# Men's Hair Loss > Non Surgical Hair Replacement >  Dermmatch tips please...I looked like I tipped a dust bag on my head :o(

## Elmer

This is my first post here.

I have spent days and days researching tips to help me but in the end all of the information was starting to blow my mind so I hope that you don't mind me asking here:

I bought some dermmatch recently and was very excited as although my hair looks quite thick you can see through the hair and can see the shape of my scalp, especially in sunlight.

The results from using Dermmatch were very disappointing.

My hair looked VERY chalky and it looked like I had tipped the contents of a dustbag over my head.

I tried again with a less amount but it still looked dreadful and was very noticeable.

However, lots of other people swear by it. What am I doing wrong?

Is it really that good?

I bought it from a seller off ebay so will not be able to get my money back and it was quite expensive (£30).

I really would value some of your tips please as I would LOVE for this to work.

Thank you very much

G

PS. I also bought some toppik but haven't used it yet.

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## Jack21

Toppik was for me the best thing ever. You need to use a hairspray that provides luster or sheen or shine or whatever the word is. I wore the stuff for years and it really was a miracle...for me anyway. The hairspray is definitely the key to taking away the "chalky" look. Actually, now that I think back spray gel worked quite well also. It just makes it look like you have a bunch of gel in your hair which has the added "benefit" of people not touching your head bc they figure you have gel in your hair and you don't want people messing with it. It was a miracle for me for about 8 years. Finally I became too thin on top to use it anymore. 

Good luck to you. It will work out.







> This is my first post here.
> 
> I have spent days and days researching tips to help me but in the end all of the information was starting to blow my mind so I hope that you don't mind me asking here:
> 
> I bought some dermmatch recently and was very excited as although my hair looks quite thick you can see through the hair and can see the shape of my scalp, especially in sunlight.
> 
> The results from using Dermmatch were very disappointing.
> 
> My hair looked VERY chalky and it looked like I had tipped the contents of a dustbag over my head.
> ...

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## Elmer

> Toppik was for me the best thing ever. You need to use a hairspray that provides luster or sheen or shine or whatever the word is. I wore the stuff for years and it really was a miracle...for me anyway. The hairspray is definitely the key to taking away the "chalky" look. Actually, now that I think back spray gel worked quite well also. It just makes it look like you have a bunch of gel in your hair which has the added "benefit" of people not touching your head bc they figure you have gel in your hair and you don't want people messing with it. It was a miracle for me for about 8 years. Finally I became too thin on top to use it anymore. 
> 
> Good luck to you. It will work out.


 Thanks for taking the time to reply.

When you were talking about the spray gel is that for Toppik or for Dermmatch?

I haven't had the chance to try my Toppik yet as I did not realise I needed a hairspray to keep it in place. 

Thanks again  :Smile:

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## Tracy C

> I bought it from a seller off ebay so will not be able to get my money back and it was quite expensive (£30).


 I do not have these problems with Dermmatch and I cannot imagine what you could be doing wrong.  So I want to make sure what you have is actually Dermmatch.  Can you post a pic of what you have?

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## ravegrover

first, for either product (dermmatch, toppik) to work - u need significant amount of hair on the application area. otherwise, it looks nothing but poor makeup - paint or powder. take my advise - stay away from concealers. 
u will only compound ur illusions & it will make it harder to accept ur hairloss. all the time that u spend putting the thing on in the morning and then wondering all day whether people know - its just not worth it.

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## Tracy C

That is not exactly true.   You do not need a "significant" amount of hair - but you do need to have enough hair for conealers to be a realistic option.  Concealers do not work on slick bald areas.

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## Elmer

HI Tracy
I don't have a picture of it but it was bought by a trusted ebay seller and it all seems in order.

Regarding coverage, I look like I have a full head of hair but it is thinkly spaced out so when the light shines on my head you can see the shape of my skull,

I have a small exposed bald patch on my crown (about the size of a coin) which I know I can't cover.

Thanks for your help.

G

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## Tracy C

Hi Elmer,

Maybe it's just a matter of practice then.  You do get better at it the more you use it.  I am going to tell you how I put it in and maybe that can translate to apply to you.

