Kinglewis121
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I'm not totally sure why i've logged in recently , since writing my post a few years back ? i forgot about this forum and wen't about my business.
You might have remembered i posted almost 2 years ago about having my first system put on and how it went. photo's etc.
well almost 2 years have passed now and i'm on my second system each one has lasted almost a year , first one longer if i recall . but on June 6th 2017 i'm heading abroad for FUE.
so i thought i'd get nostalgic about when i first came to this forum and ill share what it's been like and what i've learned.
Ok so there's no two ways about it , these things are essentially wigs ... albeit very good ones , so the first step is be realistic with yourself , don't hide anything and things will be a lot less stressful.
I ordered my first piece with Hair4all, the system quality is good i can't deny , they've lasted a long time so thumbs up , the fitting studio is in sale , Manchester. im not 100 percent sure whether they are still affiliated with Hair4all but the studio is exceptional regardless. i wont bring up any names but if your in need you know where the message button is. once the first system was ordered it took 3 months to arrive , then quite promptly i was booked in for my fitting , on the day quite nervous as you can expect it takes roughly 3 hours to be all done and dusted . i first opted for the medium length style combover hair do.
so my first system was poly based ( like a latex type material) and a lace front , which was fixed entirely with glue.
after say 4-5 months i'd switched to tape all around , you'll realise it really wont just fall off , using tape can save a lot of clean up time when you start taking it off yourself ... specifically i used walker ultra hold tape for the back and sides and walker lace tape for the front , if i ran out id just ghost bond the front down , i'd avoid the ghost bond supreme ? i think its called , comes in a white and green bottle not blue and white , this glue i found was crap , never held it on as good as the usual blue and white bottle.
styling wise , my advice ? don't use product , use water , what goes in must come out if i used say wax or gel the night before i must rythe around in my sleep because every day i woke up with a knotty mess which took about 20 mins of water and gentle combing to sort out , with water the shine tends to last slightly longer which will let you get a few more days of not washing it.
when washing it , i could get away with almost 2 weeks without , im not rank , but the water does get under the system and tends to leave it feeling mushy until it dries , if your almost at your 2 week interval the chances are its stinking a bit too which wont help.
the colour on these things does change , whether its sunlight or washing etc , you'll need a bottle of colour conditioner to hand , i had one bottle which lasted almost 1 year.
ill break it down now of pointers which i've learned and might help you , die hard wearers bare in mind its my experience , may not be for everybody.
1 . be realistic about costs , my studio was awesome because they are great people and arnt money driven , this being said , the costs can run away , and being in the position most young guys will be in you'll convince yourself you can afford it just to cure your unhappiness , sit down and really think about the costs which im going to break down for you .... my studio in particular didn't make me feel that way , but i can imagine a lot would prey on this fact at the end of the day its a wig .... like i told you before.
2. no matter what everybody says it's unlikely your system will stay on for 4 weeks .... the reason you'll want to hear this is because the recommended visit period is every 4 ..... but i've been in plenty of different lifestyle scenarios in the last 2 years and i can safely say not 1 of them allowed me to wear this for 4 weeks straight. my usual interval is two weeks ... by this i mean every 4 is my visit to the studio and every 2 is me taking it off myself , washing it , cleaning the base , taping it and re applying.
this is where i said be mindful of the costs , i was advised when i first had it that some people visit this place once a week , which is downright stupid , the cost per time will equate £180 per month alone , that's not factoring in any products , fuel money , or down payments on a new system.
3. the length of time the system lasts this again something you need to think about , i've heard friends who had been advised a new system every 6 weeks , which to me is absurd , going into this i told myself that if it lasts any less than 1 year i wont be doing it again , i got 14 months out of my first one if you did this and calculated rough costs , you'd have yourself FUE in about a year.
