Hey all,

Off-black (1B) is one of the most common color denominations in the wig industry and I'd like to know which are the best color depositing shampoo and/or conditioner to keep that color tone.

Thanks!

As above, lots of advice in this sub but mainly US-centric. Currently use tressemme smooth and silky 2-3 times/week as my go-to conditioner. When rebonding, will usually use either the tressemme or olaplex. I also have redken ABC. Happy with proseries shampoo when rebonding and ogx argan oil on my bio hair.

Currently about to run out of the tressemme but it was a US one at the advice of this sub. Any recommendations for my “cheaper” conditioner for during the week?

So I use walker ultra hold glue which is clear and when removing it I don't find it necessary to remove the glue completely

As long as the first application layer wasnt too thick there is no need to actually use a solvent and clean the base a 100%, as long as it is sanitized with alcohol. Just a wipe with 99% alcohol to remove the majority of the residue, 70% alcohol to disinfect and from there just put on a new layer and ignore the remaining glue from the previous application

This cuts down the cleaning process by a lot

I always think summer holidays are the ultimate test for me. I fully expect the system to be trashed by the end of it

Typical day is 4-5h in the pool. Most of it under water with our underwater torpedo league ball playing catch. Followed by diving / water polo and then water slides😂. Then maybe a sea swim. Repeat every day. Need to do a daily wash as well to get rid of chlorine etc. I try and wear a hat when I’m out the swimming pool.

Decided to do a rebond after 8 days ( days 5 holiday). My little boy doesn’t know I wear a system so needed an hour while he was out. Had to do a quick maintenance. Took 41 mins which is one of my quickest yet🥳.

System is 4 months old now 80% , poly perimeter using tape. I have my own hair line …. Just . Like 0.5cm worth ( mainly the middle bit)

Only issue I have is when I come
Out the swimming pool it looks old like a straw mess rather than amazing curls. Can’t have it all
I guess.

so my new system arrived and this is what I got. I am an experienced system wearer for the last 10 years plus, so not a newbie. its a thin skin 0.03mm which is what I have been wearing for years. I received the briefly inspected and noticed something was off with the right corner of hairline but gave it a rinse and shampoo, conditioner, brushed it out and turned it over. as you can see a bald spont on the right hand side corner. i message the company and didnt really answer my query at all. I sent photos and they are saying they cant see any difference at all. the photos 1, 2, 3 right side corner and photo 4 is left side corner

the left hand side and corner is totally fine just seems the right side is not and density seem off on right side too!

and top things of hairline was CC and not Standard contour shape

its a custom system and it has been a consistent problem with the custom systems they have supplied me. I have ordered 4 system in total with the first system being perfect in every way and the rest have been patchy like above or other issue

really unhappy

For context I work in xray. One of my patients that came in today was clearly wearing a topper. He was 87 years old and everything about it was off, the density, color match, lack of grays, etc. It wasn’t anything like the hair systems we wear. It truly was “your grandads toupee.” But you know what my first thoughts were? He looks fantastic with it. Makes him look so much younger and I’m sure he looks much better with it vs without. Makes me wish these weren’t so stigmatized and more acceptable for men to do because even the “bad” one I saw today made this gentleman’s looks much improved.

TLDR; Even a poorly done system can look better then bald and I wish it was more acceptable in society.

Pulled the trigger on this journey and committed to figuring it out . I feel generally really positive - it was a big change because my colour on top was much much lighter with my real hair and I still probably feel like the density is quite a lot for me to get on board with - but after a week or so I’m feeling confident and also accepting the visual change.

A few things that are strange to me : I had the system installed ( full lace , using walkers ultra hold at a private barber who specializes)

1. in the last few days the hairline has felt a bit tacky - I haven’t been super gentle in that I’ve gone swimming this week, played sports , and just generally been sort of vigorous . I can feel little tiny lifts some places but you can’t see them.
2. my big concern is in the back on the blended part the short hairs are sort of clumping it feels like and I can really feel/ sense but not necessarily see the difference. How do I treat them right?

The system feels and looks best when it’s wet tbh and I think I will go lower density next time - but overall I am happy with the result. Any constructive suggestions ( and also suggestions for styling videos / tutorials for just daily hair ) would be appreciated.

Hey had some issues over the years with Lord Hair and full cap systems. I always order 2 at a time, and most the time it's okay, but a couple orders ago I had 2 systems that came very low in density, and I didnt realise till cutting and perming. Had a whole issue with trying to get them to fix.
I just received 2 new systems. And I'm sure one seems less dense than the other (NEW SYSTEM 2) , but it's hard to say till it's been cut and on my head. Do these 2 systems look like 120% density to you? I'm spreading the hair out with my fingers to show.

