Hi everyone,

This is my first post on here, but I have been reading on this forum for some weeks now. I have to say, this is a fabulous website and great community. Thanks to everyone who makes this such a wonderful place!

At the age of 19 I noticed that my hairline started to recede. Luckily a few months ago I stumbled upon this website and saw how great hair replacements can look. To cut the story short, now aged 21 I want to start wearing as soon as possible to make a smooth transition without everyone noticing.

I have attached a few pictures that show my current hair status. My plan is to go for a front partial as my hair on the back (even though becoming less dense) seems still good enough to me. Now, I would like to find out if buying a stock unit and cutting it into several partials (like other users) would work for me.

Do you guys think that either color #18 or #20 fits my hair color or are these too far off? The problem might be that my hair color tends to be a lot darker at the sides than on top, so that some people even ask me if I dye my hair (having dark eye brows might add to this impression). Or do you think that this difference in hair colors could even help me hiding a possible color difference between the partial and my own hair?

Would the medium density of stock units (65%) be about right?
I would like to go for French Lace as the base material because I would like to have the option of showing part of my hairline.

In a few days I plan to start working on my template. Is there anything that I should keep in mind when making it? Should I use the same technique as for toppers (e.g. plastic foil and then tapes, etc.)? What would be a good shape based on the photos that I attached? I’m especially unsure how to design the temple area. In one of the pictures I tried to show my wrinkled forehead to give you guys an impression where my former hairline was.

Thank you for helping me with these questions. Your help is very much appreciated!

Best,
Sine

Hi Sine!

I was in your position in January- I have frontal recession similar to yours. I ordered a stock unit and as I waited for it to arrive I made my small partial template using plastic wrap- which I then transferred to a more rigid cardboard.

When the unit arrived I simply cut out my partial from it using my template and a very sharp craft knife- being careful to cut from the underside of the piece (lace/knot side), and mindful not to cut any of the hairs. It was surprisingly easy to do!

The results: AMAZING! The blend after the piece being attached with ORWG (which I highly recommend you use- it's THE BEST adhesive there is- don't waste your time trying tape- it's useless for a front partial); and being cut in is totally seamless! I honestly cannot tell where my own hair begins and the system hair ends!

I have my hairline back and the associated confidence gained and absence of ongoing worry about the state of my hair loss has completely changed my life!

You can definitely make a stock unit work for you as I did... I managed to cut 6 partials from the same unit.

Your colour looks more like a 22R to me, but that might just be my monitor.
So send a sample in of the front of your hair to get the best match.
The area you're replacing is from the lighter area of your hair, so thats what you want to match.
As you say, you have plenty of hair everywhere but where its receded from.
The texture of your hair is quite fine and another reason to send in a sample.
You might need to order a custom to match the texture and density if you want a perfect match, but starting off with a stock to experiment with is a good way to go.
If I were you, I'd also go for an Ultra Fine Swiss Lace which you probably wouldn't get with a stock.

Below are some pics of the shape of the front contour I think would work well and achieve what you want.

Partial & Hersute, thanks so much for your advice! I appreciate it.

At the moment, final exams are getting closer and closer. So, I haven't found the time yet to complete my template and buy everything that is needed. I will do that as soon as this semester comes to an end

I will keep you posted.

Best,
Sine

I agree with everything Hersute said. I think his outline for a partial is perfect. He's absolutely right about sending in a hair sample. The factory won't just match the color of the hair, they'll match the thickness of the actual hair itself as well. This is really important in getting a good blend. I think freestyle vent is probably the way to go. Ventilation is also very important in getting a good blend. If your natural growing hair grows one direction and the piece is vented in a different direction then it will be quite obvious that something is amiss. With as light as your hair is, visible knots shouldn't be much of a problem at all. For a piece this small I would definitely go with single knotting through out the entire piece.