JRob's Hair Replacement Blog

In this chapter I will go over a few more specifications you will have to decide upon before placing your order.

First, lets talk about color.

One of the great benefits of wearing a full cap is that you have more leeway when choosing a hair color. If you are integrating your existing nape hair or sideburns, you will want to ensure a proper color match with your own hair, but the less of your own hair you will be integrating, the less important it becomes to have an exact match. I have found that even if you decide to integrate your own sideburns (which I highly recommend) the color match isn’t extremely crucial, due to the fact that natural facial hair doesn’t always match scalp hair.

Perhaps the best way to achieve a good result on your first order would be to send the factory a sample of your own hair. The sample should be about an inch long and about the thickness of a pencil to achieve the best results. If you decide to go with a color that is different from your own, you still need to keep in mind that skin tone and eyebrow color should be taken into account before you make your final decision.

Another way to decide what hair color to order is by obtaining a color ring from your hair retailer. A color ring can also come in handy if you decide to order highlights in your piece, which is yet another means to help achieve added style and realism with your piece.

Next, you will need to decide how much curl you wish to order. As with color, proper curl size becomes more detrimental if you are integrating nape hair. If you are not integrating nape hair it’s all about personal choice…..another great  benefit of wearing a full cap. Curl size is generally expressed in millimeters, and you should be able to get a good idea of the size curl you need simply by visiting your hair retailer’s website.

Another thing you will have to decide before placing your order is the direction in which the hair is ventilated.

A  person who makes hairpieces is called a ventilator, and the art of tying hair into a hairpiece base is called “ventilating”. Generally, when you place your order you will be asked what style ventilation you want. This means that you need to decide if you prefer the hair on the top to tend to lie forward, backward, or “freestyle”.

As the name implies, “forward from the crown” means that the hair will tend to lie in a forward direction. “Flatback” means that the hair is tied in such a way that it naturally lies backward. “Freestyle”  is where the hair is ventilated in no particular direction, and is easy to style in many different ways.

If you decide to order forward ventilation, this doesn’t mean that you can’t wear it spiked up or combed back, but without styling products the hair will tend to lie in the direction in which it was ventilated.

Finally, you will need to decide the density of your hairpiece.

This is an important step in creating a natural looking hairpiece, but as with color and curl it is less crucial if you are not matching the piece to any of your existing hair.

If you are integrating some of your nape hair and need to match the density of your existing hair, you can usually get a good idea of the density you will need in that area by checking the website of your hairpiece retailer, who likely has pictures of various densities.

If you do not choose to integrate any of your own hair in the back, you have a little more flexibility in your choice of density in that area, but the general rule when designing a hairpiece is “less is usually more”, especially on the top.

The first thing to consider when choosing density is your age.

Before you choose your density it’s a good idea to do some research. Take a look at the various densities of other men who are roughly your age. Make a mental note of how much density they appear to have on top, on the sides, and in the back.

Hint- Most men’s hair thins and recedes with age. Sure, there are some older men with very thick, full heads of hair and very little recession, but as a general rule most men who you wouldn’t even consider to be “balding” will lose density as time goes on. When choosing the density for your full cap remember that you can add extra realism by slightly lowering the density, especially on the top. Small details such as this can help improve the overall look of your unit.

Different factories use different percentages to determine density. Check your retailers website to get an idea of proper densities for your piece beginning with the back. The back can generally be a little bit thicker than the rest of the piece, as this is one area where some of even the baldest men still have a lot of hair. For ultimate realism make sure that the density on the top is less than that of the back. You don’t have to go too low, but keep in mind that most men don’t even realize that they are losing their hair until it is already halfway gone!

This just goes to show that even with a light density on top, you can still look as if you have a full, healthy head of hair.

When deciding on the density for the top, it’s always best to start low. If you aren’t comfortable with a super light density, step it up a little bit, but for your first order stick with a medium density at most. You can always add a bit more density on the next order without arousing any suspicion. The first thing that gives away a hairpiece is too much density, ESPECIALLY on the top. Most people associate wigs with bad toupees of the past, and the fastest way to let everyone know you are wearing a hairpiece is to order a density that is too thick.

Chapter 5- Supplies