Once my hair is dry, I start by using a spray bottle to get the applicator damp with water (I do use filtered water with a little Aloe Vera gel mixed in).  I start at the back of my head, facing away from the mirror, and work my way forward to get my trouble spots.  I do not work front to back, I work back to front and follow the flow of my hair.  I part my hair in those trouble spots to apply the makeup.  My hair line is not a problem so I don't use any in my hair line.  The last of my trouble spots is a little bit behind my hair line on the left side.  Once I have my trouble spots covered, I finish styling my hair.  You do not need to use hair spray with Dermmatch.

My hair is shoulder length so that might make a difference.  However, Spencer uses Dermmatch and his hair looks great every time you see him.

I hope this helps.  Take care,

Tracy

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## Jack21

What ravegrover says is, unfortunately, very true. It does make it harder to accept hair loss because you become so used to the illusion that when you thin too badly to use it anymore it becomes that much more difficult. You don't go from balding to bald. You go from "thick head of hair" to bald. That said, I am thankful for the years that I was able to use the stuff. 

Concealers are good for people with diffuse thinning. If you're young and starting to bald you must realize that there will come a day when you won't be abel to use the stuff anymore. 

I don't represent any company, but in my experience dermatch was terrible. By itself it does not come close to creating the illusion of thickness that toppik does. 





> first, for either product (dermmatch, toppik) to work - u need significant amount of hair on the application area. otherwise, it looks nothing but poor makeup - paint or powder. take my advise - stay away from concealers. 
> u will only compound ur illusions & it will make it harder to accept ur hairloss. all the time that u spend putting the thing on in the morning and then wondering all day whether people know - its just not worth it.

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## Jack21

There are videos on youtube showing how to apply toppik. Have a look.

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## Tracy C

> I don't represent any company, but in my experience dermatch was terrible. By itself it does not come close to creating the illusion of thickness that toppik does.


 I do not represent any company either - but I cannot agree with this no matter how hard I try.  Hair fibers do work great - but as great as they do work they are no match for how great Dermmatch looks.  Dermmatch also holds up better through wind, rain, romance and heavy sweating from a hard workout.

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## drybone

Do they offer Dermmatch or Toppik in BULK yet?

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## Tracy C

One disk lasts me a pretty long time.  They give you the option to buy four disks at a time.  This reduces the price per disk significantly.  The last time I bought it I took advantage of that.  Now it will be a pretty long time before I need to re-order.  haha

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## drybone

> One disk lasts me a pretty long time.  They give you the option to buy four disks at a time.  This reduces the price per disk significantly.  The last time I bought it I took advantage of that.  Now it will be a pretty long time before I need to re-order.  haha


 Thanks Tracy !!!  :Smile:

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## Jack21

Tracy is quite right about dermmatch holding up better through wind, rain, romance and heavy sweating from a hard workout. You have to make an actual concerted effort to remove the stuff with shampoo in the shower. Toppik on the  other hand is messy as all hell. It comes off everywhere. Its not as bad when you use a hairspray or spray gel, but "shedding" is an issue. 







> I do not represent any company either - but I cannot agree with this no matter how hard I try.  Hair fibers do work great - but as great as they do work they are no match for how great Dermmatch looks.  Dermmatch also holds up better through wind, rain, romance and heavy sweating from a hard workout.

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## Tracy C

Sometimes romance induces heavy sweating too...  Just sayin'

Dermmatch does hold up through it.   :Wink: 

Dermmatch is like any other makeup.  Practice makes perfect.  In the beginning there is a tendency to use much to much of it.  Over time and with practice you learn how much is enough and how much is too much.

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## drybone

> Sometimes romance induces heavy sweating too...  Just sayin'
> 
> Dermmatch does hold up through it.  
> 
> Dermmatch is like any other makeup.  Practice makes perfect.  In the beginning there is a tendency to use much to much of it.  Over time and with practice you learn how much is enough and how much is too much.


  Can I ask you Tracy, what exactly do you do? Just 'paint ' it onto your hair and then comb it when dry? 

How much volume difference does it really make? A lot?  :Cool:

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## topcat

Hey Elmer here is a suggestion for you. I have tried most of the concealers over the years and never liked dermatch. I prefer a spray on concealer and my experience is that they work better. Personally I use Prothik. In my opinion the correct way to apply the product is to spray it on to the scalp while the hair is wet. What you should be trying to do is matte the surface of the scalp to reduce the reflection of light. Then when you comb your hair any spray on the hair strand itself will come off with a wet comb while also rinsing that same comb off repeatedly. Be careful not to rub the scalp with the teeth of the comb.

