Hey Do you guys think french lace would be good for temple flaps? or would it be detectable? would I be better with SFS? I have never ordered a piece online as I am still wearing a crappy thing from AHS that I purchesed when I was young and nieve (don't even think its lace).

I have been doing my maintenence myself now for about a year, getting good at it and saving a packet on maintenace fees. I just need to learn how to blend a peice then I'll be set.

Also if I were to post some picks of my side hair would you guys help me choose a density to suit my side hair? and also if I should go with temple flaps?

I think I should as I think I have weak temples and I am only 28, but I no you guys will be honest with me so I would really appreciate any help and feedback I can get.

You sound like you are in the same boat i was 2 months ago....I'm also 28 and I finally wised up and ended my contract with HCM. They made me pay an ass load for a non-lace piece...Ive been doing my maintenance for a while now and finally decided to take the plunge on line and purchase it myself...

The quality of these pieces are remarkable from the corporate places....and for a fraction of the cost.

I was with Apollo for too many years, and just within the last 2 years broke loose and went DIY. I too handled my own maintenance until I ordered hair online. It was scary; I didn't think it was possible to get good hair by ordering off the net, but you can. I will share a bit of my experience.

First used HairDirect, mostly due to their marketing and website. Ordered some supplies from them, talked to the "hairtechs", then sent off for a kit. Ordered hair, it came in 7 weeks, and it looked super, best unit I had in years. It cost $500, but after paying over a grand at Apollo, it seemed cheap. Even came "cut in", ready to wear, in a nice box. But the cut was not quite to my liking , so sent it back in to have the hairtechs re-cut it. Came back looking good. Put it on, and I'm wearing it until it is retired this weekend. Sounds great, right? Now for the bad side.

Reordered from HairDirect July 09, same specs as before, and 12 weeks later, my hair came in too dark(no gray, I'm in my 50s), and too short. Returned it, explained what was wrong, HD said,"No problem, we'll remake for free." Even sent in an old unit for the cut. Came back 8 weeks later, same too dark color, but at least it wasn't too short. This time, I contacted the Boss HairTech, but that didn't go anywhere. HD sent me a hair ring at my request, and I re-speced my color according to what they had sent ( see HD does not look at the units before sending them out, so they have no idea if it is per order of not), and reordered again. Waited 8 weeks, no hair, called to find out what was going on, was told my new unit was sent back into production due to quality problems. I cancelled the order in March 10, ordered from Toplace.

This time, I had learned that the closer the hair is to a stock unit in size and color, the more likely success, and ordered from John at Toplace accordingly. My hair came in 6 weeks, looks great, at $300 less, BUT, I have to trim the lace and cut it. Very scary for a newbie, especially the cut, as I don't have a stylist. However, I ordered some barber thinning shears from Amazon for less than $10, and they work great.

There are pitfalls with online hair, as I found out. Proceed with appropiate caution, and all will most likely be well. But have a plan B, just in case.

You can still send it off to Debbie and she can do the cut in for you...

Baldy82, Debbie is the stylist that does the conventions for Toplace (i think), and she can cut it in for you...

Thanks guys for the feedback, I no how you all feel about these expensive places, I was promised the world from these guys when I was about 20, I soaked in everything they said as I young and nieve and would have done anything to have had hair again especially at that age.

I also had a transplant when I was 19 or 20, that was a big mistake and I totally regret doing that. I'm never going to be able to shave my head now which I probably would have done later in life. I think these types of place pray on young peoples insecurities, and I must say I fell hook line and sinker for all there false promises. those days are nearing an end though

I'm going to post some picks of my current hair soon so you guys can hopefully help me get started wiyh this whole mail order hair thing.

