Top 4 Things You Can Do To “Keep It Real”

Pictures of three types of scalps using different wig material

Top 4 Things You Can Do To “Keep It Real”
Very few people want to draw attention to themselves by wearing a wig or hair piece.  Of course, there are those celebrity exceptions who wear hair to accent their flamboyant style, (think Lady Gaga and Dolly Parton).  But, for the vast majority of hair wearers, the goal is to keep things natural and undetectable. Here are the top four things you can do to maintain a natural look while wearing hair.

4.  Choose multi-dimensional color, not mono-chromatic.
A common head of hair will typically consist of at least three different shades of hair color. For example, if someone has a base color of medium brown hair, (which is color #4 on the hair color wheel), you will often see accompanying shades of #2 and #6—a darker and lighter shade of brown.  Natural color differences typically stay within the same shade spectrum, although things like sun exposure have been known to have a lightening effect.  Because a multi-tonal effect is natural, it is important to choose a wig or hair piece that blends more than one color together to simulate realness. You can choose to do this by mixing two close colors together, adding high and lowlights, “rooting” hair pieces, or by doing a balayage/ombre color application.  Bottom line: when picking a color choose to blend.

3.  Shine Control! There is a difference between a natural sheen versus a glaring shine.
Healthy hair should reflect light and produce a natural sheen.  There is a youthful vigor that is associated with hair that can properly capture this effect. There are hair pomades, glazes and deep conditioning treatments the promote luster. Wig and hair piece manufacturers have tried to replicate that healthy glow too. Many hair manufacturers coat the hair in a silicone bath after stripping away the cuticle. This results in hair that looks unnaturally shiny. Fortunately, there is a way to tame the shine to create a subtler appearance. Shampooing will minimize shine but usually takes several washes. Some quick fixes include the following: baby powder, cornstarch, dry shampoo. These products take effect immediately and require very little prep time. Just shake or spray at the roots and slowly blend it outwards. The great thing is, these are basic household products and are very inexpensive.  Fortunately, this method works on both synthetic and human hair.

2.  Blend your natural hairline with your hair piece when possible, to create a undetectable transition.
If you wear a wig or a hair topper and have a front hairline, consider yourself lucky. If there is one time when being neat and tidy can be ignored, it is for this occasion. Don’t tuck away all your hair underneath a stocking and don’t move a hair topper to the very front of your hairline. If you can, leave about a one forth to an inch of your hairline out of the wig or hair topper.  This will give you a natural effect as your hair transitions into the hair piece. Most people have hairlines that include fine, baby hairs or wisps that accent the forehead and sides. Use this to your advantage as it makes a world of difference in the overall look. Blend your own bio hair with the hair piece by dampening both and brushing it together to create a seamless transition.

1. Avoid a fake or “wiggy” look by choosing hair pieces that have a natural scalp effect.
Many low-end wigs are attractive to buyers because of the price point. These hair units will have a teased root instead of being able to see a scalp line. The matted hair at the base also gives the hair a helmet look. Both the helmet-like volume and teased roots are dead giveaways to someone wearing hair.

Higher up on the quality chain would be hair units that offer lace. The see-through lace base is a better choice because it is breathable, more flexible to the head, and allows a simulated scalp line to show. The precaution with this kind of lace is that it looks real until you get close-up, and then you can see the lace netting.

Above the basic lace design is a monofilament top. Many mid-grade wigs and hair pieces will use a monofilament top. Like the lace, it offers breathability and flexibility, but it is made with a finer base construction and so it is less obvious to detect up close. However, unless the hair that has been knotted to the base of the unit has been bleached, the black knots will be visible (almost like fleas) on your scalp. Bleaching can minimize this effect. The downside to bleaching these knots is that the bleach makes the hair prone to breakage.  In the end, you could be spending more money for a higher-end product that will not last as long.

Finally, the crème de la crème for realness of hair growing from the scalp is what the industry calls a “silk top” base. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to detect a silk top design from hair growing directly out of one’s scalp. You could be near and still not detect a silk top hair unit.  It is made with three fine layers consisting of lace and silk. The hair is knotted to a base and meticulously pulled through another layer to hide the knot, and then finally pulled out to the top layer of silk.  It is a tedious process, that can only be done by hand. Unfortunately, the price point of these hair units reflects the time investment it requires.  However, it is by far the most natural looking and undetectable.

Depending on your budget and the look you are trying to achieve, you have choices that will help you reach your desired look.

56 thoughts on “Top 4 Things You Can Do To “Keep It Real”

  1. Pingback: Braces for Cindy or Hair for Mommy

  2. Yvette Cabral says:

    Your pieces are lovely however out of price range of most people I know. I belong to a group of women online with hair loss and 97% cannot afford $200 or more…..so it makes your products out of range for us. Our group on Facebook is Hair Before and After. However you must be a member to gain access because we talk about all aspects of hair loss, post pictures and want to protect our anonymity. Life is hard enough on appearance so we have a safe place to gather to share our stories, concerns and triumphs when we find a hairpiece, wig or no-tract frontal that suits us. A woman’s hair really is her crowning glory and how many suffer low self esteem due to the many causes of hair loss.

