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Newb question about hair system salon


Jake1979

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Hi guys, I've been researching hair systems for over a year now and hoping to get started in the next 1-2 months. I visited a salon in my area today and the lady was very nice and answered all of my questions and seems very qualified. She and her assistant asked alot of questions about my lifestyle and work environment and took a good hour with me matching my bio hair to what they thought would be best on color wheel which was a very dark brown with 20-30 gray. She charges $370 for the initial install which includes the unit and cut in and just everything that goes with getting it initially installed, and then she charges $120 per appointment for detach and reattach and cleaning and bio hair cut, and she claims I will only need to schedule these appointments every 3-4 weeks. However based on my research, my understanding was that a hair system must be removed and cleaned and then reattached every 5-10 days.

Also, I was hoping to be able to order my own hair system from Lord Hair or Lavivid and have her do all of the rest, but when I asked her about those two brands she said she doesnt like them bc she finds the hair to be "too coarse" and not natural. She says she only uses a brand called "Onrite" which she orders herself and  takes care of that end of it,but I am not familiar with that brand. I tried to search for it and was able to find it for sale on a site called discount hair systems and another site that I dont recall the name. The units were listed as around $450 and up, but so far I cannot find much about "Onrite" hair systems or that company. I am a bit suspicious about this, feeling it may be a red flag, and wonder if these are just cheap units that she is using in order to increase her profit margin.

My questions are: 

1)Has anyone heard of Onrite brand hair systems and do you know if they are any good?

2)are the prices she is charging fair and reasonable?

3) is it a red flag that she is claiming that I will only need to come in for reinstall every 3-4 weeks?

I'm just wondering if any of these things are obvious red flags and if should move on to another salon. Any help from some experienced hair system veterans would be so greatly appreciated.As you can probably tell, I am a rookie and definitely dont know much about this stuff yet, still learning and just trying to get started but dont want to start off at a bad place with a bad system that might sour me to the whole hair system deal. Being so green at this I'm an easy mark to be ripped off.

I hope I provided enough info to give a clear picture. Sorry if I didnt. Thanks for listening guys😀

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I personally work with a different hair system as an alternative solution to hair transplants. I am not aware of the systems above but I assume they are not custom made systems given the price range. I suggest doing some research about the CNC system by Cesare Ragazzi in Italy. I find them more natural as they custom made the fit according to your head shape and scalp and use an antibacterial and anti fungal prosthetic base licensed as a medical device in Italy. It is essentially a 3 D printed impression of your hairloss area with only virgin hair. Maintenance for this system is done every 3-4 weeks. However, the price of this system is at least 10 times of what you were quoted. 

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Thanks for your response and info Dr. T, I appreciate it. The systems you speak of sound great, but unfortunately they are way out of my price range. I cant afford anything near that. I am looking for a good quality hair system between $250 and $400 that'll last 3-4 months. Lavivid, Lord Hair and Northwest Lace are a few I've found that seem to have lots of guys online who have had good experiences with them. My challenge now is finding a salon. So far the one salon I've visited uses one brand exclusively that I'm not familiar with

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$370 seems reasonable for a first piece and attachment. $120 every few weeks is where she will make the money. Its like a cheap printer and expensive cartridges.

Is it a contract?

Ideally, you would DIY after 1 or 2 visits and save yourself a fair chunk apart from a cut in. No reason why you cant do the rest yourself if you so choose

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Hi Grincher, thanks for taking the time to read my post and for your helpful feedback man, greatly appreciated!

So no, she says she doesnt do contracts, which I understand is a good sign and for me is good not to be tied into anything.

And Like you said, ideally I would like to do the DIY way after a few months and just order my own units. I just would probably have to find a new person to do cut in.

I guess my main concern with this place is that she only uses the "On Rite" brand and doesnt allow me the option to order my own from Lordhair or Northwest lace or Lavivid. When I try to find out info on that brand I cant find a whole lot online. I guess I'm wondering if she's using the best systems or just subpar to increase her profits. 

Have you heard of OnRite or know anything about that brand?

Thanks again brother! 😀👍

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Jake1979 don't get locked into a contract, payment scheme, etc, etc. I wore a hair piece to hide two botched hair transplants and my baldness. I finally threw away the hair piece after 25 years of them about four years ago. I started with the hair piece 'glued' to my hair and as my hair grew I had the piece removed and reattached and glued to my hair again. After about six months I found this a real drag as it can get 'sloppy' on the scalp as your hair grows and eventually found a hair dresser who ordered the hair piece and then colored and permed it and then cut it into my own hair (my hair is/was very curly). Today hair pieces have come of age and with the internet have come down in price. I suggest you contact several 'ethical' hair transplant surgeons who have a contact with someone who can supply a hair piece, etc. An ethical hair transplant surgeon will want to help you and not rip you off/take commissions, etc. Keep researching and asking questions here. All the best.

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17 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Jake1979 don't get locked into a contract, payment scheme, etc, etc. I wore a hair piece to hide two botched hair transplants and my baldness. I finally threw away the hair piece after 25 years of them about four years ago. I started with the hair piece 'glued' to my hair and as my hair grew I had the piece removed and reattached and glued to my hair again. After about six months I found this a real drag as it can get 'sloppy' on the scalp as your hair grows and eventually found a hair dresser who ordered the hair piece and then colored and permed it and then cut it into my own hair (my hair is/was very curly). Today hair pieces have come of age and with the internet have come down in price. I suggest you contact several 'ethical' hair transplant surgeons who have a contact with someone who can supply a hair piece, etc. An ethical hair transplant surgeon will want to help you and not rip you off/take commissions, etc. Keep researching and asking questions here. All the best.

