Wearing Your Piece in Any Weather

This summer has brought lots of unpredictable weather. How does this affect hairpiece wearers? Just like with natural hair, there are steps you must take to keep your hairpiece fresh, clean, and looking perfect.  Rain is one of the gentlest natural forces on your hairpiece, especially if you live in a rural area with low pollution. Air pollution and dust particles get trapped in raindrops that can get your piece dirty over time. If you have a custom made hairpiece, you won't have to worry about the style being ruined by a passing cloud. The hair in David Hansen's custom hair systems is ventilated by hand to achieve maximum mobility. If the rain tousles your style, your hairpiece is natural enough to just run a comb through it, and the style is done! All in all, a little rain won't hurt. But bring your umbrella!

Spending time in the sun can give your skin a great glow, but it can also bring some unwanted color to your hairpiece. When exposed to sunlight and air (especially near bodies of salt water), the hair in the piece can oxidize, or turn color. Pieces with grey or white hair can turn a yellowish color, blonde can gradually turn orange, and brunette pieces will display much more of a reddish tone.  This doesn't happen overnight, but a summer of fun in the sun can leave your piece looking lackluster after only a few months. There are options to both prevent and combat sun exposure. The first and most obvious is a hat. David Hansen's custom hairpieces use a lightweight yet durable mesh-type base that lets your scalp breathe just like it would with regular hair. Wearing a hat with one will not overheat your head like other hairpieces. The other option is talking to your stylist about shampoos used to tone yellow and red colors in the hair. These shampoos, like ShimmerLights, are purple or blue colored, and gradually remove yellow, orange, and red from hairpieces that have had too much sun or have aged considerably.

If a strong gust of wind blows past, your LAST thought should have to be worrying about your hairpiece staying on. If you have a custom hair replacement system from David Hansen, then your hairpiece is shaped perfectly to your head for an undetectable fit. If your scalp and piece are clean, and you are using the proper double-sided surgical tape, your hairpiece will stay on, even in winds that could blow YOU away!  The wind is not the danger to your hairpiece, but the wrong styling products are. NEVER use hairspray on a hair system. The alcohol, aerosol, and propellants in hairspray dehydrates hair and causes it to break easily. There is also alcohol in most generic hair products for natural hair. These chemicals are much too harsh for hair in hairpieces, so there are plenty of alternate styling tools and products that are alcohol-free.  You can buy Wet Look, a holding spray for hairpieces, at our studio. The best styling product for a hairpiece is just plain water. Custom hair replacement by David Hansen always styles easily, and can be combed back into place.

With the weather warming up, the beaches and pools will open. But before you take that dive, here's a few things you should know. Swimming in a hairpiece is one of the quickest ways to age it. Not only does the act of getting it wet and matted pull hairs out of the base and cause terrible tangling, what is IN the water can hurt the piece, too.  Chlorine from pools dries hair out, and will cause hairpieces to thin rapidly due to all the breakage. Salts from the ocean or salt lakes also have a drying effect on the hair. This combined with the matting of the hair can take years of life out of your piece.  There are a few alternatives to this, David Hansen suggests wearing a swim cap or even using an old hairpiece that has seen better days. The new ones, though, should be kept out of the water.

No matter what the weather may bring your way, you can keep you hairpiece looking undetectable!

B L A S T F O R T U N E: Little Red Writing Nerd - A Short Notebook

B L A S T F O R T U N E: Little Red Writing Nerd - A Short Notebook

How To Get A Perfect Piece

How is it that some hairpieces look terrible and others you don't even know are there? There are a lot of factors, of course, but when it comes the the actual hairpiece itself, there are few very important ones. Color, Curl (or Wave Pattern), Ventilation (or the way that the hair is sewn or knotted into the piece), and Density are 4 key ingredients to making your piece completely undetectable.

A hairpiece needs to match your own hair color perfectly. The best way to achieve a good result on your first order is to use a sample of your own hair. The sample should be about 2 inches long to achieve the best results. Another way to decide what hair color to order is by obtaining a color ring from a hair retailer or manufacturer. A color ring can also come in handy if you have gray hair in your piece, since many rings have samples of varying percentages of gray.

Next, you will need to decide how much curl you have in your natural hair.  Curl size is generally expressed in categories; straight, light wave, medium wave, tight wave, loose curl, tight curl, or kinky.  You should be able to get a good idea of the size curl you need simply by visiting a hair replacement specialist like David Hansen. 

Another thing you will have to decide before placing your order is the direction in which the hair is ventilated.  A  ventilator is a person who makes hairpieces.  The art of tying hair into a hairpiece base is called “ventilating”. Generally, when your order is placed the manufacturer asks 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”.