By applying the product this way you do not lose the natural highlights of the hair which gives it a very natural appearance. The matte chalky appearance when applied to the hair strand itself looks very fake and unnatural.

You can check out my thread Follow My Major Repair as I have photos posted with just a minimal amount of hair using concealer and you will better understand what I have posted here.

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## Tracy C

> Can I ask you Tracy, what exactly do you do? Just 'paint ' it onto your hair and then comb it when dry?


 I actually put it in while my hair is still a little damp.  That seems to me to work the best.  It doesn't seem to work as well if I put it in while my hair is dry.  The length of my hair may be the reason for that.  I'm not sure.  My hair is past my shoulders now.  Actually, my cartoon avatar is pretty accurate to how my hair looks in real life.






> How much volume difference does it really make? A lot?


 None of the concealers do anything meaningful for volume.  Well, not to a woman at least.  I have enough hair now to be able to achieve an acceptible "average day" look of volume without Dermmatch though.  Dermmatch just makes it look like I have normal female density - but does nothing for volume.  I can see where a guy might be able to achieve an acceptible look of volume with Dermmatch though.

I do still wear a topper for more dressy occasions.  My topper gives me that female volume that I want for such occasions.  But for my typical daily grooming, I use Dermmatch.  I don;t want to wear a topper every day.  Besides I mountain bike.  I certainly don't want to be wearing a topper under my mountain bike helmet.  Haha

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## drybone

Tracy thank you so much for your replies. You are great  :Cool: 

Can I ask one more thing? I am getting the impression its applied like 'painting' your hair and then it thickens it. 

Do they ever give small samples for people to try ?  :Smile:

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## drybone

Well, I did more research and even though its $47 bucks, I feel that there has been more than enough positive feedback to give it a shot. 

So I ordered it in medium brown. Cant wait till my disc gets here !   :Smile:

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## JMac

Dermatch is good stuff. Looks like i have twice as much hair on top when using it. Put it on dry and dont use very much.

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## Tiger norwood's

Does anybody else get an itchy scalp when using toppik, even though you wash it off in the evening ?

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## drybone

I dont have much experience with it yet. It never seemed itchy to me but I haven't had it long.

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## Jack21

> Does anybody else get an itchy scalp when using toppik, even though you wash it off in the evening ?


 Absolutely. One of the reasons I decided to stop with the concealers and shave my head was the constant itching and irritation. That said I have since realized that it was an issue of dry scalp. If you apply it each morning and remove it in the evening be sure to use ample amounts of moisturizer. This may help.

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## Tracy C

> Does anybody else get an itchy scalp when using toppik, even though you wash it off in the evening ?


 I never got an itchy scalp from Toppik when I was using it.

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## Jack21

> I never got an itchy scalp from Toppik when I was using it.


 I am just guessing but I was probably using far more than you were. I used to apply a layer of couvre first, comb my hair forward, and then apply the toppik. I must have had a half pound of junk in my hair on a daily basis. When I first began with the toppik I was living in a northern, cool climate. It made things a lot easier. I then moved to S. Florida and things began to become really sticky (figuratively and literally). So, to be absolutely honest I do not recall the toppik being a cause of irritation or itching in the very beginning. As the years passed and I had to use more (and moved from a cool climate to a hot, humid one) irritation especially in the form of itching became an issue. It became so much of an issue that I had to stop. I still wish every day that I could go back to toppik or a combination of dermatch/couvre with toppik but I have just gone too thin on top now. It is unfortunate. Toppik is like magic.

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## TheSuburbs

I am thinking of getting some DermMatch however I cut my hair short at 1mm, I don't have any bald spots what so ever just general thinning, would it be worth using?

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## J_B_Davis

> I am thinking of getting some DermMatch however I cut my hair short at 1mm, I don't have any bald spots what so ever just general thinning, would it be worth using?


 If you can match your color well, it can really do wonders.  You can also try one of the Keratin fiber products. like Nanogen or Toppik. You have to experiment with the stuff before you go out into the world, but these products can really make your hair look great if applied properly.

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## Tara101

Aquamatch from Nanogen is the best alternative for Dermmatch. Easy to use and water resistant.

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## ravegrover

I think everyone is missing the point here. Itching or cost of product are secondary things. Main point is that concealers are easily noticeable, especially along the hair-line.

As you continue to lose more hair, you will find yourself using more of this stuff until there is nothing but paint and powder on your scalp. As in soon you will turn into a standing joke.

Get a real short haircut and stop using this stuff.

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