Hey Gatspy! Man thank you for your response, and thank you for sharing your story and experience with me. That is all very helpful and useful information for a guy like me who doesnt know much and is just getting started, and it provides me with some extra perspective. 

Sounds like you are much happier not doing hair systems and that is great you have found your freedom and peace on hair loss journey. Have you gone in another direction like smp or HTs, or are you shaving now?

I do not know if I will enjoy hair systems either, but I have to give it a shot and see if I can make it work, and above all else, decide whether or not the good outweighs the bad and if it is worth the hassle. It may not work out but time will tell.

The lady I visited does not do contracts, and that is something I understand i should watch for and not get locked into, so I'm grateful for your validation of that. I have a consultation at another salon next week, and then I'll probably do a third at a salon that is about 55 miles from my home but looks promising. Ideally I would like to find a place that just does the work and maintenance and allows me to order my own unit of my choosing, but that may not be an option. May just have to take what I can get in order to learn and then order my own when I feel comfortable with the DIY way.

That is great advice about asking HT surgeons, I will try that and do some research in that area. One good thing about the place I am visiting next week is that it's recommended by a HT surgeon in my area on their website, but whether or not that means much, who knows?

Thanks again for your feedback and support and encouragement! Happy Holidays brother!

Jake

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Hey Jake,

Initially I loved wearing a hair system if you could believe that! You really need to have the attitude that it's like a fashion accessory, like wearing a suit, etc. Initially I thought that their was no way that I would ever wear a hair piece but I embraced it as a hair transplant wasn't an option for me back at the time (this is pre FUR/FUT). I told my friends and I had a wig party back then! If you can be up front and joke about it and own it no one can take the piss out of you. My confidence went up after about 6 or 7 years of depression from the beginning of my hair loss and the scars that were left on my scalp as a result. Today I just shave my head and I have had SMP to camouflage the scars but I am waiting on a hair transplant once travel resumes. All the best!

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On 12/24/2020 at 12:30 AM, Gatsby said:

Hey Jake,

Initially I loved wearing a hair system if you could believe that! You really need to have the attitude that it's like a fashion accessory, like wearing a suit, etc. Initially I thought that their was no way that I would ever wear a hair piece but I embraced it as a hair transplant wasn't an option for me back at the time (this is pre FUR/FUT). I told my friends and I had a wig party back then! If you can be up front and joke about it and own it no one can take the piss out of you. My confidence went up after about 6 or 7 years of depression from the beginning of my hair loss and the scars that were left on my scalp as a result. Today I just shave my head and I have had SMP to camouflage the scars but I am waiting on a hair transplant once travel resumes. All the best!

Man, sounds like you had a great attitude and sense of humor about the whole thing, and that’s great advice about having that mentality going into the hair system journey, I will try to approach it with that frame of mind. 
      Most people i talk to who have “worn hair” successfully, and are happy doing it, have that same mentality and say that it has to be something you do for yourself and not for others. 
     Good luck to you with the transplant! I’ve seen some pretty amazing results and it is so incredible how far the ht medical field has come and how far technology has advanced in that area of expertise. Hopefully this COVID stuff won’t affect travel for much longer and you can get it done soon, I’m sure you are ready to get on with it

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Hey guys, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a happy and safe New Year! I just wanted to post an update. I visited a second salon a few days ago. It was a little nicer, had a hair salon downstairs and some nice offices upstairs where I had my consultation. This woman (stylist) I met with was younger, probably mid to late 30s, and I just liked her alot better. She was very down to earth, made me feel at ease, and seemed much more open, honest and forthcoming with information and details. The first place I went to the lady was older, probably more experienced, but she just kind of gave me a vibe like she wasn't being fully honest, especially when I asked her about Lordhair and Lavivid products.
Anyways, this second place seemed great, and then she got into the systems they use and pricing... she said they also use OnRite, but mainly a product called Hairskeen, and she charges $1,000 for initial install, cut, and hair system and then $85 after that for maintenance appointments. The $1000 is not in my budget, especially paying this every 3 months, so I basically told her I'd think about it and get back in touch...I think she could read in my eyes and voice that this price was not gonna work for me, so she then told me I didnt have to get their hair system and could order my own, and if i went that route it would be $150 for the cut in and install, and then $85 for each maintenance appointment. This was great news to me, bc this was the scenario I was looking for, and those prices are in my budget...especially given the fact that (according to my basic research) I get get a good quality system for $200-250.
This lady was very informative and told me that if I do go there I can always call her in case of hair emergencies and she stays on call, and could get me in quick if I had issues, and would also teach me how to do alot of the maintenance myself and small touchups.
She did some measurements on my head and matched my hair color.
She said it was a color "2b" or "1B" with 20% gray, is anyone familiar with the color "1B" or "2b"? I cant remember which one she said. She said it was like a dark brown ash color. I looked on Lordhair site and I found a 1B so maybe that's what she said, I may have to call back and ask her again. I'm just trying to figure out the right color to order. She also said she suggested the lowest level of density, especially on the first system.
I hope I explained all of that well enough, I know I'm kind of all over the place with these details, I apologize for that. Any feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated. I appreciate you guys and thanks for listening. Here's to a better 2021 for us all!

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