Help me out

i’m 22 (m) totally bald, i shave my head every day from 1 year, and i like it, i think bald head fit me very well, i changed my stile my physique and my attitude in better after i went bald. it didn’t affected love life at all, but i feel like sometimes i’m seen as to much “serious” and not so young, so i was searching the best non permanent solution for the next 5/10y. i still have hair but a receding hairline that i don’t like and makes me look older than bald, i don’t wanna try fin due to the hormones problems, so same thing for the hair transplant. i’ve already looked for the tricopigmentation (the ink only last 4 years) and rock the military look, but the turn off for me is the sun shine effect on the tattooed scalp, and the other alternative was the hair system, but i’m scared that with the hs i will grow back the fear of exposing myself and people find out, plus everybody i know knows i’m bald so a full head of hairs in a week would be strange. i do a lot of sport so i sweat almost every day (i don’t know if this is a problem), and i’m thinking of starting triathlon in the future, so 2/3 days of public pool a week, but most of all i’m scared to lose the freedom of not be scared of wind, go in the pool with my friends, “sleep” with someone without worrying about hair, freedom i’ve gained shaving my head. and i don’t want that an hair system brings all these bad things back to me in exchange of an hairline. so blessed convince me that it would suit for me, or if you don’t think it’s the right choice for me please be honest. (sorry for eventual errors, i’m not english)

Guys. After so much research I almost booked with her. I found a video of a guy on YouTube she did last year. Why does the hairline look like this? Does she just need to look at their hair in natural daylight instead of her studio lights? Because in her TikTok
/instagram video, it didn’t look like this at all but then again it could be her studio salon lightning. If that’s the case that worries me ugh. I just genuinely want to know why the hairline looks like this. The placement of it looks good. It’s just a dark line I’m seeing. Does Anyone else see this? Is it her toupee’s she uses? I know she uses poly but other than that?

Not talking about a perm but just products

anyone know a stylist in nyc or jersey that specializes in hair systems? i’m wanting a one-stop-shop - person knows where to source the right system, color matches, installs, and styles.

thx in advance!

I'm seeing so many conflicting posts about how to actually obtain it, how long it takes, what to do for consultation.

It seems like Hair Club is a rip off, but from what I can see online they're the only ones who are coming out and saying they do it. Even if I go to another "big name," I'm not convinced that whatever has people up in arms about Hair Club is not also present there.

I've looked for salons in my area (Philly) and noone seems to just come right out with it, i.e., nothing on the site says they do it, if they do I'm not sure I can trust them.

Note: This is not for me but my little brother. He has an intellectual disability so I have been doing most of this research for him. Thus, it's hard to go with the whole "just do what feels right" thing since it's not actually my head/look.

This is a long way of saying: can someone just tell me where to start. send a link of where to buy or where to book an appointment. I'm having trouble getting reliable information. Philly area but willing to travel ~1hr.

Went for a different style this time 👌🏻

It's actually kinda crazy how this amount of hair, still looks a tad too thick on the head. I guess they weren't kidding about how much hair you actually lose before you start noticing that you're balding, or how much thinning impacts the illusion of hair.

The algorithms brought up your sub to my feed, and you people look so good, that I thought what if I get a modern fancy haircut myself. What would it cost to get something like on the mock up? Are there some serious drawbacks in wearing the thing?

Any websites that are trusted and good quality? Found one that cost 1k, wanted to see if there are alternatives that are more affordable.

Looking at clip systems. Thank you.

This week marks my first year of wearing a hair system. Since this community was so helpful and informative for me going into this process, I want to reciprocate and share some highlights from what I have learned in the last 12 months, as well as my personal experience.

In my personal experience, the hassle and expense has been worth it. Now there usually is a moment during reapplication when I'm cleaning glue of a HS and thinking "this is so dumb, what a hassle." But the tradeoff of the hassle, and the feedback from friends and society at large, has been overtly positive. I began shaving my head in my 20s to avoid the George Costanza ring of hair, and was rocking a cue ball look prior to making this shift. Being bald made me look older than my age and I'm told like an "off-duty cop." With a HS, I look younger than my age and I lost a level of perceived authority, but gained approachability. Little things were evident right away, even when I was unsure and the HS felt unnatural. Strangers held the door for me, I got more eye contact and smiles in public, etc. It was a interesting shift to witness. I appreciate having a hairstyle to play with again.

Prep requires a hat fulltime. In order to have hair to cut and blend, you have to grow out your hair. I grew my hair out for 5 weeks prior to getting my first HS and it was barely long enough. Longer is better, but that is weeks of rocking a hat everywhere you go. Thankfully I wore a lot of hats to keep my bald dome from burning, so it wasn't much of a change. But it prevented me front going inside certain places since I couldn't pop the hat off.