“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. This is the way that many of David Hansen's pieces are ventilated, in order to give each client the most versatility that they can have in their hairpiece. Don't worry, though; 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, there is the density of your hairpiece. This is an important step in creating a natural looking hairpiece. You have a little more flexibility in your choice of density in areas like the crown of the head, but the general rule when designing a hairpiece is “less is usually more”, especially on the top. 

An important thing to consider when choosing density is age. The older a man is and the finer and whiter his hair on the sides and back of his hair are, the less dense the hairpiece should be. It would look completely unnatural for a man to have thinning hair around his ears and in the back of his head and full, thick hair solely on the top.

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.

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 custom hairpiece remember that you  by slightly lowering the density, especially on the top, your piece will look more realistic. Little details like this can help improve the overall look of your Custom Hair Replacement System.  

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 hair to the piece with the services of a ventilator, like the one working for David Hansen. The first thing that gives away a hairpiece is too much density, ESPECIALLY on the top. Most people think of the bad toupees of the past, and the fastest way to let everyone know you are wearing a hairpiece is to have hair that is too thick.

So, when you are ready for your new Custom Hair Replacement System, keep these details in the back of your mind.  We will be here to walk you though these and other steps you take towards the new you! 

The Quality of Service

We live in a Wash-N-Go society.  A country full to the brim with cheap, fast solutions to any of life's problems and inconveniences. Our service industry has changed drastically with advancement in technologies, increase in population, and the ever-diminishing quality of products and service. The downwards turn that the economy has taken over the past decade does not help matters, either.  The service industry (particularly the hair world) is always one to suffer in times of frugality. Many people try to save a buck by opting for cheap, do-it-yourself dyes, synthetic hair extensions or hairpieces, and 15 minute haircuts over a relaxing experience in the hands of a skilled professional that knows your name and asks for the long version of how your day has been.
There's nothing wrong with watching your wallet. Everyone has to take cuts somewhere. A lot of people, however, have had the experience of a terrible cut, hairpiece, or dye job from an inexperienced stylist who has had an overbooked day. Bad attitudes, bad experience, and an unwelcome atmosphere. Once the cut grows out, they try a different discount cuttery, jump on the conveyor belt, and have the same poor treatment over again. All in the name of fiscal conservativeness.
There are several facts that should be made known for the skeptics. There are differences in service a client experiences in a private hair salon in comparison to a corporate one. There are also a few key factors that come into play when making a decision.
1. Corporate discount hair salons charge separately for a shampoo, a haircut, and a style-out (blow-dry).    So your haircut might be $15, but a shampoo is an extra $10 (sometimes &15), and a style-outs run between $20 and $35.  Thats a general range of $45 to $65. Plus tip.  Also, forget about specialized cuts. These are people who are used to doing quick, simple cuts and blow-drys without too much muss, fuss, or client consideration. I personally have never known anyone to get the best cut of their life at one of these places.
2. Most private salons charge anywhere between $35 and $75 for a haircut. However, this includes a full shampoo and conditioning (most also involve a scalp massage), a haircut that is EXACTLY (not someone else's version of) what you asked for, and a style-out that is appropriate for your cut. There is usually a complementary drink, and friendly conversation in an environment that is comfortable and private. So, you are getting a better full experience for roughly the same price.
3. Men and women are different. Women enjoy displaying their new hairdo, color, or extensions. It is a point of pride. Men, however, usually prefer to look natural. Needing a haircut is one thing, but incoming grays and male pattern baldness can be a sensitive issue for most men. Sensitivity that is not acknowledged by 'discount' hair clubs. Nor is it recognized in regular salons that agree to cut in that hairpiece because they assume it is exactly the same as any other cut. At a private salon or hair replacement studio, each visit is confidential. Each stylist is knowledgeable in their craft. And they recognize that if their job is done right, no one will notice it at all.
4.  You don't stay in business for 50 years if you are terrible at what you do.  Private businesses like David Hansen Custom Hair Replacement have unparalleled experience at the helm.  That much experience and passion in a career results in perfect pieces, every time. Consistency is one of the most important things lacking in the cheaper experience. Why get it right some of the time, when you can get it right EVERY time?
5. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but attitude tells all. Who would be more inclined to be genuine to a client, someone cutting 20 heads a day for minimum wage, or someone who has the time and confidence by building their own business?  It's not an easy thing to do; and men like David Hansen do not get to where they are today by treating his clients like numbers on a page.
6. Quality of product is the final major factor in choosing a hair experience. When it comes to specialty products like hairpieces, isn't it worth it to have something that will not only look amazing but will last? Quality custom pieces last longer, and undeniably look much better than their cheap, synthetic counterparts. Why waste money on some cheap throwaway?
So, yes, times are a little tough, but if you are considering something as important as a hairpiece, it is time to get old fashioned. Look for the best quality, and the most experience. The experience will be better, you will have better results, and feel better about the money well spent.