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+--- Thread: The gym! (/showthread.php?tid=4040)
The gym! - utah23 - 10-11-2010
I am new to the hair wearing community and I don't actually wear hair yet. I really hope that the hear wairing experience can end up being a positive one but I remain a little hesitant. I am not so concerned about people knowing about it if it looks good. I just don't want to look like a joke when I'm out and about. The idea of regularly glueing something to my head for the rest of my life and still being able to function is overwhelming me a little bit.
I went into a club type of place the other day (not the big one) and talked to the people there. I have to say that the whole thing didn't feel right. The men that were there were mostly older and not like me at all. The man I sat down with tried to sell me laser hair therapy first. The feel of the whole thing didn't seem very professional. I'm having a hard time finding words to describe the feel of the place without sounding snobby but the whole experience left me kind of down. Isn't there a better way??
I am not going to give up. I really want to find a solution to my problem that feels comfortable for me. Toplace could possibly be the answer but I am weary to trust a forum that is moderaated by a company. I hope that doesn't offend anyone.
Are there guys like me on this forum? I am 23 and I'm a personal trainer. I value my appearance. I have an active social life. I hope to do a lot of great things in my life without constantly worrying about my hair. I am realistic and realize that wearing hair will always have it's challenges, but I hope I can get to the point where most of those challenges are taken care of in the morning and I can go out and live my life without a ton or hastling with my hair.
My main concern is over the gym. I am there everyday. In all honesty, how much does wearing hair limit you at the gym? I am not so worried about my hair coming off. I am a little worried about the hairline and it lifting. Is it possible to go a couple of active days with a good attachment at the hairline or is that a daily struggle? If you read this and you have time to only answer one question that would be the one I am most concerned about right now.
If you have time for another question: How do you find someone you are comfortable with to help you with cut ins and even occasional reattaching. In the beginning I kind of want someone to help me figure things out. Like I said, I have been looking locally and I haven't been able to find any place that feels like a real salon. So far they have all felt like greasy toupee salesman.
Thanks for letting me vent and ask questions. Any answers are helpful.
RE: The gym! - andrei_eremenko - 10-11-2010
if you want we can talk...this is my mail [email protected] am the same kind of guy that you are...
RE: The gym! - Ruulkasar - 10-11-2010
not much time to write, but i am 26 and i am realy happy with the outcome. Its undetectable. Best decision in my life.
RE: The gym! - antywanty - 10-11-2010
try searching the forum, as youre question will have undoubtedly been submitted and answered before.on the forum.but sure users will be more than happy to help .
theres a wealth of info here,and thease guys can rival the pros for real world advice(in my opinion)
you havent stated whether you need a full hair system or a topper?(a partial)
1)make a template of youre balding area
go to u tube
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hair+template&aq=f
2)how to order link http://toplace.com/how-to-order.html#base
3)find a local hair salon who will cut in and bond the system for you, theres a list available
on this site,unless you already know a local salon.
http://toplace.com/hairloss-info-tips.html#versus
and with modern hair systems , glues tapes, i dont think you'll have any problems with bonding and heavy excercise,that cant be worked out and overcome. once you find which glues, tapes work best for you , this depends on youre scalp,and body chemistry,
how oily youre scalp is, or how long it takes the oils to return to youre scalp after washing, , sweat,heat.ect
please note!!!this is just at a small snapshot of the whole proccess.
it can seem daunting at first,but as with everything else in life its easy when you know how.
