From what I've read, I understand that lace dissappears when it is pushed into glue or tape. So if you don't do a full head bond, then is the lace that isn't tacked down going to be visible?

I know most people do full perimiter, but does that mean the lace on top won't be hidden quite as well? Just curious.

(11-19-2011, 12:06 PM)Hair Scare Wrote: From what I've read, I understand that lace dissappears when it is pushed into glue or tape. So if you don't do a full head bond, then is the lace that isn't tacked down going to be visible?

I know most people do full perimiter, but does that mean the lace on top won't be hidden quite as well? Just curious.

I do a perimeter bond, and I wear a very distinct part, and you can't see the lace in the part. Don't worry, with a good perimeter bond, no lace is visible.

(11-19-2011, 12:06 PM)Hair Scare Wrote: From what I've read, I understand that lace dissappears when it is pushed into glue or tape. So if you don't do a full head bond, then is the lace that isn't tacked down going to be visible?

I know most people do full perimiter, but does that mean the lace on top won't be hidden quite as well? Just curious.

Visible? Very unlikely. Visible to who? Maybe (BIG maybe) to someone looking for it. Not hidden quite as well? Yeah, but only slightly.

I, and others, occasionally worry about standing in a line, or being seated with someone directly behind us, staring directly at the back/top of our heads. To get that last few percent of undetectable, some will use a bit of glue at the crown, or other spot where the hair breaks, showing more scalp.

Frankly, I worry more about the blend point than visible lace (and only because the salon I use is inconsistent in matching my hair texture ... hoping and believing John, et al can do better).

A personal anecdote on the subject: I have a friend who is an esthetician, IOW pays attention to cosmetic details. She knows I've done some kind of hair replacement, but not exactly what ... she only knows because I told her (we used to date, and I had no hair on my crown at all, had to come up w/ something, but was vague). She said to me, "Wow, no one would know. I'm sure if I looked really close ..." We were standing in a well lit kitchen (lit from above), and I bent over presenting the top of my head to her from a few feet away. I was wearing a blonde, light density lace piece which shows some scalp. She lightly touched the top of my head, looked closely from about a foot away, and said, "I just see your scalp."

And I really don't think she was just blowing sunshine up my a** either.

No adhesive anywhere except the perimeter, not even the finest lace available, light density piece w/ visible scalp at crown and along slight break down the center.

FWIW ...

FB

Thanks! Thats really encouraging actually. To be honest, and I'm not entirely sure why, but I am more scared of getting the crown area right than even the front hairline. (possibly because I can easily see if my hairline looks bad but will have more trouble detecting if the crown is out of whack). But glad that the lace dissapears well even without glue or tape.

I am also terrified of the color match and density blending, but I can't do much about that until my first piece arrives. So question for you, I am also blonde, have you found blending or individual fiber thickness to be more difficult? Some have expresses blonde can be tougher to work with in that regard but better in the case of knot color. Anything you've had to be more cautious about with blonde?

(11-20-2011, 07:43 AM)Hair Scare Wrote: Thanks! Thats really encouraging actually. To be honest, and I'm not entirely sure why, but I am more scared of getting the crown area right than even the front hairline. (possibly because I can easily see if my hairline looks bad but will have more trouble detecting if the crown is out of whack). But glad that the lace dissapears well even without glue or tape.

You're welcome ! It seems to me that much of the effort in improving hair pieces has been in the hairlines, so they are pretty good these days ... I, and others, do have problems w/ the crown sometimes. In my case, from my source (which is a salon/contract deal ... sucks), they are often too far forward to my eye. In theory, with a freestyle piece, one should be able to train the hair, crown, etc. in any direction ... but I've not had much success w/ that. But I haven't tried that hard either ... I've seen a video by Debbie where she uses a hair dryer on low heat and constant, gentle brushing to train hair in a desire direction ... FWIW.

This brings up another thought I've had on the subject ... and that is sometimes things might look a bit "off" TO US, because it looks different than our hair used to ... we're comparing to that standard, but others don't notice this discrepancy. Even someone who knows us, doesn't remember where our crown was, or what our hair used to look like ... IOW, this is just another worry that's mostly in our heads.

(11-20-2011, 07:43 AM)Hair Scare Wrote: I am also terrified of the color match and density blending, but I can't do much about that until my first piece arrives. So question for you, I am also blonde, have you found blending or individual fiber thickness to be more difficult? Some have expresses blonde can be tougher to work with in that regard but better in the case of knot color. Anything you've had to be more cautious about with blonde?

