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Custom Fitting a Skin Hairpiece
The wearing of hairpieces has become an acceptable option for balding men and it offers a whole new opportunity for salon retailing providing a natural looking, believable result for your client is not only desirable, but crucial to the success in the hair replacement business. A man’s hair piece must fit well and be customized just for him in order to look totally natural. That is why I started with one goal: to design the finest hairpieces that look and perform more naturally than custom-made pieces. Here is a beginning to end guide to obtaining that result for more information, please order our Educational Videos.
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Before: Our subject has a youthful face with even features. Though he is prematurely bald, his hair growth at the sides and back is sufficiently dense to make the addition of a skin hairpiece advisable. We have chosen Headstart’s Model 120 skin hairpiece made of 100% modacrylic fiber, that is compatible with his own hair color, length and growth pattern. | |
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Making a Mold: Since the key to the success of a hairpiece is its fit, | |
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the base must correspond to the patrons head shape and original hairline contours. | |
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Making a mold of the head which can be seen through and drawn upon is an ideal way to develop a pattern for such a base. Here, a 12-inch square of clear plastic wrap is placed to cover the top portion of the head. After pressing the wrap close to the head, tape is used to contour the head shape. Beginning at the forehead, tape is placed on the wrap over what will become the outer perimeters of the pattern. These outer perimeters are determined by the areas of baldness. After boundaries have been established with tape, the inner portion of the wrap is completely covered with overlapping pieces of tape. The tape will lock the plastic wrap into a permanent transparent mold. | |
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Creating a Hairpiece Pattern: Using a felt-tip pen, pattern lines are drawn on the mold while it is still on the patron’s head. Though shape requirements vary from patron to patron, some rules of thumb apply to most. Front hairline should usually be established by placing a center guideline four fingers above browline. Lines are drawn from that point to form a pattern which covers the bald area. It is advisable to overlap the pattern a half inch over the hairline around the sides and back. If the client’s own hair recedes during the period he owns the piece, his bald area will still be covered by this overlap. | |
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After the entire outer perimeter of the pattern is sketched, a part is placed by drawing a Fine from a pivot point at back crown to the front hairline. Placement of the pivotal point should correspond, when possible, to what can be seen of the client’s original growth pattern in the crown area, |
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Complete mold is removed from patron’s head and trimmed into a pattern which can be measured against a standard lone size fits all skin hairpiece base. It is very important to align the crown and part of the pattern with the crown and part on the hairpiece. Then use a ball point pen to trace the pattern on to the hairpiece. |
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Trimming the Base: Skin of piece is trimmed using tips of scissors only. |
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Bottom blade stays in place while upper blade moves up and down within half-inch field of play. Controlling scissors this way eliminates accidental cutting of hair strands because scissors move along the base only, parting the hair as it moves. Scissors are directed to cut just inside the pattern guidelines. |
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Pre-styling: To direct the fiber, pin, the piece to a canvas wig block and start on the left side (part side). Take a small section under the part, 2 inches wide by 1/ inch thick. Spray with water. Use a teflon coated curling iron (high heat) and direct the fiber by pressing it at the base in the direction that hair naturally grows. This is where hair may have a tendency to stand out from the base and this method will allow strands to have a more natural appearance and eliminate any heavy areas, such as around the hairline. This technique has to be done only to a new piece. |
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Repeat throughout the entire perimeter of the hairpiece section |
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