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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!

Reader Mailbag- Basic Supplies and More on Knot Bleaching

Sep 15

Posted by JRob in Mailbag, Products | No Comments

I have been getting lots of great questions via email lately. One of the most common questions that new wearers ask is “What supplies will I need”. Fortunately I am in the process of working on my Full Cap DVD and I just finished the (tentatively) final script revisions for the basic supplies segment, and I thought it would help answer this question regarding supplies. Questions about knot bleaching seem to be coming up a lot lately as well. Here is the email:

hey jon

how’s it going. hope everythings’s fine over there.
I recently ordered my first piece and now i am waiting for it to finally arrive :)
however, i hope you don’t mind if i ask you 1-2 questions:
1) what is this knot bleaching all about? i ordered very dark hair at 75% density. from what i have heard the fullcaps do not come to us bleached. i am sending my piece to debbie for cut in anyway so would you say it’s a good idea to have her bleach the knots for me as well or will i not need to bleach any knots at all? its all french lace. i don’t want to do the know bleaching myself.
2) i will have to order some supply from debbie too, so she can send me the whole package together with my fullcap. could you kindly tell me which glue and which tape you would recommend to order from her site? also, how long does a package of tape or glue last? i have no idea. what other products for removal and cleaning do i need? debbie got 6-7 products on her page but i don’t know which one will be the best for my frenchlace fullcap.
your advise is highly appreaciated. i visit your blog everyday to check for updates. actually i don’t know anybody how is “wearing” but if i should get to know somebody i will definitely promote your site!
please let me know if there is anything i can do for you. thanks a lot and have a great day!

My reply:

Here is the script taken directly from the Basic Supplies segment from my upcoming DVD-

Basic Supplies

Before I explain the ins and outs of ordering, wearing, and maintaining a full cap I want to take a few minutes to talk about supplies. I will explain some of these items in more detail in later segments, and you can also find a complete list of essential and recommended supplies in the extras section on the main menu.

There are only a few essential items that you will need in order to attach and maintain a full cap. These include:

  • Adhesive and/or tape
  • 99% alcohol or “lace release”
  • Adhesive remover
  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Scissors
  • A spray bottle, syringe, or dropper for dispensing alcohol

You will also need a few items for building a mold, or “template” of your head for your first order. For making your template you will also need:

  • Clear packing tape
  • Kitchen plastic wrap
  • Black marker
  • Makeup pencil
  • Handheld mirror

Some additional items that I highly recommend are:

  • A styrofoam head
  • Wax paper
  • A hair dryer
  • T-pins
  • Absorbent headbands
  • Microfiber towels
  • A ball tipped bristle hairbrush
  • A wide tooth comb
  • A hobby knife
  • Cotton swabs
  • Pallet wrap
  • Paper towels

Many of these items can be purchased from supermarkets, discount stores, or beauty supply shops, but you might have a hard time finding tapes, adhesives, 99% alcohol, and skin-safe adhesive removers locally. You might be able to find some of these supplied in salons that specialize in hair replacement, but it will probably be more convenient for you to order them online. If you decide to purchase a styrofoam head, I recommend buying one that is as close to the size of your own head as possible. Beauty supply shops usually carry the smaller ones which are suitable for most women, but if you are guy you might want to consider purchasing a larger one from a retail store display supplier.

There are a few additional items that you might want to purchase to help with attaching, wearing, and maintaining your full cap. For more information on these additional supplies, refer to the supplies segment in the extras section that can be found on the main menu.

The only items that you really need for very basic attachments and removals are glue/tapes, alcohol, adhesive remover, a shampoo and conditioner, scissors, and a spray bottle or syringe/dropper for the alcohol. You are beyond the template stage, so you won’t need any of those supplies, but I would highly recommend picking up a few more items especially the styrofoam head, t-pins, headbands, a brush and comb, and pallet wrap (to wipe the base free of stubborn adhesive residue after you mirror slide).   As for specific glues and tapes, you just need to bite the bullet and get a good, strong solvent based glue, a white glue, and several different kinds of tape. For an all lace base, blue liner tape works well and is easier to handle than some of the other tapes, but I would also order up a few of the other strong tapes to give them a shot. If there was a right or wrong answer I would tell you exactly what you need, but unfortunately it’s trial and error. You can start out with blue liner, one white glue, and one solvent based glue, but I would throw a few more adhesives and glues on your first order so you can find what works best for you. Glues and tapes can last from a few weeks to many months depending upon a lot of factors.   As for the knot bleaching, I have had conversations with Debbie regarding this, and she will probably also tell you that there are no guarantees. If you are uncomfortable doing this yourself, by all means let Debbie do it, but keep in mind that sometimes the knots will weaken after bleaching, and sometimes they will be nearly impossible to bleach.   Usually the knots at the hairline will be bleached pretty well, at least with my #17 hair color they have been. The issues for me have been in the crown area and in the nape. When the knots aren’t bleached in the nape and you attach below your occipital bone, when the hair gets wet you will see a definite line.   Ventilation has also been an issue in this area. The factories need to start tying the napes as if they were hairlines, with smaller single and double knots instead of these huge knots with multiple hairs tied into them. (This of course assumes that your density is low enough to allow this type of construction) I am working with the hair companies to address this issue as we speak.   Don’t worry about getting the rest of the unit bleached (unless you have a part), especially with that high of a density. You might not even have an issue with the nape with that much hair. If Debbie is going to cut it in I would get her recommendation and take her advice.   Let me know how everything goes,   Jon

