Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rose Marie' on September 30, 2013 at 7:30pm

Hi Ber

I looked at topper and alternatives like you are suggesting for my daughter when this condition first started for her.

Usually they attach with glue or wig clips. When you are wearing a partial wig you need to be thoughtful of the hair you have and whether the pattern of loss you are exhibiting is stable. If you have alopecia areata...that can sometimes be a very difficult thing to work out...as the loss patterns for most are very unpredictable. For some ladies who are dealing with a slightly different hairloss condition (FPB - Female pattern thinning) the option of a part piece is often a very good one. I do have my concerns if you are dealing with AA as the hairloss can move and change unpredictably.

Making a decision about a topper, wig or hat is up to you. But I really suggest you really think about your needs and your wants. If this is all getting to the point where you feel overwhelmed and are starting to not live life...a decision around these choices may be very helpful.

In answer to your questions...

Can you wear your hair in a ponytail with a topper... I would think you certainly can as you can blend your own hairline in with the topper hair...bringing your own hair and the topper into the ponytail together. (Just need to make sure that your growing hair and the topper match as closely as possible).

Swimming: I think that you would need to be thoughtful around the attachment method, the type of hair used in the topper and the way the hair is attached to the topper. Hand knotting - could be one of the methods with these type of wig...so when talking to the seller ask what water and swimming will do to the topper cap and hair. In reality you should be able to swim in one as long as you know the ramifications of doing that.

Exercising....I would say so, just a matter of making sure it is secure and that it is easily washed after this is done.

I'm not an enormous advocate of hair extensions for people with their own growing hair (personal reasons). But I would also be very weary of clipping hair into your alopecia areata as it is so unstable and I would wonder how you could clip them into the area you have explained on the top of your head.

Ber, take your time and really think this through. What do you need and want.

Good luck with finding something that works for you.

Rosy

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Permalink Reply by Katherine godfrey on October 2, 2013 at 10:05am

Hi Ber,
Just read your post and wanted to share. I have the same problem,AA and my top is thinning and I have some bare places that show in the back. I still have hair at my hair line and I wear my hair short. I have a topper that clips in and covers the top and back and makes my hair look fuller as it should. It clips in in 4 places,very easy to attach and adjust. I wear it occasionally now,just when my hair won't cooperate. I cannot tell I am even wearing it and even my husband did not know I had it on. No one even suspects my hair is this bad..I am not in denial,there will come a day when I will have to wear it everyday and then proceed to a full wig. By using this I feel more comfortable with my appearance and I'm sure I will adjust to a full wig when the time comes.
good luck,
Kathy

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Permalink Reply by zoitsa theo on May 22, 2017 at 5:55am

Hi Kathy,

  Can you let me know where you purchased your hair topper from?

I live on a small island with very very limited shops, and haven't found anything beyond wigs here.

Thanks,
Zoe

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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on October 3, 2013 at 10:14am

I have no idea what a hair topper is so can't offer any advice about that but if you ever consider wearing head wraps (soft wide ones that cover the top of your head and your hair can still show at the bottom), pre-tied bandanas or any other kind of head covering - I would recommend you try www.myheadcoverings.com. They have a wide selection of many different kinds of top quality head coverings and great prices and their customer service representatives are very knowledgeable as to which head coverings are great for those with hair loss.
Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by chris for hair on October 6, 2013 at 5:58pm

Don't know what I did here, just wanted top say that there are as many toppers on the market as there are wigs and head coverings, I agree with Rosy that AA can be unpredictable but one can also have a "wardrobe" of possible coverings and use whatever suits the mood for the day. I do this now, most of the time I prefer wigs because they solve the entire issue quickly, but I must say that some of the newer topper designs like Milan(SYN) and Raquel Welch (HH)cover the entire top and some of the sides also. They are not what I would call high quality, but certainly believable. My topper does work well with a semi-high pony but I would never try to swim in it...exercise is no problem, I wear it when I ride my horse and it is cooler than the wig.

