Hey everyone,

First time wearer here, ordered a toplace stock unit today after stalking various forums for about 4 months. Still using concealers, which work well, but I'd rather have actual hair. Plus they're super messy and stupid. I'm 25, very social and considered very good looking.

Allmmoosstt went with a stock unit from another source, as they have a $199 deal going on, but I like the community over here better.

Anyway, a few simple questions that I've read answers to over a million times, so I appreciate your patience and answers -

1) I don't know where to get a cut in, and I'm probably going to need a colour too. I'm in San Antonio, TX, can anyone help me find a place?

Maybe y'alls Google-Fu is better.

2) I've read all about all the types of attachments. What will produce the BEST results when getting started with LEAST maintenance, while I get the hang of this, with price in mind? Stronger is WAY better, between convertible and anxiety, and swimming - it's very important to me.

3) My shopping list includes shampoo, tape or glue, and 99% alcohol? As far as hair product, are there any no-no's you should steer clear of?

4) Can I shampoo normally every morning? Is regular shampoo bad?

5) If you could name ONE thing to NEVER do with a system, what is it?

6) I drive a convertible, any thoughts or advice on sun-care?

7) I live in Texas, any advice on heat care?

8) Do I need a styrofoam head thing?

I think that's about it, I'll include pictures of my current hair, concealer results and stock unit pics once it gets here.

Thanks for all the great posts y'all do and thanks for the responses!

Hi travbjork, Welcome along.
Most, if not all of your questions are asked /answered regularly ..just have a read through some of the old/er posts / pages ... I appreciate all kinds of thoughts /scenarios run through a person`s mind when considering wearing, and sure, it can be a real minefield....the more research /reading through the forum particularly one`s dealing with newbie issues /questions, the easier it will be to begin wearing. I know it can be tedious but if you can`t find an answer to a particular question, you`ll get replies faster ... I`m sure you can appreciate that it gets repetitive and time-consuming for guys to respond to the `` regular`` questions.
Question 5 above is covered by question 4 .... i.e. I [and most wearers] NEVER shampoo the hair daily....you`ll ` lift` the colour and dry out the hair totally ...dryness is the main problem with system hair ..it gets no natural oils and anything you can do to moisturize it will pay dividends in terms of how it ` looks` and life-span of the system. I find ``little is best`` when it comes to various styling /cleaning products..... you can easily shampoo your growing hair daily if you need to, whilst avoiding the system hair....it`s fine to dampen /wet it ... I spritz daily with water and use a leave-in [spray on] conditioner....there are many available and one with a UV protector added would be best for where you live [sunny]. I use ``PPI Enhance leave in conditioner`` [Just Google it ]
You need a system -specific shampoo and conditioner rather than off-the-shelf ones .... there are many suppliers -- again, just do a Google search ....
Regular styling products can and do build-up on the hair leading to frequent shampooing... it`s a cycle which leads to shortening of the wearable life of the system and it`s time-consuming.... I keep it as simple as I can.......
You`ll have to experiment with various bonding products [tape/glue] to see what works best for you...... it`s not possible to say what will work with your individual physiology and local climate...... a lot of guys use Oil Resistant White Glue for strength / longevity of hold .....again.... just do a Google search for suppliers. The ` White` glues are water-based and generally a bit easier to work with than acrylic ones..... you may need several thin coats applied directly to the scalp [NOT the system if it`s a lace one] and each coat must be allowed to go practically dry before the next one is applied ......tapes are faster to apply and less ` messy` in my opinion but may not ` hold` as long as some glues ...it`s all a big balancing -act !
You`ll find a styrofoam head handy ....you can sit the system on it overnight if you wish to leave it off now and then [ I remove mine nightly ] ....also handy if you need to trim off some lace..you can use T-pins and pin the system to it while you work.
I`m not sure why you ask about colour ..is the stock system not a good match ? Colouring can be tricky and as a new wearer you`d be best to avoid it if possible while you deal with other things......
You need lace-release to free your system from your head [bonded area] and a glue -melter or Citrus solvent to remove residues from the scalp and/ or lace ..... make sure you have proper supplies to hand before you start ...lists of supplies have been well-covered in other threads...... regards!

