Getting Ready for Your New Hairpiece

If you have decided to invest in a custom hairpiece for the first time, congratulations! Custom pieces are the best way to give you that flawless look. And, as with everything, the better prepared you are to be fitted for your piece, the easier the process. Here are a few steps you can take to ensure a pleasant, productive road to your perfect hair.

1. Let it grow!
When you come in for your first visit, we take a hair sample and draw a map of your hairline.  A perfect hair sample is between 2 and 3 inches long. At this length, we will be able to match 100% human hair to your color and texture. If your hair is too short, you'll have to come back once your hair has reached the right length. Letting your hair grow in advance will allow us to map your hairline clearly and get a good hair sample.

2. Know your options. 
Custom hair pieces are usually attached in one of two ways, bonding and tape. It is VERY important to know the differences between these two methods. While bonding (glue) allows the wearer to keep their hair attached for months at a time, the scalp can become irritated and sticky from nonstop wear. Surgical tape requires the wearer to take the piece off before sleeping and showering. Following the tape method not only extends the life of your piece by years, but is a much healthier option for your scalp. You can read our blog on bonding vs. tape for more information.

3. Keep your head clean. 
A clean, dry scalp will hold tape securely all day, and sometimes for a second day,  depending on how much oil your skin produces. However, excess oil buildup and combined with the natural heat that your head produces will cause bonding glue and surgical tape both to become gummy and messy, with a much weaker hold. Our pieces have the lightest bases that are professionally ventilated. This allows your scalp to breathe and gives you the most comfortable fit. They also blend right in to your scalp, making it impossible to distinguish from your natural hair. Wash your scalp and your natural hair (not your piece!) daily.

4. Keep your hairpiece clean. 
Remove used tape from your piece one it has lost its tackiness. Some people may be able to use the same tape for a second day if their scalp is kept very clean and does not produce much oil. Placing new tape directly over the used tape can cause a sticky buildup that slides around on the scalp. Changing your tape regularly will ensure a secure, comfortable hold each day and will also extend the life of your hair piece.

5. Take it to the cleaners. 
Hair pieces require a gentler brand of care than natural hair. It can dry easily if washed frequently, and can also oxidize (takes on a yellowish hue) if exposed to shampoos with salts, or if frequently exposed to intense sunlight.  Avoid hairspray as well; it contains alcohol that severely dries out the hair. Brushing your piece will remove most dust particles that collect. We recommend that you bring your hair piece back to us every 3 months for a professional shampoo and re-styling. We use sulfate and salt-free shampoos that maintain the integrity of the hair. Regular cleanings will keep your piece in good shape for years to come.

I hope that these tips have helped you better prepare for your new hair piece. Sticking with these simple steps will help you extend the life of your hair piece, giving you a wonderful experience for years to come.

Wigs: Their Benefits - David Hansen

Certainly not a Johnny-come-lately, the wig has been around for centuries.

      It first gained popularity with the Egyptians who, due to their dislike for natural hair, made shaved baldness,  covered by wigs, the accepted custom. Their wigs were purposely designed to look false in order to show Egyptian contempt for all that was hairy.

     Throughout the decades, wigs have developed a history of their own. One century has supported them;

the next banned them. In this country, they were very acceptable during our formative years. In fact, powdered periwigs were worn by many of our most respectable forefathers.

       Today men's wigs are used more as a change of hairstyle rather than for ornamentaion. Basically, their popularity is confined to young men who want to temporarily change the look of their hair from an acceptable business style to a more sporty and "with it" look during their hours of socializing. For this purpose, they usually serve the wearer well.

      In spite of the many years of existence, however, they have not yet been perfected enough to be truly practical. Furthermore, although great advances have been made in the production of women's wigs, those designed for men are not a comparable quality , and thus, have a shorter life span.

     A wig covers  entire scalp, and consequently, most of the scalp's breathing room, In the cases of a man who is losing his hair, this coverage is unnecessary. Only his balding area needs to be hidden.

     Unfortunately, most men's wigs are still detectable  and often the cause for many a man to be subject of ridicule. They can also be quite warm and uncomfortable for the average wearer.

    Therefore, as a full-time cover up, the wig has little demand.

davidhansen.com

The Purchase: The Best Place to Buy

If you intend to invest in a high-quality and well-fitted hairpiece, trust only an expert. You can avoid the most common disappointments in the finished product if you start right--by selecting someone who knows his business.

