Got a stock system installed at a salon, is this good/the best I can expect?

BaldBearded

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Thanks for the support everyone, I wouldn't have been able to attempt DIYing it without the support I've received in this thread.

I just feel like I need to take control of as much of the process as I can because there aren't places I can go in Sydney. It'll also help me reign in the costs and make sure emergencies don't cause anxiety.

The part I have found the most difficult and emotionally draining is being objective about the results. The fact that I can only see myself from a limited number of mirror angles and the fact that I am so grateful to see a full head of hair on me makes it hard for me to be critical. I can see how some of the YouTubers end up with embarrassing results they think look fantastic.


I have no experience with lace, but watching the old videos by Curtis (mhe) where he bonds lace and talks about stretching the fabric and such makes me feel like I got into this easy.

I see a lot of conflicting information on this question but I am not sure how long a poly system lasts. Also. given how neutral the .03mm hairline is, I wonder how detectable a .08mm poly unit hairline would be.
You don't have to go that thick, 0.06 mm is available.
 

jimlad

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The difference between 0.03 and 0.05 even is night and day when it comes to hairline visibility. It seems like there shouldn't be much difference, but once you get up to 0.08 you're wearing the equivalent of almost 3 UTS.

By the way, your system looks excellent. I just wonder if you may be better off styling it forward ever so slightly - not talking a fringe. You can still slick it back, but if when you're drying it you attempt to fashion a kind of wave curl at the hairline then you get hairline coverage and still keep the look you're going for.
 

Soren123

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Please let us know about the difference between 0.03 and 0.06. I'm likely going with the latter for durability reasons but concerned about the hairline.

Also, do you notice a plastic bag sounds when rubbing the unbounded parts of the system? And how do you find the venting for heat release? Problematic?
 

Alsh

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To confirm, this is the .06mm unit I bought. It might turn out terrible because I will try to cut it in myself.

I'll try cut it in and wear it for a week, alternating between the .03 and .06 unit

I was going to buy this one, Lordhair confirmed it's a .08mm poly unit. I wondered if the injected hair might look better. Their sales rep told me that the hair is more solidly fixed into a direction and they are harder to style, so it might be hit and miss depending on your desired style.
 
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BaldBearded

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To confirm, this is the .06mm unit I bought. It might turn out terrible because I will try to cut it in myself.

I'll try cut it in and wear it for a week, alternating between the .03 and .06 unit

I was going to buy this one, Lordhair confirmed it's a .08mm poly unit. I wondered if the injected hair might look better. Their sales rep told me that the hair is more solidly fixed into a direction and they are harder to style, so it might be hit and miss depending on your desired style.
V-looped gives a more realistic hairline, injected is stronger, but does NOT give a realistic hairline.
 

MaxHDMI

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I'm currently experimenting with my first hair system. I'm in Sydney and to my surprise, there aren't many places that do hair system installs.

I'm 29, NW4 and am trying a hair system while still on dutasteride - preemptively checking to see if I a hair system is a good path for me.

I ordered a stock unit (S22, .03 v-looped poly) from Lordhair and called around, finding two places that specialize in installing hair systems. One place wouldn't install the hair system because I didn't buy it from them and the other one wasn't very professional but took my booking anyway, charging $175 for a cut and fit.

Ultimately, my hope was that the stylist would give me a result that I could aspire to replicate myself, but honestly I am left feeling embarrassed and regretful.

The whole process took maybe 30 minutes with 10 minutes of that being bond drying, didn't feel like they spent a lot of time considering the style or putting in effort to achieve the best result possible and honestly I feel silly and embarrassed wearing it.

Pre System

View attachment 158636

Results

From the salon, my hair took on a puffy, boy band, kind of aesthetic. I don't really like this style as I prefer my hair shorter. The hair tends to sit funny and I need to have to make sure it's sweeped/brushed a certain way to cover the corners.