Wow, awesome reply! Thanks for taking the time, I'm sure it's tiring, and I super appreciate it.

Yea, I did most of my research by heading to another site that documented everything really well and stalking the first few pages here on Toplace.

To boot I bought some spray in conditioner, special shampoo, a styro head, some crazy hold CC tape, and lace release spray, along with a few other misc items.

I see so many forum posts, sometimes it's hard to recall exactly what I needed, but attaching, removal, and care items - think I got the basics.

So you recommend NOT getting all my hair wet everyday? I plan on wearing for a week or so, I figured I'd shower normally, real shampoo the sides and back, and not touch the system unless needed and then spray in conditioner and style. Thoughts?

Now that the system I ordered actually arrived, it's *really* close. I'm a #4-ish. The stock systems hair looks SOOO much nicer than mine, my hair is a little dryer, which should work well once the system gets a little older or worn in. I'll be posting pics once I get cut in.

My cut in is on Thursday, so I guess we'll see. I'm personally just going to be happy people can touch my hair and I don't have to use two concealers every day. Woo, clean bathroom!

You`re welcome ... I hope I didn`t come across as flippant ....I know exactly all the anxieties you`re going through just now .... you seem to be looking forward to it ....some people get ` cold feet` as the D-day approaches ! The trickiest part I think at the start is the positioning of the system ..it`s very important to sit it correctly...even as little as 10 -20 millimeters too far ` forward` or back and it can look way off....it`s important to locate your natural hairline-point and sit the front edge of the system on to that reasonably accurately .... it`s easy if you still have some of your own hair growing from there [no recession] to see / mark it with an eyebrow pencil.... if not, just frown, and you`ll see the skin of the forehead will crease whilst the skin of the scalp/hairline will not ....can I suggest you use ``Got2bglued` spiking glue for ease of attachment for your cut-in.... it won`t ` grab` the lace immediately, thus allowing you some ` wriggle-room` in terms of adjusting the position of it on your head.. you can ` slide` the system on it a bit before it begins to set...just smear it onto the shaved part of the head..... how is the system fitting ? Does it need to be trimmed around the edge a bit ? No point in shaving off ` good` / strong hair to make way for a system ..you can easily trim the lace instead.....don`t, however, trim the front of it ...only the sides/ back if necessary ....let me know if you need to trim it and I`ll advise how it`s done ....... and yes, to answer your question ..you can wet the system / hair daily if you wish [shower] but it`s not necessary / needed to shampoo it at all ...just do your growing hair as normal if you wish..... and if the system hair is now looking ` fresher` than your own, you could just use a bit of gel or Brylcreem [ lightly] on your growing hair to ` darken` it and give it a bit of gloss /shine.... would help with any colour-blend issues.
Got2b glued is water-soluble so you can just stand under a shower head and let the water at the system ..you`ll soon be able to peel it off and rinse the base and your scalp....you can then dry your base and maybe use tapes for your own attachment/s ...``Walker No-Shine tape is very easy to work with and is practically shine-free.... I find many tapes can be ``Fiddly`` to work with --- you press a strip to the lace and when you try to peel back the backing-paper, the thing comes away from the lace or the tape itself ravels up into a lump...I`m not the most patient of people when these things happen !! It takes time and perseverance to deal with bonding / debonding and clean-up`s .... staying with a regular pattern of removal and cleaning will pay you back big-time......allowing tapes and glues to stay on too long can lead to issues of scalp-health / hygiene and ` messy` time-consuming clean up`s ----- another tape I`m using too is Ultra hold .. gives a good firm hold but can be more shine-visible than Walker..... again, you`ll just have to experiment until you find what works best for you.....take your time when using lace-release......allow it time to ` work` when applying it ... I use a glass dropper to apply it ` locally` rather than the scatter-gun effect that spraying it on from a bottle gives... you can get a little dropper tube in a pharmacy ---- the type of thing [glass tube with a rubber bulb on the end] which you`d use to apply drops into a child`s ear / nose etc. ...it keeps a lot of the alcohol off the hair [alcohol is ` drying` ] don`t force your system off your head...just apply gentle ` pressure` when lifting it..if you meet resistance, apply more lace -release... then use your other alcohol-based ` glue melter` to soften any residues on your scalp / lace for ease of cleaning .. It`s quite ok to give your lace a rinse regularly..you can apply your shampoo directly to the underside of the [dampened] base and rinse it under a lukewarm running flow of water when it`s off your head.--- usually no real need to apply shampoo to the hair often, unless it`s got styling-product build up on it --that removes scalp oils/ dead skin from the base and keeps things ` sweet` ...... hope that is of use to you and let me know if you need to trim the lace....kind regards.