RE: The gym! - Paul In Ireland - 10-11-2010
Hello utah23. Have you looked at the ``Style options`` and specifically the TL600 exercise base? That would be what I would wear during your working week, and maybe a more `normal`system for casual/social wearing . Have a look at the thread `` 2 Videos from Norway-comments`` by Apollo2009. It`s a long thread but we covered the issues surrounding skin systems versus all- lace or combination of lace and polyurethane perimeter in relation to excessive or profuse sweating and hygiene / scalp health issues. If you sweat a lot [as you would on a heavy workout ] the exercise base will allow water to wash over most of the scalp area, thus removing the sweat/oils etc. You should have no issues with the front hairline lifting or being exposed --glues are surprisingly strong and need [sometimes] several applications of solvents to get it fully off the scalp. They also come in varying strengths, designed for practicality of an individuals lifestyle. I`d suggest you do your bonding at night before sleeping, so you are not rushing it in the morning before dashing out to work. That will give the glue time to `set`properly. Two or three coats of medium /high strength glue will NOT be affected by water after a shower, so you can relax on that score. The only thing is you will be using showers in gyms frequently and there are a lot of chemicals like chlorine added to the water in those places - - that is not good for growing hair, let alone system hair so don`t expect to get the same duration out of a system as a more sedate person would. You sound like you have crossed some of your bridges before you have reached them [ not being unpleasant to you ] -- yes there are issues with wearing which people who don`t wear don`t ever have to think about, but nothing too hard. As Anthony said above, it can seem daunting at first but you`ll get used to it fast. I used go to gyms a lot [every 2 or 3 days ] and sweat heavily wearing an all -polyurethane system and it wouldn`t begin to loosen [the bond ] until after, maybe, 2 weeks in winter [but not a very healthy thing to wear for such a long stretch of time ] As for the forum being `moderated`-- well I can assure you I have left many posts on here and NEVER has anyone told me what to say / not to say. I am posting here, in an effort to help people like yourself, make an informed choice. I can relate to your experiences in these `Salons` -- you will get that kind of feeling from them---after all, they want you to buy from them and pay loads of cash for it. I hope someone can recommend a good stylist for you near enough to where you are located.. if not, just go to a few `normal`hair salons and ask in person, if they`d be willing to style your hair --after all, it IS real hair, just attached to an artificial scalp --so where is the problem ??? Any decent stylist should have no issue with obliging. I simply approached a girl who cuts men`s and women`s hair [she has a lot of younger guys getting cuts etc which is a good sign in a place as they are just SO fussy nowadays ! ] and explained it to her and showed her the system [it was a stock one while I was waiting for my custom] and told her I wasn`t too worried about how it turned out as it was not too expensive, so she was more `relaxed`` with the idea. That`s the other advantage of Toplace systems --they are reasonably priced, so even in the event that you weren`t happy with the work of the stylist and decided you didn`t want to wear the system [which I`m very doubtful would happen ] you wouldn`t be too much out-of-pocket.
Have a look at the template- making videos on youtube and do contact andrei_eremenko as he has invited you ---- he did a great job on his system recently, and would be able to give you some ideas too --best wishes -- Paul.
RE: The gym! - Mr.Hair - 10-11-2010
I just made my template today it was fun lol, It will be my first system and I go to the gym four times per week and lift heavy, I hope everything goes well with my first system. I will be ordering this week.
RE: The gym! - drew100 - 10-11-2010
Hey Paul, you mentioned you wore poly systems for a while. How did you like them and in your opinion how do they compare to the lace systems?
RE: The gym! - Paul In Ireland - 10-11-2010
Hey drew100 --- have a look through the post by Apollo2009 ``2 Videos from Norway - comments`` -- I left a lot of comments there about the all Poly systems and the pros/cons of them . My main issue was scalp-health after a while. Admittedly it took over a year to manifest itself, but the skin was becoming irritated and broken / itchy presumably from the trapped sweat/oils etc .It couldn`t be good for your scalp to have this thing glued to it for 3 weeks or more and the pores constantly blocked with glue. In terms of comfort and general wearing ---yeah, fine no problems there and you can get a really strong bond as the whole scalp is literally coated in glue -- a person could literally grab your hair on top into a ball and lift you off the ground with no fear of the system detaching [especially with a fresh bond] I think generally, lace or mostly lace is better as the skin can breathe and they are very light -much like a piece of silk really. A lot too depends on your own body make-up....... some people can stay wearing all- poly for ever with no issues, but others can`t. It`s been a few years since I wore them, and maybe the newer poly is a bit lighter, but still, it`s a layer of artificial skin on top of your own and my own feeling is that it will lead to issues with your scalp after prolonged constant wear ... cheers, Paul.
