i think he meant like how does the hair behave in the wind and when wet. does it look normal or does it look realistic only when styled etc..

And my point was.... of course it looks normal & realistic!
If it didn't, none of us would be able to do anything except sit around with styled hair!
Its REAL hair, it does what REAL HAIR does. The ONLY difference is that its not coming out of your scalp, its coming out of an invisible base ON your scalp.
Sure you get guys worried when they take their cycle helmets off and their piece is all flat & wiggy looking, but so does ANYONE's hair, whether its a wig or not.
You get out of a pool and your hair is wet & flat, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE'S!
The ONLY difference will be that some wearers will be conscious of it, but NOBODY else is interested!
Some guys with natural hair will get it blown around in the wind.
Some guys with natural hair WON'T get their hair blown around in wind because they use gels and sprays.
Those EXACT same things apply to worn hair.

I promise you that if doing ANY of the things mentioned caused real problems and took a good looking piece to an obvious wig simply by doing them, the forum would be full of threads discussing it and places like TopLace would go out of business.
People have technical issues, but the vast majority of posts are saying how wearing hair has improved their lives and freed them to pursue activities they weren't able to do before.
You don't see posts from guys saying they looked great leaving the house but decided to wear a headscarf in case it got windy.
You don't see posts saying that the second they got out of the pool they had to throw a towel over their head.
You don't see posts of people saying they went to the gym but spent the entire session hiding in the locker room.
Believe me, if their hair suddenly went from looking good to looking like a wig doing any of these things, no one would do them!
What people are saying is the exact opposite.
But you don't have to take their word for it when you can try it for yourself at very little cost.
My concern is that if you start off with these kind of worries, it can easily grow in to a paranoia and a complex.
The single most obvious thing regarding detectability of someone wearing hair is their level of confidence.
Its a HUGE advantage to start this transformation off with the attitude that its going to liberate you.

thanks hersute. ive just heard common complaints about being in the wind, rain and water. whats the reason to complain about these things then if its the exact same as how normal hair would behave?

also, i understand it human hair.. but you have to remember that its also processed

And normal hair these days isn't processed?
Do you know ANYBODY that doesn't use some sort of product or chemical on their hair?
You also hear of people who straighten their natural hair & hate it getting wet because it goes back to being frizzy.
You also hear of people who dye their natural hair blonde and it goes green in chlorine.
You also hear of people who say their natural hair dries out in the sun.

These are just 'hair' issues that lots of people experience with natural AND replacement hair.
EVERYBODY has bad hair days at some time or other.
We just focus on it more than most!

The majority of complaints you will read from hair wearers regarding the hair getting wet isn't about what happens to the hair, its about what can happen to the attachment.
Sure you can take different precautions regarding the technical issues, but you can lead a normal life style and take part in normal activities and still look normal!

Its much healthier to realise that you will have hair issues JUST like anybody else has, than to focus on these things because you believe they are to do with the hair not being natural.
The only difference is that if you have natural hair and it gets REALLY messed up, you have to wait until the problem grows out.
All we have to do is change our hair!
Problem solved!

Thanks! That makes me feel a lot better diving into to this. My concerns about attachment aren't so bad anymore. Sounds like everyone finds way to make it work for them. My concerns about the hair itself are also now covered. Which is awesome so thanks!

I think my last biggest concern is blending. How hard is that to pull off with a topper? Will one good cut in solve it? Or do you have to spend a fair amount of time styling it in the morning to get it to look right?

Good blending isn't just about the cut.
Its also about getting the right colour, correct ventilation, hair type & density AND a good cut.
Regarding hair type & colour;
This can be solved by sending a hair sample.
Density can be gauged by supplying a good picture of the sides & back.
In reality a medium/light density suits most guys.
A graduated density at the front hair line helps with realism.
Correct ventilation is just making sure the hair lays in the same direction as the natural hair does, where the two meet.
This can be detailed when supplying a template, using arrows to show hair direction.
And then, a good cut.
A good cut helps in just the same way a good cut makes any hair look its best.
Sounds like there's a lot to think about but once you know your hair, you know your specifications and the job is done.

Its equally possible to buy a stock piece where all of the above ISN'T exactly the perfect specifications for you and with an ok cut and a bit of grooming, you can STILL make the piece work for you.
But if you want it to look as good as possible, go the custom made route and tailor it to exactly what you want.
The other tip I would ALWAYS recommend is to have AT LEAST 2 units (at any one time) to be on the safe side & to make your life easy.

