One Year with a Hair System: An Update
This week marks my first year of wearing a hair system. Since this community was so helpful and informative for me going into this process, I want to reciprocate and share some highlights from what I have learned in the last 12 months, as well as my personal experience.
In my personal experience, the hassle and expense has been worth it. Now there usually is a moment during reapplication when I'm cleaning glue of a HS and thinking "this is so dumb, what a hassle." But the tradeoff of the hassle, and the feedback from friends and society at large, has been overtly positive. I began shaving my head in my 20s to avoid the George Costanza ring of hair, and was rocking a cue ball look prior to making this shift. Being bald made me look older than my age and I'm told like an "off-duty cop." With a HS, I look younger than my age and I lost a level of perceived authority, but gained approachability. Little things were evident right away, even when I was unsure and the HS felt unnatural. Strangers held the door for me, I got more eye contact and smiles in public, etc. It was a interesting shift to witness. I appreciate having a hairstyle to play with again.
Prep requires a hat fulltime. In order to have hair to cut and blend, you have to grow out your hair. I grew my hair out for 5 weeks prior to getting my first HS and it was barely long enough. Longer is better, but that is weeks of rocking a hat everywhere you go. Thankfully I wore a lot of hats to keep my bald dome from burning, so it wasn't much of a change. But it prevented me front going inside certain places since I couldn't pop the hat off.
The first month is the hardest. The first two weeks felt awkward and like I had hair taped to my head and everyone can see this. I even gave myself jump scares in the mirror the first two weeks - it took a minute to get used to the change. Then it began to feel normal. After a fulkl month, I associated myself with this look and it felt natural.
Practice can make nearly perfect. I know how to apply tape, glue, wash, reinstall, and even cut my own (bio) hair in between. But even now I can make mistakes and have to start over. The best way to proceed is to learn all you can with this sub and YouTube videos.
Lace systems allow the most breathability. I sweat a lot and lace allows for sweat evaporation better than poly. Even with proper prep, a heavy day of sweating like working outdoors in the summer or a heavy workout can cause full delamination of the glue in the front. Walker tape ultra hold does a good job of firming back up when it cools off. But glue touch-ups will be needed if you are very active (see below for more).
French lace is a thicker lace and offers denser hair coverage. The same system purchased from the same supplier can come with hair that feels completely different. They can also shed at different rates. The first system I used shed a lot and lasted 2 months. The second did not shed as much and lasted over 3 months. Even when bleaching the knots, the French lace did not provide a hairline I could expose confidently.
Swiss lace is thinner and more delicate, and allows for a hairline that truly disappears when glued correctly. My hair is light and thin, so low density is a good match. French is what you see in my initial post. Swiss is what I wear now, in the photos you see here.
Being able to self install is the lifesaver. If you live someplace without a convenient HS salon or you travel a lot for work, it's imperative you be able to self install. I also recommend learning how to cut your own hair. This means I only need a HS barber for the initial cut-in of my template and hair style.
Learn from your barbers and if you don't like your first unit, try another. I have had 2 styles of lace and 3 models of hair systems installed by 4 different barbers over the last year. All four installed them differently, and I learned something from each of them. The first installer glued my entire head before putting the tape down. Gluing the entire scalp defeats the purpose of having breathable lace. Looking back with what I know now, I think they were used to poly systems and I brought in a lace. My 3rd barber did not know how to install a lace system (they knew poly/thin skin systems as well) and botched the install and styling of the system I brought in. This brings me to an important point:
Always have a backup HS. If anything happens to your HS, you are left with a ring of hair and potentially 2-3 weeks before you can get a new one. This is why many people recommend alternating between 2. I keep my previous hair systems, which usually have at least a wear or two left, as backups.
Recommended hairstyle: having an unexposed or mostly unexposed hairline is a life saver. The less hairline you expose, the easier a HS will be for you. I part my hair so one side can be an exposed hairline, and I don't have to keep a close eye on the entire front at all times.
Longer hair styles are easier to maintain than a crew cut. I've allowed my side hair to grow out and it's easier to blend with my newer, slightly longer HS. Having good side hair is a real benefit for a HS, I am told. Strong temples and a "ring" of hair allows for easier blending and makes it fairly indistinguishable that you wear a HS.
Trial and error: It took me about 3-4 months of reapplying the HS and touching up the hairline myself before I felt comfortable. And it took me two color changes and trying three types of hair systems to find the right unit. My first 2 hair systems only lasted 2 months each because I was changing them weekly and wearing them out faster. The glue/tape removal and washing caused them to thin and shed. My initial hair changes took 2 hours. Now I can reapply in 20 minutes. With practice, you'll find what works for you.
My Process
Below I will go into details with what I use and the process, for those who are interested.
I wear a full Swiss lace HS, reinstall roughly every two weeks, and they last about 3 months. I prefer a realistic hairline for a man my age and hair density and color that matches mine. The m115 with 20% gray from Superhairpieces meets this metric. It's a low density full Swiss lace unit. The downside of buying low density is that as system ages and sheds, it thins faster than denser units. There is always a sweet spot in the lifespan of a HS where it looks the most natural because it has thinned and matches my hair naturally. Then it continues to thin until you have to replace it xD.