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Permalink Reply by Lauren on October 6, 2013 at 6:34pm

I had the same situation as you a few years ago, I found that the hair topper was fine but looked fake and sometimes uncomfortable. Depending on your situation, you may just be able to have a side part or put clip on bangs to create a side part. I wore this for a while and liked it, except that sometimes the clips hurt my hair and started to pull out the hair they were clipping to. I found that most hair pieces stay in with a headband overtop of them. If you are considering a full on wig I suggest you look up Follea, it is many different wigs to offer that are designed to stay on for sports and you don't necessarily have to shave your head to wear one. I have worn that now and it is comfortable and natural. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by chris for hair on October 6, 2013 at 11:19pm

Follea toppers are beautiful, but if you are just starting out you may want to stay with something that is less expensive. I have several clients that jumped into Follea and were sorry they spent so much money without investigating further. I have also seen Follea look fake and to me it looked very fragile. Follea clips on like any other topper. Clips can be adjusted, moved or in some cases there are other alternatives. You do not have to shave your head to wear most toppers, almost all can be attached in one of several ways. What I think is key, is finding someone knowledgeable about many different possibilities, not just one brand. Too many providers sign with one company and that is all they offer and unless you know better you are stuck.

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Permalink Reply by nlj on October 24, 2013 at 7:55am

Hi Ber,

I did not do my homework before getting  a topper in Aug this year.  I suffer from FPB and have really been struggling so much this year that when I saw a salon offering a private setting with solutions for female hair loss I made my appointment.  The stylist had a very nice salon out in the country, she showed me several hairpieces and explained how she would attach one so that I would be able to swim, shower, LIVE as though I had my own hair.  I was SOLD! and way too emotional to have gone to this apt alone.  I ordered and paid for my hairpiece right on the spot.  When I told my husband he said I don't think your hair looks that bad, but he just doesn't understand how self conscious I have become.  A week later my piece was in and I went to her salon where she SHAVED the top of my head and applied adhesive to my head and tape and adhesive on the hair piece.   I wear my hair long, a couple of inches past my shoulders, so the piece I ordered was 10 inches long. I was in shock, it was ALOT of hair.  She thinned it aggressively with thinning shears and cut some bangs.  She gushed over me and how fabulous I looked.  By the next day I realized it was placed way too far forward onto my forehead.  She did not agree with me but did agree to reposition it for me.  The positioning certainly helped it look better but of course now the bangs look like my kid sister cut them they're so short. She did not want to cut a style yet, said I should get used to having hair first.  It did look good in a ponytail but can't wear that everyday.  We communicated via email, she was asking me if she could use my photos on her new brochures and website.  This should have been my first clue.  I was almost 1000 bucks into this and did not even have a decent hair cut!  How do you tell someone you don't like the haircut they've given you and have them cut your hair?  I was SO scared!  felt sick to my stomach knowing I had to talk to her.  She was very defensive!  She thinks it looks great!  It did not go well.  She cut my hair, it is some improvement but when I left her shop I told her I will never return!  I have been desperately searching for someone to go to but haven't found anyone in northern Michigan!  I just went online to order the products needed to do it myself!  but I would rather find a skilled stylist.  Please understand I know I did not do my homework.  That's really what I want to share with you.  Also people caution you about using clips because they can cause hair loss, I have hair loss where the piece was glued on.  I would love any suggestions or advice from others with experience using toppers.  Good luck to you Ber,

Nancy

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Permalink Reply by maplel on October 24, 2013 at 9:26am

Thanks for your message Nancy. Excellent advice! I too am trying to figure out what to do. My hair loss is at the hairline and is progressing quite quickly. I want to be prepared and have something to wear but don't want to go overboard buying hair pieces because I don't know to what extent my hair loss will occur and don't want to keep throwing money at this situation. Any advice from anyone?
Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by chris for hair on October 24, 2013 at 11:42am

These stories are so sad to read but unfortunately I hear them every day. I think part of the problem is that there is a LOT of money to be made and this influences the provider to sell expensive and maybe not so safe units. Most people are not good critical thinkers, and our vendors are constantly selling us information that may not be entirely true. So the person selling the unit has listened to his or her rep and not thought things through themselves but want to make that money. He or she is taking a great risk because there will be no returns on the piece once it is combed and if the client refuses to pay the balance the seller may be out the money it cost to purchase the piece.