    I wish you well with your “Thin Hair Thick” business. You are doing a wonderful thing to help those with hair loss. Thank you!

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello Yvette,
      We understand the challenges of the price point of human hair. It is a commodity these days and as such, is selling at a higher price. However, we want our products to be accessible to all who want the coverage and volume. Visit us in mid-October and you will see our Heat Defiant Synthetic Fiber line. It will be a beautiful and cost effective alternative to our human hair line.

  3. sUAM2cOnzeW62E says:

    334527 11770Spot on with this write-up, I actually assume this site wants way a lot more consideration. Ill probably be once a lot more to read far a lot more, thanks for that information. 215679

  4. Deb says:

    Hi,
    The information you provided in “Top Four Things You Can Do To Keep It Real” was informative and I appreciate your taking the time to share what I would think of as industry nuggets.

    In the past two to three years my hair has been thinning, and I have found myself at the cross roads of supplementing. This morning I was looking at reviews on Youtube and saw “NO Clip Hair Topper Review! ThinHairThick | Allison’s Journey.” Because I do not want to use anything to cause more hair loss I was very interested in your product.

    I have a few questions if you don’t mine clearing up for me. Below is how I understood the description of the Silk Topper Base.
    Silk Top base is made of three fine layers consisting of lace & silk:
    Layer 1 – Top layer is where the hair is pulled out producing the final product – Assuming this is silk?
    Layer 2 – Middle layer is where the knot is pulled through to hide the knot – Assumng this is lace?
    Layer 3 – Bottom layer is where the hair is knotted to the base – What is this layer made of?
    With the above questions, my concern is typically silk is not a breatherable material, and I’m wondering being on the top of the head where heat is produced heavily, how does the Silk Topper fair?

    Thanking you in-advance for your time.
    Deb

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hi Deb! Great question about the breathability of the silk top. It is not the kind of silk you would typically find in a textile clothing blend. The layers consist of extremely fine netting. Also, the “silktop” portion is only a small top portion of the overall design and certainly wouldn’t be enough to stifle general air flow. Thanks for reading our blog and be sure to check out our synthetic mono-top version which will be released mid-October. The mono-top design only has one layer of base coverage.

  5. EV says:

    I have curly somewhat dryer white 75% / grey 25% hair. I used to have very thick, long curly hair. I now have long, curly grey hair that is not as thick as it used to be. Most of the thinning is on the crown. Is it possible to color match a topper to my hair? I always am disappointed there is not as much available in silver. I would think that there are a lot more silver haired women that have hair loss.

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello EV,
      Silver is a complicated color to match because of the ratios involved to make it look natural . As a result, many stores do not offer the option. We have fine-tuned our silver hair color over the past few months and we believe we have created a beautiful tone. If you are interested, please email us: service@thinhairthick.com.

      ThinHairThick.com

  6. Martins611 says:

    Is each human hair piece the same size? How do we know how much coverage it will be for our scalp? Can you provide a size of the base ?

  7. Eileen Taus says:

    how is the hair piece secured to the head?
    I need some, not heavy coverage on the crown and at the top sides- can you custom the weight?

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello CK Fairman!
      We are currently in our testing phase. We have had wonderful participation from our customers who are willing to give us their feedback. This will help us unveil a perfect product for you. If you are interested in joining our pilot group, please email: service@thinhairthick.com.

      • Isa says:

        I’m also eagerly awaiting the synthetic topper since last year. Do you have any idea when the testing fase is concluded and you will start production?

        Thank you for your reply

        • thinhairthick says:

          Hello and thank you for your interest! We anticipate the line to be ready in the next six weeks. We have received wonderful feedback from our testing group and will roll-out a product that you will be pleased with.

          • Isa says:

            Hello,

            Any new developments on the synthetic topper? I can’t seem to find it on your website anymore?

          • thinhairthick says:

            Hello Isa!
            Yes, we have started a soft launch of our HD Synthetic line on our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook. We can also be reached through email with specific requests. Make sure to get in on the pre-launch pricing. Feel free to contact us at: service@thinhairthick.com

  8. Sandra says:

    I have thinning mainly in the fringe area , although I have been cutting it back further on top to try to make the fringe look a bit thicker , you can still see my scalp through it even though I have done this . What would be the best topper for me , I have shoulder length layered hair my hair is ok at the back , the sides are not too bad either , I think I would prefer the silk type , but need advice on what’s best for this specific problem I have .

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello Sandra!
      We offer coverage for the crown and side area. Yes, you can add fringe to the front of the piece. Adding layers or fringe, aka bangs, are both good ways to make the piece look more natural. If you would like to submit a picture of your hair, I would be happy to give you the best options specific to your case. Please email: service@thinhairthick.com.

  9. Diane says:

    When you say it’s best to blend at least two colors together, if I order the light ash with roots will that look natural or should I add in more colors? Like warm blonde?

