7 Pro Tips To Wearing A Topper
Style Shown: Raquel Welch Topper Crave The Wave in RL14/25
7 Pro Tips To Wearing A Topper
1. What is a topper?
Toppers are a great solution for those who are experiencing thinning hair, hair loss in the part, top of the head, or crown area. A top piece (or topper) is also used to add more hair, more volume, or more color to your hair. They range in different base sizes to fit the needs of each individual customer. Top pieces are usually attached with either small clips or combs.
2. How do I know what size I need?
To get a better idea of what kind of topper will best fit your needs you will need to understand the three stages of hair loss. The first stage of hair loss is called the Beginning. This stage of hair loss begins in a diffused pattern on the top of the head and has minimal loss.
The second stage of hair loss is called the Mid/Progressive. This stage of hair loss becomes more noticeable and may start to see more of the scalp.
The third stage of hair loss is called the Advanced stage and hair loss is very noticeable and the scalp is clearly visible. Many women tend to lose hair in a diffused pattern whether it is beginning, mid/progressive, or at an advanced stage.
Finding the right topper with the proper base size will also depend on the area that you are experiencing hair loss. Whether that is the front or fringe, the crown, the part, or throughout.
3. How do I measure to know what size I need?
It is very important that the base size of the topper completely covers any areas that are thinning. You will also need to make sure there is enough healthy bio hair for the pressure sensitive clips to fasten onto and hold your topper in place. Attaching pressure clips to your thinning hair can lead to further hair loss, discomfort or even damage to your biological hair.
To start you will need to use a fabric measuring tape. Measure the area you need to cover from side to side as well as front to back and record your measurements. It is recommended to add an inch to each side of the measurements to have the sufficient amount of healthy biological hair to attach the pressure clips to. As your hair is constantly changing you will need to re-measure every six months or before purchasing another topper.
4. How to wear a topper with pressure sensitive clips.
You will want to style your topper before you wear it to avoid stress to your biological hair. Comb and make a clean part of your biological hair. Leave 1-2 inches of your biological hair in front to blend the topper. Right behind that take a small section of bio hair and tease it a bit, this will help hold in that front clip. Open all pressure sensitive clips before applying. You will need to clip the front in first by lining up the part of your bio hair with the part of your topper. Apply light pressure as you smooth the base back. You will then secure the back clip(s) and lastly you will secure the side clips, keeping the base taught and flat to the head. Hold the topper while gently brushing to blend the topper into your hair to avoid extra tension on biological hair.
5. Can I use adhesive on my Lace Front Topper?
If you are looking for some extra security for your lace front topper you may use an adhesive or wig tape made for lace front hair pieces. See Lace Front Adhesives
6. How do I wash my topper?
We recommend washing your hair piece every 6-10 wears. You will want to make sure you use a wide tooth comb and gently work out any tangles that it may have before washing.
For synthetic or heat friendly hair pieces you will want to use cool running water in a large clean sink. Wet hair completely. Using a shampoo made for synthetic fibers gently lather the hair with shampoo. Make sure that the hair fibers are in the same direction and be careful not to rub the hair fibers as this may cause tangling. Rinse under the cool running water until the water runs clear of the shampoo. Make sure to keep products away from the base materials. Products can loosen knots and cause shedding. Using a clean town, gently pat dry the hair piece. The easiest way to condition your hair piece is to use a leave-in conditioner or any synthetic wig conditioner. If using a leave-in conditioner 3-5 pumps will work well, making sure to keep the conditioner away from the base of the topper as this can loosen the knots and cause shedding. Using a wide tooth comb detangle the hair and allow the hairpiece to air dry by placing it on a wig stand.
If you have a human hair topper you will want to make sure you are using a shampoo and a conditioner made for human hair. You will wash the human hair style the same as the synthetic/heat friendly but you want to use a conditioner such as Argan Smooth Luxury Conditioner. As you gently work in the conditioner your focus will be through the mid section through the ends. Work this in for 3-5 minutes and make sure to avoid the base of your topper. Again you will rinse thoroughly in cool running water until the water runs clear. Gently pat the topper with a clean towel to remove excess water and gently remove any tangles using a wide tooth comb and place on a wig stand.
Pro Tip: Air-drying human hair leaves an unpolished look and can cause frizzing so you will need to dry and style your human hair topper after washing.
7. How do I style my topper with my bio hair?
You will want to style your topper using a canvas block head to avoid stress to your biological hair. Make sure that the hair piece is completely dry before attaching it to the blockhead and you will want to pin the topper through the clips only. This will prevent damage to the base material of the topper. Make sure to keep products away from the base materials. Products can loosen knots and cause shedding. With a synthetic style all you need to do is carefully comb through to blend with your bio hair using a wide tooth comb. Then you may use a hair spray made for synthetic hair for the final touches.
For your heat friendly toppers you will still need to make sure that your styling tool's heat setting is not over 280 degrees. Keep in mind when styling a heat friendly topper it will take longer than bio hair. Comb out any tangles and then work in small sections to curl or straighten your heat friendly style. If you are trying to curl a style it helps to pin up each individual curl so that it sets the curl. Lastly, straighten or curl your bio hair to match your topper and then simply clip the topper into place. Blend out your bio hair and topper hair with a wide tooth comb, spritz with the appropriate hairspray for your topper and you are ready to go.
Pro Tip: Once you have styled your topper with heat it will hold that style until you use heat again to re-style.
Final Thoughts
That wraps up our pro tips for wearing toppers. We hope you found this helpful and if you did, share it with a friend! Please feel free to contact us anytime with questions.
-NBW Family
Phone: 320-685-7100
Email: support@namebrandwigs.com
