Whilst waiting for my new order, I was having problems from lace-shrinkage on my current system/s ..... this is more noticeable on Fullcaps, especially on the side-burn areas, in my experience... all lace shrinks a bit over time from repeated washings...a topper has a much smaller amount of lace so it`s not too much of an issue....Fullcaps can be more problematic due to the larger amount of material..... I simply cut two bits off an old system and stitched them onto the sideburn/flaps area ...I used ordinary black sewing thread...you can`t even see it through the hair [and the hair has thinned-out considerably over time since this system was new].....the photos aren`t crystal-clear but I think you`ll be able to see what I did..... I only cut a few grids of lace..just enough to give a bit more coverage in front of the ears ...the trick when cutting lace is to use a very sharp blade and using just gentle pressure, you draw the tip of the blade ` across` the lace rather than slicing down through it...this avoids cutting through hairs that you want /need to keep.......all you want to do is separate one bit of lace from another so you only want/ need to slice the lace and not the hair!

The last photo [crown area] shows how the normal thinning /shedding over time, has added to the reality as this allows for more scalp show-through ....this system is now literally at the end of it`s ` life` but it still looks pretty good ...it`s almost a year old !!

Thanks for the tip Paul. I've heard many hair wearers say that once a unit sheds some hair it looks a little more natural. It's a good idea to get an order in before a unit hits that stage as lead time is typically about 5-7 weeks depending on order flow and holidays.
Regards,
John

Hi Paul. I've been wearing a fullcap for about 5 years. I agree that it looks more natural when it shows some scalp. The problem I have is that the knots are horribly noticeable, so I can't let it get that far. My color is 1B, so to get rid of the knots requires some serious bleaching, which leads to serious shedding. Even after bleaching, the knots are still visible, which results in compromised knots and yellow roots. The yellow roots have to be recolored, which always seems to get color back on the knots, so its a vicious cycle. I now end up getting a higher density and ask for no bleaching, just so the units last longer.
But I do like how your units look. They are the same color as mine, show scalp, and can't really see many knots (although I can't see that detail in the pics).
Do you get your knots bleached? If yes, how long before the hair starts shedding badly?
Thanks.
Dom

Hi DomMan ..... hmmm, sounds like you may be getting double-knots rather than single....that can lead to ` visibility` ......bleaching is severe / harsh on the hair and usually leads to early, heavy-shedding of hair from the lace.....I just received two new systems.....the front and the sideburn/s areas are done perfectly [no knots visible ].... over the rest of it, the knots are not even worth mentioning..they`re tiny /not visible at all..... my only issue is with a light/er density on those areas, there is visible ` shine` from the underlying tape/s [am using Walker No-shine too !]
I suggest you order single-tied knots and ask John to emphasize to the factory that you want the knots on the front and flaps properly bleached etc. [they often use fabric-dyes to colour the hair, so bleaching is ineffective on the knots in that case]
The trade-off for single-tied knots is they can become undone more easily than double knots, and so you get shedding.....a good idea is to use `knot-sealer` on the underside [lace] to `lock` the knots --- it forms an acrylic skin on the lace and knots and helps prevent them becoming untied and hair shedding out. You can re-apply it every 4 -6 weeks as it can become removed from washing/s.
I`ve found that by dabbing [lightly] a little talcum powder onto the lace where tape is showing ` shine`, helps to dull it down...we`ve had some really lovely sunny days here in the last month [ yeah I know hard to believe in Ireland !! ---God bless global-warming ;-)) ] and I was conscious of the tape-shine being obvious in the strong light ...just a tiny bit of talc on the tip of one finger, improves things a lot !
My Camera isn`t really great at close-up detail so it`s not possible to see the knots in detail but it`s never really been an issue for me with systems I got from Toplace, though I know some guys do experience it...... I never bleach them [to answer your question] and I usually get a minimum of 6 months or so before they begin to look ` tired` ..but bear in mind, I remove the system nightly for sleeping.....I guess that helps them to last a lot longer ... I hope that helps and your next order/s are more satisfactory ...kind regards!

p