My Weekly Hair System Journal (updated)

[JohnathonNY]

Yeah man. I am balding since I am 19 but it has been recession mostly. I am taking finasteride which is slowing it down (I think) but I am still losing ground. I am here because I want to mentally prepare myself that I will get a hairsystem at some point in the next couple years

I am sorry to hear that. I started experiencing hairloss at 21ish, and I was a diffuse thinner so I lost most my hair all over the top of my head rather than having recession. I never tried any of the prescriptions and supplements out of fear for the possible side effects. I just didn't want to f*** up my hormones in case I was one of the few that would experience those adverse effects. I jumped right into DIY hair systems cause I figured they were logically a safe bet. I actually started wearing them since the quarantine cause I knew no one would see me nor would it matter how bad they looked.

 

[JohnathonNY]

Great to see your progress John. I’ve been wearing for about 4 months now but it still takes me like 2 hours to do a full de/re. I’ve never tried C22 on the base. I’ve been using ghostbuster to weaken the tape and bond which makes it easier to come off but I still have some sticky residue that remains even after I’ve taken off the tape and the glue. Do you make sure the base is not sticky at all before you wash and shampoo the system or is there some sticky residue leftover?

I make sure that all the stickiness is removed from the base. Any remaining residue and glue will not stand a chance against a thorough shampoo wash and removal with ice-cold water. By the time my base is clean, dry, and ready for reattachment there is not much remaining residue left. C-22 is very very powerful from my experience. So much so that some have told me not to use C-22 on a lace system (which I intend on getting). One thing that helps is that I let the base of the hair system absorb the sprayed C-22 as I take a shower and shave. This gives it enough time to seep through the base and segregate the tape/glue from the base. I'm actually able to pull the entire piece of tape off in one pull, because it's still intact.

 

[JohnathonNY]

Encouraging to read about your journey, definitely gives me hope. I'm a 21 year old who's starting my own hair system journey this week and getting familiar with it before I go back to uni in a month or two. Going to be using a poly system and doing a full bond and seeing how I get on with that. I'm interested in hearing about what you did the first time you put it on? Did you cut it down to size yourself and shave the top of your head completely alone? I've got a party next week that I'm going to and I'm having to install my first system at the weekend, with the help of my mother. Would really appreciate if you could share some of your knowledge on this so I don't have any disasters. Lol

Cheers! Will definitely be keeping an eye on this thread.

I'm so sorry I didn't see this post. I wasn't expecting my thread to become popular so I must not of caught sight of this at first scroll. I'm glad you are getting familiar with it prior to going back to uni in the upcoming month. I actually started wearing a hair-system in May, two months before starting my second year at graduate school. I'm currently using a poly system which is great, but I'll be switching to a lace system because I want that breathability.

Here's what I did from start to finish. I looked at the top of my head and cleanly shaved the area I wanted my hair system to cover. There is a video on youtube by Curtis of MHE that goes into detail of how you should shave your head prior to this. I shaved all the areas that were diffuse, plus an extra cm or two cover the entire areas. Then I created a template using that exposed shaved area (tutorials can be found on YT for this as well). Once I created my template, I used the template to cut around the hair system and boom: I now had a hair system that fits the area I want to cover. What I would recommend is to draw a hairline (or where you want the hairline to be) using a surgical marker and then attaching the hair-system starting from the back. Once it's attached around the perimeter, I glue the frontal area and am ready to go. My layout is tape around the perimeter and glue in the front. I spread the glue with a q-tip cotton swap.

And that's basically it. I'm trying to learn how to do everything myself so I don't have to spend anything at salons. The only major purchase would be a new hair system every 4-6 months followed by a cut in. I currently found a stylist to cut my hair system for $50, although I might shop around for a cheaper price.

I'm glad that your mom is supportive in this. My mom absolutely hates this idea

 

[JohnathonNY]

No reason to wash your system in "frigid" water, lukewarm is fine.

When I had hair, I slowly switched to cold showers because heat is known to damage hair and cause split ends. It's also rejuvenating for the scalp as it closes the cuticle (provided you start with warm water first). I was thinking of using ice cold water only to clean my hair system, hoping it would extend the life of it and prevent the hair system from drying out. Cold showers had a lot of benefits, hair protection being one of them.

 

[BaldBearded]

When I had hair, I slowly switched to cold showers because heat is known to damage hair and cause split ends. It's also rejuvenating for the scalp as it closes the cuticle (provided you start with warm water first). I was thinking of using ice cold water only to clean my hair system, hoping it would extend the life of it and prevent the hair system from drying out. Cold showers had a lot of benefits, hair protection being one of them.

The hair in your hair system is not the same as growing out of your head, it does not benefit from the sebum that your hair follicles produce, it's also highly processed, and needs constant conditioning to retain color and moisture.