Reader Mailbag- The Bleaching Blues

Sep 12

Posted by JRob in Mailbag | No Comments

One of the most common issues with hairpieces that are being made today seems to be the incomplete bleaching of the knots. This can be quite frustrating. Sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands to try to solve these kinds of problems, and it doesn’t always go as planned. Here is an email exchange that I thought  would help benefit some other readers.

Jon,
My piece as it stands is pretty messed up.  Weakness in the knots due to the bleaching, which didn’t work very well and most of the knots stayed dark, but it turned some of the dark brown hair blonde – and then I had to use hairdye to get that blonde hair brown again, which ended up having a red tinge to it.  So it’s pretty messed up….ugh!

Anyway I have a follow up question, and I hope you don’t mind.  I might have to order a new piece, and I’ll see if John will give me a discount because the knots were not bleached when the piece arrived and it made the piece look quite wiggy.  Debbie recommended that I order the front 1″ of the piece and the crown and nape blond, and then dye the hair dark brown.  That way the knots won’t be weakened by bleach.  Also using your recommendation  to ask for single knot ventilation along the perimeter on top of that.

I’m wondering what you think of this option vs specifying single knot ventilation with bleached knots on the entire perimeter coming from the factory…im leery of trusting them after getting my piece without bleached knots.  Then again, I’m also leery of dying the hair myself seeing the results I’ve gotten here at home.

Thanks,
M

Here is a picture of some ugly, unbleached knots-

Does a normal scalp look like this?

Does a normal scalp look like this?

Here is my reply:

“Sounds like quite a mess.

I have also talked to Debbie about this and she recommended the same thing to me. I haven’t tried it yet, but it makes perfect sense. I have colored a unit before so I wouldn’t really be afraid of doing it again, but I would think you would have to get good quality hair dye and go at it conservatively. Start by leaving the color on for 1/2 to 3/4 the amount of time you think it might take, then come back and add more if it isn’t dark enough. Another thing would be “Is it going to fade the same as the rest of the piece”?

Jon

Hopefully the factories eventually catch on to the fact that us full cappers need our knots bleached! Not only at the hairline, but also in the crown and nape areas (especially when the unit gets wet).

Reader Mailbag

Aug 27

Posted by JRob in Mailbag | No Comments

I just received this email from a reader who is seeking solutions to his hair loss issue. As per his suggestion, I am posting my replies in the Reader Mailbag section for the benefit of my other readers. Personal information has been redacted to respect privacy.

Shaving my head isn’t an option for me.  I have a terrible head shape which resembles that of the guy who appears on the Toplace.com homepage (see attached photos of my head essentially shaved from a couple years ago).  Even with my head buzzed to a number two, the ridge gives my head an unattractive shape.  By the way, two surgeons have offered to surgically shave the bone that comprises the prominent ridge on the top of my skull.  This would make my skull look more rounded, but it would leave a two centimeter scar on or near my crown.  I’m not sure I want to do that.  Even if I did, I’d like to be able to fall back on the hair system option in the event a surgical repair doesn’t look good.

With a good hairpiece you won’t have to worry about skull shape.

All of my remaining hair is ***rapidly*** turning white.  Not grey, but white like John McCain’s.  If I were to wear a topper, I have no idea how I’d ever get my own hair to match that of the hair system.  My white hair is very resistant to coloring, and all the coloring kits I’ve tried have been unable to turn my white hair to a shade that looks like my remaining brown hair.  At best, my white hairs have changed to a lighter, metallic brown for a week to ten days.

At first I was going to recommend you try a topper, but it sounds like even with strong temples and sides you would have a lot of matching issues due to hair color.

Finally, I am planning on returning to school [edited for privacy].  Naturally, I’m very concerned how a hair system would look in this setting.

So, you can see that I’m basically backed into a corner.  I feel like my options for looking presentable and feeling comfortable in public have run out.  I am desperate to put this problem behind me and get on with my life.  The emotional toll it’s taken on my life can’t be overstated.

The only thing that you have to be careful of is not falling into the trap of “letting the hair wear you”. If you are trading one insecurity for another you aren’t doing yourself any favors. That said, a full cap gives you a different attitude toward wearing. Hard to explain, but even as open as I am about it, I feel better about wearing a full cap than I ever did wearing a topper.

