Guys, i apologise as i already have a recent thread going about my new partial system but I feel this needs a new one to try and get as much feedback and help as possible because over the last 2 days i have noticed a massive, massive problem that is causing me so much stress i don't want to leave the house!

Please take a look at these two pictures on the system from the front. one taken with no flash and then the other with flash. I noticed this problem in a mirror at work yesterday as the lighting in the bathroom there is quite severe. i had not noticed this problem at all at home as the lighting is a lot softer both in my bathroom and bedroom where i have been looking at it.

You can clearly see the partial in the picture with flash and this is exactly how I saw it at work and I'm now totally paranoid. I guess my first question is how the hell has this happened!? I've literally had it a week and have shampooed it just once so far so I'm not sure whether i have drawn the colour out of it? could I have done this with the sytling products i've been using? Ive kept them in all week and have only spritzed the system with water in the mornings to re-style it. Or has it always been this way and I've just not noticed because I'm generally looking at it the way it appears in the other photo?

I am so so stressed with this guys i would appreciate any advice on how to fix it. It is toatally overwhelming me and although i didn't want to be colouring the system when i'm such a newbie I know i have to do something. what i can't understand is that the colour is from a hair sample that I sent and is not just a stock colour. How can this look so off in bright light! The worry ive got about colouring is that it looks so natural in certain lights and then so off in others i haven't got a clue where to start.

Please if you have an experience of this issue or a suggestion then let me know as i'm totally freaking out about this. i'm never going to be one of those guys who doesn't care if he gets busted and so sorting this out feels like the difference between turning up for work on Monday or not. I was so happy with how i thought it looked that I've ordered another identical system from john and now i'm doubting this completely.

Thanks in advance

Yorkie

Honestly, you`re over-stressing..... I`d be totally honest if I saw a ` difference` but I do understand your concerns. Digital / flash images always ` amplify ` the slightest flaw /difference...many of my pics look ` off` but in reality, it looks fine [and I`m VERY fussy` ]
Your care-routine so far is fine..... you could get yourself a bottle of ``Back2natural` colour-conditioner..... it`s great when a system is new, for helping iron-out slight colour -differences......however in time to come, once oxidation from sun-exposure / washing etc. sets in, off-the-shelf colour products may be your only choice -- you can get them in pharmacies/supermarkets etc.
You`re self-conscious now as a new wearer [we all are /were when we started or get a new system]--- no one is looking at your hair with a digital camera / flash ........... sometimes too, flourescent lighting or certain lighting in places like night clubs, can show differences between growing hair and system hair....... I think you`re in UK ? Here`s a link http://www.back2natural-uk.co.uk/ the one you want is dark natural ash brown....it helps with the blend-in between your growing hair and the system....it`s got a conditioner too. Hope that helps you !

The processed human hair used to make hair systems goes through a process which strips some of the cuticle from the hair, therefore it reflects certain wavelengths of light slightly differently than your natural bio hair (which has it's natural cuticle intact) reflects them... especially some types of bright flash and fluorescent lighting.

My hair always looks similar to yours under direct fluorescent lighting, but I gladly accept that small flaw since I know my replacement hair looks absolutely fantastic 99% the rest of the time.

Your hair should look fine under most lighting conditions to the human eye and will probably look OK in most photos too, since a flash will rarely, if ever, be positioned that close to your head during normal circumstances when someone else is taking your picture.

Using some Back2Natural conditioner can help dull this effect, as Paul suggested. Using a little product (gel and/or wax) might help too. Try out some different types to see which ones work best.

Thanks for the advice so far. I have just ordered the back to natural so hopefully that will help. i know i need to try and relax about it a little bit but there really is a noticable difference in colours in certain lights and so it is a bit concerning. I'll also try a more waxy hair product to see if this dulls it down a bit as the ones i'm currently using are more gel type products so I'll see what difference that makes. I've been given some advice by my stylist about colouring should i need to go to that stage but I'll hang on before doing anything too drastic just yet.

