JRob's Hair Replacement Blog

Reader Mailbag- Density and Customization of a New Unit

Mar 2

Posted by JRob in Mailbag, Tips | No Comments

Unfortunately I haven’t had as much time as I would like to devote to the blog recently, but I hope to be able to post more in the near future as I get a little more free time in my schedule. While answering emails today I realized that it might be time for another installment of Reader Mailbag:

Hi again Jon.

I received a full cap based on my new mold design a couple of weeks ago, and I have been experimenting with it since then. While I don’t think it’s 100% perfect, I feel it’s going the right way. There are some things I would like to ask you about again;

1. The system is quite “fluffy” when it arrives (I was aware of this from before). It seems very thick, and when wetting it things look a lot better. Over time (while wearing), does this change? I got the feeling that I’d have to apply styling products it to make it look good all the time. What about you? Do you depend on using styling products to make it look realistic? Is your system as “fluffy” as it was when you got it from the factory?

There is a difference between “fluffy” and “extremely thick”. If the density is ok it will settle down after a few washings. If it is simply way too thick, it might be hard to get a realistic look. Depending upon how thick it is, hair products can be used to make it appear thinner.

2. The ventilation was not OK this time either (better than the first time though), so I bought a lancet and startet cutting on my own to get rid of the misplaced hairs in the temple hairline (a few of them are pointing straight forward, when they should just lay down). It seems that drawing arrows on the mold wasn’t enough. What do you think? Should I try to tell them one more time, or should I just add 0.1-0.3cm or something to the temple hairline and just customize it myself when I receive it? Since I had to cut past my measured hairline, it didn’t look natural (to much recession), but the appearance of the hairs was great, and it did look like they grew out of my head. I think this is definitely the most tricky part in making this work. I think it is an advantage to be able to customize on your self, since you actually can’t guarantee that the system you get will be perfectly ventilated (at least it doesn’t seems that way).

Looking forward to hear from you!

Y

Drawing arrows is always a good idea but it’s no guarantee that it will be made perfectly. It’s always better to have a finely crafter hairline that was tied by the ventilators, but as you know this is a hit and miss thing. I do lots of modifications to my units, even at the hairline if needed, BUT….the results you get will depend upon how the unit was made at the factory. In other words, if they tied small knots and bleached them well extending 3/4″ of an inch back from the hairline, you can get away with a lot of cutting and still maintain realism. On the other hand, if the ventilator only ties the first 1/4″ really well, you are going to have to be careful that you don’t cut all the way back into bigger, (possibly unbleached) knots or risk losing realism. Of course this is less of an issue if you aren’t exposing hairline…

Bottom line- don’t be afraid to get in and cut the lace and pluck some hairs (this can be done easily with eyebrow tweezers after soaking the area with leave-in conditioner) to achieve the look you want. Just make sure you inspect the unit first to make sure that you aren’t going to be losing realism in critical areas.

Good luck, and send pictures when you get things ironed out!

Full Cap DVD Update

Feb 16

Posted by JRob in Everything Else | No Comments

I have been getting quite a few emails from people who are anxiously awaiting the release of my Full Cap DVD, so I thought it might be time to post an update for those of you who are interested.

This project has turned out to be quite a long and drawn out process. We have had quite a few setbacks over the past several months, and despite the fact that the DVD is about 95% complete, I was forced to put it on hold for the past couple of months due to other obligations.

I am happy to announce that I will be resuming the final stages of production sometime in the next few weeks, and hope to have the DVD completed and ready for sale within the next couple of months. As of next week I will have a lot more time to devote to tying up some loose ends, and this video is a top priority.

I look forward to providing you with a high quality product that will provide lots of valuable information. Thanks for your patience everyone!

Full Cap Nape Issues SOLVED!

Jan 2

Posted by JRob in Everything Else | 1 Comment

There are only a few downsides to wearing to a full cap versus a partial unit, and the nape area has been one of the areas that has caused me some problems.

I am happy to announce that the two problems I was having with the nape are now solved!

First, I want to say that I have never had any issues with bonding in the nape area of my full caps. I have used blue liner tape from day one, and even attaching the unit below my occipital bone I am able to get a week’s worth of hold without much lift.

