How to Choose a Hair System: Your First One, Step by Step

Here's how to choose a hair system the way we'd do it in the chair. Your own hair sets the size, the density and the colour. How you live sets the base and the front. Then you order one stock unit and check it before anything is cut. Toupee, hairpiece or hair system, it's the same thing, so this is how to choose a toupee too.

Every unit online looks alike: a code, a base, a density. You're about to spend a couple of hundred dollars on something you've never worn, and the fear is ordering one that looks like a wig. Searching "which hair system is best" turns up brand lists, but "which hair system is right for me" is the better question, and your own head holds most of the answer. New to all this? Start with what a hair system is.

The order, in short

1. Size: where your hair is gone sets it. Most full units are 8 × 10 in, trimmed to your shape at the fitting.
2. Density: match your sides, not your memory. Our units run from Light (80%) to Medium (120%).
3. Colour and grey: match your temples, by a window. Human Grey codes come on 15 of our 30 units.
4. Base: lace, thin skin or mono, chosen by how much you sweat and who cleans it.
5. Front: a lace front or a V-looped skin front if you'll wear it swept back.
6. Stock first: order one unit from our hair systems for first-time wearers and check it before it's cut or worn. A cut or worn unit can't be returned.

What should you check before choosing a hair system?

First, the cause. A hair system covers hair loss; it doesn't treat it. If your hair is going fast, at a young age, in an unusual pattern, or with an itchy or sore scalp, consult a dermatologist or doctor before you buy anything. MedlinePlus lists those as reasons to see one, and the American Academy of Dermatology notes that many causes of hair loss can be treated.

Second, the routine. A bonded unit means a fresh bond every 2 to 4 weeks (it's taken off, cleaned and attached again), the area under it kept shaved, and a new unit about every three months. That's about four units a year, roughly $840 to $1,920 at our store's regular prices (November 2026). Our guides to how long a hair system lasts and what a hair system costs do the full math, and how a hair system works is its own guide.

Not a fit for a bonded unit yet?

• Won't shave or glue? Clip-on hair systems grip your own hair instead, as long as you have enough for the clips to hold.
• Sides and back thin too? You may need a full cap. Our store doesn't sell one, so email a daylight photo of your sides and back to info@hairsystemsalons.com before you order anything.
• Choosing for a woman? The steps are the same, but the units in our store are men's. See women's hair replacement, at the same salon prices as men's.

Size, density and colour: read them off your own hair

Your head has already made these three choices; your job is to read it. Do it in daylight, by a window, with a hand mirror for the sides and back.

Size: where the hair is gone

Most first-timers need a full-size unit: 28 of our 30 come in 8 × 10 in, trimmed to your shape at the fitting. If only your hairline or only your crown is thin, a $199 hairline piece or a $179 crown piece (November 2026) may be enough; full cap vs partial hair systems shows how to tell, and how to measure.

In men, pattern hair loss usually starts at the temples and the crown, and the hairline keeps moving back over time. Buy for the head you have now: you'll replace the unit about every three months, so the next one can be bigger if your hairline moves. The base is trimmed to your shape at the fitting, and it can be trimmed down but never made bigger.

Density: match your sides, not your memory

Hair system density is how much hair is tied into the base. The percentages are the maker's scale: a higher number means more hair in the same base. Our store's units run from Light (80%) to Medium (120%), and none go heavier. Choose the one closest to the hair still growing at your sides and back. Hair tends to get finer with age, as MedlinePlus explains, so the hair you had at 25 is the wrong guide.

Each model comes with its own density, listed in the specs on its product page. A few models list more than one density there; if you're choosing one of those, email info@hairsystemsalons.com before you order and ask which you'd get.

Two of our thin skin units show the difference side by side: the HS1 Transparent Poly Skin is Light/Medium (100%) and the HS1M Transparent Poly Skin is Medium (120%). Same base, same $269. The only difference is how much hair.

If you're torn between two densities, take the lighter one: hair can't be added to a unit later, and we don't repair units.

Why a too-full unit gives itself away is in what makes a hair system look real.

Hair system color codes and grey: read your temples in daylight

Colour comes as a code. In hair-system codes, #1B is off-black, and a number after it usually shows how much grey is mixed in: #1B20 has a little, #1B65 a lot more. Codes marked Human Grey or HG use human grey hair, and 15 of our 30 units offer at least one. A few of our models have no grey codes at all, so check the Color option on the product page for your shade.

Match the colour at your temples and above your ears, where the unit will meet your own hair. Stand by a window, not under bathroom lights; a screen can't show a true shade.

If you wear a system now, start from its code. If this is your first, email a daylight photo of your sides and temples to info@hairsystemsalons.com before you order, and we'll suggest a code.

Hair type: human hair, Remy optional

Every unit in our store is listed as human hair. Two use Remy human hair, with the cuticle (the outer layer of each strand) kept running one way. They're also among our most expensive units, at $449 and $479, and you don't need Remy for a first unit. Our guide to Remy vs virgin hair explains the labels.