Yea, I'm really looking forward to it. To be fair, I could even care less if anyone knows I'm wearing. It's just about looking good and looking better than concealer, which is nothing but powder and way too much hairspray to keep it in place.

Funny you should mention Got2bglued, I just found a thread John posted on it and you answered most of the questions I had about it haha. My concern with the Glued approach is the hairline, and since I have a stock unit and plan on exposing the hairline, how are the results? I haven't seen pics of anybody yet.

As far as cutting the lace- I found it fits my head perfectly, however, it's definitely too wide and would need to be trimmed. Other than that, great hairline, maybe a little better than my real one, but nothing crazy. I assume they'll trim the piece when I go for my cut in - at least they better for the money I'm going to be paying lol.

I couldn't really get a good handle on the system itself... too much hair on it, couldn't play with it too much without taping it on first. (Thanks John for the complimentary roll by the way)

The eye dropped is a great tip! I'll have to pick one up.

Also, if the salon doesn't, do I *have* to bleach knots?

Does sealing the knots make the hair less manipulable / less style-able or just prevent shedding? Why don't they come sealed from the factory?

Everything else, thanks for the help! Hygiene is very important to me, looks like a little less than a week shouldn't be too bad. I'll be making my first re-application at my parents on vacation, let's hope I don't screw that up, haha

