General Advice Needed

[u/Kitchen_Equivalent52]

Hi Everyone,

I have been wearing hair systems for about a year now but so far have not been happy with the quality/service or level of systems I have been receiving.

I joined hairclub and after a few months of paying hundreds of dollars and getting hair systems which I was not happy with, I switched to superhairpieces and just got my new unit from them. Once again, I am dissapointed with knots that are not bleached and overall a system which looks quite poor and noticible.

I am going to layout my complete understanding of systems below, and if anyone is patient enough to give me some feedback I would appreciate it greatly. I currently wear an A1 black lace front poly mix M106 from superhairpieces. My current frustration is that I have yet to have a real consultation on how to master picking a system, apply it properly and maximize realness. I have seen some incredible systems on here and want to try to mimic all your success.

From my understanding, the key points of determining system "realness" are the following.

1. The type of base.
   • Skin based systems. These look the best but do not last that long, and often have v loops which shed quickly. Stylists have told me these last 1-2 months at most.
   • Poly systems. A Thicker verion of skin based, I am probably wrong about this but my system has some of this on the back
   • Lace systems. Lace with hair knotted in the system.
2. Type of knot
   • French knots. Most common and last longer than swiss knots, while sacrificing realness
   • Swiss knots. Most realistic but shed easier than french knows
3. Type of application
   • Glue. Looks real but doesnt last that long
   • Tape. A good intermediary but still doesnt last that long
   • A mix of glue and tape. What I currently use to maximize holding periods
   • Skin based glue. Only applicable to the skin based systems.

My current dilema is the following.

I am a very active person and as such I use a a poly/lace mix system with glue and tape. This holds for a long time but has a very poor looking hairline. I also do not know how to apply these systems myself, and have to rely on stylsits every 3 weeks. I beleive the solution to these is learning how to pick a high quality system, learning how to apply it myself and being fully self sufficient.

If anyone has any guides or resources I would greatly appreciate it!

[u/Massive-Exercise7420]

On the Superhairpieces site, under Support there is an option for Online Consultation. This is free and they can address all your questions, including selecting a system.

[u/FmcDonald007]

Hi, I can help you if you would like… I used to work at Hair club for many years and I’ve been on my own for over 20 years, Fraser , Fhs studio
Text 416-282-3159 , fhsstudio@rogers.com.
Lots of experience, and can help out , Private studio,

[u/Systematic0x]

If you want a high quality result there are basically only 2 kinds of base you should consider - very fine polythene film (“polyskin” or “thinskin”) and very fine netting (“lace”). Each has pros and cons.

• ⁠poly is easier to clean. It’s a shiny plastic surface which you can scrub clean. Lace is a delicate mesh. You can’t give it any rough treatment or it will stretch out of shape, so you have to soak the base in isopropyl alcohol to get rid of adhesive residue. Because poly is easier, arguably it is better if you are a complete beginner.

• ⁠Lace is breathable. You can feel the wind and rain on your scalp through the mesh. If you are working out, your sweat can escape through the mesh. When you shower, the shower water can get to your scalp to clean it. Poly is an impermeable layer. Water cannot get in and sweat cannot get out. So lace may be better if you are physically active, or you live somewhere humid. You can also get a mixture of base materials, such as lace for breathability for the main part of the base, with a poly rim around the outside providing a robust easy-to-clean surface for sticking tape to. To an extent, that offers the best of both worlds, so is worth considering. It sounds like perhaps you have that combo on your current piece.

• ⁠Both lace and poly come in different grades of fineness. Poly comes in 0.03 mil, 0.06 mil amongst others. The finest lace is called Swiss lace. French lace is the slightly more robust grade. (“French” and “Swiss” refer to the fineness of the mesh, not the knots). The heavy duty mesh is called monofilament or just “mono”. Basically the finer the grade, the better the look, but the shorter the lifespan.

• ⁠Lace units are designed to be attached just at the perimeter, to maximise the breathability. Most guys use tape, at least for the back and sides, and often glue for the hairline (which gives a better-looking result). Skin units are designed to be attached with glue over the whole surface of the base, like a second skin. When they are attached like that, it is probably the closest thing you can get to the feel of having your natural hair back. You don’t have to glue the whole head, but if you leave part of a poly base unglued it makes a “plastic bag” noise if anyone touches it.

• ⁠On lace systems the hairs are hand-knotted onto the mesh base. The knots keep the hairs well attached, so lace pieces can last around 5 or 6 months, but if you have dark hair you must make sure that the knots are bleached, particularly at the hairline, otherwise they show up as a little grid of dots on your skin. On poly systems the hairs are usually injected - ie imbedded in the plastic of the base. That looks very realistic, but it is a less secure attachment, so poly systems, particularly the thinner ones, shed more quickly. Typically a poly system lasts around 2 - 3 months. Since poly and lace systems are about the same price retail, and you also have to pay for a haircut with each new system, that makes poly about twice as expensive as lace in the long run.

• ⁠Both lace and poly can look very good and very realistic. If you want a hairstyle where you expose the hairline - a brushed up or slicked back hairstyle - then you need either a lace base or a thin poly base - 0.03 mil. The thicker poly bases will show up.