4. you need to clean it yourself ! , since i've had enough time to get used to it i've also got a knack of how to time things now , usually on the 4th week my own hair is too thick and needs cutting so im ok there , after a re fit i usually sort the front every 4-5 days , but if im careful and lazy i can push it to around two weeks , you really need to get comfortable taking it off and doing it yourself , trust me leaving it down to the studio won't help if an emergency comes about , usually i take it off when i have a day off work , i leave it off for a day , let my head breathe , then ill stick it back on the next morning ,
5. you can get a barber to help like i mentioned before making someone travel in once per week for a hair cut thats grown probably less than a gnats todger for £45 is somewhat tight , i was lucky before i had my system i had a barber who came to my house to give me a cut , once i got used to it he started coming around when i had it off , cut the back and sides and then i'd stick it down , never once had a problem.
6 . be wary of how much hair your trying to cover my system covers the top of my head in sort of a rectangle shape , i have really strong sides and they go quite high still , so my system covers a fair amount of good follicles if you will , what im saying is if its covering still quite a good growth area , it itches , and when you exercise it really itches. bare that in mind.
Final thoughts
so its about 8 weeks until i head off for FUE 2000 grafts ..... and to be fair , i've enjoyed having my system , its been part of me for the last 2 years and i'll be sad to see it go , so why a hair transplant ? , well in fairness it's good , but can i see myself wearing this for the rest of my life ? not really , if the studio ever closed down , or some other sort of act beyond my control i think i would just get rid , so realistically it's not a lifelong habit for me , the bad bits ? , it stinks sometimes , it itches , its expensive ....... but in fairness its also great it's helped me learn a lot about myself and has been an experience but its not a forever thing , i'm not 100% sure how this industry will evolve now , especially with those two bell ends who are plastering their system all over Facebook, its not a fashion accessory its someones self confidence , advertising is always good , but i think in this instance a little bit of subtlety is in order , you don't want everybody questioning now because you've got good hair and Facebook has educated them i hope this little memoir has helped you somewhat . i can answer any questions by PM , ill leave you with some facts and figures
New system and cut in = £575
Refit and cut = £45
Glue = £18 (roughly) - lasts me about 6 months
Tape = £9-32 - Lasts roughly 3 -6 months
Solvent = £9 (tip buy a lace release , when its empty get surgical spirit from ebay ... the bottle can be re filled )
Tongue depressors £ 1 - very handy
Colour conditioner - £20
You might have remembered i posted almost 2 years ago about having my first system put on and how it went. photo's etc.
well almost 2 years have passed now and i'm on my second system each one has lasted almost a year , first one longer if i recall . but on June 6th 2017 i'm heading abroad for FUE.
so i thought i'd get nostalgic about when i first came to this forum and ill share what it's been like and what i've learned.
Ok so there's no two ways about it , these things are essentially wigs ... albeit very good ones , so the first step is be realistic with yourself , don't hide anything and things will be a lot less stressful.
I ordered my first piece with Hair4all, the system quality is good i can't deny , they've lasted a long time so thumbs up , the fitting studio is in sale , Manchester. im not 100 percent sure whether they are still affiliated with Hair4all but the studio is exceptional regardless. i wont bring up any names but if your in need you know where the message button is. once the first system was ordered it took 3 months to arrive , then quite promptly i was booked in for my fitting , on the day quite nervous as you can expect it takes roughly 3 hours to be all done and dusted . i first opted for the medium length style combover hair do.
so my first system was poly based ( like a latex type material) and a lace front , which was fixed entirely with glue.
after say 4-5 months i'd switched to tape all around , you'll realise it really wont just fall off , using tape can save a lot of clean up time when you start taking it off yourself ... specifically i used walker ultra hold tape for the back and sides and walker lace tape for the front , if i ran out id just ghost bond the front down , i'd avoid the ghost bond supreme ? i think its called , comes in a white and green bottle not blue and white , this glue i found was crap , never held it on as good as the usual blue and white bottle.
styling wise , my advice ? don't use product , use water , what goes in must come out if i used say wax or gel the night before i must rythe around in my sleep because every day i woke up with a knotty mess which took about 20 mins of water and gentle combing to sort out , with water the shine tends to last slightly longer which will let you get a few more days of not washing it.
when washing it , i could get away with almost 2 weeks without , im not rank , but the water does get under the system and tends to leave it feeling mushy until it dries , if your almost at your 2 week interval the chances are its stinking a bit too which wont help.
the colour on these things does change , whether its sunlight or washing etc , you'll need a bottle of colour conditioner to hand , i had one bottle which lasted almost 1 year.
ill break it down now of pointers which i've learned and might help you , die hard wearers bare in mind its my experience , may not be for everybody.
