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IT’S CHRISTMAS – Keep your hair on!

Image of a woman with a Christmas hat on

Everyone likes to look their best for Christmas, so like me you might have treated yourself to a lovely new hair system.

But how do you keep the hair in your lovely new hair system from falling out and keep it looking it’s best for longer?

Friction and bacteria are a dangerous combination that can wreak havoc on your hair system as together or on their own, they can cause physical trauma to your hair. The good news is you can fight back against this dangerous twosome and by limiting the trauma will help prevent the hair in your system falling out and looking good for longer.

Cut down on Friction: Hair replacement systems are vulnerable to friction because they lack a substance called sebum which is a natural oil secreted by the follicles of your growing hair to lubricate and protect the hair shaft against friction and static.

A major cause of friction comes from sleeping with a pillowcase made from coarse materials. The constant contact with linen leads to hair breakage. Most times, simply using a satin pillowcase will dramatically reduce the level of friction and extend the life of your hair system.

Avoid wearing hats (Christmas or otherwise) or helmets for extended periods of time. This will also help to lengthen the time bonding adhesives stay effective.

Friction is also caused by excess combing and brushing. Using a moisturising product like Nearly Natural Moisture Mist will help reduce friction while youre in front of the mirror styling your hair.

Keep Out Bacteria: Bacteria build up will destroy hair structure and cause it to weaken and break. The knots where the hair is tied into the system are most vulnerable as they tend to hold and retain moisture.

It is better not to use rinse type conditioners that contain hydrolysed proteins like panthenol (pro-vitamin B5). Instead spray on leave in conditioner such as Walker Tape Leave in Conditioner may be a better alternative as it will not collect in the knots of hairs that have been tied in to a hair system base.

However, using a shampoo that contains these hydrolysed proteins is recommended. This is because the hair in your hair system will absorb the proteins during the cleaning process and the excess is more likely to be rinsed away.

Use a Knot Sealer: Everyone knows that styling products are a great way to keep your system looking great, but did you know these products can also weaken the knots in your base over time? Stuff like shaping creams and hair sprays seep into the knot, loosen them and cause the hair to fall out. Using Walker Tape Knot Sealer can slow or even stop hair loss by locking the hair knots to your base with a thin, silicone-based layer of protection. With regular use, a knot sealer could virtually eliminate hair loss in your unit.

You can find all the products you need to keep your hair system looking amazing in our online shop.

Have a peaceful Christmas and we hope to hear from you soon. Were here throughout the festive season and will be dispatching products every day except on official Bank Holidays, so whatever you need to keep your hair system looking and feeling fantastic this Christmas – were here for you!

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Choosing the right hair system – Let’s Keep It Real

Image of a woman who didn't choose the right hair system

Whether you are a seasoned hair replacement wearer, a newbie, or just contemplating getting on board with hair replacement, the most important thing to remember when choosing the right hair system is to ensure that it looks real, natural and age appropriate.

Nothing screams ‘wig’ more than the density of the hair. The aim is to achieve a realistic head of hair and for the hair to look age appropriate. As much as we would all love to be in our twenties again, wearing hair as thick as rope may draw attention: you don’t want to look like you have a sleeping cat on your head! It is preferable to select the density to match any existing hair on the sides and back. Be aware too, that you will be used to styling your hair in a certain way and so when choosing a new hair system, make sure the direction of the hair suits your desired hairstyle. Options range from freestyle (where the hair can be brushed and styled in any direction) to set partings, crown positions and breaks in the hairline. If in doubt, just repeat the mantra “less is more”.

It is vitally important to choose the correct hair colour for your age, complexion and existing hair. Be sensitive to any greying hair you may have and to choose a blend of colours that compliment rather than contrast your overall appearance. Looking like Morticia Addams at a Halloween party may be fine, but taking that look into your day-to-day life may result in a few unwanted sideways glances! Many reputable hair suppliers will be happy to custom match your existing hair to make sure you have a natural look and avoid any mismatched colour nightmares.

Getting the right hair type is imperative. Whether you choose synthetic hair or human Indian hair, Indian Remy hair, Chinese hair or European hair will be largely dependent on your lifestyle and budget. Most hair system wearers go for the human hair option as this gives the most natural and realistic look, but synthetic hair will never fade and lasts much longer. Consider carefully why you are wearing a hair replacement system before making this important choice.

Finally, and in a way the most important of all, is to get your hair system cut-in properly by an experienced stylist. Never forget that a haircut disaster on a hair system CANNOT be rectified as this hair will never grow back and you may end up with a very costly mistake. Research your hair stylist carefully before the first snip is made!

So there you have it, a few basic tips on how to achieve a realistic hair system that even your nearest and dearest will have difficulty detecting.

Keep an eye on our blog posts for more useful tips and hints on how to keep your hair system looking good all year round. You will find all the products you need too in our online shop.

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Pattern baldness: Myth Busting not Ghost Busting

Image of lady with bag on her head because of female pattern baldness

Halloween is here again. Getting up and down to answer the door to tiny tots dressed as witches, ghouls, ghosts and devils may not be your idea of fun, but don’t let the stress levels get you tearing your hair out.