Hersute , love youre posts, you remind me of, well, umm me!
i 100% agree with youre comments, observations, psychology of wearing,
in five days ill be celebrating , my first year as a partial(topper) wearer.
and thank god i took the plunge.
no negatives,well except the clean up they dont mention that in the glossy adds you read on the net- ect,lol but once you know what youre doing ,it aint "rocket science"
summers a bitt of a pain with the added temperature hike,bonding hairline when exposing it.but as with all problems it can be overcome.
you put the time in because, hel its worth it, you woudnt bother if there wasent a payoff.
confidence is the payoff,what better reward

Thanks Antywanty,

I went down the concealer route for years and THAT was a nightmare.
People invariable 'talked to my head' instead of looking at my face.
I left marks on pillows and couldn't touch my head in public.
I spent hours in front of a mirror and always found the darkest corner of a room to lurk in when I was out.
Over time, all of that erodes your self confidence and limits your life style.
But I was clinging to the fact I still had my own hair and wasn't wearing a wig.
I felt there was a HUGE stigma to wearing a wig and I was prepared to do ANYTHING to avoid it.
By the time I gave up on concealers and had no alternative but to wear hair, my confidence was at an all-time low.
Therefore I carried my negative feelings & experience over into wig wearing.
It took quite some time to adjust.
After a while, I realised the whispered comments I used to get behind my back about my painted head had stopped and were being replaced by people complimenting me and questions asking me if I'd had plastic surgery/lost weight etc because I was looking so much better.

Since wearing hair (approx 15 years) the only thing I regret were those awful previous years of using concealers.
I built up such a negative & stressful attitude about myself and my hair during those years and it was hard to undo all of that constant focusing on my appearance.
I can honestly say that I now (years later) go about my day and don't think about my hair.
Its such a relief.
The only time I think about it and get depressed is during removal & clean up.
Thats why I recommend having at least 2 pieces.
I can remove one and replace it with another in quite a quick turn around time.
I can clean up the old piece at leisure and not be locked in the bathroom for ages like I used to be when I was spray painting my head & checking it under every type of lighting and using mirrors from every different angle.
I know I've ranted in these last few posts but if I can stop anyone from deliberating because of negative fears (that only get worse & worse) and encourage them to at least try replacement hair BEFORE those fears take over, it will have been worth it!

PS ANTYWANTY

I've recently found & used a product called NO SWEAT that has helped during the summer with preventing sweat from attacking my attachment.
You might want to give it a try.

(10-09-2011, 01:33 PM)Hersute Wrote: And my point was.... of course it looks normal & realistic!
If it didn't, none of us would be able to do anything except sit around with styled hair!
Its REAL hair, it does what REAL HAIR does. The ONLY difference is that its not coming out of your scalp, its coming out of an invisible base ON your scalp.
Sure you get guys worried when they take their cycle helmets off and their piece is all flat & wiggy looking, but so does ANYONE's hair, whether its a wig or not.
You get out of a pool and your hair is wet & flat, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE'S!
The ONLY difference will be that some wearers will be conscious of it, but NOBODY else is interested!
Some guys with natural hair will get it blown around in the wind.
Some guys with natural hair WON'T get their hair blown around in wind because they use gels and sprays.
Those EXACT same things apply to worn hair.

I promise you that if doing ANY of the things mentioned caused real problems and took a good looking piece to an obvious wig simply by doing them, the forum would be full of threads discussing it and places like TopLace would go out of business.
People have technical issues, but the vast majority of posts are saying how wearing hair has improved their lives and freed them to pursue activities they weren't able to do before.
You don't see posts from guys saying they looked great leaving the house but decided to wear a headscarf in case it got windy.
You don't see posts saying that the second they got out of the pool they had to throw a towel over their head.
You don't see posts of people saying they went to the gym but spent the entire session hiding in the locker room.
Believe me, if their hair suddenly went from looking good to looking like a wig doing any of these things, no one would do them!
What people are saying is the exact opposite.
But you don't have to take their word for it when you can try it for yourself at very little cost.
My concern is that if you start off with these kind of worries, it can easily grow in to a paranoia and a complex.
The single most obvious thing regarding detectability of someone wearing hair is their level of confidence.
Its a HUGE advantage to start this transformation off with the attitude that its going to liberate you.

As a new comer who is currently using concealer and has just ordered their first system I want to applaud you on this post. I feel like printing it and putting it in my wallet! Nice one.

The consistency in the front hairline from piece to piece.
Or when the front lifts the day after paying for an attachment.

OR when you get that PERFECT piece and can never get another
one exactly like that from the same factory.