RE: The gym! - mrjoejohn - 10-12-2010
Heya!
Didnt read all the replies to this thread... but to answer your questions:
1. Out of all the things I've tried to restore my hair, the best outcome (and probably the most surprising) was with the toplace unit. That is to say Ive tried a big hair club company but the results with toplace were much much better and more realistic (and for much less money)
2. As with attachment, you will have no problem as long as you do the common sense thing and use stronger bonding attachments. I exercise regularly, football, gym etc. What I do is, I use Supertape and UltraHold glue - they are for 4 weeks bond, but I use them only for 2 to 3 weeks. When I detach they are still very strong, but I'd rather feel safe if you know what I mean.
3. As for challenges, yes, hair wearing in my experience comes with its own challenges, but with the right products (which you will have to find for yourself), if I can be honest it takes me much less time than my real hair. It only takes me about 2 hours every 3 weeks (and that is when I detach/ clean/ reattach) and its cause I like to make my time doing it. Rushing through it will most probably make for a bad attachment. You don't want that, if you are like me, too conscious of your appearance. And like I said in the previous point, if you use good products, I dont even worry about the hairline... and I am not just saying. If you look at my previous posts, I was very concerned about this cause I could not get it right. But I didnt give up, continued trying different products till I found the perfect one for me. I glue the hairline, and then apply Hair Spray Gel on it, keeps the glue from seeping down... after 1 week, I usually release the front bit and glue it again just to keep things fresh. It only takes about 5 minutes. So I really think it is not too much high maintenance with the right products. I am pretty sure you spend more time than that everyday to style your normal hair to look 'good'.
4. I kinda disagree with Paul on using 2 units for different purposes. I want to spend as little time as possible on my hair. Having 2 units means you'd have to detach clean and reattach based on your plans. It would drive me insane. I use an All French Lace and SFS front - the undetectable ones... both for gym/swimming/football and for night outs. It base (since its lace) is breathable and you will not have any problems. I am not a good promoter for Poly bases. They are uncomfortable, and leave so much sweat (and ichyness) when you work out. I might be inclined to try out the iLace but I have ordered the same french lace with SFS for now... why change something when you are happy with it?
5. As to cut-ins and styling... I have no idea but I just do it myself. Never found a good stylist with my own real hair (having tried even Toni&Guy and all those famous salons) so... yeah, real hair is forgiving, hair systems not that much. Go slow and diy in my opinion. You won't go wrong. It doesn't have to be PERFECTLY cut to look good.
Just my 2 cents.
RE: The gym! - Paul In Ireland - 10-12-2010
mrjoehohn has a valid point at [4] --there are /would be issues around changing one system for another, in more `` messing`` about with clean -ups etc. and time -consumption..... interesting that you find no appreciable difference it terms of how your all -lace systems cope with your active lifestyle ..... as opposed to the likes if the `special`exercise base. I reckon that it can, again, be down to an individual`s body -chemistry and also how much physical exercise you do, along with frequency of showers, that will govern how long a particular bond will last, but there is no need to worry unduly as a new wearer, that, on your first day ,after your first workout and shower, that the system will part company with your scalp !! LOL. As for the life span of a system which is exposed to a very active lifestyle, I would think that is will surely shorten it to an extent, which is perfectly understandable, but overall, should not put anyone off wearing..... just means you`d have to order a bit more frequently. In utah23`s case ,he is more worried about the bond becoming weak and the system lifting at the front....... I`d order a few glues/ tapes with varying strengths and see how he gets on with them -- it`s a matter of experimenting at first to see what will work best for him, but he can be assured that he`ll be able to wear with confidence. Best wishes... Paul.