Hey y'all!

I'm new to the site and new to hair systems in general. I've heard many-a-good thing about Toplace, and seeing the photos y'all have posted has really been inspiring and helped me take the leap.

I've had receding hair since I was about 16 or 17. I'm 23 now and it's gotten to the point where I feel I must either buzz/shave my whole head, or try a hair system. I've tried Minoxidil for about 2 years and had minimal gains, but nothing substantial.

I've attached a few photos of my current situation - the hair on the sides & back of my head seems to be thick still, but the recession has happened mostly on top moving to the front.

I've also attached some photos of the hair style I'd like to have / what I had prior to the hair loss. (Is this style feasible with a piece from Toplace?) (I'd ultimately like to wear it like the top 2 reference photos, but be able to slick it back (like in the bottom 2)

I've been wearing hats lately & am on the cusp of moving to a brand new city & starting a new job & such, so really the transition is coming at a good time. It won't shock too many people. ready for a new look

So a few of my questions...

1) Would I require a partial or a full hair system? Which is better for the look I'm going for?
2) I'm working on a template - I'll post photos soon to see what your thoughts are
3) Would I go with a "Freestyle" base, to achieve the desired look?

Just curious what some of your opinions & thoughts are on this. And any advice you might have to someone brand new! I've been reading as much as I can - there's a lot to take in.

Thank you all so much in advance. It's a bit intimidating but I'm ready to take the leap.

Hi bluecastaway, I can only see photos of your present hairloss condition....not of the style you`d like to have ... generally, for your first system, you`re best off to just re-create the style you had / lost .....you can ` experiment ` with different styles when you get into the wearing-game and master your bonding /debonding etc. I`d advise you only order 3 or 4 inches of hair-length ...systems come with 6-inches of hair as standard ...most of that ends up on the cutting-room floor and only makes work for the stylist and takes more time.... you`ll be wearing your hair reasonably short anyway,
You need a normal ` topper` system ....the base -material is up to you ...either lace or skin [polyurethane] I reckon French lace is a good starting-point as it`s a little more robust than Swiss...lace will be more ` breathable` than skin ..also... with skin you need to do an entire head-bond whereas with lace you can do a perimeter bond or all -over bond.
Freestyle refers to the ventilation of the hair [direction it lies-in and is tied-in to the lace] it`s not in any ` set` pattern and is easy to` train` ....
I`m under pressure of time right now ....it`s late here ... I`ll reply further in a day or two ....meantime have a look at some of the template-making videos on ` youtube` ...

Hi Paul! Thank you so much for your response! This already cleared up several of the questions I had in mind! I'll definitely keep that in mind to go shorter with the hair length. (So sorry about the photos - I will edit the first post and include the style shots!)

So a topper should do the trick then? And I can try to blend the topper with my natural hair? I figured the sides & back were still coming in so thick I could use that to my benefit and not have to do a full system. That's good news to me!

Hi again blue..... I lifted one of your photos ..well.. I wanted only one, but you posted 4 in a ` block` ... I marked a line there on the one I wanted ....I suggest you use that as a guide to where to have the edge of your template...trace out your natural hairline from there around to the very front...your side, and presumably, your back ,is still good ....so you just need to replace the thinned-out area on top / front...
I think the style/s you posted might be a bit tricky to do at this point...they are ` exposed` front hairlines and these can be harder work than a non-exposed ..... it looks like your own hair wasn`t ever in that style when you had it ? By all means..you can have what you wish, but it`s generally best to just recreate what you lost for your first system..indeed, if you have a photo of yourself when you had all your hair, you can send it to John and he`ll forward it on to the factory.....
Template-making can be tedious and ` trying` ..... I still find it so at times and I`m wearing for a long time ! Don`t get too frustrated ...just be patient..you may have to make several stabs at it ! ...when you have it done, you can post a photo of it on your head and guys can comment on it....
Obviously, you can order one of those styles, but they would be a bit trickier to work with ..you can have glue /tape visibility at the front in certain lighting conditions and also, atmospheric dust can lodge on the adhesive and lead to a visible ` line` .....it`s just something to be aware-of.
A non-exposed style is far more forgiving...... you`ll have enough to be dealing -with as a new wearer, than being bothered about ` visibility`.
If you do wish to go that route, one of the ` finer` / lighter laces [rather than French] might work better .. I like to keep this as simple and stress-free as possible .....
I also think new wearers should start off using ` Got2b glued` spiking glue for their attachments....just for the initial ` ease-in` period....it`s a breeze to apply and remove and if you make a total mess of positioning-on your system, just simply hop into the shower and the lot will just rinse off/out under running -water .....no solvents, no clumps of hair stuck together with stubborn glue, and no mess ....just dry off the lace, and start again ......you can transition over to the glues /tapes in time ...the Got2b has it`s drawback`s too, but it`s a dream for a new wearer in terms of ease of use and how ` clean` it is ....apply with your hands /fingers and simply rinse it off with plain old water !!
Hope that helps a bit and helps you make your choice !

Thanks again Paul, for all your insight!! It's been extremely helpful for a newcomer.

I went ahead & took the plunge last night. I made an order & sent in a homemade template. Used some of your recommendations on density & such as well. I'm going to go with a more conservative, natural style too. It's probably best to ease into the more complex styles and start out with something that looks natural to me, and is easier to learn the ropes with.

Now I just have to wait, which will be the hardest part! 6-8 weeks I was told. This gives me time to study up on the cleaning, application, and removal processes, I suppose.

