Looking To Get A Lace Base As A Second System

[Tyler1319]

Somewhat long post sorry! Alright so I ended up taking the plunge a month ago and got a poly base as ultimately I felt the cleanup time outweighed any of the downsides of this base and I do not sweat alot, work inside, and dont have very oily skin. Ive been mostly DIY with my wifes help and have only had to go into the salon once with a huge hairline mishap thus far. I want to get a second stock one as backup in the next few weeks and am thinking of a lace base so I can try out tape to make it easier for my wife putting it on and to see the breathability, so I had a few questions! Yes, I know custom is better and that will be my third one after I determine what base I like best in a few months.

1) what is the difference between swiss and french? Im thinking using Lordhair, NWL, or TopLace this time.

2) I have a partially exposed hairline (temple/hair part to almost center is exposed) on one side with how I wear it, so Im assuming I could tape the sides and back but will need to use glue on the front. Is a full lace base ok or should I look for one with a poly/skin perimeter all around? Or maybe just sides/back but no liner on the front? Not sure what the difference in use or ease would be if having to glue the hairline would be out of those 3.

3) last question and unrelated to a lace system. Only downside to the poly as far as wearing it so far has been that sometimes I have trouble keeping the hairline down and it gets gooey or it looks white/cloudy under the system even when I give ample time for the glue to dry. Its like at times theres a permanent border I cant get to disappear; its hit or miss. Any tips to solving this?

Ive used walker ultrahold which is incredibly difficult to use and gets so stringy and messy and is tough to spread on the base, as well as GB classic which has given me the most trouble on the hairline as far as gooey/cloudy goes. Capi bond is the one I use most as its not spectacular in any way, but I see the least issues/cons with using it. I also use scalp protector since my head got a bit red that first time.

Side note: I remove to clean and reapply every Sunday. It could hold a bit longer but I wouldnt want to deal with all this mid week when I have work and school. If i could go two weeks thatd be awesome; another reason im considering lace with tape.

Thanks!

 

[Noah]

Hey Tyler - some answers to your questions:

1) There is no absolute standard, so not all French laces are the same, but broadly Swiss is just slightly finer and French is slightly more robust, but there is not a lot in it. If you are going to wear lace you will probably want to switch to Swiss eventually. I will PM you a few thoughts on the choice of supplier.

2) A glued Swiss lace hairline is the most undetectable combo, so yes, a taped back and sides and glue on the hairline is a good balance of convenience and undetectability (i.e. tape where it is not visible for convenience, and glue where it is visible). That is what I use too. Definitely don't get a poly/skin perimeter on the hairline - that will destroy your undetectable lace hairline. You can get a horseshoe perimeter around the back and sides if you like. It gives a smooth and robust surface for sticking tape to, and when clean-up time comes you can just rip the old tape off the poly rim, whereas if you are taping directly onto the lace base you have to soak the old tape off. A poly rim also gives your hairpiece a bit of dimensional stability (i.e. makes it less floppy), which makes it easier to put on. The slight downside of the rim is that it is slightly detectable to the touch if someone runs their fingers through your hair, especially when it has tape attached to it. But since you are married and your wife knows you wear a hairpiece, that may not be so significant to you.

3) the problem with the glue turning cloudy sounds like it is caused by allowing the glue to get damp before it is fully cured. The dampness could just be you sweating. You need to apply the piece in a cool dry location (not a steamy bathroom for example), and then you need to keep the adhesive cool and dry till it has cured. In my case that takes 4+ hours. So no sweating, showering, swimming, dancing in the rain etc. during those 4 hours.

I agree with you about the messiness of Ultrahold. I use Davlyn, which is a lot less messy but still gives a good hold, so that is one you might like to try.

Noah

 

[BaldBearded]

I had a system with a Swiss Lace front section that was fused to a French lace base. It was too delicate. I switched to all French lace, and I have one system that just was retired after a year (not constant wear).

You could also consider a tape bond... using Walkers Lace Front Support.

https://walkertapeco.com/lace-front-support-tape/

Steve