Tried to avoid creating another one of these threads but I need some help. Been losing hair for quite a while and now that my temples seem to have completely receded I figured it was time to start wearing. Wanted to go with a partial to fill in the side areas and the front which is starting to thin out dramatically.

I was more curious to know how feasible it would be to achieve the style I desire with a partial and if anyone, at a glance, could identify the specs for such a style.

I'm posting this all on my phone and for some reason it's refusing to let me upload multiple images. Anyway, this is the style I'm going for and is actually similar to how my hair used to look.

Hi Perks... because your hand is holding your hair back , I can`t see what way your hair naturally lies ....also, has your front hairline receded much?
With a partial, it wouldn`t be possible to radically alter your style , as the system is / would be relatively small....you could have a bit of a new ` look` if you were to wear a full topper system [however, I`m not suggesting you shave your crown and wear one !!]....partials are worn by many guys... I think the problems arise when guys have their own hairline and they need /want to only use two pieces to cover temple areas ...it can be hard to get two independent , relatively small ` pieces` to stick /stay in place .... at least with a partial which has two temples and a ` joining` front -hairline all ` joined` as one system, it`s easier / more practical to work-with.
I`d advise you to just re-create your normal /natural ` look` ! Hope that helps you make a decision !

Hello Perks,

I believe that toppers are generally easier to pull off than partials. There are complications with partials that make it almost not worth it. I also believe that partials appeal to those with a less-deep Norwood hairloss pattern because of personal ego: "I'm not actually bald, just a little receeded.". However, I have found that partials are not dummy-proof (which a person like me needs).

See these pictures below. There are serious "tells" that I am wearing a partial system. Of course, a better hairwearer would have done a better job (for example, the system hair looks a bit damp), and the tells would not be as prominent if not in the direct sunset light (contrast due to no scalp reflection where system lies) or yellow bathroom lighting (contrast due to reddishness of HS hair compared to natural). In florescent lighting and regular daytime, the blend was undetectable.

I dont have a bald spot on my crown, but as you can clearly see, high(er) density system does contrast with my natural crown.

There are a lot of little points of concern with wearing a partial that leads me to believe that toppers are a better idea (disclaimer: i have no experience with toppers yet).


However, after all that I've said above, from looking at your pictures, you seem to have a much better density and quality to your hair than I, so a topper may work a lot better. Just thought I would share some technical issues I've had in the past.


Edit: pictures removed and posted to imgur instead: http://imgur.com/a/tHoNR

Appreciate the feedback.

Paul, my front hair line hasn't really receded at all, it's just thinning badly. I figured I'd just shave it back about an inch or so and cover with the partial.

Earlytwenties, about the color matching. How come you just didn't dye the system and your hair so that everything looked the same? I would assume that's possible.

Also, for anybody, the kind of template I need to make, should I include the temple areas in the template? I'm curious how this works because my temples are awful and I'm not completely sure how best to deal with it. Either make one template covering everything or just the front hair with some kind of indicator for temple flaps?

(10-04-2015, 04:09 PM)Perks Wrote: Appreciate the feedback.

Earlytwenties, about the color matching. How come you just didn't dye the system and your hair so that everything looked the same?

Perks,

You'll find that reddish tinge is a common concern. Indeed, my color matching was spot on. It's just in specific lighting that there is a noticeable difference. And it's almost impossible to tell by eye. You'd only tell from a photo.

But of course, there are solutions:
1. You can specifiy no bronze tones on your order and john will make sure the manufacturer uses a more ashy tone. (haven't tried this yet)
2. You can dye your natural hair slightly reddish brown to help the blench. I believe AmericanJumbo still does this, and he has been happy with the results.
3. You could die the system, but i beleive this is the most difficult. Approach. There are a lot of factors to consider since the hair has already been treated. You would almost have to be a hair stylist yourself to get it right. Or at the very least, it's a lot of effort.

I think most ignore it as you are safe in most lighting and situations. But i can definately understand the concern as a new wearer.

Good luck

Factory will only copy the shape /area of the template -supplied, therefore you need to build-in whatever shape /area of coverage you require.
If your front hairline is actually thinning, as you say, well then, incorporate an inch or so of a ` bridge` between your two temple bits.
Be aware that such a system can be ` fiddly` to work-with...... so your template will look like 2 triangles joined by a thinner / curved strip of material.....what I suggest you do, to make it easier to fabricate, is, slick your hair back /down onto the crown, with water.
Then, proceed as if you were making a normal [full-sized] topper template. Another forum-contributor posted this link recently, so in case you`ve not seen it, here it is again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFQX0Bv_8N8
You can trim out the required shape from that ....use an eyebrow pencil to mark your skin , at the temples and front hairline, where your hair used to be ....then apply your layers of film and sellotape,,,after the first layer or two, and before you lose ` sight` of the marks, use an indelible marker on the film, to trace the underlying-lines...continue adding your sticky tape [sellotape] to make a sturdy ` shell` .....remove the lot, and just trim out the required -area, with a scissors.
Making a template can be a bit of a ` chore` ...don`t expect to be fully satisfied at your first attempt...you may have to re-attempt it , possibly a few times before you`re happy.... you can post a photo or two here, when you have it done, if you want some in-put into how it looks.
Coloring system-hair is tricky at the best of times....the hair takes color more rapidly and deeply than growing-hair.. it`s best to avoid it in the early stages of wearing as it`s not as simple [usually] as it sounds......lighter shades are the trickiest..... colorists spend a lot of time learning their craft....it`s easy to go totally wrong when attempting to color system -hair. Hope that helps.

I made a few templates. Ended up going with the one Paul advised against but it's really all that is necessary right now. I was planning on transferring the outline onto something sturdier. Cereal box or something. Anyway, thoughts?