Base and front: lace, thin skin or mono, chosen by how you live

The right hair system for beginners comes down to three questions about how you live. The base is the part you'll feel and clean, and the front is the part people see:

• Do you run hot, sweat, train or swim? That points to lace or mono (a tougher mesh than lace). Our hair systems for active men are only those two.
• Who will clean it and re-bond it? If it's you, at home every few weeks, cleanup time matters most. The Cleanup row of our lace vs thin skin vs mono comparison ranks the three and names a starter pick for each.
• How much of your hairline will show? If you'll wear it swept back, the front edge needs to be soft: a lace front, or a V-looped skin front, where the hair is looped through the skin instead of knotted. If your hair falls forward over your forehead, the front matters less.

Each product page spells out how the front is built. The Transparent Poly Skin units have a ½ in V-looped front hairline. Five of our units have a separate lace front, and three of them put it on a skin or mono body, like the Men's Lace Front Hairpiece, a 1 in Swiss lace front on thin skin, at $329. Browse all lace front hair systems.

Bonded units go on with tape or glue, and our guide to hair system tape covers the options. Our store doesn't sell tape, glue or remover, or clip-on units, so ask whoever fits yours what they use.

How should you place your first order?

Stock vs custom hair system: start with stock. A custom unit is made to order from measurements, so it takes longer, and it's built from guesses you haven't tested yet. Wearing a stock unit is how you learn your density, your front and your base. Our store sells stock units only. Allow up to about three weeks door to door: 1 to 3 business days to process, then 5 to 10 business days in transit, free to any US address.

Holiday Sale: until Jan 15, every hair system in our online store is 20% off the regular prices on this page, taken off at checkout. Salon prices aren't part of the sale.

On the product page you pick only the size and the Color option. The base, density and front come with the model, so check its specs against the list at the top of this page.

What you can't undo

Check the unit the day it arrives, by a window, next to your sides. It can still go back until you do any of these:

• cutting or trimming it, base or hair, even a little
• trying it on or test-fitting it, even without tape or glue
• washing, conditioning, dyeing or styling it, or getting oils, powder or adhesive on it

Unused, unworn units in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days of delivery, once we've approved the return. Return shipping is yours, unless the return is our error or a verified quality issue, such as a defective, damaged or wrong unit. On a first order, our First Order Assurance allows one exchange or a refund, and may cover that shipping once. See our refund policy. If something looks off, email info@hairsystemsalons.com before you wear it, and within 48 hours of delivery if it arrived damaged or wrong.

Leave the cutting to whoever fits it. Not near Huntington Beach? A stylist or barber who works with hair systems can cut it in and attach it, or you can learn to do it yourself; see can you install a hair system yourself.

When you're ready to look, start with our hair systems for first-time wearers: lace, thin skin and mono units at light to medium density. Or shop all men's hair systems by base.

Having it fitted at our salon

Still unsure? Bring your shortlist to a free consultation and we'll look at your sides and temples with you. If you want us to fit it, the first fitting in our salon is $250, about 2 hours: we cut and trim the new system to your shape, shave, clean and attach it, so the front is finished in the chair. Maintenance after that is $100, about an hour, every 2 to 4 weeks, with no trim.

First-timers can have the consultation and the fitting on the same day, in a private suite in Huntington Beach, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. Book a free consultation.

Bottom line: one unit, lighter if you're torn, checked by a window before anyone cuts it.

Sources and further reading

• Hair loss, MedlinePlus: when to see a provider about hair loss, and hairpieces as a low-cost, safe way to cover it.
• Hair loss: who gets and causes, American Academy of Dermatology: many causes can be treated, so find the cause first.
• Androgenetic alopecia, MedlinePlus Genetics: how male pattern hair loss moves from the hairline and crown over time.
• Aging changes in hair and nails, MedlinePlus: hair gets finer and greyer with age.
• Contact dermatitis, MedlinePlus: toupee adhesives are a common cause of allergic skin reactions.
• Our shipping policy and refund policy.

Frequently asked questions

Should I buy two units for my first order?

We'd start with one. Wearing it for a few weeks shows you whether the density, colour and base were right, and the next unit is a new order, so it can have a different base, density, front or colour code. Note what you'd change as you go. A unit lasts about three months, so order the second one about 3 weeks before the first is done.

Can I choose a hair system for long hair?

Every unit in our store is sold with 5 in (12.7 cm) hair, which is cut into your own hair at the fitting. That suits short and medium styles. A style longer than about 5 in needs a longer-hair unit, which our store doesn't stock, so email info@hairsystemsalons.com before you order.

What if my own hair is curly or Afro-textured?

The units in our store that list a curl have a soft 30 mm wave, and none come in a tighter curl. If your own hair is curlier than that, email a daylight photo of your sides to info@hairsystemsalons.com before you order, and we'll tell you how it's likely to blend.

What if my skin reacts to tape or glue?

It happens to some people. MedlinePlus lists toupee adhesives among the common causes of allergic skin reactions, and patch testing can find the cause. If your scalp turns red, itchy or sore under a bond, have the unit taken off and consult a dermatologist or doctor.