Let us use David Hansen as an example. He has won every hair styling competition available: State, Midwest, National, Canadian, and World Championship. More recently he has receive recognition in the field of hairpiece construction and styling. This is the type of man you can put your trust in.

Stay away from mail-order hairpieces and prestyled creations! You have distinct characteristics which must be analyzed by a professional before your hairpiece is designed. Ideally, you should buy your hairpiece from a stylist who manufacturers his own pieces. Only then will you receive a truly customized product.

When asked his opinion of mail-order hairpieces, David Hansen was very adamant in his judgment, insisting: "I would be amazed if a man could take his own measurements and hair samples, determine his most complimentary hairstyle, and then shape and style the hairpiece. He'd have such a rare talent, I'd probably offer him a job! In the case of mail-order pieces, there's only one person who comes out smelling like a rose, and that's the seller! That's not what this business is all about. We're here to please the customer. Doing that through the mail is quite inconceivable. I not only refuse to handle hairpieces from out-of-town sources, I insist on making my own. This is the only way I can guarantee a perfect match."

Even if you take a mail-order hairpiece to a local stylist for the cutting and fitting, chances of satisfaction are very limited. Prior consultation is a necessity, just as personal instruction in the handling and care is required.

You'll be able to tell if a man is serious about the quality of his hairpieces just by taking a look at the premises on which he conducts his business. Does he have a private consultation area and fitting rooms that are modern and well-equipped? Are there ample supplies and sample pieces on hand? Is the atmosphere a professional one in which transactions are carried out in an orderly and efficient member? Do his employees and customers respect him?

If the answer to any of these questions is negative, find another distributor, someone who is serious about serving you. Just take a good look around you when you enter a shop, keep your eyes and ears open, and you'll have no trouble deciding whether or not the man is a pro.

The man you are looking for will be innovative and progressive. He'll be willing to give his personal guarantee of satisfaction, and he'll be willing to take the extra time required to guide you in the wear and care of your new hairpiece.

In most cases, your instinct will be a satisfactory guide. But if you'd like some assurance, check with your local Better Business Bureau, consult with previous customers, and take a look at a competitors' offers before you're willing to say that one man's services look like the best.

Check out www.davidhansen.com

The Hairpiece: You Get What You Pay For

Think of a hairpiece as you would a new suit, as something to compliment your appearance.

    If you visited a tailor to have a suit made, he would take your precise measurements, inquire as to your intended use for the outfit, and then, together, you would select the cloth for the garment. After you left his shop, he would spend hours carefully sewing the suit to meet your specifications.

    If the price of a tailored suit were above your means, but you still desired quality, chances are your next choice would be a selection from a reputable men's store. You would have several ready-made outfits from which to chose, most of which would be carefully-sewn copies of creations by well-known designers. Of course, the fit wouldn't be as perfect as that of a tailor-made suit, but most of these stores have someone available to make required alterations, enabling you to still be a well-dressed man.

    The final alternative available to you would be to settle for a ready-made suit off the rack in some discount house. In most cases an alternations man wouldn't be on hand, so you would have to settle for a suit closet to, but not exactly, your size. More than likely, this would not be a suit in which you would gain extra pride by simply feeling its cloth or by examining its workmanship, but at least it would serve its purpose. Your outfit would be another one of many mass-produced garments that is just a suit, nothing more.

    And so it is with hairpieces. They range from the tailor-made exclusives all the way to those that will just get by. If you are concerned enough about your appearance to even consider buying a hairpiece, you should ask for one that is the closest to your natural hair as possible, one that will serve you well and be a wise investment.

    Remember, a hairpiece should be the most personal and individual component of your wardrobe.

www.davidhansen.com

Celebrity Hair Replacement

There are plenty of celebrities suffering from hair loss. Since the way they present themselves is very important many turn to hair replacement. Ben Affleck is a great example of a good hair replacement.

Ben  Affleck

He has excellent hair replacement. His hair color, texture, and thickness is perfectly matched. The hair replacement still has some recession which makes it looking more natural. 

Propecia making men impotent

As I was watching the news one of the stories featured really sparked my interest. As it turns out a popular hair replacement drug propecia causes men to be impotent. Since I am in the hair restoration business I decided to copy this news story onto my blog, I believe more people have to be warned about the dangerous side effects of these hair replacement drugs.