1 . be realistic about costs , my studio was awesome because they are great people and arnt money driven , this being said , the costs can run away , and being in the position most young guys will be in you'll convince yourself you can afford it just to cure your unhappiness , sit down and really think about the costs which im going to break down for you .... my studio in particular didn't make me feel that way , but i can imagine a lot would prey on this fact at the end of the day its a wig .... like i told you before.
2. no matter what everybody says it's unlikely your system will stay on for 4 weeks .... the reason you'll want to hear this is because the recommended visit period is every 4 ..... but i've been in plenty of different lifestyle scenarios in the last 2 years and i can safely say not 1 of them allowed me to wear this for 4 weeks straight. my usual interval is two weeks ... by this i mean every 4 is my visit to the studio and every 2 is me taking it off myself , washing it , cleaning the base , taping it and re applying.
this is where i said be mindful of the costs , i was advised when i first had it that some people visit this place once a week , which is downright stupid , the cost per time will equate £180 per month alone , that's not factoring in any products , fuel money , or down payments on a new system.
3. the length of time the system lasts this again something you need to think about , i've heard friends who had been advised a new system every 6 weeks , which to me is absurd , going into this i told myself that if it lasts any less than 1 year i wont be doing it again , i got 14 months out of my first one if you did this and calculated rough costs , you'd have yourself FUE in about a year.
4. you need to clean it yourself ! , since i've had enough time to get used to it i've also got a knack of how to time things now , usually on the 4th week my own hair is too thick and needs cutting so im ok there , after a re fit i usually sort the front every 4-5 days , but if im careful and lazy i can push it to around two weeks , you really need to get comfortable taking it off and doing it yourself , trust me leaving it down to the studio won't help if an emergency comes about , usually i take it off when i have a day off work , i leave it off for a day , let my head breathe , then ill stick it back on the next morning ,
5. you can get a barber to help like i mentioned before making someone travel in once per week for a hair cut thats grown probably less than a gnats todger for £45 is somewhat tight , i was lucky before i had my system i had a barber who came to my house to give me a cut , once i got used to it he started coming around when i had it off , cut the back and sides and then i'd stick it down , never once had a problem.
6 . be wary of how much hair your trying to cover my system covers the top of my head in sort of a rectangle shape , i have really strong sides and they go quite high still , so my system covers a fair amount of good follicles if you will , what im saying is if its covering still quite a good growth area , it itches , and when you exercise it really itches. bare that in mind.
Final thoughts
so its about 8 weeks until i head off for FUE 2000 grafts ..... and to be fair , i've enjoyed having my system , its been part of me for the last 2 years and i'll be sad to see it go , so why a hair transplant ? , well in fairness it's good , but can i see myself wearing this for the rest of my life ? not really , if the studio ever closed down , or some other sort of act beyond my control i think i would just get rid , so realistically it's not a lifelong habit for me , the bad bits ? , it stinks sometimes , it itches , its expensive ....... but in fairness its also great it's helped me learn a lot about myself and has been an experience but its not a forever thing , i'm not 100% sure how this industry will evolve now , especially with those two bell ends who are plastering their system all over Facebook, its not a fashion accessory its someones self confidence , advertising is always good , but i think in this instance a little bit of subtlety is in order , you don't want everybody questioning now because you've got good hair and Facebook has educated them i hope this little memoir has helped you somewhat . i can answer any questions by PM , ill leave you with some facts and figures
New system and cut in = £575
Refit and cut = £45
Glue = £18 (roughly) - lasts me about 6 months
Tape = £9-32 - Lasts roughly 3 -6 months
Solvent = £9 (tip buy a lace release , when its empty get surgical spirit from ebay ... the bottle can be re filled )
Tongue depressors £ 1 - very handy
Colour conditioner - £20
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