The two problems I was having with this area were:

A “hard” edge that could be detected by touch.
A slightly unnatural look, especially when the hair was wet.

The edge didn’t bother me too much, as I overlap the tape slightly in this area which provides a decent transition, but the look in the back of the unit after leaving the gym was unacceptable. When the hair got wet in the back it revealed a clearly visible line where the knots begin. This would have been much less of an issue if the knots were smaller, staggered, and well-bleached, but with this particular unit I had to do something to overcome this problem so I got out the scissors and started cutting.

I decided to cut small triangle shaped chunks out of the base in the back to break up the knot pattern so instead of being able to see a straight row of large, dark knots, it is broken up by “V” shaped cuts which make it much less noticeable even when wet.

The side benefit to this is that it also made the nape become completely undetectable to touch. Since there isn’t a straight edge of lace OR knots, you can run your fingers up through the hair on the neck and you can’t feel a thing!

This was done on my latest creation, my “Full Cap Mohawk”, but it will solve the same issues on a unit that stretches across the entire nape. Here are some pictures-

Before. Straight edge on the lace and the knots.

After. Invisible to sight and touch....

Full Cap Mohawk Pics

Dec 24

Posted by JRob in Lifestyle, Pushing The Limits | 4 Comments

Here are some pictures of my first “real” full cap mohawk.

This is still an experiment in progress, but I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. I have two more units that I am going to convert to mohawks and I plan to experiment with try different hair lengths and base sizes to see what looks best.

Some notes on this project:

The base on top doesn’t completely cover my balding area. I have to keep it shaved close to maintain realism. A tan helps hide this. I know I’m the only one who notices this though, so it isn’t a deal breaker.
This unit is very easy to attach. I use blue liner tape at the nape and on the sides up to about mid-scalp. I attach it from the back to the front just like I do my regular full caps. Once the unit is taped in place I mark the outline of the hairline, flip it back, apply two coats of glue, allow the glue to dry, and lay the unit down into the glue.
I’m still trying to get used to walking around with a mohawk, but I have gotten a lot of compliments on the new style. I think I will stick with it for awhile.

Click on each of the pictures to pull up the full size image.

Unbleached Knots- are they a big deal?

Dec 7

Posted by JRob in Everything Else | 2 Comments

Yes and no.

If you plan to show hairline, you definitely want bleached knots in that particular area.

I personally am not overly concerned about the knots in the crown. (edit-I know I posted that bleached knots on the entire unit are important in a previous post, but the more I wear these units where the knots on top aren’t well bleached, the more I realize for me it’s not a huge deal) I usually order highlights and they ventilate a patch of blonde hair directly in the crown, which makes it acceptable for me even if the surrounding knots aren’t well bleached.

Reader Dave is considering going with a full cap for his first hair system and was concerned with detectability issues with the lace. If the knots are well bleached, the base is invisible even from close-up. Since this might be of interest to others who are looking to take the plunge, I thought I would post up a few pics of what a base looks like with well bleached knots and with unbleached knots.

To the right is a picture of one of my units that has unbleached knots (except in the hairline area.) Keep in mind that this is taken up close with the super-macro setting on my camera. I wore this unit just as it is. Depending upon your situation you might need to ensure that the knots are well bleached, if not on the entire scalp or hairpiece, at least in the crown.

Take note of the area at the top center of the screen that (at first glance) looks like it might be a patch where the hair is missing. Look closely, because the hair is indeed there. That is an area where the unit has blonde highlights. Notice how the base is invisible in that area? Blonde hair (or bleached knots) leave no “grid pattern”.

The next picture is of a unit with knots that were bleached by the factory. You can see that it isn’t perfect, but definintely an improvement over the last one. There is still a bit of a grid pattern, but if you were to see this on skin up close you would have to look pretty closely to notice the base. The picture on the right is of the hairline of this particular unit. You can see how the factory took extra care in bleaching the knots in this are, as it is critical if you plan to show hairline.

Anywhere you require a completely invisible base you will need to specify that you want the knots in that area bleached if the factory that is making the unit doesn’t normally bleach them.

Pics of my first “real” full cap mohawk coming soon…..