Baldness drug Propecia making men impotent, says study

By Neil Katz

 

(CBS) Men worried about losing their hair may be losing far more than that if they take the popular drug Propecia.
A new body of research says 5 to 23 percent of the millions of men who take the drug may become impotent and have lowered sex drives because of the active ingredient finasteride. And the problem may linger years after they stop taking the drug.
The story is coming to the fore as two new studies were published in "The Journal of Sexual Medicine" this month.
Young men are being prescribed these drugs, "as hair loss treatments that may negatively impact their sexual life, possibly for a prolonged time after stopping the medication," said the journal's editor-in-chief, Dr. Irwin Goldstein, in a statement.
In one paper which analyzed previous studies, researchers led by Dr. Abdulmaged M. Traish of the Boston University School of Medicine, found a small but significant percent of men suffered from erectile dysfunction, reduced ejaculation and semen volume after taking the drug. Traish told CBS News what really worried him was the long term effects.
"What is really important is not how big or small this number is," he said. "But rather how many of these individuals will continue to experience persistent side effects, even if they discontinue the drug?"
To answer that question, Traish pointed us towards research from Dr. Michael S. Irwig, who interviewed 71 otherwise healthy men who reported sexual side effects after taking finasteride. The mean duration of the negative impact was 40 months after stopping the drug.
Irwig's study, also published in "The Journal of Sexual Medicine," had some caveats. The men were not randomly selected, but rather picked off of a popular website for problems with finasteride and the men were not tested for hormone levels.
Finasteride is also found in Proscar, a drug designed to help with prostate swelling.
The cruel irony of the findings, if they hold up, is that once men stop taking Propecia their hair loss returns, but the side effects may linger for years.
There is a class action lawsuit in Canada and a smaller suit in the States. The full studies can be found in the March issue of "The Journal of Sexual Medicine" here and here.


From a CBS news article

David Hansen

www.davidhansen.com

 

 

 

Celebrity hairpieces, celebrity hair transplants… You are not alone

Celebrity hairpieces, celebrity hair transplants… You are not alone

Whether you are famous or not everyone is concerned about his or her looks. In this day and age it seems like everyone wants to look their best, not only for others but also for themselves. Many actors wear hairpieces, this help them boost their self-esteem as well as makes them look or feel younger. After all, a good head of hair is associated with youth, and attractiveness, so when hair loss happens, it can come as a surprise.
Some examples of celebrities who wear hairpieces are,

John Travolta has a very natural looking hair replacement. He wears a lace front system that creates a soft hairline. The color and wave pattern are well matched making the hair blend right into the hair replacement system.

William Shatner who starred in Star Trek has an excellent hairpiece; I have been following him for about 40 years. The reason it is a great hairpiece is that he has good hair on the sides and on the back of his head. This creates plenty of hair to blend into the hairpiece.  If you do not have that much hair on the sides or in the back, it would be much harder to blend the hairpiece in with the hairpiece. Unless done by a professional, you would have to take a hair sample from the right areas of your hair. From my opinion, he wears a lace front hair replacement hairpiece, showing his recession, which also gives it a natural look.

John Wayne, known for his in many western films is another exception. He has a variety of different hairpieces. Sometimes he wears good hair replacement systems and sometimes he wears bad hairpieces.
There is plenty of hair replacement specialists out there with different opinions about the right hair loss hair replacement system. You would have to find the one that fits you the best and makes you feel great about yourself. Every man or woman can experience hair loss for any of these reasons whether it be from childbirth, to an infection, or from medication. The treatment is in your hands to decide.

Charleston Heston, known as Moses from The Ten Commandments. This is a bad piece. There is too much hair on the front and top, it is too heavy and not enough hair on the sides, I would suggest he grow out the hair on the sides more. The sides are thin and the top is too heavy. He has never had that much hair in his lifetime, there would be no need for him to have that much hair at his age now. The hairpiece should be lightly ventilated and with a slight wave to give it movement. In addition, it should be a lace front, so it would soften his hairline and look natural with his scalp. This is an example of what not to wear; it is all in the cut which is 75% of the hairpiece.

Hugh Hefner, known for Playboy. He does not wear a hairpiece anymore. The man is 88 years old, but notice he has hair on the front, all he needs is a partial hairpiece that he can comb his own hair over. In addition, you would never know it, but if he grows his hair longer on the sides, he can blend it in more into the hairpiece and look more natural. This would also give his face a better frame. I would love to make him a great hairpiece if I got the chance to.
Good Luck & Good Looking
David Hansen,
www.davidhansen.com
312-943-8171