Certain cleaning products benefit from lukewarm water to help remove them from the hair, like when you are washing the post C-22 sludge out of your system.

This is not my personal opnion, this what we are told by the hair system manufacturer.

 

[JohnathonNY]

was scrounging through the internet looking for hair system styles when I stumbled across this one that seems to look very applicable. This was the style I wore for a long time growing up when I had hair, and its concealed hairline is what makes it so appealing. I was surprised to see it on a hair system client, considering not many people choose this style. I for one am definitely interested in this style for sure.

Has anyone ever tried this style or requested it? It seems like a great fit considering the hairline is more or less concealed, and it's short and not as flashy as the other styles.

I

 

[BaldBearded]

was scrounging through the internet looking for hair system styles when I stumbled across this one that seems to look very applicable. This was the style I wore for a long time growing up when I had hair, and its concealed hairline is what makes it so appealing. I was surprised to see it on a hair system client, considering not many people choose this style. I for one am definitely interested in this style for sure.

Has anyone ever tried this style or requested it? It seems like a great fit considering the hairline is more or less concealed, and it's short and not as flashy as the other styles.

View attachment 144201 I

This is your standard, short back and sides... millions have barbers have been doing this since... well, for at least the past 100 years or so... some with product, and some dry.

 

[JohnathonNY]

This is your standard, short back and sides... millions have barbers have been doing this since... well, for at least the past 100 years or so... some with product, and some dry.

It's great to find this type of style on a hair system. It's the non-exposed hair line that's what's ideal. My only concern is whether the hair can all be brushed in one direction on my stock system.

 

[BaldBearded]

It's great to find this type of style on a hair system. It's the non-exposed hair line that's what's ideal. My only concern is whether the hair can all be brushed in one direction on my stock system.

It can, but it will need some product to help it stay. Your stock system is probably "freestyle" vented", this mean it can be styled any direction, but needs some help to stay in place, and needs to be "trained" after a while it will stay on its own.

Styling wax or matt styling clay are good choices... they don't have alcohol.

 

[Stubble]

I'm so sorry I didn't see this post. I wasn't expecting my thread to become popular so I must not of caught sight of this at first scroll. I'm glad you are getting familiar with it prior to going back to uni in the upcoming month. I actually started wearing a hair-system in May, two months before starting my second year at graduate school. I'm currently using a poly system which is great, but I'll be switching to a lace system because I want that breathability.

Here's what I did from start to finish. I looked at the top of my head and cleanly shaved the area I wanted my hair system to cover. There is a video on youtube by Curtis of MHE that goes into detail of how you should shave your head prior to this. I shaved all the areas that were diffuse, plus an extra cm or two cover the entire areas. Then I created a template using that exposed shaved area (tutorials can be found on YT for this as well). Once I created my template, I used the template to cut around the hair system and boom: I now had a hair system that fits the area I want to cover. What I would recommend is to draw a hairline (or where you want the hairline to be) using a surgical marker and then attaching the hair-system starting from the back. Once it's attached around the perimeter, I glue the frontal area and am ready to go. My layout is tape around the perimeter and glue in the front. I spread the glue with a q-tip cotton swap.

And that's basically it. I'm trying to learn how to do everything myself so I don't have to spend anything at salons. The only major purchase would be a new hair system every 4-6 months followed by a cut in. I currently found a stylist to cut my hair system for $50, although I might shop around for a cheaper price.

I'm glad that your mom is supportive in this. My mom absolutely hates this idea

That's no problem, man. Appreciate the reply anyway.

Yeah, I'm going with Poly for my first one. I'll be doing a full bond though. I've heard if you don't you can feel/hear it rustling about on top of your head?

I'm the same - want to be doing everything myself for as cheap as possible. I'm seeing it more as learning a skill that's actively improving my life everyday (obviously I'll be more successful as someone who isn't bald in their early 20s).

Yeah, families can be terrible when it comes to hair loss. My mum's side is full of 80 year olds with NW2 hairlines, so when I told her I was losing my hair when I was 18, she didn't believe it. This went on for 3 years. Then I came home from university there in April and asked if she could give me a haircut and she agreed. Then, when she was cutting it, she finally realised how brittle my hairs all were at my hairline. Since then, she's stopped calling me a bullshitter and has become sympathetic to me. A lot of mental damage was done in those 3 years though, but at least she's come around now. What about your mum, how could she hate the idea?

 

[JohnathonNY]

That's no problem, man. Appreciate the reply anyway.

Yeah, I'm going with Poly for my first one. I'll be doing a full bond though. I've heard if you don't you can feel/hear it rustling about on top of your head?

