Thinking about getting a WIG (don't laugh 'till you check it out!)

[STR8UP]

Before you jump out of your computer chair screaming about how much of an idiot I am, check out this site .

I would have never considered this, but awhile back I was talking to a real estate agent that I work with. He has a great looking head of hair. He showed me his drivers license photo. In the picture he was totally bald on top. He really looked like crap. My business partner and I were BOTH floored at the difference.

He told us that he was very self conscious about going bald, and decided to join the Hair Club and has been very happy. The only bad part, he says, is that it cost him $3000 up front and another $300 per month to maintain it.

I have been losing my hair since I was in my teens. It bothered me quite a bit when I was in my early 20's. I decided to look into transplants and ultimately decided that it wouldn't work very well for me. After that I said f***it and shaved it all off.

It's been about 7 years or so since I started shaving it completely, and it really doesn't bother me much on a conscious level anymore. Subconsciously though, I know that I woud be happier if I had hair (who wouldn't?). I'm sure my confidence would improve, which would help me in MANY areas. Who couldn't use a little boost of confidence?

So after seeing my associate's amazing results I decided to do a little research online. It seems that the consensus is that Hair Club is a HUGE ripoff and most people spend thousands and aren't happy with it. I read opinions on several message boards and found the site I linked to above and another one called www.coolpiece.com. It seems that these are two companies that make the most technologically advanced hair systems available, and they are CHEAP. $100-$300 cheap.

Basically you are getting something similar to what Hair Club gives you (although much higher quality) and you do all of the maintainence yourself. So basically it might only cost $500-$1,000 per year and a little extra time to be able to have a virtually undetectable full head of hair. Some of the posts on the message boards I saw were from guys who wanted advice on how to tell their WIFE of a couple of years that they wear a hair system. It doesn't get any better than that.

So I think I'm gonna give it a shot. I am ready for a change, and I think this might be an interesting one. Worst case....I don't like it and I shave it all off again. I can afford to experiment with a few hundred bucks.

What do you think?

 

[cinephile]

The photos look great. I have been seriously thinking about doing something like this in the near future. While not too noticeable, my hair is thining and really don't like it. Going bald is really not an option for me in that I think I would look ridiculous. Some people look good, Michael Jordan and Yul Brenner, and some people look silly like Reggie Miller with his lumpy head. Bald only works for some people. You have to have the right size and shape head for it to look cool.

 

[STR8UP]

I'm built in the upper body and I have a good shaped head, so the shaved look kinda works for me, but I'm ready for something different. For a few hundred bucks it;s hard to go wrong.

If you read the forums on those sites you will see quite a few of the younger guys have gotten them and recommend starting early before it's very noticeable. That way no one will ever know.

For me, I have kept it shaved for so many years that most people will just think I grew my hair out. They have varying thicknesses so you can customize it to match your age. They recommend going fairly thin for guys over 30. They say that showing a decent amount of your scalp actually helps it look more realistic. Also, with the new mesh attachment system it is virtually invisible so you can also wear a short style that shows your hairline. If you show your scalp and hairline with a spikey kind of do, who would ever guess you are wearing? I had no idea how high quality these things were until I researched it. Pretty amazing stuff.

 

[Abbott]

Bah. Why bother?

If you want to do it, why not? I'm not telling you that you shouldn't if it's something you really want to do.

But I also don't think it's worth it, due to the cost involved, both financial and chronological (because of the time it takes to maintain it).

My father looks OK, and I can't really remember a time when he didn't have gray hair and was balding on top. I remember he used to have a little non-gray hair when I was very young, but not much. Now it's all gone. However he still looks perfectly fine.

When I start graying and/or balding I'm not so sure that I'll try to do anything to stop it. It's just a matter of course when people become older.

I think clothing style makes a bigger difference, or hair style with what you've got left.


Ben

 

[diplomatic_lies]

If you're Asian, you shouldn't be bald, unless you want to look like a 19th century gangster.

 

[Monkey]

I've heard from former wig wearers that finally throwing away the wig was the best thing they ever did.

If you have the head shape for the shaved look, I'd say just stick with that.

 

[ShizamDaMan]

If it maks you feel more confident, then by all means go for it. But IMO, I bet anyone would still respect you and take you seriously regardless of what is (or isn't) on top of your head. Assuming that you're still a cool guy

Makes me glad my hair is only going gray, but then again I am barely 20. At least there's hair color.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Everyone has to learn to be happy with who they are. The shave-it-all approach and the rug are different means to the same end, which is confidence in yourself.

 

[backbreaker]

try changing your diet before you eat anything.. most people don't realize it, but your diet has an extremely direct effect on hair growth, because if you aren't taking in the necessary minerals on a daily basis, things don't grow as fast, if at all.

I don't have hair problems, luckliy, but I used to be able to go 2, sometimes 3 weeks without a haricut.

