# Men's Hair Loss > Men's Hair Loss: Start Your Own Topic >  Why do some guys wear very bad toupees?

## Gusto

In this day and age, the term 'toupee' has been replaced with the more friendly description 'hair system'.

You usually find that the hair system in 2010 is far superior than the old toupees of the 1970s and 1980s.

Today's hair replacement systems are usually made with Swiss or French lace with graduated hairlines for invisibility.

So why oh why do some men who are bald just stick what looks like a piece of old raggy carpet on their heads?

Most of these guys are over 50 - surely their eyesight can't be fading. But more to the point, why the heck are these BAD TOUPEES still being made and sold?!

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## KeepTheHair

Because it is a relative term like any other thing.


The good toupees are good because this crap still exist  :Smile: 


This guy is definitely too old to have hair that colorful and only on top...wtf lol it does not look natural at all. Still looks better than nothing probably. But he could have done much better.

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## CIT_Girl

Good question.  I guess it's along the same lines as why some men think comb-overs disguise their hair loss.  I think a lot of people have very distorted perceptions of themselves- sometimes seeing things as much worse than they are and sometimes, in the case of the guy pictured, thinking something looks great when it's really tragically conspicuous.  That's why everyone needs a good friend to tell them the truth. :Smile:

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## Gusto

It could be yes that they look in the mirror and think 'it's only hair' and whatever I put on my head that is made of hair, 'will look real.'

Delusion. Thanks for your comments.  :Smile:

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## Delphi

I think some people believe that this type of toupee is all that exists, which I guess is good for the guys wearing the good ones that nobody can detect. In general when people think of a toupee they think they all look like this monstrosity, I guess the same can be said for hair transplants too.

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## Gusto

> I think some people believe that this type of toupee is all that exists, which I guess is good for the guys wearing the good ones that nobody can detect. In general when people think of a toupee they think they all look like this monstrosity, I guess the same can be said for hair transplants too.


 Yeah. Good point! :Big Grin:

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## Fixed by 35

It's an extremely good thing that rubbish like this exists and even better that even famous people wear them. 

As long as people think toupees are bad and obvious, they won't notice the good ones! 

Loads of people must wear toupees these days. The statistics suggest a huge number of people are bald, yet I know hardly anyone who is balding.

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## Gusto

> It's an extremely good thing that rubbish like this exists and even better that even famous people wear them. 
> 
> As long as people think toupees are bad and obvious, they won't notice the good ones! 
> 
> Loads of people must wear toupees these days. The statistics suggest a huge number of people are bald, yet I know hardly anyone who is balding.


 I spent over $500 on a hair system from a local salon about two years ago. I thought it looked good, yet still I'd get funny looks from people who'd look up at 'my hair' and stare.

After a few weeks, I threw it in the trash. Obviously it wasn't good enough.  :Big Grin: 

But I'm still looking for another one. I still fancy hair. IF it's good.  :Wink:

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## Fixed by 35

I think you'd need to spend a fair bit more than $500 if you wanted it to look real. It's been suggested that hair transplants quickly become the cheaper option after a few years of wearing a hair piece. 

Apparently a decent hair piece starts from about £600. At the current exchange rate, I'm guessing that's around $1,000. It's not unrealistic to spend £2,000 on a good one, which would work out in excess of $3,000 per year. 

In addition to this, the best ones are extremely well attached using the same glue as they use for prothetic limbs! In order to keep looking real a lot of maintenance is involved, including estimates of around £40 per month at the 'salon.' 

All this puts me off really. I'm just glad I've got the optimism of the Big Five working on permanent solutions, because without that hope there's really not much to live for.

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## Gusto

There's no way I'd pay £2,000 for a hair system. I could get a good second hand car for that. :Big Grin: 

Especially as I have learned they (hair systems) only last around three months if you're lucky as all the hair falls out.

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## Fixed by 35

I think the good ones last about a year, but they're regularly 'touched up' fairly frequently. 

I just can't see it as an option. What if your delivery is missed?  :EEK!: 

On the other hand, I think the average salary for a man with hair versus one without is easily £2,000 more a year so it would pay for itself. Apparently bald men earn about 20% less on average, as a measure.

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## Gusto

> I think the good ones last about a year, but they're regularly 'touched up' fairly frequently. 
> 
> I just can't see it as an option. What if your delivery is missed? 
> 
> On the other hand, I think the average salary for a man with hair versus one without is easily £2,000 more a year so it would pay for itself. Apparently bald men earn about 20% less on average, as a measure.


 If I had one I'd only wear it for special occasions. Make it last longer.  :Wink:

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## KeepTheHair

Screw a car...give me hair lol

Seriously though, save your money for traveling...