Is it possible to wear a full cap hair style that looks undetectable from very close range, but isn’t “a mop?”  I’m not sure some of the longer styles I’ve been seeing on Toplace.com are age appropriate for me.  Also, if I’m going to be working in a [edited for privacy], I need a style that can pass as professional looking, that won’t block my field of view, but will still be undetectable.  The photos you posted to your blog look good, but is the lace detectable under brighter light?

Yes and no.

It will not be 100% perfect 100% of the time. But, you do have some degree of control over this based upon how well you maintain your attachments, keeping it styled, etc.

The shorter you go and the thinner the density, the more critical everything becomes. If you are able, I would start out with a comb forward style, leaving it as long as you think you can get away with. Doesn’t have to be 3 inches long, but when you start getting down to 1/4-1/2″ you have to make sure your template and attachments are done just right.

Honestly, I don’t think you will have any problems.[edited for privacy] Swiss lace is VERY undetectable, even under bright lights, as long as it is attached properly.

Do the temples always have to be combed forward to hide the lace?  If so, it seems like it would be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain forward pointing temple angles 24/7.

Actually no, the lace will disappear just fine. The issue is with the way full caps are being made at the moment. This is a weak point of full caps. The way they are being made at this time they aren’t taking enough care in the temple area with the ventilation, and the hair isn’t being tied in the most natural way possible. I use styling product to get around it.

I know you said it looks better if you grow side burns, but I don’t have enough sideburn hair to blend with a hair system at a length that will make a cosmetic difference.  Also, this sideburn hair will likely turn white within a couple years.  So is it possible for the system to look good using only the built-in sideburns?


Yes, but I would only use “stubs”. They don’t tie the right kind of hair into sideburns. Facial hair is a different texture, so if you can’t use your own sideburns, I would just build your template with “mini” sideburns, maybe dropping about 1/2″ or so below the level of the ear arch. It will look fine. Using your own sideburns is just a finishing touch.


Can you exercise (cardio, weighlifting) comfortably and have the piece still look realistic when you’re done?


With a lace piece that is no problem. Plus you can always throw a hat on when you get there.


Has anyone (who either knows or doesn’t know you wear) ever detected your full cap?  How close can someone get to your hairline or side hair without seeing the lace?


Not to my knowledge. I have had women who work with lace front wigs who didn’t believe that I was wearing after I told them. Two of them as a matter of fact, the latest was yesterday. If your knots are well bleached and the unit is attached well, nobody will see the lace, even being a couple of inches away.


Assuming a full cap is a viable option, I am not at all comfortable making my own template to get started.  I would really like to have someone help me with this important step, as well as with selecting a color, style, etc….  I live in [edited for privacy].  Do you know anyone in this region who could help me with a full cap?  Obviously I would also need help with a cut-in, and doing the initial attachments.   I would consider traveling to have the template made if necessary.


Let me know if you are able to make it to Orlando. It would definitely get you on the right track very quickly.

[Editor- I am planning to add consulting and other personalized services for people who are looking for more hands-on, personalized instruction. I am working on the details. Check back for updates!]


Reader Mailbag

Aug 3

Posted by JRob in Lifestyle, Mailbag | 2 Comments

In an effort to be able to help as many people as possible, I have decided to  post some of the emails that I get (anonymously, of course) so all of my readers are able to learn from the interaction. Here’s the first of what I am sure will be many!

Hi Jon,

I know you recommend a french lace base for newbies, but what if someone works out and sweats a lot? Would the french base still be a good choice for that, or would another base type be more appropriate? I’m not sure whether it’s best to have more ventilation with the lace bases or more sturdy security with the skin/poly bases, or even a combination. I’ve been avoiding swimming for a long time, so I’d like to know what the most secure base is for swimmers too.

Definitely, 100% without question, French Lace for your first unit. See my blog post from yesterday about my first time wakeboarding. Blue liner tape provided the bulk of the strength of the attachment, and Ultrahold glue gave a great finish in the front. It held solid as a rock, and I got dunked three or four times….fully submerged.

I can’t stress enough the importance of an all French Lace unit for your first. Not only can you get a rock solid attachment, but it is comfortable, breathable, and very easy to customize.

Also, some sites have a measurement method of building a template for full caps. Have you heard anything about how accurate this method is?

My first two full caps were ordered with measurements only. Subsequent orders have all been with templates.

The biggest issue with ordering from measurements is the fact that the temple points and hairline shape are left to the  ventilator’s discretion, and usually end up looking unrealistic. This is less of an issue if you are planning a longer hairstyle, but I always recommend a template. If you order an all lace base as I suggest, you can still easily cut these areas to shape and pluck individual hairs to acheive a good looking hairline, but the closer the factory gets the better.

What is the length of the hair and density for this image you posted? It looks really good without any cut or styling added to it.

I believe this is about 6″ hair length, light or body wave, and the density would be based upon the company that you order from. This would be a little above average density on the top (and even higher in the back) for a 30-40 something male. Actually, this unit was just cut-in and the density is pretty heavy all the way around. Maybe suitable for a guy in his 20’s, but too thick for me!