I watch what I eat extremely closely now, and in all honestly, I need to get my haircut 1 time a week, sometimes twice.. Plus my hair looks fuller than it did years back

 

[STR8UP]

Originally posted by Bible_Belt
Everyone has to learn to be happy with who they are. The shave-it-all approach and the rug are different means to the same end, which is confidence in yourself.

Honestly, the confidence is a byproduct. Overall I do pretty well for myself, but I know deep down inside it will feel better.

The biggest thing is doing something new. I'm not doing it because I feel that I need the confidence boost. I've been shaving my head for years and I'm ready for a new look. I had no idea you could get the kind of results I am seeing from wearing a hair system. From what I understand they just get better and better every year.

Like I said, worst case is I don't care for it and I'm no worse than I am now (minus a few hundred bucks, of course).

 

[Bible_Belt]

Those are good reasons.

 

[The Bad Ass Canadian]

I've had a system for years.

I'm doing the transplants thing, now.

They can, and do look good. But, to say that they are 100% undetectable is a lie.

I was terrified whenever a girl would try and run her fingers through my "hair". It isn't like real hair. There is an edge that can be gripped with your finger tips and i've had girls find out my little secret, before. My ex gf's knew about it and it didn't bother them but all it takes is one pyscho chick to tell the whole world and you'll be REALLY embarrassed,

when it gets wet it doesn't look natural. The hair does not sit like it would, attached to your scalp. The maintainance is rediculous and for what it's worth, they should be replaced every 3-4 months... after that amount of time they start to deteriorate and look aweful.

To anyone who is balding, I advise you to talk to your doctor and get on propecia and take monoxodil (5% mixture). This will halt your hairloss and could even regrow some of the lost hair if it hasn't gone past the "point of no return". Unfortunately, this has little effect on guys with receding hairlines (like me) I have a good amount of hair in the crown but my top front is all gone.

With a hair "System" you will become more selfconcious then when you were bald. you'll always be afrai if it is sitting right, and don't even bother trying to go swimming nat the beach. When you get out of the water it doesn't look real at all.

Wearing hats will flatten it out, and the only way to get it back up is to take a shower.

Save the money and go for the transplants if it bothers you that much.

Wigs are a great temporary fix, but after a while you'll feel like a freak. I know I did.

 

[Egoist]

i dont know, but for me, there is something fake there.

Like it doesn't matter if nobody notices, you know it yourself. I guess its all in the way it makes you feel. It wouldnt make me feel any better, im fine with a shaved head, if anything i would worry more, etc.

but hey, if it honestly makes you feel good, why not?

 

[sapphire]

I got a pretty good eye and I can detect a rug pretty quicky even those that are supposedly top notch.

In my opinion just stick with your bald head. I know plenty of guys who are bald or have shaven their hair and have no problems getting women at all.

If you have a decent face and a good body that should more than compensate for not having hair. I would be mortified if something went wrong and the wig fell out in front of everyone.

Hair systems, or whatever you want to call them just seem fake and cheesy to me.

 

[STR8UP]

Originally posted by sapphire
Hair systems, or whatever you want to call them just seem fake and cheesy to me.

Only because most people (myself included until recently) think of a hairpiece as some kind of roadkill sitting on top of your head. I actually know a guy who has a dead raccoon on his chrome dome. He must have bought his hair at the dollar store, I kid you not. But if you see someone with a quality hairpiece (I know someone with one of those as well) it's simply amazing the difference it makes in their appearance.

 

[The Bad Ass Canadian]

I agree that some of the top quality ones DO look really good..... but it is an esthetic thing and nothing more.

I lost alot of "freedom" when i got mine. I don't dare go to the beach and go for a swim, etc... They do not look natural when they are wet and even after it dries it won't look right. You need to be in the bathroom with a comb and some hair gel to make sure it looks good once it dries.

Once you start wearing it, it won't feel like real hair. It won't style like real hair and you'll have to cut your existing hair in ways to help conceal the sides and blend it to your haircut.

I had a high quality one, and most people never knew I had it. Even the people who gave it to me commented on how well i wore it and styled it... but it didn't matter.

The first year will be great. You'll look great and you'll feel like a million bucks, but the novelty will wear off, over time. It did for me and now I hate it. I'll keep wearing mine til my grafts start to grow in and then I'll shave my head and everyone will think i just went for a shorter look.

Everyone who has started thinning should do alot of research. You don't HAVE to go bald. You can get on medications and Rogaine to help slow down and in many cases stop the balding.


Hair Restoration forums

You don't have to go bald. Do your research and take action before it gets too far.

 

[piranha45]

do things like rogaine and propecia have nasty side effects?

 

[STR8UP]

The first year will be great. You'll look great and you'll feel like a million bucks, but the novelty will wear off, over time.

No biggie. I experiment for a year and as soon as I get tired of it I go shaved again.

You never did say where you get your hair from?

Originally posted by piranha45
do things like rogaine and propecia have nasty side effects?

I took Propecia for a couple of years, but since I had just decided to shave my head I chucked it. I was too far along for any medication to help me anyways.

No side effects for me, but even ordering the meds from Mexico wasn't cheap.