Dec 7

Posted by JRob in Lifestyle, Pushing The Limits | No Comments

Okay, so I finally got the mohawk cut. The hair was too long and it looks much better now that it has been cut for that style.

It looks pretty cool and I have gotten several compliments on it from men and women of all ages!

I am still working out a few of the kinks but I should be able to post some pictures after my next attachment.

My Latest Project

Nov 17

Posted by JRob in Lifestyle, Pushing The Limits, Tips | 4 Comments

I have three full caps that are almost unusable. The hair is still in great condition, but I ordered swiss (fine) lace in the sideburn areas. BIG no-no! The lace in this area has frayed on all three units, to the point where I am having to use concealers to cover gaps.

My Halloween mohawk experiment was a big success, and I had several people tell me that I should try that as a daily style. I liked it so much myself that I decided to try a similar style with one of my old full caps. The unit that I am using is ventilated well and the density is perfect for me.

I haven’t attached and styled it yet, but here are a few shots of the unit after I cut the base.

This is the template that I had originally made for my Halloween costume. It was cut from a full cap template that I had made during the filming of my Full Cap DVD. I saved it since I thought I might be needing it for this very occasion.

I used hair clips to secure the base to the template, then I marked the base with my makeup pencil. After I removed the clips and the template from the unit, I used a hobby knife blade to make the cuts. I always use a sharp blade as opposed to scissors when cutting into the base anywhere that has hair ventilated into it. You have to be very careful to use the only the tip of the blade and avoid putting tension on any hairs that are in the area, but once you get the hang of it this is a fast and easy method for modifying a lace base.

The end result-

I’m anxious to see what it looks like when it’s attached and styled. I might have to enlist the help of one of my stylists to tidy it up a bit, but I think it’s going to look pretty cool when I get finished!

Full Cap Attachment Demo and Photo Shoot

Nov 7

Posted by JRob in Lifestyle, Products | 8 Comments

Earlier this week I met with the management and staff at Hair Direct to discuss some promotional ideas for the RemySoft line and to give them a preview of my soon-to-be-released Full Cap DVD.

While I was there I offered to do a live attachment demonstration for their staff. They wanted to tape the demo so that the members of their staff who weren’t able to attend would be able to view it later, so I ended up in their studio in front of an audience AND cameras! (This attachment method will also be on my Full Cap DVD)

I wasn’t expecting that much of a production, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.

The next day we did a photo shoot for a RemySoft promotional page that they are working on. Here are a few shots from my “modeling” debut, hehe.

Fun With Hairpieces

Oct 18

Posted by JRob in Lifestyle, Pushing The Limits | 4 Comments

This is an old full cap I had lying around that came in with a density that was way too high. I’ve been tinkering with a mohawk design for awhile now, so I thought I might as well cut it up and experiment a little for Halloween. Everyone who asked about it didn’t believe it wasn’t my real hair. A couple of the girls thought I was really Chuck Liddell, hehe. They simply didn’t believe that the hair, tattoos, and the cut above my eye were all fake.

The results- winner by knockout!

The 13 Minute Attachment

Oct 10

Posted by JRob in Everything Else | 4 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I had just gotten home from work at about 8pm, and a friend of mine calls me up.

He had an extra ticket to see the Killers, a band that I love.

The only problem was that the concert started at 9, it was a 20-25 minute drive to get there (not to mention parking), I hadn’t showered, and I had no hair on at the time!

At this point I started thinking how much of a disaster this attachment was going to be due to the fact that ever time I have rushed an attachment I have started to sweat and the end result wasn’t pretty. I stayed calm, took a deep breath, and jumped in the shower. As soon as I got out I quickly prepped the back of the unit with tape, carefully lined it up and marked my glue line, applied two coats of glue with the help of a hair dryer to speed up the process, and in the blink of an eye I was done!

I had to pay attention to the time so I wouldn’t miss the concert. It took me just about 13 minutes from the time I started cutting tape until I had the unit firmly attached. And much to my amazement, I was able to control my sweating AND I got the unit on perfectly straight. Not bad for a world record (for me) attachment. Here are a couple of pictures of the final result after styling-