Talking of hair, let’s get a few facts out into the open and bust a few myths about pattern baldness:

There are NO pills, creams, tablets, vitamins, sprays, tonics, oils or any other bizarre concoctions that can cure hair loss. There is NO CURE for male/female pattern baldness. If there was, baldness wouldn’t exist. These so-called ‘remedies’ exist for one reason only, and that is to convince you to part with your cash. Sadly there are lot of unscrupulous companies out there pushing bogus lotions and potions and convincing an already vulnerable group of people that they need to spend thousands to have their hair grow back.

Nothing will cure your male or female pattern baldness. Nothing. You have the option to undergo surgery for a hair transplant/laser therapy, choose a wig or customise a hair replacement system. Each option can provide you with a new head of hair that hasn’t magically grown back following a 21-day course of eye of newt and toe of frog tablets.

But what about vitamins and the various assertions that they can assist with hair growth? With so many studies, surveys and reports, surely there must be some hair related benefits to taking supplements?

Hair loss or pattern baldness has many causes, but the primary culprit is genetics, which can obviously not be avoided; you can’t cheat your genes. Changes in hormone levels; thyroid conditions, auto-immune disorders, stress and severe malnutrition are also responsible for pattern baldness but cannot be simply fixed with a vitamin B supplement. If you are seriously vitamin deficient, to the extent you are losing hair, you will no doubt be very poorly also, and should therefore seek medical advice.

Unfortunately, despite all the claims, there is no conclusive evidence that supplementing with vitamins can thicken your hair, halt the shedding process or help hair to re-grow. There are a handful of studies claiming hair-regrowth success on mice, but as yet, no test has proven successful on a human head!

A healthy nutrient rich diet containing B vitamins, vitamin A, E, D and C, plus omega-3 and 6 could contribute to your overall well-being and probably improve the look of your hair, skin and nails, but such factors cannot change your genetics. However, if you suffer with male/female pattern baldness, improving your diet will probably make no difference to your hair loss.

This Halloween don’t get fooled by the snake oil salesmen plying their trade to the vulnerable: who you gonna call?

For help and advice on hair loss and pattern baldness contact us

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Water, Water Every Hair: Why your water may be the reason that your hair system is drying out

image of lady with dry hair

Many people who wear hair systems, especially those with long hair, experience the annoyance at one point or another that their hair system is drying out. 

There are several factors that lead to a hair system is drying out such as harmful alcohols in hair products, heat styling and blow-drying. But there is one factor that is commonly overlooked: the quality of your water.

What’s in your water?

Hair system wearers take special precautions to protect their hair from swimming pool water because it is well known that chlorine dries out the hair. It also causes oxidation that makes the hair lighten or change colour, but did you know that most of the treated water that flows into your home can contain more chlorine than a swimming pool? Yep, that means we might as well wear a swim cap in the shower every day!

Although chlorine may be great for killing bacteria, it wreaks havoc on our hair: chlorine sucks all of the moisture (and colour) out of your hair creating tangling, frizzing and breakage. Conditioning the hair system using leave-in and rinse out conditioners, hair serums and oils can help reduce the drying effect of chlorinated hair but this isn’t always enough. Even if you even if youre faithfully conditioning your hair and avoiding heat styling and harmful alcohols, the chlorinated water in your home may be undoing all your hard work.

Filter out the nasties:

The best way to protect your hair from chlorine is to filter it out before it gets into your hair and scalp. Purchasing a water filter is a great way to remove the harsh chlorine in your shower. Although this can sometimes be expensive, the benefits – not only to your hair – can in many ways outweigh the cost. This could be the missing link that’s preventing your hair system from being smooth, soft and manageable.

However, if you cannot afford to install a water filter, and wearing a swim cap in the shower is not an option, you can find many other useful tips and hints on how to look after your hair system in our other blogs – here is a good tip for reducing tangles.

A full range of hair care products can be purchased from our on line shop.

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Softly Softly

Hair loss in women image

How do I keep my human hair system looking like new? Great question, and a problem that is faced by almost every wig and hair system wearer.

All human hair wigs, hair systems, extensions or hairpieces go through an intense chemical process during production so keeping that natural supple movement is vital when it comes to hair care. The best way to achieve this is to use specially formulated products designed to prolong the life of your hairpiece to keep it looking in tip top shape.

There is no need to cleanse daily but there are steps you can take before or after each wear. Whilst using a regular gentle shampoo is always a good idea, you would be much better off with a custom designed product designed to combat the rigours of highly processed hair. The key however is to make sure you use a sulphate free shampoo and conditioner, and even better, one that is paraben and sodium chloride free, thus ensuring your hair remains colour safe.

Cleansing and conditioning human hair wigs, hair systems, extensions or hairpieces: Cleansing and conditioning human hair wigs is only one part of your hair care regime. With any hair system it is important to put moisture back as it does not have the scalp oils produced with naturally growing hair. One of the best products on the market to achieve this is Softening Solution, the flagship product from Nearly Natural. It is guaranteed to keep your hair softer and feeling silky smooth for longer. In fact, Nearly Natural has formulated a whole range of hair care products to help keep hair systems looking, well, natural! From cleansing, conditioning and styling, there is sure to be a product in their range to help you achieve the best possible look and feel for your hairpiece.

Of course any amount of product does not make up for a regular and careful maintenance regime. So to avoid your hair looking dull, dry and damaged be sure to treat your hairpiece with care and it will stay looking natural and bouncy from root to tip!

To try any of the Nearly Natural conditioning human hair wigs product range be sure to visit our online shop