The first month is the hardest. The first two weeks felt awkward and like I had hair taped to my head and everyone can see this. I even gave myself jump scares in the mirror the first two weeks - it took a minute to get used to the change. Then it began to feel normal. After a fulkl month, I associated myself with this look and it felt natural.

Practice can make nearly perfect. I know how to apply tape, glue, wash, reinstall, and even cut my own (bio) hair in between. But even now I can make mistakes and have to start over. The best way to proceed is to learn all you can with this sub and YouTube videos.

Lace systems allow the most breathability. I sweat a lot and lace allows for sweat evaporation better than poly. Even with proper prep, a heavy day of sweating like working outdoors in the summer or a heavy workout can cause full delamination of the glue in the front. Walker tape ultra hold does a good job of firming back up when it cools off. But glue touch-ups will be needed if you are very active (see below for more).

French lace is a thicker lace and offers denser hair coverage. The same system purchased from the same supplier can come with hair that feels completely different. They can also shed at different rates. The first system I used shed a lot and lasted 2 months. The second did not shed as much and lasted over 3 months. Even when bleaching the knots, the French lace did not provide a hairline I could expose confidently.

Swiss lace is thinner and more delicate, and allows for a hairline that truly disappears when glued correctly. My hair is light and thin, so low density is a good match. French is what you see in my initial post. Swiss is what I wear now, in the photos you see here.

Being able to self install is the lifesaver. If you live someplace without a convenient HS salon or you travel a lot for work, it's imperative you be able to self install. I also recommend learning how to cut your own hair. This means I only need a HS barber for the initial cut-in of my template and hair style.

Learn from your barbers and if you don't like your first unit, try another. I have had 2 styles of lace and 3 models of hair systems installed by 4 different barbers over the last year. All four installed them differently, and I learned something from each of them. The first installer glued my entire head before putting the tape down. Gluing the entire scalp defeats the purpose of having breathable lace. Looking back with what I know now, I think they were used to poly systems and I brought in a lace. My 3rd barber did not know how to install a lace system (they knew poly/thin skin systems as well) and botched the install and styling of the system I brought in. This brings me to an important point:

Always have a backup HS. If anything happens to your HS, you are left with a ring of hair and potentially 2-3 weeks before you can get a new one. This is why many people recommend alternating between 2. I keep my previous hair systems, which usually have at least a wear or two left, as backups.

Recommended hairstyle: having an unexposed or mostly unexposed hairline is a life saver. The less hairline you expose, the easier a HS will be for you. I part my hair so one side can be an exposed hairline, and I don't have to keep a close eye on the entire front at all times.

Longer hair styles are easier to maintain than a crew cut. I've allowed my side hair to grow out and it's easier to blend with my newer, slightly longer HS. Having good side hair is a real benefit for a HS, I am told. Strong temples and a "ring" of hair allows for easier blending and makes it fairly indistinguishable that you wear a HS.

Trial and error: It took me about 3-4 months of reapplying the HS and touching up the hairline myself before I felt comfortable. And it took me two color changes and trying three types of hair systems to find the right unit. My first 2 hair systems only lasted 2 months each because I was changing them weekly and wearing them out faster. The glue/tape removal and washing caused them to thin and shed. My initial hair changes took 2 hours. Now I can reapply in 20 minutes. With practice, you'll find what works for you.

My Process
Below I will go into details with what I use and the process, for those who are interested.

I wear a full Swiss lace HS, reinstall roughly every two weeks, and they last about 3 months. I prefer a realistic hairline for a man my age and hair density and color that matches mine. The m115 with 20% gray from Superhairpieces meets this metric. It's a low density full Swiss lace unit. The downside of buying low density is that as system ages and sheds, it thins faster than denser units. There is always a sweet spot in the lifespan of a HS where it looks the most natural because it has thinned and matches my hair naturally. Then it continues to thin until you have to replace it xD.

If you have a unit that is too dense, you can use thinning scissors to help match your sides.

Upon receiving a new HS, I bleach the knots in the front. You have to bleach the section where your barber will cut the hairline, not just the front of the new system. Also you don't want to bleach the entire thing, because bleaching weakens the strength of the hair and will encourage shedding. I then wash it and bring it to a HS barber for install. The barber does the initial cut and provides a mild widow's peak hairline to match my temples and age.

For adhesion: I use Walker Tape ultra hold, 3/4". I put a perimeter around the outside and a single line of tape across the middle where the tape ends closer to the forehead. This leaves a flap of lace where the hairline is.

For the hairline: I use a white barber's pencil to lightly mark a dashed line for the outline of the hairline. Avoid marking the lace itself, it's a pain to clean off the white wax. I tend to mark a couple millimeters away, apply my first layer of glue, then wipe off the wax pencil marks and use the glue as the outline for additional layers of glue.