I agree w/ your assessment about the trade off ... blonde hair may reflect light in such a way that the blend point could be a bit more noticeable, but knots are less of a problem. The blending issue is just my opinion, based on what I've worn (not TL pieces) and I posted it in another thread on the subject ... based on a hair stylist telling me that blonde hair showed layers more.

For me, the biggest issue w/ blending isn't color mismatches, or even density (though this needs to be paid attention to) ... it is differences in texture. I have very fine hair, the strands are thin, and most of the pieces I get have thicker textured hair than my own. I'm not sure if it's just my source, or if I'll always deal w/ this inconsistency ordering from John or elsewhere ... really looking forward to trying some TL pieces, though.

But there are many tips and tricks to deal w/ this stuff:

* Back2Natural color depositing conditioner can help w/ slight color differences, without all the worries over chemicals, damage, etc ... and there are 2 blonde shades, I believe.

* Many use dyes to correct color mismatches/oxidation/fading ... or they might color the piece and their own hair to even everything out.

* Razor combs and thinning shears can help w/ the blend point, but I haven't developed much skill w/ these ... I'm never sure if cutting into the hair will give me the result I want.

* Biggest tools on a daily basis are hair products. Paul Mitchell WaxWorks is very popular here. I use it ... it puts texture into the hair, making it more uniform between the piece and growing hair ... it also does something to the color, deepening and enriching it, helping the blend. I sometimes go for a more wet look w/ spray gel to disguise any differences ... so this darkens everything and unifies texture. Pomaide is less crunchy, somewhat wet look, and helps make an overly thick density, or thick texture look thinner (helps keep softness as well).

I'm still always experimenting w/ stuff ... Our esteemed colleague Paul, and others, likes Brylcream as a Pomaide, and to restore softness ... though anything w/ mineral oils can weaken the bond a bit ... just have to try to use a little, and avoid the base.

Hope all this helps ... sorry for the novel

FB

Thanks! You have been very helpful! I'll have to start looking into various products. I imagine it will mostly involve a lot of trial and error. But I'm ok with experimentation. So I ordered my first unit from TL, and I sent in a hair sample, so I'll be sure to let you know how the color and texture match. I was also concerned with the texture because I too have extremely thin hairs (which is great... thin hairs on a thinning head, the double whammy).

I'm really hoping the texture is pretty close, cuz that may be harder to disguise. I've played around with color on my own head, so I'm not too worried about that just yet. Have you posted any pics anywhere? I'm curious how similar our hair is, both in color and texture. Its always good to find someone with a similar situation to work with. I appreciate your help thus far!

(11-20-2011, 07:53 PM)Hair Scare Wrote: Thanks! You have been very helpful! I'll have to start looking into various products. I imagine it will mostly involve a lot of trial and error. But I'm ok with experimentation. So I ordered my first unit from TL, and I sent in a hair sample, so I'll be sure to let you know how the color and texture match. I was also concerned with the texture because I too have extremely thin hairs (which is great... thin hairs on a thinning head, the double whammy).

I'm really hoping the texture is pretty close, cuz that may be harder to disguise. I've played around with color on my own head, so I'm not too worried about that just yet. Have you posted any pics anywhere? I'm curious how similar our hair is, both in color and texture. Its always good to find someone with a similar situation to work with. I appreciate your help thus far!

No pics of me up anywhere ... I'm still w/ a salon, didn't deem it appropriate to post pics here. Though Im looking to make the switch to DIY, and will make sure to get some before and after pics ... I'm getting a decent result now, but they're gouging me ... I'm doing a lot on my own, and learning, experimenting, while I can still go have it fixed if necessary, which is how I've developed some experience over the last couple years. It's not as hard as they try to make you believe. I really believe I can get a better result for less money w/ DIY, just a little more work. You're starting out the right way.

Even though I've said that texture is my big challenge ... I say this only because color and density are consistently pretty close for me. But if these are off, they would be more of a giveaway than texture. Density and color can be controlled and/or corrected (mostly)... texture just has some unavoidable randomness, which makes sense ... each piece has hair from a variety of sources, a variety of textures, despite all the processing.

Keep us updated on your progress ...

FB

P.S. experiment away, if you dig in this forum, you'll get a feeling of consensus on certain products ... it's worth paying attention to these ... ORWG works for a lot of folks that have little luck w/ glues, WaxWorks is a staple product, citrus solvent, etc. These are all good first tries.

The main concern is at the perimeter, and even then a little lace lift is still hard to detect. For the rest of the scalp it isn't necessary to do a full head bond but in areas where the scalp is exposed you want to get the knots as light as possible. The lace won't really be visible but unbleached knots will cause a grid effect that can be seen. It isn't something that people are going to pick out from a distance but it can look a bit odd up close.