Join freelance actor and family man John as he embarks on a new life of hair! John will be taking a meticulous approach to recording his hair system experience. Read on as John recounts his very first day in a hair system.

 

Moments before I begin a new life with hair!

 

Which Lordhair Men's Hair System Am I Wearing?

Today is a big day for me. I got my first hair system installed ...

 

I’m wearing the Lordhair Quanta, a lace base hair system with a polyurethane skin perimeter on the back and sides. The top and front are only lace. I went to the stylist at 9:30 this morning. Preparation took about an hour. I wasn’t nervous in the least, because I’d already made up my mind. The stylist roughed out the haircut with the system on a mannequin head, then cut the base to fit. As he was doing that, I felt somewhat excited. I thought, “This is the start of something new for me.” Once he finished preparing the base, he shaved my hair off the top and then installed the system. I’ve been wearing it for about four hours now. What follows are my personal thoughts and reactions to putting on a toupee (also known as men’s human hair wigs, hair systems, hair units, and men’s hairpieces) and having hair for the first time in decades.

 

The Lordhair Quanta hair system: what I now have on my head

 

What Does It Feel Like to Have Hair Again?

I don’t yet have much basis for comparison, but I think what people say about lace is true: it’s very comfortable. That might actually be an understatement. It’s lighter and more comfortable than wearing my hat. When the stylist was only halfway through cutting the hair, I was already used to the feeling. I’m aware that it’s there, but it’s very light and adds no noticeable weight. While he was cutting the hair, he spritzed some water on and I could feel it on my skin. It was immediately reassuring to know that I can maintain proper hygiene; since water can pass through the lace, I can clean my scalp while wearing the system when I shower. The fit is so close and comfortable that it’s quite easy to forget it’s there and the whole idea has left my mind completely multiple times already, in spite of my deliberate attention to it as I type this.

 

What are the different types of lace used in hair systems and wigs?

 

My desk fan is blowing as I sit here. It feels interesting. This is the first time in 25 years that I’ve felt a breeze in my hair. I mostly feel it at the hairline, as the air moves the strands against my forehead, but to test it, I put my head down to feel it against the top of my head. I could indeed feel the slight tickle of the hair moving even there where it’s thickest. I feel no grit or texture from the lace on my skin. I can feel the tape, but it’s not intrusive. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine wearing something on my head that would feel less intrusive.

I have noticed a difference in heat retention on my head, unsurprisingly. I wonder what effect that will have on the amount of sweat when I walk home today. The weather is starting to cool off and I’m sure it won’t be a problem with a fresh bond. One way or another, though, I have to find out what happens when I sweat. I have not received the Walker Tape Scalp Protector that I ordered, so I’d better wait on that, if possible. These strong adhesives take some time to fully set and the manufacturers all recommend avoiding any sweating for the first 24 hours. I suspect the Walker Tape Max Hold Sport will be very useful for me. I’ll have to compare the feel of the bond when I use it.

I can’t feel the edge of the base at all from natural touching. I need to move the hair up and deliberately look for it in order to feel it. The base is so thin that running my fingers over the hair feels just like hair. There’s no bump on the edge, no lip, nothing at all. That’s surprising. I expected to be able to feel it since I already knew it was there, but I couldn’t.

 

"This is the first time in 25 years that I’ve felt a breeze in my hair."

 

So far, I’ve had no issues at all with itching. I’ve only had it on for a few hours, though. I’ll see how it goes. I’ve read that people often experience the worst itching after a few days, not a few hours. The tape that the stylist used also isn’t my first choice and I’ve ordered some hypoallergenic tape to use. I’ve had some skin irritation from medical and sports tape in the past, but this is my first time with hair system tape. I really don’t have any idea what to expect yet.

Overall, it feels better than I expected it would. Lordhair hair systems have really surprised me twice. When I first saw them, I could barely believe how realistic they looked, and now that I’ve worn one, the comfort completely exceeded my expectations as well. I think this will be easy to get used to. I have not yet worn it out in public. That will happen soon enough. I’ll make the decision now to not be self-conscious and do my best not to think about it at all.  In the first moments after I saw the finished product, it felt sort of alien; just so different from my normal experience, but I’m already starting to kind of enjoy having it.

 

At the Salon: How My Hair System Was Attached

The stylist used clippers to shave the top of my head, and he didn’t use alcohol, so there’s no skin irritation at all. I’m not entirely sure about the strength of the hold, since the bonding area wasn’t sterilized and the base might still have a silicone coating. I’ve read that a new system should get a light washing with Dawn dish soap to remove that because adhesive doesn’t stick well to it, but even what’s considered a very poor bond with this stuff is still several days, so I don’t expect any immediate problems.

The stylist used only tape, which is exactly what I intended as the attachment method I would use at first. He put a band all around the front, with a few pieces spaced out over the back and sides. I chose the hairstyle very carefully to look good while it covers the hairline, so there’s no need for glue. I’ve seen plenty of videos of people fussing with that gooey, stringy stuff and it’s just not something I want to deal with at the beginning. The stylist cut quite a bit of hair to make the style I wanted. The change in appearance is so drastic it’s kind of amazing,  between an uncut and unstyled hair system to what I’m actually wearing now. He did a good job; it looks very much like the picture I showed him, but my hair still needs to grow out on the sides a little bit. I can see a transition between the system and my natural hair. It would look better if the upper edge of my own hair had an extra quarter inch or so.  I let my hair grow for more than a month before putting a system on, but it still wasn’t long enough, so I really want to emphasize patience for new users who had been shaving their heads. I thought I had waited long enough, but that’s not the case. It looks right from an angle, but looking directly head-on I can see a transition in volume that doesn’t look so natural. However, the overall appearance of volume will be less after a few days, so it might settle just right. It does appear somewhat “poofy” to me, as so many new users say. This is to be expected with a new system. I’m curious to see what it will look like after a week. It’s only noticeable from certain angles. From maybe a 3/4 angle, it looks just right. I’d estimate that a period of 3 months growing out the hair would look quite a bit better. If you have roughly an inch of length, that would give you a lot of leeway in blending and styling.