Everything looks weird under a flash. Just as a suggestion.... I only use a spray bottle with distilled/purafied water and a little leave in conditioner mixed in to style my hair. If I use any product its usually a little Brylcream. I also have a shower head filter. My city water sucks.

Yorkie,.. the only thing I`d caution you about is using wax-type products on the hair is that [ I`m thinking of one in particular..a well-known brand ] they can be very difficult to remove and need powerful shampoos and even a product-specific shampoo to get fully out of the hair...this is obviously not great for system hair as it`s ` harsh` and will lift your colour noticeably in a short space of time. Silverstreak`s routine is ideal really ...... I even find things like Brylcreem [Pomades] can build-up quickly and leave the hair looking greasy / lifeless.
A good daily spritz with water and the addition of a good leave-in conditioner [I use PPI `Enhance`,daily leave-in conditioner --also has UV Protection in it--- available in UK from bargainlacewigs.co.uk] is ideal......the Back2natural will really help mask any variations in shade at this early stage.
It`s worth pointing out too, that whilst your stylist was referring to colouring it..... male and female hair is different in chemical make-up........ I was chatting with a guy who is a colourist in a `normal` hair salon recently....... he was explaining it to me........ even the factories have 2 different colour-rings [charts] for men`s and womens` hair..... most system hair is of female origin / was growing on female heads originally, so it may very well ` take` colours differently to what you might want or expect...... colouring can be tricky with browns and blondes...there are so many shades...... you should be ok though as your hair is quite dark..... I usually go for colour ` 1b` [off-black / slightly brown] ---it becomes relatively ` starker` brown as it oxidises over time..... I use a Black colour and only apply it for max. 3 minutes when I want to darken the hair down again....... even though I`m using ` Black`, by just leaving it on for a very short time, it doesn`t end up jet-black, but more of a deep Brown --kind of borderline black ! System hair also ` grabs` colour and goes very very ` deep` in terms of shade, literally in minutes ,compared to growing hair...... it can be a bit of a minefield with other tones, but in time, should you need to deepen your particular system, I`d say you should have no real problems getting it right...for now though, juut apply the Back2natural and I think you`ll be really happy with it !

This is a very simple solution. Get a bottle of off the shelf hair dye in a dark brown/ black shade and dye your hair and system hair with it. Just leave the dye on the system hair no more than 5 minutes. Viola! Matching color.

Woah I don't mean to add insult to injury or anything but is this normal for hair systems? Will a color change be apparent like this because of camera flash?

Ok so my back2natural has arrived and i want to try this before I even think about dyeing the system or doing anything too drastic.

despite reading all the forums, looking at the reviews of this product and the instructions on the bottle and website i'm still a little clueless as to how best to use this. Should i be using it just on the system or my entire head? I know people talk about it blending perfectly with your natural hair but i don't understand how it does this. is it just working on the assumption that you had a perfect colour match to begin with and its just returning it to that, or will it somehow blend it perfectly even if the colour was slightly off to begin with, providing you use it all over? I'm obviously wearing a partial with the join on the very top of my head so blending the colour and getting it to match is so important for a natural look and transition between natural and system hair.

Obviously my fear is getting it too dark and then having a completely different but equally annoying colour mismatch! Is it possible to go too dark with this product or will it literally only replace the colour that has been lost from the system? I only got the dark ash brown at the time and have since ordered medium as well but i won't get that for a week. If I use the dark one, how will i know when its time to wash it out? is it just trial and error or will i be able to tell? If I mess it up and go too dark will simply washing it a few times reduce this or will i be stuck with it for a while longer?

Any advice from anyone who has used these products before will be really appreciated.

Thanks

Yorkie

I would apply it to just the piece and do it in stages.
1st time try try it for just under the recommended time and go from there.
Don't judge the result until its fully dry.
It really shouldn't matter if you get a bit on your natural hair and remember, this product washes out, so if it goes too dark, a good wash & rinse will start to lighten it again.

Do you have any of your piece left? You cut down a topper, so you could test it on the spare hair.