where I am out in the sun a lot I might want to as my forehead burns easily.....right now I only wear hats with concealer off as it gets all over the hat and I look really weird when I take the hat off....in fact another frustration I didn't mention is I almost never wear "wool winter hats" when it's really cold out.

Thanks again! In addition, if you have a suggestion between the three companies I mentioned let me know.

1) How often do you replace your systems? And do you have 2 of them? If you do and you only use the other as an "emergency spare" does it last longer than your "main" one?
2) What do you use for attachment and do you find it to be a lot of work?

I've purchased several hair systems (France lace, Lace with skin, 0.08mm skin, 0.03mm UTS ...) from the same supplier in pass 10 months and few of them still brand new in the boxes never have chance to worn it yet. I just want to experiment to see which system base works best on me. Each system approx cost $150 USD. They're all good quality to me, I like it a lot. The first hair system that I purchased was a Full lace and I still wearing it 10 months later today on special occasions such as swimming, hiking , cycling , snowboarding activities or camping trip.... I wore my last 0.08mm skin system for over 6 months and that system still in good conditions. I switched to 0.03mm UTS 1.5 months ago and love it even more. I'm swapping between my first France lace and 0.03mm UTS at the moment. I mainly weaning UTS because a lot easier to do the reattach/de-attach and clean up is super easy. The glue I use for the UTS is Got2b glue(black tube). The lace system works better with non residue tape and Esha adhesive (for the hairline). I will only use extra stronger tape ( Walker Lace Front Support Tape , Walker Ultra Hold or GhostBond. .. ) for special sports such as windsurfing, scuba diving, skydiving .... Walker Lace Front Support Tape , Walker Ultra Hold or GhostBond more time consuming to remove and clean up and I believe will shorter the system lifespan.

3) Would my dyeing my bio hair or even using a spray like "My Secret Hair Enhancer" to match the color of the system affect the system in any way (i.e. the parts of the system hair that touch the bio hair).

My bio hair color is exactly same as my system hair color so I don't need to do any hair dyeing. Hope other members here can answer your question.

4) This is going to sound crazy and stupid (and I didn't ask it in my OP) but can you wear a hat or baseball cap with the system on? (In certain rare situations where I am out in the sun a lot I might want to as my forehead burns easily.....right now I only wear hats with concealer off as it gets all over the hat and I look really weird when I take the hat off....in fact another frustration I didn't mention is I almost never wear "wool winter hats" when it's really cold out.

I wear snowboard, MTB, motorcycle helmets , baseball cap ,sunblock hats over the hair system. I don't want my face to get sunburn so I wear baseball cap over the system on sunny day too. The hair will turn flat when I remove the hat or helmet just same as bio hair. I spray some water and gently rub my fingers through the scalp to create lift for the hair and use a wide tooth comb to smooth hair back into shape. I can manipulate any styles I want when the hair is wet and don't even need to use blow dryer. It's way more easier to maintain than my bio hair when I used to have it.

I bought a lot of hair system products such as glues, tapes, shampoo, conditioner, solvent remover, hair brushes etc.....when I first started. A lot of them I don't use it anymore and and eventually will send to GoodWills or end up in the garbage. Thanks for all the Youtube videos that showed me how to DIY so I don't go to salon anymore. One system can lasts me for 6 plus months so my annual cost around $500 USD or less.

$300 / 2 per cut systems
$10 / 2 Got2B (each lasts 6 months)
$10 / Isopropyl alcohol 3-4 bottles
$45 / Leave in conditioner 3 bottles
$50 / Misc (Shampoo, strong glues for special events)

 

[nick2788]

Hi Nick 2788

The main problem with your hairline is simply that it is not glued down properly. Skin systems depend for invisibility on the base membrane having total adhesion to the skin, otherwise, as you can see from those photographs, the base is shiny and visible. I'm note sure why you are not getting that adhesion, but I'm sure we can find a solution. If you still can't post or PM, you are welcome to email me at emptyheaded1976@yahoo.co.uk and I will try to help you find an answer.

There is a secondary problem, unfortunately. The stylist should not have trimmed into the factory-made hairline to fit the template - the trimming should always be from the back, leaving the graduated hairline intact. Losing the graduation does compromise the natural look of your hairpiece. That was a pretty basic mistake on her part. You may be able to recreate the graduation by some judicious plucking, although it is not easy with a skin base.

Noah

Thanks for the reply. I sent you a message on the forums.


Thanks!