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello Diane! If you order one of our colors from the menu like Light Ash Blonde, it will come with a mix of two colors already. At that point, you could customize the color by requesting roots be added. Hope that helps!

  10. Rachel says:

    I have long curly thin hair and I’m thinning all over the crown. I would really love to buy the long straight natural hair. I would love to be able to wear it straight or wavy. Does this mean I would have to straighten my own hair or curl the topper hair to blend it? What is your advice?

  11. Michele says:

    I am interested in your new product that has yet to be released. I presently wear a topper with clips and after a very short time, I can see that it is causing more hair loss. I don’t understand how your topper stays in place. The video on You Tube barely shows the top of the head, and I see a band but don’t see how the hair attaches. Is it Velcro? I am 60 years old and the thinning is along my entire part from front to back and I have also receding sides. I don’t have enough hair to pull out like the girl in the video. It would be good to produce a video with an older woman, or a woman with as much hair loss as I have to see how this would work. In that case, I might even consider spending the money required for human hair, as that is what my clipped topper has and I love it. Thank you.

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello Michele!
      There is a tab under our website that shows a few “how-to videos.” The application is shown here. If you still have questions about the method, I would be happy to answer any specific questions. The velvet band helps secure the hair topper while providing crown and side coverage. If you do not have a hair line to pull out of the band, you might consider a style that incorporates bangs. Please contact me and I can show you some examples. Service@thinhairthick.com

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello Valerie!
      We have quite a few ladies who decide to wear bangs. Matching up the parts is a simple adjustment that is done by sliding the comb under the band. You can also elect to widen the part of the hairpiece by tweezing the hair from the part line. Let us know if you have any other questions! We can be reached at: service@thinhairthick.com

  12. H Lees says:

    Hi, very interested to read your advice on various solutions for different degrees of hair loss. I have always had fine thin hair but have managed to make it appear more than presentable with an excellent cut and volumissing product, however, I have now been diagnosed with alopecia areata and have moderate frontal hair loss including side loss as well. I would like to see if a topper would suffice and would really appreciate your advice on the type of topper that would suit my hair loss best, bearing in mind that I want a very natural and undecernable piece as possible. I had cancer some years ago and lost all my hair at the time of chemotherapy and found full wigs ver hot and itchy. My hair is medium length, long layered and cool creamy blond. I would like a piece that was not too thick as I want it to look as close to my own hair as possible. Thank you in advance for your confidential advice.

  13. thinhairthick says:

    Hello H Lees! Thanks for reaching out to us. We would like to give you personalized advice on your specific situation. Please reach out to us by email: service@thinhairthick.com. We can provide confidential advice if you’d like to submit a picture of your hair. We can let you know the best color and coverage options for you. Thanks so much and we look forward to helping you!

  14. Marjorie says:

    This topper looks interesting but I’m wondering if it can be cut to a shorter layered look? I have short hair and would like a similar topper if possible. I’m also curious as to how the back of the topper looks because I can’t find a picture or video which shows the inside of the base or the back of the topper. It is hard for me to picture that band not showing on a layered short cut and slipping as well. I really need help with my fine thin hair but need to understand my concerns stated above before sending pictures.
    Thanks

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello Marjorie,
      We offer consults for customers who have inquiries on if this piece would be a good fit for their hairstyle. Feel free to email us at service@thinhairthick.com and submit a photo of your hair. We would be happy to give you specific feedback. We look forward to helping you out!

  15. Sandra G says:

    My mom hair is thinning on the top and in the back . She’s 80 years old and very vain . I would love to custom make a topper for her . My question is how the topper stays tight on her head since she’s an avid swimmer .
    Thank you

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello Sandra! While the topper stays put for most physical activity, swimming isn’t one we would recommend because the chlorine/salt water will minimize the lifespan of the hair. Shoot us an email and we can discuss custom options: service@thinhairthick.com

  16. Mary Chiappetta says:

    Hello. I have just discovered your site after watching a you tube video and I am very interested in your product. I am going to work on taking some pictures. My initial question is how long does the topper last. I have heard that when wigs and toppers are used regularly, they only last a few months. Before I go through the process and expense, I would like to know what I am dealing with. Thank you very much.

    • thinhairthick says:

      Hello Mary!
      You asked about the longevity of the hair piece. Our pieces can last upwards of a year and in many cases longer but it certainly comes down to how the piece is maintained. Frequent heat styling or coloring (–human hair pieces) will reduce the lifespan. We encourage using high quality sulfate-free shampoo and conditioners which will help the hair to perform at its best and go the distance. Thanks for the great question!

  17. Stephanie Adams says:

    Would you consider making HR synthetic wigs/toppers with lace or silk (and perhaps bangs)? I purchased 2 of the silver blende. I love them but I would love to own one or two in the same length and color with lace or silk!

  18. tht says:

    Hello Deborah! Great question. Yes, our clipless topper can be worn in a low ponytail and half updos. Feel free to email our customer service team if you would like to see some customer photos in different styles. Thanks so much! service@thinhairthick.com

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