Glad to be of help ..this can be a real minefield for new-comer`s ...... your first system will always take longer to arrive, due to the template having to be sent to China....subsequent orders are faster because they`ll keep your template to hand, and it only takes an e-mail from John to them, to get the ball rolling on your next order [including any ` tweaks` you may want to include in terms of your specifications]
I meant to add too ---if you decide to start out wearing, using ` Got2b glued` as your bonding-on material, it holds /sticks a bit better to short, growing-hair, rather than to bare scalp-skin....so no need to actually use a razor to shave your head..just buzz it with an electric trimmer..... I use Got2b now all the time....it`s SO easy to apply and remove.... I love it ..and it`s cheap too !
Using tapes/ glues and removing /cleaning-up after them, takes patience and practice...the glues need to be applied in coats, allowing at least 15 minutes ` curing ` time between coats ..never EVER place lace down onto wet glue..it`ll seep through the lace and solidify leading to clumps of hair forming ..you`ll have a terrible job on your hands trying to sort it out .....tapes are less ` scary` for a new wearer, but Got2b is a breeze !
Let us know how things work out for you --- if the suspense of waiting on your first order doesn`t kill you first !! ;-)

wonderful! I will most definitely get that Got2BGlued then! Sounds like a really good solution to me!

I have a question, that perhaps has been answered a thousand times. I've seen many responses with a multitude of answers to this topic - cutting in. Long story short, I am currently living very rurally. So much so the nearest mall is almost 2 hours from me. Ultimately I'm looking to move to Dallas in the next 6 months or so, but for now, I'm extremely limited in terms of places to get my HS cut in.

My question is...what is the best way to get it cut in? Especially when you're living in a very rural place. I've done some google searches & am not coming up with many stylists who specialize in hair systems in Madison WI (The nearest city). But there are some pretty good salons nearby, and I just wondered...are salons a good bet? I've read that many won't do cut ins, but I've also read of several who will...you have to tell them ahead of time, I'm assuming. Or can you just walk in & act like you're getting a normal hair cut?

Just have a few questions about this, while I wait for mine to arrive. Google searching and even some forum searching has given me a multitude of answers, but this forum & members have been a *goldmine* of help and inspirations! So I'm just curious what your thoughts are on this.

You can get Got2b glued spiking glue [in a yellow tube, within a cardboard box] almost anywhere... Walmart sell it .... http://www.walmart.com/ip/got2b-Glued-St...z/10308742
I`m obviously not familiar with your geographical location but I think your ``WI`` refers to Wisconsin? If so, I have some contact-addresses, however, rather than fill up the thread with a lot of details, let me know if the following are of use to you first:
http://www.squirestylists.com/

Cost Cutters Mobile Hairdresser
6810 Odana Rd, Madison, Wisconsin, 53719-1016

I have details of one in Neenah and in Grafton....let me know is you want those instead.
[I cannot give you any feedback on what their ` results` are /can be...can only pass on their contact- details in good faith !! ]

Hello!

A couple other thoughts that popped into my head, while I wait for my order.

With the Got2B Glue, can I leave my system on at night? For instance...can I sort of live with it on for a few days before removing? Sleeping, showering etc? Or will the HS need to come off every evening?

Also if I use gentle, moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, would it be alright to clean it in the shower? Or is it best to clean it out when it's removed? Just curious how you'd go about a couple of these things.

Got2b is not suitable for long-term wear....certainly you can get 2 /3 days from it...you may get a little bit of the edge /perimeter ` lifting` free of it here and there even on day 1 --it`s simple to just do a little ` touch-up` by spreading a little more onto the skin in whatever area you get ` lift`....... I had to do a small area at the front of mine today...it only takes a few minutes....it`ll hold quite well over the rest of the head...it`s just sometimes, little bits of lace , here and there, can come free of it ... you could reasonably expect to get up to 3 or 4 days of ` wear` from it before renewing it.
It`s water-soluble so , no, is the answer to can you shampoo your system in the shower as you would with growing hair ...if it gets saturated with water, the system will come off...however, it takes a few minutes to do so, ....... you don`t need anything other than water to remove the system and to clean the base....sometimes you`ll see white ` stains` on the lace ..this is just ` stubborn` solidified Got2b ..simply ` roll` that area of lace , between your thumb and first finger under running water ..it`ll vanish !
I would strongly caution you against frequently shampooing your system-hair...... I only do mine maybe once a month !!! Certainly, you can lather a little shampoo onto the lace base when you have your system off your head, for hygiene reasons ....rinse it off again almost immediately.....yes a little will get onto the hair, but you`re not applying it directly and ` strongly` onto the hair.....system hair does not get ` dirty`.... shampooing it will, over time, lighten or ` lift` the color ....by all means you can wet your hair as often as you like as in when you`re removing it completely.....if you want to sleep with it attached, you can spritz it with water next morning in order to re-style it........it won`t break the hold of the Got2b...... I only use some leave-in conditioner [PPI Enhance --you can google it] and nothing else apart from a little serum as the hair begins to ` age` and look a bit` tired` after weeks / months...... I only rarely shampoo it [the hair] and I get many months wear.
Growing-hair gets oils and lubricants ...system hair doesn`t ....shampooing it will dry it out and lighten the color ......using loads of products [styling products] leads to ` build-up` and you then have to shampoo them out frequently.....in my experience, less is best......try to keep the hair ` moist` as much as possible.
Got2b has it`s limitations...it depends on a person`s lifestyle-needs....it`s ideal for beginners ---it`s simple to use , it`s very ` clean` and SO easy to remove again.......it will help ease you into this [positioning-on the system] .... there`s no need for solvents etc. --just water from the shower ! You may want to transition over to tapes /` glues` in time, but for starting out , it`s a breeze to use.