I'm the same - want to be doing everything myself for as cheap as possible. I'm seeing it more as learning a skill that's actively improving my life everyday (obviously I'll be more successful as someone who isn't bald in their early 20s).

Yeah, families can be terrible when it comes to hair loss. My mum's side is full of 80 year olds with NW2 hairlines, so when I told her I was losing my hair when I was 18, she didn't believe it. This went on for 3 years. Then I came home from university there in April and asked if she could give me a haircut and she agreed. Then, when she was cutting it, she finally realised how brittle my hairs all were at my hairline. Since then, she's stopped calling me a bullshitter and has become sympathetic to me. A lot of mental damage was done in those 3 years though, but at least she's come around now. What about your mum, how could she hate the idea?

She hates the idea simply because it's fake. She doesn't say specifically why, but she keeps telling me to get rid of it. She's always been a neigh-sayer in my life so I just ignore it really . If I ever once listened to every "don't do it" from her, I wouldn't have gotten where I am today .

 

[JohnathonNY]

Daily Update: July 11, 2020

I was looking in the mirror today, and it appeared like I was looking through a time machine seeing my younger self. I started smiling at the seams when I realized I look like I first entered college 6 years ago. It was definitely a strange feeling. Not many people see themselves reverse age, so I don't even know how to describe the feeling. The best part is that I know I can improve my current hair system. My 1B natural black hair system arrived in the mail the other day and the color was a proper match. Now if I can find a local stylist that may be willing to cut it, I can finally complete this transformation.

On some days, I feel like my hair system looks stupid and that I should trash this whole idea. On other days, it feels like the best decision I've ever made. Hopefully this waxing and waning will resolve soon. It's a strange time in my life right now. Who knows what awaits ahead of me in the upcoming months?

 

[New2HS]

Now if I can find a local stylist that may be willing to cut it, I can finally complete this transformation.

On some days, I feel like my hair system looks stupid and that I should trash this whole idea. On other days, it feels like the best decision I've ever made. Hopefully this waxing and waning will resolve soon. It's a strange time in my life right now. Who knows what awaits ahead of me in the upcoming months?

Please do let me know your process for finding a local stylist, and how you go about this, as I'm very curious about this right now.

Regarding waxing and waning, it will definitely continue but the spaces in between seem to grow. For the first 6 months, absolutely happy and somewhat terrified... then nothing and then more recently, as I'm nearing 12 months, the feelings have resurfaced that I should just shave my head and be done with it all.

But you know what? I just ride it out and even surf the feeling of 'OK, I'll set a date in the future when I'll be done with this' and within a couple of hours I change my mind.

The last time I changed my mind was 2 months ago when someone I liked messaged me back on Tinder and I thought there is no way that I can lose my wig now, LOL.

I am so glad that I have stuck with it... even though it is a trying psychological process at times. I have found some truths to help myself though;

1. I do look better
2. Everyone has the right to make choices about how they look and their appearance, and if it makes you feel better, it's no one else's business
3. I do not want to give up my hair system (or stop doing anything) because I'm afraid of what others think about me
4. I see crap REAL hair all the time, so even if I have a bad hair day, that's OK, I can deal with it and so can everyone else.
5. My hair is mine, just like my T-Shirt and pants
6. I am still an authentic person even if I wear enhancements
7. Just own it, regardless.

 

[Manny007]

was scrounging through the internet looking for hair system styles when I stumbled across this one that seems to look very applicable. This was the style I wore for a long time growing up when I had hair, and its concealed hairline is what makes it so appealing. I was surprised to see it on a hair system client, considering not many people choose this style. I for one am definitely interested in this style for sure.

Has anyone ever tried this style or requested it? It seems like a great fit considering the hairline is more or less concealed, and it's short and not as flashy as the other styles.

View attachment 144201 I

Is this a hair system doesn't look like that?? looks very age-appropriate and natural

 

[JohnathonNY]

Is this a hair system doesn't look like that?? looks very age-appropriate and natural

It seems like a hair system since I found it off of a salon that does it. It does seem very age-appropriate and natural; I'm definitely thinking about this style instead of my slicked back undercut.

 

[JohnathonNY]

Please do let me know your process for finding a local stylist, and how you go about this, as I'm very curious about this right now.

Regarding waxing and waning, it will definitely continue but the spaces in between seem to grow. For the first 6 months, absolutely happy and somewhat terrified... then nothing and then more recently, as I'm nearing 12 months, the feelings have resurfaced that I should just shave my head and be done with it all.

But you know what? I just ride it out and even surf the feeling of 'OK, I'll set a date in the future when I'll be done with this' and within a couple of hours I change my mind.

The last time I changed my mind was 2 months ago when someone I liked messaged me back on Tinder and I thought there is no way that I can lose my wig now, LOL.