 

Check out the hair system tape that Lordhair stock

 

I also should have gotten less gray. I did so because of the gray in my beard and I was concerned that a system with no gray would look too different, but there’s very little gray in my natural hair. My Quanta has 20%, but I should have gotten half that much, or none. With a normal progression of graying hair, the top and front where the system sits are the last areas to change. Of course, getting a perfect color match can be a matter of luck, since no company can carry every possible shade of hair, but the Lordhair color #3 is extremely close, so I’m happy with the basic color.

 

 

Subduing the Initial Hair System Paranoia

I keep wanting to check a mirror, but I’m resisting the impulse. Many new users are hyper self-conscious, but I will not give in and develop a silly habit of fussing and worrying. I want this to just be one part of my overall look and I won’t allow it to become a consuming preoccupation. I’m already aware that the blending is not perfect because my natural hair is a bit too short. There’s nothing I can do about it but give it time, so I choose not to care.

I wonder what my wife will say. I can count on her for a truthful assessment. She’s an incredibly rare sort of woman who gives straight truth with no sugar coating. I value her frankness and trust her word more than anybody else’s. She’s in for a surprise when I get home this evening!

I want to see what my face looks like without glasses, too. I have some contact lenses at home and I think I’ll wear some tomorrow. It might be more suitable because the style is somewhat young-looking (not immature, though). That’s another question I can ask my wife.

After examining the hairline, I think it’s a bit too high, maybe because my bald area is quite long. However, it’s attached well and the edge of the base isn’t visible even though it’s taped rather than glued. These hair systems really are amazing in that regard. The hairstyle is long enough that the hairline placement isn’t a critical factor anyway, and even if I get a gust of wind full in the face, I have nothing to be concerned about. I hope.

I just passed someone in the hall a moment ago on the way back from the toilet. Not a colleague, it was someone I don’t know. She didn’t even glance at my hair. That’s a good sign. If strangers are fixated on the top of my head, it would mean something’s seriously off, but the issues I notice on my own are really minor.

I debated wearing my hat on the way home and decided not to. I think it’s better to jump in with both feet. My home is a long way from the office. 40 minutes on the subway and another 40 minutes combined of walking. It’s a busy path, too, lined with shops, restaurants and preschools. Having hair for the first time since I was a teenager, I imagined all sorts of things. Was the breeze blowing it enough to make the high hairline visible? I still don’t know the answer to that. It was an entirely new experience and I wondered how I looked since I still hadn’t formed a mental image of myself with hair. After a few minutes on the street, though, I put the questions to rest. I decided, “This is me. Even though I don’t know what I look like, this is my look.” Then I reached the subway and browsed a woodworking forum on the way home. I forgot about the hair system until I had almost arrived, over an hour later. The more I found that nobody was staring at my head, the easier it was to feel normal about it myself.

 

You may also be interested in other Lordhair hair system diaries:

 

- Embracing confidence and empowerment: A day in my life with my Lordhair hair system

- Confessions of a comb-over victim

 

Day One in a Hair System Draws to a Close

When I reached home, only my older daughter was there. She heard me open the gate and got up to greet me. Since it was already dark, she just saw this unfamiliar shape and let out a surprised squawk, but then realized it was me. She was very curious and wanted to look closely and touch the hair. My younger daughter arrived next, and as I expected, she didn’t like it at first. She’s very particular about the way I look because of her emotional connection to Daddy being the personification of stability in her life. She hates it even if I change my glasses and she cries any time I have to shave my beard for an acting role. I didn’t look like her image of “daddy” and she wasn’t shy at all about saying so, but it only took her a few minutes to warm up to it. My wife was the last to arrive. She’s extremely intelligent, so I wasn’t sure if she had guessed what was going on or not, but it was indeed a complete surprise to her. She had some very good things to say about it, and she liked the way it looked. She was less critical about the details than I was and said if she didn’t already know me, she wouldn’t be able to guess I was wearing a hair system.

 

 

The long walk home did cause me to sweat a good amount, which I wasn’t particularly happy about on the first day, but there was no avoiding it. The system stayed firmly in place, but I could feel the bond of the tape was not as strong. As I had no materials at home for maintenance, I didn’t test exactly how strong it was. If I caused it to lift, I had no way to fix it. I left it right where it was and turned on a fan to cool myself off, and as the sweat dried, I could feel the strength of the bond return. I’m not sure how much, if any, of the adhesive lifespan was compromised by sweating that much on the first day. I am looking forward to receiving my Max Hold Sport!

When I turned off the lights and got undressed for bed, I caught myself reaching up to take off my hat. I wasn’t wearing a hat. I laid down and made a conscious decision to be careful as I slept. I have not yet received my silk pillowcase, so I wasn’t sure what would happen in the morning. I decided not to get up early, though. I refuse to fuss and preen in front of the mirror because I want to make this a normal part of my life. Then I closed my eyes and slept.

 

"My hair is lighter and more comfortable than wearing my hat."

 

 

Stay tuned for more of John's hair system experiences!