hi JamesJr, I always cut the excess lace back to the hairline itself...other wearers like to leave 2 or 3 millimeters excess ----the problem with that is it can become more visible to the casual glance and in certain lighting conditions, especially if the glue or tape underneath gets dust/grit from the air, sticking to it... it will lead to a visible `line`. Once you wash your system a few times the shine will fade....the factory sprays silicone-based `finishing ` product onto the hair before shipping... in the meantime, you could use a similar product on your own hair to match the shine on the system -hair ! ....... I`m not too sure what you mean by `stray hairs`..can you be more specific ? I use glue for the front hairline. One of the guys recently advised that he uses a comb `flat down` to press the very front edge onto the glue and avoid ripples....... I hope that helps...... don`t worry about other people...most of them will soon forget about your new-look and get on with their daily lives/issues...... regards, Paul.