In addition, there are severe psychological issues regarding hair additions and no one wants to feel that they look foolish. So even adding a minimal amount of hair to a person that has lost lots of hair is overwhelming. Finally, the styling part of the equation is highly subjective. Meaning that what one person likes, another may hate.

It takes time to get to know a client fully so that the hair provider can make good choices in suggesting products. I try to start with the least expensive, least invasive, least amount of hair for the client, explain that none of these products lasts long and we can move up the ladder as the client becomes more comfortable wearing hair. The relationship we build has to be good or I know that the client will not get my best effort. For this reason I turn many clients away. If the respect is not working on both sides, we both suffer.

People think they are doing their homework by looking online, but the problem with that is that the marketing companies know how to manipulate the seeker and put out fake reviews, information, photos, so the seeker is not seeing a true picture of  the product. They coerce the seeker to buy online knowing the product does not work. There is no regulation in this industry so anyone can say anything and they do. They will claim their hair is good hair, when it is not, they will claim that wearing their hair is exactly like having your own hair and it is not, they claim they have so many happy customers so you are different if the product is not working for you.

On my end of this business I find that even if I try to be truthful, people do not want to hear the truth. Good hair is very hard to find. Human hair is difficult to style, The healthiest hair in the World is sometimes the hardest to style. Once any chemical has been applied the hair is damaged. All of these things I have tried to explain only to be shut up because the public does not want to know. In fact, once I had a client I was "playing" with that wore extensions. I told her the hair I was putting in may be horse hair and how did she feel about that? (This is true) She answered, " I don't care, I just want pretty hair. HEE HEE"  I learned that people are willing to go to extreme lengths and don't care who gets hurt to look pretty.  Their picture of what pretty is has been instilled in them by media and marketing and I can't fight that.

So not having seen either of your hair, I would probably recommend that you consider inexpensive synthetic toppers first. The Milan by Noriko is a good one if you wear long and straight, Easy Part is good, by Jon Renau, a very small piece that is not thick and comes in both human and synthetic. There are others depending on your personal situation.  Try working with something like this yourself first before going into a salon. See if you can accept wearing hair at all and feel good about it. Then as you gain some personal experience if you want to go further you will not be as vulnerable to the whims of the service provider and will have a better idea of what to say "No" to. 

When you do feel that you are ready for a bigger commitment, be very careful about choosing a provider. Most of the replacement companies sign up with their vendors and all their marketing, products, web presence comes from that vendor.  At the other end of the spectrum is the hair stylist that truly has little experience but wants the big ticket products to make more money. These can be dangerous. They do not have the education and experience to know what is safe yet. It took me years of committed study AND working with clients daily to really understand the business, and I still learn every day. Everything is different than working on hair on a client. If I make one mistake, I have ruined the clients piece. And many cost thousands of dollars. I have to test colors before applying on every piece or I can get a big surprise. I may have to completely remake a stock piece to get it to look the way the client expects. It takes a lot of experience to do this.

This is not an easy situation for either the client or the provider if they really care about how the client looks and feels.  But by going slow, taking one step at a time, ultimately it is possible to find good products that work.

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Permalink Reply by alannagriffin46@yahoo.com on May 27, 2017 at 4:18am

Go to www.hair4me2.com They even offer in-house service for those who prefer privacy while being serviced.

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