View attachment 158637

I am trying a couple different styles. Here I am trying to wear it Curits style, slicked back. Given my natural temple recession, I feel like it doesn't sit well on the sides as the hair system comes into the sides at a right angle (and it's not joined to my sides due to the way the base was cut which exacerbates this).

I am pretty sure the photo looks better than the result does

View attachment 158638

Close up

It looks like they cut hairs along the hairline when they were cutting the system to size. I asked for a copy of my template but they refused - saying I would need to book in to buy a custom unit from their salon for $800.

View attachment 158630

It also looks like the sides of the hair system base were cut ahead of the hairline. I am no expert so I'm not sure it it's possible to get the unit's base closer to the biohair line but this really limits my styling options. The corner of the base is revealed when I sweep the hair back and I imagine it would be obvious with a shorter hair style.

I'm limited to having the fringe come down on either side, circling my face (like in the first photos) to cover that boundary.

View attachment 158633View attachment 158634

It's the third day now and the bond is starting to lift. I have tape and glue at home and will try my hand at reapplying it myself but yeah. The hair is also slightly lighter than mine. I have a colour wheel now and ordered a unit that matches my bio hair colour, but the transition between the brown and black is noticeable.

How I feel

Honestly I feel like I look silly. I feel a bit disheartened. I hold a lot of hope in hair systems as a viable option but the results make me feel pretty unhappy. I wonder if the salon was just bad or if this is a normal expectation of a result.

Is there anything I can do to improve on this? Given the lack of salons in Sydney, can I achieve a good result myself by going to non hair system hair dressers?
Can I salvage this unit? I am thinking about taking it off, dying it with a semi permanent dye (along with my bio hair) and trying to get a better fit - maybe going to a hairdresser to get another haircut.

Hi,

Do you have any reccomendations for a good salan/ toupee maker in Sydney ? Please PM me
 

Alsh

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Hi,

Do you have any reccomendations for a good salan/ toupee maker in Sydney ? Please PM me
I have tried Real Hair Solutions in Hornsby and Transitions Hair in Surry Hills.

Transitions Hair were expensive but they were nice, professional and guided me through the process. I bought my unit from LordHair (.03mm poly) and the stylist at Transitions cut the base and styled my hair. The cut-in and cut cost $350, which is pretty pricey considering the unit cost around that much.

Real Hair Solutions is run by an experienced stylist who split off from Advanced Hair to freelance herself. I got my unit cut in and styled there and it turned out pretty good. I had the .08 poly and the base just didn't suit the style I was going for. I am now experimenting with a partial piece and the stylist there is happy to help out, though she hasn't done anything like that before.

On that note, since I last posted here I have been regrowing my bio hair and attempting to fill in my peaks with a partial hair system. I am taking dutasteride so my hairline has frozen like this for the last 4 years (sadly no major regrowth but no side effects, so I am happy). A couple partial peices to fill in the peaks seems like a decent option.

This is my hairline, I am about a Norwood 3.5-4. I lack temporal points which makes me look balder, though looking through old photos I never seemed to have them, haha bad hair genetics from the start. A fade cut seems to hide it well enough though.

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I am waiting for my hair to grow a bit longer before I commit to it. Depending on the lighting it can look obvious, but I feel like it has potential. I have contacted Real Hair and they told me I might had issues with adhesion with lace (mono) due to the low bonding surface.

I tried using a poly "peak patch" but poly units seem to get really puffy when they are cut short. It might be a decent option when my hair grows a bit longer though.
 

SD1984

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A little blurry there but wow that's an awesome concept if you're able to pull it off. You ever consider just getting a transplant? You really would only need one relativaly small surgery to fill in the lost temples. 1500 grafts or so imo.
 

Alsh

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Considered a hair transplant but with the borders being shut and the local surgeons in Sydney and Australia being sub optimal, I figured trying a new approach would be cool.

I might revisit the idea of a transplant after the borders reopen, but honestly so far these patches look pretty believable and they are obviously dirt cheap.
 
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