Hi again, Got2b dries with no shine on it at all..it tends to lose it`s grip at the front after about 2 days .... I mean it`s really not ` designed` for holding hair systems in place ....it`s simply a strong hair gel ....someone ` discovered` that it can be used as a bonding ` tool` .... it can be very very handy but it has it`s limits ..... I`ve taken it to the salon when going for a cut-in...it`s pretty easy / fast to use..... I`m always ` conscious` of not delaying the stylist too much ...especially if it`s just a ` normal` stylist obliging you with a cut-in....the less ` hassle` for them, the more likely they will be to do further work for you ...if they get a big amount of their time taken up with you, [naturally] they may not be too keen to repeat the experience !!
You just smear it onto the [now] bald /shaved area...not TOO thickly...allow it to begin to ` cure` / dry for a few minutes.... just give it time to dry a little....usually 3 -5 minutes is enough....then position the system /sit it on....mark your front hairline with a few [eyebrow pencil] dots around the front ----when the stylist has shaved your thin hair, just sit the system in the correct position, mark the front hairline, then remove the system, and apply your Got2b. I`m simply suggesting you use Got2b for ease /speed in the salon ---- you could also simply use tapes....... no need to tape-up your entire perimeter at all..... you can apply strips and allow ` gaps` between them ...trust me ...it will stay in place! ..... The front curved area is easier to deal with by using shorter strips...... I simply cut off a strip of tape, apply it to the lace firmly, then use the tip of a [ small] nail-scissors] right at the very corner of the strip....push the tip in between the tape and it`s backing-paper..just enough to separate them...I keep the ` flat` of the blade pressed firmly against the tape [holding it in place against the lace] and I peel the paper off fully with my other hand--then ` slide` the blade-tip off the tape in a sideways manner..this leaves the tape strip in place--if you just ` lift` the scissors, it tends to also pull the tape off the lace with it ....it takes patience and time to get used to doing it ... once I have the paper fully off, I then turn it to face the tape strip .....shiny [non-stick] side facing the tape....I then crease/fold a few millimeters of it ` back` fully onto itself.... I then press it relatively lightly onto the tape strip [will attach photos] ...this simply provides a barrier for when you sit the thing onto your head---it allows you to position the system properly and the folded -back bit provides a finger-grip for you to catch when you want to remove the paper and press the tape ` home` against your scalp /skin.... it sounds complex trying to put it into words like this ....but in effect all you`re doing is ` prepping` you system ..you can have it ` prepped` and ready when going to the salon..... then once your thin hair /bald area is cleared of hair, you sit the system on, position it, and then one of you [stylist /you] can hold it in position by simply placing your open hand / palm onto the crown to prevent it moving /slipping about, while the other works around the perimeter peeling off the bits of paper and pressing the thing firmly against the skin.....
Knots should already be bleached at the front...don`t `go there` at the moment... bleaching is not always effective because fabric dyes are often used ..bleaching is ineffective in that case ..it also weaken the hair and leads to shedding..... stock systems are generally ` freestyle` thus allowing freedom to style your hair more freely .....using knot-sealer can tend to ` lock` the hair into a particular direction... I used to always apply it to prevent knots becoming undone over time.... I haven`t used it in a long time and can see no real difference.
Ok..now to trimming your system / base to fit your thin/bald area.You have a styrofoam head-form I think....what you need to do is to sit your system onto it, lace -side up i.e. hair is against the styrofoam, and use T-pins to pin it hold it in place. You need to make a template of your bald area. Just do this in the normal way ..use strips of kitchen film [ the stuff you cover food with] just take one big long strip off the roll and lay it flat on your head [well, as ` flat` as is possible on a non-flat surface !! ] and tie it under your chin [not too tightly] mark the [ bald]area with black marker, then lay on strips of sellotape [clear tape] in order to give it ``body`` /rigidity.... do them side -to-side and back-to-front......you know what I mean......then untie it and remove...trim off the ` excess ` material ..... you now have a representation of your bald area....mark the Front with an ` X` [this is important].....now, sit the template on a flat surface, so you are now looking at something which looks like an easter egg which has been sliced lengthways.......now press down onto the template firmly so that it ` pops` ```inside-out`` I hope you can visualize what I am describing.... then lay your template onto your lace /system so that the front [``X`` mark] is sitting onto/ at the front of the system.....you then simply pin the template to the system /styrofoam ....don`t worry --you won`t do any harm to the system...then you use a hobby -knife [this type of thing ] http://www.ehobbytools.com/contents/en-us/d22.html
to trim /cut around the edge of your template, thus removing the ` excess` lace from the sides/back of the system...now this is VITAL ---do NOT cut ` down` through the lace ...simply draw the blade ` across` the lace gently ...the sharp blade will easily cut the lace but will leave the underlying hair which you want / need to keep, intact.......just sit with the system in front of you so that the front is furthest away from you and the back is nearest.....just place the tip of the knife onto the lace near the front/temple area, and draw it back towards you applying just gentle pressure...do NOT force the blade down through the lace.....the unwanted bit will separate easily....... you can then remove your template and you have your trimmed system which will fit your bald area without having to cut growing hair out of the way...I hope that`s of help and my description/s weren`t too confusing. I`m not sure if you`re going to a salon where they deal with systems all the time or if it`s a regular stylist ....if it`s a regular one, they won`t know anything about trimming a system in such a way

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