Detectability FYI

[Peter_mac]

CSS,

Assuming I'm going with a full SFS system, and going to wear it 24/7 - sleep with it and wash my head with it everyday, how much time do you think it will last (worst case scenario), and what do you think will be the limiting factor ? (color fading, shedding, something else ?)

 

[CCS]

Shedding, especially with a greasy scalp losening those knots. And conditioner can be killer if it gets on the base.

Many shampoos can cause fading, but you can avoid it with the right ones.

The hair type is critical. DO NOT get remy. Remy still has the cutical on it. Factories love to give you remy because they can give the same density with fewer hairs. But since the knot is in the middle of the hair, the cuticle is going two directions on the neighboring ends. The hair turns into a rats nest when you sleep with it. Instead, get processed hair, with the cuticle removed. It does not last as long, but lasts long enough, and is much closer to the size of your male hair. Remy hairs are much courser than your hair, and I think they give you away up close at the transition.

Hold a remy hair in your hand, and you will think it is the same size as your hair. Hold it next to one of your hairs, and you will see a big difference. At least twice the diameter. Request processed hair.

 

[Peter_mac]

CSS, I also have an option for the european virgin. It has the cuticle but smaller diameter than Remi.

 

[CCS]

Costs more money, and still will get tangled. I really recommend the processed hair. The only advantage to european is it does not fade much in the sun or shampoos. And your color match has to be perfect, so unless you naturally match one of their hairs perfectly, and I mean perfectly, they will probably have to dye some or bleach some, which will then change colors later. And some of the "european" on some sites is fake, especially if they don't charge you an arm and a leg for it. Do you really think they could have every color there is if they were selling it cheap? If you grew your hair out 1 foot, and made $20 per hour, how much would you sell a full foot for?

It really is a shame you can't just wear a hat for 3 months. With that super comb over, you could cut it close to the skull and send it in to make your piece from. But it would only work for the first piece or two. After that you would buy more. Maybe just save that hair for special occations when you need to look your best.

Really though, when you get a hair cut and cut that mop off, if it is at least a certain length, like 6 inches, keep it and send it in. But only when you area ready to duplicate a piece that has all the hairs going the right direction.

 

[beemark]

There is a learning curve to determining hairpiece specs. I'd suggest processed Indian hair for your first order. That way, if there are problems or if you need to tweak the specs, you won't have spent a fortune on it. If you decide later on to order European hair, you'll know exactly what you want - and what you don't want.

Regarding hair types, I don't think the type of hair is as important as the quality of the hair or the way the factory handles it and processes it. Hair that is over-processed usually feels soft and looks nice & shiny when you receive it, but in fact, it is terribly damaged during processing. It has no body (which is why it feels so soft) so it tends to be limp, difficult to style, dries out quickly and is prone to breakage.

High-quality processed hair that has been handled properly does not display these characteristics. Remy hair (cuticle intact) also can be soft and tangle-free too - it all depends on the quality of the hair and the workmanship of the factory. You can get high quality in every hair type - and if handled properly, it won't tangle or dry out prematurely.

 

[Peter_mac]

The only advantage to european is it does not fade much in the sun or shampoos. And your color match has to be perfect, so unless you naturally match one of their hairs perfectly, and I mean perfectly, they will probably have to dye some or bleach some, which will then change colors later.

The thing is, I want to dye my own hair. I have some white hairs and I want them out. So, I can either dye my hair to the color of the european hair (not sure if I could achive perfect results), or dye the european hair too.

And some of the "european" on some sites is fake, especially if they don't charge you an arm and a leg for it. Do you really think they could have every color there is if they were selling it cheap? If you grew your hair out 1 foot, and made $20 per hour, how much would you sell a full foot for?

I don't think it works like this. People make money from their hair, but they can't expect minimum wage...

It really is a shame you can't just wear a hat for 3 months. With that super comb over, you could cut it close to the skull and send it in to make your piece from. But it would only work for the first piece or two. After that you would buy more. Maybe just save that hair for special occations when you need to look your best.

Lol, a piece of my own hair, practically what's comb-over is all about... Now that I think of it, if only I was smarter before, how many haircuts did I have in my life, why didn't I save all that hair...

Really though, when you get a hair cut and cut that mop off, if it is at least a certain length, like 6 inches, keep it and send it in. But only when you area ready to duplicate a piece that has all the hairs going the right direction.

What do you mean "going the right direction", I never thought about ordering anything else but freestyle... why should I bother with directions if I can order freestyle ?

 

[beemark]

The process for color-matching is essentially the same for European hair as it is for Indian or Chinese hair. With Indian or Chinese hair, the factory blends together slightly different shades of dyed hair to match your own color. With real, virgin, European hair, they select hair from different ponytails (cut directly from the donor's heads) to match your color.

It's always better to dye your own hair to match the hair system. I'd recommend having a professional do it - it's not that expensive - maybe $50.

Forget about using your own hair. The hair would need to be 12" long (minimum) - and yes, I know you probably don't want your hairpiece to be that long, but they can't work with shorter hair lengths. In addition, your natural hair doesn't all grow at the same rate, so about half of your hair is 50% shorter than the overall length of your hair. These shorter hairs are discarded, which means that you may not be able to donate enough hair to make a hairpiece entirely of your own hair.

When hair direction was mentioned, he meant that if the cuticle (outer layer) of the hair is intact, then all of the hairs must aligned with the root ends at the same end knotted with the root ends together. If the direction of some of the hairs are reversed, it will cause tangling.

There are different grades of lace, so different types disappear better than others. The French lace I have is 100% invisible against my own scalp.

In most cases, if knots are really obvious, it's due to one or more of these factors:

1. The factory used more than one hair in each knot, making each knot 2 or 3 times as big as it should be.

2. The hair is very, very dark. This can be largely eliminated by having all of the knots bleached, rather than just the knots at the hairline.

3. The hairs are Chinese, which are up to 50% wider in diameter than Indian hair.

If your natural hair color is #6 or lighter, knots really are not a big issue.

 

[Peter_mac]

The process for color-matching is essentially the same for European hair as it is for Indian or Chinese hair. With Indian or Chinese hair, the factory blends together slightly different shades of dyed hair to match your own color. With real, virgin, European hair, they select hair from different ponytails (cut directly from the donor's heads) to match your color.

This is interesting, so you mean not all the hairs have the same color ???

It's always better to dye your own hair to match the hair system. I'd recommend having a professional do it - it's not that expensive - maybe $50.

The problem with having it professionally done, is that I'll need to do it, what, once every 2-3 weeks in order for the side hair not to show some white roots (while the wig's hair doesn't), so it means lots of going to the stylist, and lots of money in the long run...

When hair direction was mentioned, he meant that if the cuticle (outer layer) of the hair is intact, then all of the hairs must aligned with the root ends at the same end knotted with the root ends together. If the direction of some of the hairs are reversed, it will cause tangling.

So usually are they sucessful at aligning all the hairs correctly ?

If your natural hair color is #6 or lighter, knots really are not a big issue.

Nah, my hair is something between medium to dark brown...

 

[beemark]

Everybody's natural hair is a blend of different colors. Even people who appear to have 100% black hair have a blend of different colors - there is always some dark brown hair mixed in.

 

[person]

What does FYI stand for?

For Your Information. FYI is used everywhere, in regular conversation, not just on the net.

Not in England it aint; but thank you nevertheless.