Quote:Once you’ve decided that a full cap is a viable option for you, there are a few things you will have to do before you place your order.

In this section I will show you how to make a full cap template.

A full cap can also be ordered by measurements alone, but I have found that there is no substitute for sending a template with your order. When ordering with a template, you have total control over the contour of the hairline, the shape of the temple points, and the amount of recession built into the piece, if any.

Making a template is a very simple process. Some people tend to make it a much bigger deal than it actually is, but don’t worry, it’s only tape and plastic wrap, and it can easily be modified.

You will need to gather a few supplies in order to get started.

Here’s what you will need.

1. Clear packing tape
2. Plastic wrap
3. Scissors
4. Black marker

Once you have gathered all of your supplies, start by pre-cutting about a dozen strips of tape. Vary the lengths, making smaller strips about 3 inches long, and medium strips about 6 inches. The remaining strips should be cut long enough to reach from the front of your hairline to the nape of your neck, across across the top of your head.

Now that you have cut strips of tape, you will need to tear off a sheet of plastic wrap approximately 36 inches long. Place the center of the wrap on top of your head, and tie the ends under your chin. Tear holes in the plastic on the sides to pull your ears through.

As an alternative to regular kitchen plastic wrap, you can also use a narrow roll of “stretch” wrap, the type that is used for wrapping packages. You can find this at most discount or office supply stores in the shipping supplies section.

If you are using stretch wrap, simply wrap the plastic around your head and across the top to cover your entire scalp. The plastic should cling to itself, and it’s a good idea to cover a larger area than you actually think you will need, since any excess can easily be cut off.

Next, apply the strips of tape to the plastic wrap to form a shell. Start with the medium and longer strips, applying them across the top of your head from ear to ear and from your hairline back to the nape of your neck. Use the medium length strips to wrap around the nape and across the back and front, and use the smaller strips to fill in any areas that didn’t get covered. Don’t be concerned about the exact shape of the template at this point. Try to at least cover the basic area that you think you will want your base to cover, but don’t spend a lot of time trying to get it perfect. If you find that you need to increase the size of any area of the template you will be able to do so when you are almost finished, as I will demonstrate.

Helpful hint- Make sure you build sideburns into your template, even if you plan to keep your own existing sideburns while wearing your full cap. They can always be cut off, and may come in handy when you need to make an emergency repair.

The next thing you will need to do is “stiffen” the template with more strips of packing tape. Follow the same procedure as you did the first time. Once again, try to cover as much or more of the area as you believe your final template will cover, but don’t worry about getting it perfect.

When you are finished applying the tape, remove the template and allow your scalp to cool off for a few minutes.

While you are cooling off, grab your scissors and start trimming the excess tape from your template. Only remove what you think you won’t need, but remember, even if you take off more than you should, you will be able to make corrections before you are finished.

At this point you will need to decide the final shape of your template. Are you planning to integrate some of your own nape hair? If so, you will need to decide how much of your own hair you plan to keep, and you will need to adjust your template size accordingly.

Hint- In less critical areas such as above the ears and at the neck, it never hurts to make your template a little larger than you think you will need. Any excess can be easily trimmed to fit if needed. Note-This only applies if you are ordering an all lace or all skin base. If you are ordering a unit with a lace base with a skin perimeter, trimming isn’t recommended. This is one of the reasons I recommend starting with an all French lace base for your first piece. It will be MUCH easier to customize, and that is important on your first order. I will explain base options in detail in the next chapter.

Once you have a rough idea of how you want your finished template to look, place the template back on your head and use a marker to indicate the areas you wish to remove.

The most critical part of your template is the hairline and temple areas. Getting the proper shape in the front is the main factor in achieving a realistic looking piece.

Hint- When designing the hairline and temples of your full cap, keep in mind that most men who are in their 30’s and 40’s have at least some recession in the hairline area. If you are age 30 or older, you will likely achieve a more realistic end result by adding some recession to your template design.

Start by marking the place where you want your hairline to begin. As a general rule this should typically be about 3-4 fingers distance above your eyebrows. You can also raise your eyebrows without the template on your head to get an idea of where your natural hairline begins. When you do this you will usually see that your forehead skin wrinkles, but the skin on your scalp stays flat. This can help you determine a starting point for the hairline placement.

Next, determine how far forward you want your temple points to be, placing a mark to indicate the tip if the temple point. Place another mark at the top of the sideburn area.

From there move to the back of the template and mark the corners where you want the base to begin. If you are NOT utilizing any of your existing nape hair, you may want to design your template to sit at the very base of your skull, as opposed to extending it all the way down onto your neck. This can help minimize attachment issues that can arise from having a base that extends into an area where it is prone to lifting due to the constant flexing of the skin in this area.

Personally, I prefer to design my template to attach just below the occipital bone (the base of the skull). My current attachment method (using strong tapes) allows me to get a good hold in this area, and overall I believe that a lower hairline in the back looks better on most people, but you will have to build your template based upon what you believe will look best on you. You will learn a lot with your first unit. Take your best guess and revise your next order accordingly.