If you have a unit that is too dense, you can use thinning scissors to help match your sides.
Upon receiving a new HS, I bleach the knots in the front. You have to bleach the section where your barber will cut the hairline, not just the front of the new system. Also you don't want to bleach the entire thing, because bleaching weakens the strength of the hair and will encourage shedding. I then wash it and bring it to a HS barber for install. The barber does the initial cut and provides a mild widow's peak hairline to match my temples and age.
For adhesion: I use Walker Tape ultra hold, 3/4". I put a perimeter around the outside and a single line of tape across the middle where the tape ends closer to the forehead. This leaves a flap of lace where the hairline is.
For the hairline: I use a white barber's pencil to lightly mark a dashed line for the outline of the hairline. Avoid marking the lace itself, it's a pain to clean off the white wax. I tend to mark a couple millimeters away, apply my first layer of glue, then wipe off the wax pencil marks and use the glue as the outline for additional layers of glue.
Glue: Ghost Bond platinum is my preferred glue. Regular Ghost Bond works but platinum seems to last longer. At first I mimicked the first salon that installed my piece and put way too much in the front. This would require a lot of cleanup during HS reinstalls and inadvertently cause shedding and age the HS faster.
Using salon-style hair clips I hold the lace and hair back and apply roughly 1 inch of glue on the scalp at the hairline. I wait until that layer starts to dry and turns clear, then apply a new layer. 2-3 layers are the sweet spot. Use the dotting method, like a dash mark, versus squeezing out a line of glue, because a little glue can spread out easily.
Materials: Use a brush that can be cleaned with alcohol. Cotton swabs for dipping in alcohol or individual alcohol wipes are handy. I use a glass plate for hair system cleanup - it cleans up well and can handle soaking C-22 and alcohol.
For cleanup: C-22 solvent is the best way to remove the lace gently and slowly and prevent mass shedding/pulling hair through to the scalp side of the system. Once off my head I used C-22 for my scalp cleanup as well as to soak the lace and loosen up glue and tape residue. Cleaning the glue off lace is an art in itself and takes practice. Isopropyl alcohol is effective at cleaning up the C-22 residue and 91% is a good strength. Do not soak the lace or hair in the alcohol more than 20-30 seconds - it strips the hair and makes it brittle. Walker Bond Breaker shampoo is great for washing up and removing the remaining residue of both adhesive and C-22. Sometimes I will wash the system and find glue remaining, and have to finish cleaning and rewash. Don't scrub the lace too much as it will encourage shedding.
Reapplication: I reapply roughly once every 2 weeks, taking off the HS and cleaning my scalp and re-shaving before going to sleep. Cleaning takes about 20 minutes, minus a full shower. By leaving it off for a night I allow my scalp a break. The following morning, I reapply the HS. At first this took an hour, now it takes less than 20 minutes. I do this twice a month. A three-fold mirror for viewing the back of your hair is very convenient.
I use the alcohol as a final pass on my scalp to eliminate oils. Then I use scalp protector spray. The tape can get itchy and I've noticed that applying scalp protector before reapplication minimizes itch. Use it in a well ventilated area - it smells nasty.
If your travel, you'll want to consider bring a kit with you and consider how you'll reapply on the road. A travel hand mirror at minimum can assist in a bathroom.
For hair upkeep: My color is #6 and the color bleaches rather quickly in the sun. It becomes brighter than my side hair and gives a brassy tint as hair color is known to do. To avoid too much sun exposure I wear hats on long days outdoors. Becoming a lighter color seems inevitable, due to sun or washing. Every 6 weeks roughly, about halfway through a system, I will do a redye, either permanent or temporary color. This refreshes and allows for good blending. If you dye your own hair, be very careful not to dye the lace itself at your hairline. It becomes very visible with color on the mesh.
Argon oil applied every 2 weeks helps keep hair hydrated. Be careful not to use too much, it's oily and can make your hair look greasy. For conditioner I use what comes with the hair dye kits during showers.
Both Ghost Bond glue and Walker tape are designed to be waterproof and warm up with hot weather and then reaffix when they cool down. In my experience, very hot showers directly onto the system will loosen the Walker tape to a degree where it doesn't firm back up fully. If the tape border begins to loosen, the back of my HS can "slide" on me about 1/2". With a peel up and replacement, or pulling it to one side, I can reposition it as needed. But always keep an eye on the back for this reason.
Touching up the hairline: I touch up the hairline with glue depending on how much I sweat. Sometimes every week, sometimes it lasts until I reapply at 2 weeks. The front lace in the heat can peel up slightly. When it does this, it needs a couple dots of glue, spread thin, allowed to cure clear, and the lace pushed back down.
Cutting my hair: $30 cordless clippers and using the three-part mirror that hangs over the bathroom door and allows me to see all angles for both install and hair trims. Recommended.
If you read all of this, wow. I hope it was helpful! Feel free to DM me if you have an questions about HS use and tips. I'm happy to give back to the community.