What I've learned after using a hair system for over 15 yrs

[USTom]

I've been using a hair replacement system for over 15 years and after many years of reading and learning from this site, I have learned immensely from many of the users that have taken the time to post. 

I thought I'd finally return the favor and post some of the most important things I've learned in the hopes that it will help others that read it. 

Non-surgical hair replacement turned out to be one of those rare things in life that actually delivered everything it was supposed to. I constantly hear all of the negativity on the Internet from disgruntled people and am constantly amazed at how my experience with hair replacement could be so different. 

When  I started losing my hair, I knew that it was not an option for me to be bald. For some people, they learn to live that way, for others, they shave their head. 
I knew that every time I met a bald person, I just felt more negatively about the person which is really surprising considering that I was someone who was balding myself. 

I didn't want to have to go through life as a bald man and I was committed to finding an answer. I think it was this attitude of "I MUST find a solution" that ensured that I had positive outcomes.

"Wearing hair" has been such a positive thing in my life that I want to make sure that readers know that for some people like myself, it's been fantastic and I'd just like to counter some of the negativity. 

I've gotten tons of feedback from others on my hair that increased my confidence over the years- people who were balding telling me that they wished they had a head of hair like mine, people making fun of bald people while I was present and two different offers to do hair modeling from people in the hair business who had no idea I used a hair replacement system despite weeks of seeing me in person before they came up to me and asked if I'd be interested. 

I've used many different hair replacement systems from companies like Hair Club for Men, Richard Farrell, HairDirect, CoolPiece, Ed Katz and many others. Almost all of them were good experiences and ALL taught me things that I'll share with those that are interested.

The first decision I think you have to make is whether to go the surgical vs. non-surgical route. Just set up some free consultations with hair replacement surgeons and look at their before and after books. When I first started looking at hair replacement options, I was sure surgery was the way I'd go as I couldn't image myself (in my early 20s wearing a "toupee"). 

That changed almost immediately when I looked through their photo albums. I knew that they were only showing their best work but to me, while the guys I saw did have hair on their heads, they looked far from good. 
Additionally, many of the surgeons I spoke to dissuaded me from doing it as I was still so young and they felt that I wouldn't be happy. Surgery is a better option for those in their late thirties to early forties and even then in my opinion, only serves to stop someone from being completely bald. I wanted to look good. 

This lead me to explore non-surgical hair systems and my first stop was Hair Club for Men. I remember the first time I saw myself in the mirror with a hair replacement system. I actually looked better than when I had a full head of hair. 

Keeping looking that good was a different story and it really took years to figure it out. To this day I am still learning. 

At the end of the day, however, I guess my message is that non-surgical hair replacement is truly amazing and that you can look better than you did with your own hair if you do things right and take the time to learn a few things.

Over the years, I've determined that there are several "Pillars" of good hair replacement systems that you need to pay attention to when selecting a system.

If you understand these concepts you will be able to choose the right hair replacement for you and look great with a minimum of fuss and time. Notice I didn't say expense because I have clearly learned that in this industry, you get what you pay for and if you are not willing to spend the money, hair replacement is not for you. 

The "Pillars" of hair replacement in my opinion are:


The Base Color
The Crown
The Sides (where the hair unit meets your own hair near the temples)
The Back Blend
Styling
Type of hair used to create the system - Real hair vs. Synthetic
The Profile - This is where most hair systems fall down.
The Front - lace?, other materials? What is best?
 Hair Color

I'll go through each of these and tell you what to look for in each area so that regardless of which hair replacement company you end up using, you'll know the things you need to know to make good choices.

 

[imlosinit]

Sweet post! Keep sharing more of your hair wisdom!

 

[mothernature]

great post keep it up

 

[noneother]

Please tell me more!

 

[Pyro]

if i had the money, i'd definitly use a hairpeice!

 

[USTom]

Selecting the Base Color

Base Color

Selecting the correct base color is a big deal in making sure that your system looks really good. Different companies use different colors. I have used systems from many companies so I've pretty much seen them all.

I noticed that some looked better than others and I was never sure why. Finally after looking in the mirror for so many years I realized that many of the base materials that some companies use have a "reddish" color to them.

I think it makes the unit look much worse whenever you can see the scalp. If your hair is wet, if your density is light or if you have any part of your system that allows people to see the base, this becomes an issue.

Only recently have I gotten a system with a white base material and it looks just like a real scalp when the hair is wet. Why everyone doesn't use a white base material is beyond me as I don't haven't found any benefit to a reddish color base.

If you have a choice, opt for the whitest base material you can get. Most companies unfortunately won't give you an option but if you pay attention to scalps of people with their real hair, their scalps are almost always white and never the tint associated with most of the base materials that are being used.

 

[JJIK]

Hey USTom,

Can you check your inbox ? I sent you a pm, a couple of days ago.. I would really appreciate it if you could take a look..

Thanks,

JJ

 

[person]

Hair replacement is the only option if you don't want to be bald. Can you please tell me which company you use now? You can pm me if you want. And I assume you use a topper? Thanks.