Hint- If you are NOT integrating any of your own nape hair, a slight taper from the back of the ear to the bottom of the base may help to add realism. Remember, if you are ordering a lace base, this is less of an issue, as the neck area is very easy to trim and customize.

Mark the area around the ears you wish to trim. Remove the template and begin cutting according to your markings. Begin cutting in the back. With the template off it’s easy to make adjustments to your markings to ensure a straight cut in the neck area. Next, trim the sides, moving forward to the sideburn area.

Hint- The area above the ears is one of the least critical areas on a full cap. If you are ordering a lace base you may wish to cut the template straight across the top of the ear to make it easier to apply tape or adhesive in that area. When the unit arrives you can pluck some of the hairs above the ear to make an “arch”, leaving the straight lace intact. If leaving the lace poses a problem for any reason, it can always be trimmed.

Cut the sideburns to the desired size and shape, and cut the area from the top front of the sideburn to the area you previously marked as the tip of your temple point.

Hint- Trim the template a little bit at a time. Place it back on your head periodically to make sure you are satisfied with your progress..

Now, you are ready to make the most important cut of all- the hairline cut.

Nervous? If so, take a deep breath and relax. Although this is the most important part of your template design, as I already mentioned, if you aren’t satisfied and believe that you have cut too much, it is easy to correct, which I will explain later in this chapter.

Hint- Although it is always recommended that you build your template to reflect the actual end result you want to achieve, and that you should build “age appropriate” recession into your template design, if you order an all lace piece, you CAN cut additional recession into the unit by cutting small “triangles” from the area where the temples meet the hairline. You can also reshape the temples by cutting off unwanted material and plucking hair. The only downside is that you run the risk of losing some of the realism that was created when the unit was made by a skilled ventilator. If you plan on spiking the hair in the front or combing the hair back exposing hairline you might want to think twice before altering the front of your piece.

You should already have a mark at the beginning of your hairline where you want the piece to begin. With the template on your head, try to visualize how much curvature in the hairline you think will look best, and how much recession you believe will be most appropriate. Place a mark at the point where you want the hairline to meet the top of the temple area at the back of the hairline. Once you have decided on the curvature of the hairline. Place a few dots in between the mark at the front of the hairline and the mark at the back of the hairline, reflecting the curvature you have chosen.

Remove the template and take a look at what you have so far. Again, with the template off your head it will be much easier to see if you need to make any adjustments before you begin cutting. Make any last minute changes before connecting the dots to form a natural looking curvature in the hairline.

Once you are satisfied with the shape and symmetry of the hairline, you will need to draw one more line extending from your temple point mark to the back of the hairline. This line can be straight from point to point, or it can curve inward or outward very slightly depending upon your preference and your hairline curvature and amount of recession. Once you have your lines drawn to your satisfaction, make your final cuts and place the template back on your head.

Take a minute and look at your template carefully from all angles. Try to imagine what it would look like if there was actually hair growing from the template area. If you notice any areas that require further cutting, use your marker to note anything that will need to be trimmed.

As I mentioned, if you happen to cut too much from the template or the template isn’t large enough, this is very easy to correct. Simply use more packing tape to add material to the template. Oops! Did you add too much? No problem, cut off the parts you don’t want. Keep “adding and subtracting” tape until you are satisfied with your template. If you have any areas of tape that are sticky in the back, place another piece of tape against it, back to back. Trim as necessary.

The last step to building your template is to print your name on the outside. I highly recommend that you also indicate the specifications you desire, ESPECIALLY the location and direction of swirl of the crown, the location of a part (if desired) and the ventilation style for the top, whether it’s comb forward, flatback, or freestyle, and specific densities for specific areas. If this isn’t familiar to you, don’t worry, I will explain this terminology in the following chapters.

Note- Since the Full Cap for men is still in its infancy, there are a few issues pertaining to the way these units are made that have not yet been addressed by the hair companies and the factories that make them.

The biggest problem that I have faced has been with improper ventilation (the way the hair is tied or injected into the base). My theory is that until recently, very, very few men were ordering full caps, and as such the factories were ventilating the hair in a manner that would provide more realism for a longer hair style. If you are planning on cutting your unit shorter than 2 or 3 inches, I would highly recommend taking a few extra steps to ensure that your retailer and their factory are able to provide you with a unit that has been ventilated properly for cutting the hair short. The critical areas are the hairline and temples, but I have also found that the nape area requires special ventilation. Make sure you specify “single hair ventilation with bleached knots” on the entire perimeter of the unit. The areas above the ears are not as critical, but to avoid confusion specify this for the entire perimeter.

Congratulations! You have completed your template. Generally, hairpiece companies recommend or require that the template be sent to them in an envelope as opposed to a box. Don’t worry about it getting crushed or wrinkled. Simply fold it up and place it in an envelope, send it off and be prepared to wait patiently for your full cap to be made.