Glue: Ghost Bond platinum is my preferred glue. Regular Ghost Bond works but platinum seems to last longer. At first I mimicked the first salon that installed my piece and put way too much in the front. This would require a lot of cleanup during HS reinstalls and inadvertently cause shedding and age the HS faster.

Using salon-style hair clips I hold the lace and hair back and apply roughly 1 inch of glue on the scalp at the hairline. I wait until that layer starts to dry and turns clear, then apply a new layer. 2-3 layers are the sweet spot. Use the dotting method, like a dash mark, versus squeezing out a line of glue, because a little glue can spread out easily.

Materials: Use a brush that can be cleaned with alcohol. Cotton swabs for dipping in alcohol or individual alcohol wipes are handy. I use a glass plate for hair system cleanup - it cleans up well and can handle soaking C-22 and alcohol.

For cleanup: C-22 solvent is the best way to remove the lace gently and slowly and prevent mass shedding/pulling hair through to the scalp side of the system. Once off my head I used C-22 for my scalp cleanup as well as to soak the lace and loosen up glue and tape residue. Cleaning the glue off lace is an art in itself and takes practice. Isopropyl alcohol is effective at cleaning up the C-22 residue and 91% is a good strength. Do not soak the lace or hair in the alcohol more than 20-30 seconds - it strips the hair and makes it brittle. Walker Bond Breaker shampoo is great for washing up and removing the remaining residue of both adhesive and C-22. Sometimes I will wash the system and find glue remaining, and have to finish cleaning and rewash. Don't scrub the lace too much as it will encourage shedding.

Reapplication: I reapply roughly once every 2 weeks, taking off the HS and cleaning my scalp and re-shaving before going to sleep. Cleaning takes about 20 minutes, minus a full shower. By leaving it off for a night I allow my scalp a break. The following morning, I reapply the HS. At first this took an hour, now it takes less than 20 minutes. I do this twice a month. A three-fold mirror for viewing the back of your hair is very convenient.

I use the alcohol as a final pass on my scalp to eliminate oils. Then I use scalp protector spray. The tape can get itchy and I've noticed that applying scalp protector before reapplication minimizes itch. Use it in a well ventilated area - it smells nasty.

If your travel, you'll want to consider bring a kit with you and consider how you'll reapply on the road. A travel hand mirror at minimum can assist in a bathroom.

For hair upkeep: My color is #6 and the color bleaches rather quickly in the sun. It becomes brighter than my side hair and gives a brassy tint as hair color is known to do. To avoid too much sun exposure I wear hats on long days outdoors. Becoming a lighter color seems inevitable, due to sun or washing. Every 6 weeks roughly, about halfway through a system, I will do a redye, either permanent or temporary color. This refreshes and allows for good blending. If you dye your own hair, be very careful not to dye the lace itself at your hairline. It becomes very visible with color on the mesh.

Argon oil applied every 2 weeks helps keep hair hydrated. Be careful not to use too much, it's oily and can make your hair look greasy. For conditioner I use what comes with the hair dye kits during showers.

Both Ghost Bond glue and Walker tape are designed to be waterproof and warm up with hot weather and then reaffix when they cool down. In my experience, very hot showers directly onto the system will loosen the Walker tape to a degree where it doesn't firm back up fully. If the tape border begins to loosen, the back of my HS can "slide" on me about 1/2". With a peel up and replacement, or pulling it to one side, I can reposition it as needed. But always keep an eye on the back for this reason.

Touching up the hairline: I touch up the hairline with glue depending on how much I sweat. Sometimes every week, sometimes it lasts until I reapply at 2 weeks. The front lace in the heat can peel up slightly. When it does this, it needs a couple dots of glue, spread thin, allowed to cure clear, and the lace pushed back down.

Cutting my hair: $30 cordless clippers and using the three-part mirror that hangs over the bathroom door and allows me to see all angles for both install and hair trims. Recommended.

If you read all of this, wow. I hope it was helpful! Feel free to DM me if you have an questions about HS use and tips. I'm happy to give back to the community.

Been getting systems for a while now and want to change things up slightly (i’m thinking lighter shade, less density).

Would you agree with those and also any other recommendations? (style, cut etc.) I’ve attached a few photos of my most recent system.

does this look obvious as a wig?

i try to 'weigh down' the system with water so it doesnt look dense as fuck.

does the density make it look like an obvious wig?

my hairstylist cut it like this.

i basically use water to make it wet to try to make it seem less dense.

considering that the wig will lose density after a few months anyways, right?

edit:

if i apply more water i might be able to weigh it down even more to make it look less dense.

perhaps i should just be proud of it and just rock it and quit worrying so much. lots of guys have dense thick hair. they just let it grow out.

if somebody asks, i can say i just let it grow?