Histogen will give you hair soon  :Smile:

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## Fixed by 35

I've been fortunate in the last couple of years to do a lot of travel! In 2009 I went to Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, Lisbon, Bilbao, Vigo, Brest and Antalya  :Big Grin: 

Not so much this year, just Norway, St. Malo and the Algarve!! Travel is good, just wish I could earn more so I could pay for it in advance instead of in arrears!

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## Gusto

> I've been fortunate in the last couple of years to do a lot of travel! In 2009 I went to Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, Lisbon, Bilbao, Vigo, Brest and Antalya 
> 
> Not so much this year, just Norway, St. Malo and the Algarve!! Travel is good, just wish I could earn more so I could pay for it in advance instead of in arrears!


 That's a lot of hot weather. Not good for toupees.  :Wink:

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## Fixed by 35

Well, you'd be surprised. Sydney and Melbourne were both very windy when I was there - definitely not very good for hairy hats! 

Mainland Europeans don't seem to care about image do they? The number of browning Germans walking around with balding heads, fat bellies and only wearing speedos was quite disgusting.

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## Winston

You can spend less then $500 for a good hair piece. The key is how the base is designed and cut. Color and density are also a big giveaways so you need to get something with a thinner front to show some skin. If the color is right and you show some skin people will have no idea that you have a hair piece. Ive heard on The Bald Truth that the ones that last the longest are usually the more fake looking ones because they need to be more durable. Spencer Kobren says the good ones need to be replaced every couple of months  or you need to rotate between two or three. It sounds like a big pain in the ass, but I guess people get used to it.

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## Gusto

I wonder if I have ever been in the presense of a really good hair system on someone and never noticed it was fake...

Well, I wouldn't know, would I!

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## KeepTheHair

One thing I do know is since I started going bald I have been paying a lot more attention to bald people!


I guess I am going to try and sniff out the toupee wearers. lol not that id say anything or so

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## Fixed by 35

I never looked out for them until I went bald. The bad ones are noticeable, but mostly only to other bald people I think. Most other people don't look that hard, in my opinion.

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## Gusto

The most common mistake men make is when they buy a toupee they forget that baldness also takes place on the temples.

Some men have thick hair (fake) on top, yet their temples have badly receded. That is one definite giveaway. A man with real thick hair should also have dense hair on the temples which comes closer to the eyes.

I wasn't taught this, I observed it. :Big Grin:

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## KeepTheHair

Especially from that pic you posted...


Everytime I open this thread it looks worse!

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## Gusto

The midde-aged guy in this YouTube vid has receding temples. Note how putting hair on his head doesn't compensate for the lack of hair on his temples. :Wink:

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## KeepTheHair

That hair piece looks fine. YOu have to have receded a little bit.

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## Gusto

> That hair piece looks fine. YOu have to have receded a little bit.


 I disagree. The hair is way too thick on top. He should have more hair on the temples.

Men with that amount of hair on top, rarely have receded temples. It just doesn't happen. :Smile: 

Personally, I think the guy looks stupid, because he's bad-mouthing people with 'bad wigs' and he's wearing one himself.  :Big Grin: 

He should have opted for a much lower density and a SHORTER, less flamboyant hair style. I

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## KeepTheHair

Mhh, I looked at it again. I still think it looks good. You are right about the temples, though this guy doesn't have that much temple recession. It is not that thick on his frontal side areas either, so it looks ok.

It definitely makes him look less fat, younger and just much more youthful overall.


I better not lose my damn hair!

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## Fixed by 35

It's amazing how improved he looked with the hair piece. And would shaving his head have had the same effect? Hell no.

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## KeepTheHair

Both shaving and his current look, looks terrible.

Absolutely horrendous. If I was a norwood 4-6 my life would almost be over... I would die.

At least I think so.

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## Fixed by 35

Dare I say it, you might learn to live with it. So will the people you've known all your life (although you'll never be an 'equal' with them again because you can't conform). Strangers never will though. 

The worst people to deal with when you are bald is strangers. By that, I mean certain categories of strangers. In particular, interview panels. 

Unfortunately, most HR departments in Britain are run by women, so baldness is not, openly at least, a problem they have any experience of. They're typically therefore not just unsympathetic but somewhat downright discriminatory towards it. 

Of course, in Britain (and possibly across the pond in the USA too) unwritten laws exist that women can't discriminate, never ever. Except against minorities less privileged than them of course. But I'm rambling now!

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## patrick

Animals can't tell the difference but humans are very discriminating. That's w are not animals!  :Big Grin:

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## Fixed by 35

To be honest if you're short, buck toothed, club footed or you live under a bridge, you're no more likely to get a job in business than a bald guy. Business jobs tend to go to pretty boys. 

Still, whilst there are sewers that need slopping out and burgers that need to be flipped, us baldies will be kept in employment! 

Actually, I'm going to start a thread on this.

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