New hair system. Thoughts?

[Dariolo]

Hi everyone,

So I decided to bite the bullet and get a hair system. I've been loosing my hair since 18 and using powders and all sorts of thickening products for years. Recently it got worse and my hairline receded a lot so I made the decision and had a system fitted last week.  It's a big change from my previous hair but I think I'm finally starting to get used to it.  I'll go back to the salon to get some adjustments - little thinning, tidy up some stray hairs, and maybe adjustments to the blending.  I'm not sure if I'm happy or not - I can't help but think it looks fake because it's soooo thick. It also turned out a little darker than my real hair. Colleagues and friends have all said positive things and I've just been open and honest so they all know it's not my real hair.  But I don't know if they're just being polite/nice.  Anyway I thought I'd post a few pictures of the system and some of my real hair to a bunch of total strangers to get some feedback/tips.

Thanks for your input

[Gatsby]

Hey @Dariolo. I wore a wig (hair system) for 25 years and it is an excellent option that doesn't involve surgery. The best thing is what you have already done which is what I did and that is to 'own it.' I told all of my friends before I went down this path that I was going to do this and we had a wig party! My confidence went way up because I went from a young 24 year old balding guy to a guy who had the appearance of a full head of curly hair. If you can 'own it' like I said and even make fun of it no one can ever beat you to the punch. I think it looks good. I had/have curly hair and so I always had my hair pieces permed and colored to match. Your second last photo with more 'wavy' hair will look more like how hair behaves and will cover the hairline. Initially it will feel like you are wearing a hat because it is just such a new feeling. But over time you will get used to it and know how to style it. Wishing you all the best and feel free to DM me if you like.

[BurnieBurns]

Looks freaken fantastic from the front. Can't speak to the color match from the photos but I would strongly assume the positive comments you've had wouldn't just be 'being nice'

[mafpe]

looks good, the lace would show a little if you style it up, but it's not that noticeable. you owning it makes it better since you're comfortable with it, you won't be thinking on how to keep it hidden or if anyone know. grats man

[Dariolo]

31 minutes ago, BurnieBurns said:

Looks freaken fantastic from the front. Can't speak to the color match from the photos but I would strongly assume the positive comments you've had wouldn't just be 'being nice'

Thanks man   The colour matches well on the sides with my real hair, so I guess it's fine.  Just seems dark on the front. Although since posting I stumbled across an old photo of me from 10 years ago when I didn't have such a receding hair line and only the thinning crown and the colour is pretty damn close.

[Gatsby]

It takes a while to get the color right, etc. 👍

[Melvin- Admin]

The hairline looks too thick. Looks better worn as a fringe. The color looks a little too red IMO. Are you doing this yourself or going to a hair system salon? 

[Dariolo]

3 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

The hairline looks too thick. Looks better worn as a fringe. The color looks a little too red IMO. Are you doing this yourself or going to a hair system salon? 

Going to a salon. Thanks for the feedback

[Melvin- Admin]

48 minutes ago, Dariolo said:

Going to a salon. Thanks for the feedback

Definitely make sure they get it right, id you’re paying them to do it, they need to match the color and de-bulk the hairline a bit.

[grincher]

good start. the density and colour are areas to focus on next time

[Dariolo]

I think I've grown to like the darker colour in the last week of having it. On the sides it matches uncannily well to my real hair. It's just that I was lighter on top before. But that was also likely due to the lighting penetrating through the lack of hair.

I'm gonna definitely ask for some thinning to be done when I go tomorrow.

When you say debulk the hairline, what are you referring to exactly by 'hairline'? Literally the very forward edge of the HS or the whole fringe/quiff/whatever it is when I style it.

(English is not my native language)

[AndyDouglas]

Definitely wearing the fringe down looks more realistic than up. You then don't have to be as concerned about getting the hairline exactly right.

You can buy shearing scissors to help reduce the density - when doing this, it's important to hold the scissors at the roots, close the scissors and slowly bring them up through the ends so you are deducting only a small chunk of hair at once. Go slow, do it evenly and not do too much all at once as you can't bring the hair back. When I wore hair systems for 3 years, I would debulk over time until I got it right, but don't go too fast.

The interesting thing I found is that over time and with more wear and natural shedding, my hair system looked better and more natural. It is a process and takes a lot of experimentation to get it looking right. It is also best to focus on developing your own skills and independence, so you don't have to rely on the salon. It took me about 6 months... my cupboard is littered with all kinds of styling products but I ended up landing on American Crew hair spray gel for styling to give a mild wet look, Got2B Glued hair spray for positioning and keep my hairline down, American crew shampoo for the minty smell, and sea salt texturing spray Toni and Guy.

If you haven't already, I would definitely recommend purchasing a colour depositing conditioner, like Back2Natural. You can apply this to the system but also your biological hair to ensure you have a consistent colour between both. It will also help to keep your hair system soft and to avoid a red/green tinge creeping up on your hair system. It is definitely worth the cost.

[ssimpson7511]

If you have thin or short sides a thick mop on top can look odd, i would either thin the piece out or grow your sides out.

[Al - Moderator]

On 9/10/2022 at 10:52 AM, ssimpson7511 said:

If you have thin or short sides a thick mop on top can look odd, i would either thin the piece out or grow your sides out.

i agree with this. I personally always felt that a hair piece looks better if the sides and back are grown out a bit. When you have buzzed sides and a long thick hair piece on top it draws peoples eyes to the bulk of the hair and hair line making it more noticeable as fake. I wore a hair piece for almost a year a long time ago.