 

[USTom]

Human Hair vs. Synthetic Hair

Real Human Hair vs. Synthetic

To me this question never occurred to me until very recently as every other hair replacement company I've ever used only offered human hair. They always talked about the quality of the hair they used (Russian, Italian, etc.) and I always assumed  that nothing could ever look more like real hair than real hair.

Boy was I wrong.

Only a few places use synthetic hair but I can say unequivocally that it is better. There are a few reasons:

1) There is never a need to color your hair. This may be the single biggest problem I experienced with hair systems as getting the unit to be consistently colored depended upon the stylist. Many times my hair would be super dark, other times very light and other times very unevenly dyed.

It was the most stressful part of getting a hair cut/unit service as every time I walked out I didn't know if I would match.

With human hair you really have no other option but to dye it as it oxidizes very quickly (especially if you are outdoors a lot) and it has to be dyed regularly. Hair dyes are also the main reason that systems start looking old.

2) Synthetic hair can have a "memory" that makes styling a snap. Now that I use a hair system with synthetic fibers it takes me about three minutes to style my hair as it "remembers" how to stay in place. Nothing beats this as your hair always looks natural, even right out of the shower. If you aren't a great hair stylist, this one tip will save you lots of frustration.

I was not even aware that synthetic hair was an option until this year and it turned an already positive experience with hair replacement into a dream come true.

I will NEVER go back to human hair and I recommend you look into this option if you haven't already. It's probably the most important of the "Pillars" of hair replacement.

 

[noneother]

where can you get synthetic hair?

 

[USTom]

where can you get synthetic hair?

There are not many places that use synthetic. While I have heard of a few places that supposedly use synthetic hair, I only have experience with one company, which I now consider to the best hair replacment available.

Synthetic fibers look much better to me than real human hair which I still find hard to believe despite the fact that all I have to do is look in the mirror to verify that, as I now use a hair system with 100% synthetic hair.

Syntheitc looks better from day one and it never changes, while human hair oxidizes very quickly and begins to look "worn" no matter what you do so you have to replace units more quickly.

I really don't miss the many inconsistencies with the necessary process of dyeing human hair, as it was one of the most difficult things to get right on my system.

Private Message me if you want to know the specific company that I've found that uses synthetic hair as I don't want to be accused of advertising on the forums.

 

[CCS]

He is telling the truth.

I bought some toupes, and they faded very fast. Very annoying. After a month I was told it looked like a wig. And if you dye it, you better match it perfect and not get any on the base.

As which has the maximum potential to look better:
The "human" hair you buy has been eaten by acid to remove the cuticle, or else it is much thicker than men's hair. It also is dyed to match your hair, since the odds of finding a donor with your exact color in India is not good. So you are comparing acid eaten dyed hair to something synthesized from scratch. Obviously they must have made some improvements in synthetic hair, though.

Synthetic hair can probably be melted directly to the base, whereas natural hair must be tied in an ugly knot.

I agree:
You must find a base that matches the color of your scalp. If it is slightly off, people will eventually notice.

As for the profile, the $300 pieces I bought had some ugly straight cuts and large overlaps, when they should have done curved cuts with minimal overlap.

The problem is most of the $300 pieces are made in India for only $40, and marked up to $300 in the US. If you could pay $200 to the people in India, I'm sure they could make you a much better piece.


As for the pillars, he forgot a few:
curl
vent direction
adhesive

Some adhesives stay sticky even days after applying the piece, so you can feel them through the lace. Find a way around that.

 

[CCS]

I would like to just apply the glue to the underside of the lace, so that once the lace is placed, there is not excess glue in each hole. Is that possible? It would be nicer on the pores too.


My other problem is I have course grafts in the area I want to put a hair piece. I'd have to shave them regularly or it would look weird seeing them growing up between the longer hairs. My surgeons did just as bad a job with hair direction as my piece makers did.

 

[touching.reality]

@USTom and CCS

My question is that people have told me that when you glue the peace the hair growing below the tape feels like pin pricks is that true? Is it very uncomfortable below the glued area?

Also how much do they cost and how is this company called white cliff? Have you heard of it?

 

[Jojje]

So where do we get the best bace lace and material artifical hair? send on pm if you dont want to write here

 

[andrei_eremenko]

I guess his advertising a really expensive place ...just google what William Shatner wears and you will find the supplier that sells syntetic hair...and you can have only short hair...(really short)with this kind of syntetic...

 

[red28]

Hi us tom could you please pm me where you buy your hair pieces and which is best to go for?.
Thanks

 

[witjo]

Hi Tom,

I'd firstly like to express my appreciation for this thread...very inspirational and possitive just what you want to hear when considering a system!

Few questions if I may...base material which is best really? I've heard about lace ones and also breathable skin type ones?

 

[DownrightCherry]

So, you can't have long synthetic hair?

 

[Mav23]

What state you from, Tom?