I too was a ``victim`` of AHS --all these kinds of places / programmes are only after one thing --your money -- they know exactly how self -conscious guys can be about their hair loss, and that`s how they can get away with scandalous prices. I suppose people are naturally cautious of buying things on -line too for a few reasons ---it`s nice to see /feel /hold any product or item you may be thinking of buying, and there are so many fraudsters trying to access your bank / card details too, so people can be quite `afraid`and cautious, which is probably not a bad thing.
My advice to you would be firstly, you have nothing to fear from this site ----- the people who run it are highly ethical and not out to rip you off. Secondly, the quality of the units is excellent. The trick is to send in a good template of your head for a good comfortable fit, and not to order a density of hair which will not suit you or will draw attention to you from people who are used to seeing you daily. Younger guys usually have denser hair than older, just from normal ageing. If you post a pic here of your side area/back, you will be advised on what density to order. I would strongly recommend you try to locate a stylist in your area who would do the initial cut -in / styling for you, simply for the fact that when your new hair arrives it is very `` bouncy/lively`` and I personally find I like to leave a little extra length [ not a huge amount] so that when the unit settles after a week of wearing / light brushing/ misting it with water, then you can see that it might need another final trim to get a really good match-in with your own so you can just pop in to the salon for that ---- I`m VERY fussy about the cut -in and how it looks and I would prefer to be able to ask and tell the stylist what I want done while the unit is on my head. As for trimming the lace --there is always about half and inch of excess lace at the front when the unit arrives --- just use a good sharp scissors and trim it back towards where the hair itself starts, from temple to temple --honestly there is nothing to be fearful of. Personally , I use very little amounts of products on the hair -- I take the hair off nightly as I have an oily scalp so shower /clean it daily, but I shampoo the unit very sparingly -- I use Lòreal shampoo for coloured hair, simply mix a little in very cool water in a sink and allow the unit to immerse in it for a minute or so -- I then lift it in and out 2 or 3 times, but I NEVER scrub at it or knead the hair ---- I just rinse it under a very cool running stream of water and blot it on a towel [again --- no rubbing /scrubbing at it] and allow to dry naturally. When almost dry, I very gently/ lightly brush it with a widely -spaced toothed brush with rounded or nylon tipped teeth so as not to snag the lace and risk tearing it---- the lace is not like a spiders web --ie will almost disentegrate at the slightest touch, but certainly will not last too long if you use a normal plastic comb and you snag the teeth into the lace and pull --obviously you risk tearing it then. Remember, the hair is not growing, so will not get oily after a few days like real hair growing out of a scalp ---- dryness is actually the main problem, so I use a spray -in, LEAVE IN conditioner, once in a while [not daily] just to give a little moisture / sheen to the hair --if you can get one with UV protection added, that`s even better. There are many on the market --so just find one you like. I use one called Equave [will attach pic] but there are many other good ones on sale. Hope that helps you --- have a look at the posts on how to make a good template of your head, send it in and in no time you`ll be looking how you want to at an extremely reasonable cost too!!
John has just posted a pic at the top of the forum of how my hair looks with the scalp showing through , after 3 months of wear --so that will give you an idea of how a unit can last and how treating it properly can have a bearing on how long you can expect it to last. Best regards, Paul.

Paul,
These are all good tips. Sometimes the experienced wearers just assume everyone is aware of these things but we must remember that there are newbies coming on board all the time and this information is very valuable to people just starting out.
Regards,
John

Thanks John -- I suppose it can be daunting for people considering making the jump from some ``Studio`` as they fill your head with all kinds of nonsense in order to make you think what they do is very specialised and almost like rocket-science, so you`re almost afraid to brush the hair!
I meant to add in my post there, that when I have cleaned /dried my system, I apply another layer of knot -sealer with a cotton wool pad to prevent shedding --I`d be interested to know if other wearers do likewise?
Best regards, Paul.

(05-18-2010, 07:26 PM)Paul In Ireland Wrote: Thanks John -- I suppose it can be daunting for people considering making the jump from some ``Studio`` as they fill your head with all kinds of nonsense in order to make you think what they do is very specialised and almost like rocket-science, so you`re almost afraid to brush the hair!
I meant to add in my post there, that when I have cleaned /dried my system, I apply another layer of knot -sealer with a cotton wool pad to prevent shedding --I`d be interested to know if other wearers do likewise?
Best regards, Paul.

Paul, in all my years of wearing I've never used knot sealer. With my salon units, I would get thin areas due to my rubbing unconsciously while shampooing, and the stylists would brush the crap out of the hair during a visit, and that was the majority of shedding I had. I just put away a HairDirect unit after 1 year of wear with no unusual shedding. Can't be that lucky all the time, but I don't know how my habits differ from others.

Thanks for that mcnash --interesting that you never used knot sealer. I never had to use it or couldn`t have used it anyway on an all -poly base as the the bottom of the hair shaft is not visible/accessible in any case --lace is different that way and this is my first time wearing lace [I have a narrow poly perimeter from temple to temple including the back, and lace front, so the majority of the base is swiss lace. I just feel that immersing in water may just loosen some of the knots over time, so a light layer of sealer would be no harm after a wash .......... anybody else have any input???
Regards, Paul.