Some Questions Before Trying Hair Systems

[kekekelilili]

Hi everyone,

I've just known about this forum, but I wish I did much earlier! I live in New York, and I'm currently 27, but have been suffering hair loss both on top and the front over 4-5 years. Earlier this year I watched this youTube channel of MHE (my hair experience), and this guy Curtis seemed to have a pretty good explanation of how his hair systems work.

Now I want to try putting on a hair system for the first time, but I'm very very very nervous. I've listed some of my concerns here, and I hope that you guys can kindly shed some light.

1. Has anyone used MHE before? How are their products? Price-wise it seems on the cheaper side ($300 for a hair system), but please feel free to suggest other suppliers too. All I know is they use glues instead of tapes.

2. I read that some people suggest sending in a template for customization. Is this really necessary and what benefits would it bring? And forgive me for being Jon Snow, what is a template and how would I make one?

3. I sweat a lot because I run 4-5 times (20-30 miles) weekly. How often would I need to remove hair system and wash my scalp?

4. How often do you guys usually get new hair systems? It's not cheap at its price, and without the capability of DIY, I'll also need to calculate the expenses for stylists each time I install a new hair piece - or do you guys usually just DIY after the first time installing?

I hope I'm not asking for too much help. If some questions here have been asked a thousand times, please kindly point me to a previous discussion, and I'll be happy to check it out!

Thank you for any input you guys have. In the meantime, enjoy a wonderful week!

 

[Noah]

Hi KL

Curtis's site has some great information for anyone considering a system. His early videos are particularly good, when he was just an ordinary Joe approaching the subject as a layman. I was rather sorry when he went "commercial", but I guess that's life. You might also like to look at this YouTube channel, which has been created by one of the posters on this board -
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2QD5dN_hs2f4_cszAxy_HQ

1. I will PM you some thoughts about MHE and suppliers generally.

2. If you want a custom system, then basically you have to create a template. A custom system is made to your personal specification. It is exactly the shape of your bald or thinning area and a snug fit to the contour of your head, the colour and texture are matched to a sample of your hair, so usually the match is perfect, and you can customise the design in a variety of ways - the base material and design (e.g. different combinations of lace and skin, patches for tape, recession at the hairline), the way the hair is knotted (e.g. a parting or a crown swirl, a cow's lick, a slicked-back hairline), the density (e.g. different densities in different parts of the system), the colour (e.g. a bit of grey, maybe an increased level of grey at the temples, highlights, low-lights etc). Really you can have whatever you want.

Stock systems are made to be saleable to the maximum number of people, so they are very big and intended to be trimmed down to size. They come in the most popular colours and densities. They can be very useful, especially if you have a commonly-found hair colour, and you want a fairly standard highish density unit. But of course it is like the difference between buying a bespoke suit from a tailor and buying one off the peg from a department store.

A template is a mold of your head showing the shape and contour of the area you want covered. There are dozens of videos on YouTube showing you how to make one - search for "hair system template". Here is one to start you off:

3. If you are physically very active I would strongly recommend you go for a lace (mesh) based system, because it is breathable, unlike skin (polythene film) based systems, which are not. Even if you sweat a lot, you should only need to wash the system with shampoo once a week. The rest of the time you can just shampoo your growing hair at the sides and back, and just let the warm shower water run through the system hair and the lace mesh. That is enough to keep the system and your scalp healthy and looking good.

4. I have 2 identical systems in use at any one time, and I get around 10 months from the pair - 5 months of solid wear from each unit. I am completely DIY now, but a lot of guys start with a salon service to get used to the techniques, and then switch to more of a DIY approach. There is a bit of a mental leap, but there is really not that much to it. After 6 weeks it's just like cleaning your teeth.

Hope this is useful. Good luck with your researches.

Noah

 

[BaldBearded]

I personally suggest going to a full-service company that can guide you through everything for your first system, it's crucial. Once you get going, it's easier to go DIY.