I am so glad that I have stuck with it... even though it is a trying psychological process at times. I have found some truths to help myself though;

1. I do look better
2. Everyone has the right to make choices about how they look and their appearance, and if it makes you feel better, it's no one else's business
3. I do not want to give up my hair system (or stop doing anything) because I'm afraid of what others think about me
4. I see crap REAL hair all the time, so even if I have a bad hair day, that's OK, I can deal with it and so can everyone else.
5. My hair is mine, just like my T-Shirt and pants
6. I am still an authentic person even if I wear enhancements
7. Just own it, regardless.

To find a stylist, I simply call local salons and ask if they have experience working with toupees, hairsystems, and wigs. Usually there is a stylist with enough experience, but it all depends on making calls ahead of time. It's also important to ask if they are willing to cut hairsystems that are not purchased from them and how much they will charge. I found a stylist in my town for $50 for a cut-in. I'm not sure if this is a good deal or not, but considering how everything else paid for, this seems like a good deal.

I agree with you about the mixed emotions. Reading through your points, I agree on why one should do this. My personal reasons are:

1. I look better and feel better when wearing one.

2. I have a right to improve the way I look, even if society feels the need to shame me for it. At the end of the day, I am happy when I look in the mirror and that's all that matters.

3. I'm happy to own it and let others know that I am wearing one if they ask.

 

[JohnathonNY]

July 13, 2020

Today I did something odd and decided to call a local haircut place. I was sort of on the fence about spending $50 getting a cut-in, especially when the salon doing the cut-in seemed sketchy. Anyway, I decided to call the local place and asked if they had a stylist that was able to work with hair systems. I explained to them that I would show up with my hair system already attached and that I just want my hair system cut so that it matches my biological hair.

To my surprise, the stylist said that we have several stylists here who work with hair systems. She said that it would cost the same price as a regular haircut (18$). I have to say I was shocked when she quoted this price. Now I'm worried that the quality of the cut-in would be poor or they would not know what they are doing and are lying to me.

I guess I'll take the chance at this point, since it's basically just getting a haircut if I had real hair. How hard is it to cut an undercut that is brushed to the side? If it turns out well, she'll get a great tip for sure .

I'm really anxious now about the future. I've been wearing a system since May and I'm sort of in-love with this look. I guess it grew on me...or maybe I'm in denial about how ridiculous I look.

Either way, I will be visiting the local salon on Monday. This is it, the moment I've been waiting for 3 years since I noticed that bald spot in the mirror. It's all going to come down to a 15 minute appointment in the hands of some lady at my local salon.

 

[deg_dilemma]

My cut in here in the UK costs the equivalent of $200, but that includes the entire first fitting (cutting the base down etc) and I'm happy to pay it because the hairdresser is one of the best. It takes her 2 hours to get it all done. I only have to do this twice a year, so the cost doesn't hurt so bad in the end. And the cut-in is one thing you want done perfectly because it's the first and only real cut on the system.

Good luck for Monday! Would be great to see pics if you are able to post them (blurred out face if you like).

 

[ChromeyFirefox]

Mine in the UK is £100 for a cut in.

Going back to the whole family thing.. I only ever had a comment from my mum who was surprised. She was supportive but did point out a bit of a colour mismatch (the salon constantly insisted on dyeing my custom system) at the back.

Otherwise I don't care. I have definitely improved my life doing this. I'm now married and while I had serious issues for a bit due to the dye.. I'm all good now.

People don't care unless it looks bad. Mostly...

 

[JohnathonNY]

Update: July 14, 2020 - It's been 3 months of wearing a hair system!

Today I tried something a little bit different and more appropriate for my busy lifestyle. Instead of my weekly complete hair system removal and reattachment, I decided to see if I can extend the time my hair system is spent on my head. As a reminder, I tape the perimeter and use glue only for the front of my head.

Since the front of my hair system is only glued, I gently lifted the system with ease since the glue had already broken down and became weak. I cleaned the glue residue from the front of my head and underneath the base. I then took a piece of tissue paper and wrapped it around my two fingers. I then gently glided it back through my system collecting all the dirt, grim, and sweat that accumulated underneath the base across the bald area of my head. After several wipes underneath the hair-system until it felt clean, I reattached the front using glue and a cotton swap. (I've become really good at attaching the front of my hair system with glue). I basically just saved a solid hour and completed my hair system maintenance in under 10 minutes for the entire week. Since this is my last week with this stupid disposable system, I'm ready to to wear an actual hair system!

I think I should start getting comfortable wearing a hair system two weeks at a time, doing a complete removal/reattachment + shave every two weeks. This seems far more fitting and time-saving, plus it will extend the life of my hair system for sure.

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, because I used to shave my head every week. Now I can save time going bi-weekly with maintenance.