I have been using consealer (Toppik and Dermatch) for about the last 7 years. Over the course of time,
I have needed more and more to give the illusion of a full head of hair. I can still pull the illusion off, but I
know time is running out. The loss of my hair has been like a slow painful death...I am sure some of you can
relate. I am using enough consealer now that it is like wearing a piece. Without it, I would be found out... :?

So, I am researching and learning all that I can about wearing hair because that is my next step.
I have been particularly encouraged by reading the Count's posts. Thanks, Count!

I would be interested in hearing the experiences of past users. I am thinking that by "wearing" hair, there is actually a feeling of liberation and that it is actually easier to do than having to apply consealer every day.
I would be interested in knowing when you knew it was time to give up the consealer and start wearing hair.
Anything either past users or present users of consealers would like to share would be helpful to me.

Thanks in advance.

Encouraged

Thank you 'Encouraged' for your acknowledgement !

I certainly pushed the limits of concealers .. maybe for
15 or more years. I used Couvre early on, which is like
(and also smells like) .. shoe polish ... when I had
more hair above the scalp-line ...

I then started experimenting with Ron Popeil's
info-mercial spray ... Sooth in a Can (well ..
that's what I called it) and later ...topphick ...

But the product ...Prothik kept me going for
the longest time ... When I mentioned to
the developer/owner of Prothik the shortcomings
of the product ..... he added fibers into
the Dark Brown Mix and it gave it body ...
just like when I was combining using Prothik
and Topick.

Problem came a few months ago ... The owner
of Prothik constantly experiments with different
formulations, spray caps ...

and whatever was in the new formulation ..
destroyed the sparse hair I had on the top of my head
that I needed to keep the illusion going ....

I was kinda panic-ed at the time ... I was still getting
the run-a-round on the phone from the hair clubs
(which I in no way could afford) ... and then I talked
with Hair Direct (but I thought their pieces sucked) ..
and finally found a posting on a forum recommending
Toplace and I called John (from Toplace USA).

I think it was John, his openness and honesty and how
he related to me his own search, in a very compelling and
compassionate way to regain his own hair ... sold me ...

Plus the fact, Toplace has professional stylists around the
world .. you can go to first .. who are on board ... who will
do the measuring ... tell you what is possible .. and you can
see their work ... and make that decision.

And of course ... this excellent bulletin board where BA is
overly helpful and prompt to relay his 25 plus years of hair
wearing experience.

I stuck to a hairstyle that was very very slightly different
than the concealer hairline which I created (several layers) ...
I only received 1 comment from 1 person so far ...

"Did you get a new haircut?"

I spent this weekend with my sis and my mom ... last week
had dinner with my dad ..
no one has noticed anything different or said anything...

and I never saw their eyes venture above my hairline
(as when the concealer color was off-color, brassy,
flaky .. or just weird-looking).

What I do hate about wearing, is gluing the front.
And I think a different hairstyle will change that maybe
6-8 months down the line (I have pieces on order) ..

The ST-30 and Wagner tape ... well .. if it wasn't
for the front ... it'd be more carefree than my
own hair ... time will tell ...
I love those two tapes ...

I HATE I-GLUE ... TIGHT GRIP ... and the
resulting GLUE BOOGERS the next morning !

But it does noticeably change how people treat you ...
You know what it is like ... when you have one of those
'scarey concealer moments'

--- people notice ....

And you want to tell them ...

"Hey .. my eyes are up here !"
I'm going to volunteer my 'dome' for some brief,
short vid clips on servicing a piece which will
be on DiDi's (NYC Toplace Stylist) website .. for
her customers ...

For my benefit ... as well as those who ... like
us .. went through the heartbreak of seeing your
hair going south ..

Again .. thanks for you kind comments ...

I too used concealers for a similar length of time, until I felt that I was no longer able to maintain the illusion. Also, by last summer, I had so much Toppik in my hair, that if I sweat at all, I'd end up with green lines of sweat running down my face, which wasn't very natural, to say the least. I'd have to carry an umbrella everywhere, even on sunny days, lest there be an unexpected downpour.

I switched to wearing three or four months ago. My hair now looks much better now than it for the last couple of years, especially after maintaining a front hairline became impossible.

I can't say that wearing has been easier. There's a significant learning curve. For using concealers, that learning curve was more gentle, since at first I just need to shake the can over my head in a few places. Eventually, I had developed all sorts of arcane techniques, which would have been impossible to learn all at once. With wearing, you have to learn a whole bunch all at once. But over the past couple of months, it has become easier over time, and I assume that it will continue to. By the time I've been wearing for as long as I was using concealers, I'm sure that wearing will be significantly easier than using concealers was, and, of course, much more realistic-looking.

Also, at some point, when you don't have enough of your own hair to work with the concealers, you don't really have any choice.

Also, if you are in a stable relationship, I take it you can make wearing a lot easier by using bases that are easier to maintain, but are more detectable to touch.

I should have also mentioned that I should have made the transition to wearing like a year earlier than I did, so that the transition would not have been as noticeable.

Guys,

Thanks for sharing your stories. I still have enough hair to pull it off (been in a 1 year relationship and I don't believe she knows I use consealer) but as I said earlier, the slow death of my hair folicles is catching up with me.
I intend to learn as much as possilbe by reading from this forum and when the appropriate time comes, I will be ready for "wearing" hair. The trick will be to do it soon enough, before anyone catches on.

Speaking of catching on, a guy I know is wearing a piece. When I first met him a few years ago, I didn't supsect. But, the last several times I've seen him, I've figured it out. Maybe he just got a bad piece this last time around. Not sure, but I never want to be the guy who is "found out" due to wearing a bad piece.

`encouraged

I wore concealers for around two years, and that was enough for me!

Wearing hair is MUCh easier, less maintenance time, less hassles every time you have a shower or go in a pool, no black dust on pillow (or other peoples pillows), looks MUCh better, and is more believable with many different possible styles.

Wearing hair is like the ultimate freedom. Concealers are like a prison. Styling with concealers is like hell... get a piece, and you will be a new man You will have a new lease of life, and people will say" you look much healthier and better" but they don't know why.