Hair Systems: A Black & White Issue
There are some major differences you need to know about in creating and caring for your Hair System, depending on your ethnicity.
The most important thing when it comes to choosing a hair system, no matter who it’s for, is that it has to have that natural frontal hairline that matches how your hairline looked before. “It’s the first thing people notice when you walk in the door,” explains Cynthia Turner–Primus, senior design consultant at HRS of Atlanta, a nonsurgical hair replacement provider in Atlanta, GA in business for over 32 years. “If the wind blows, you still want a natural look. You’ll still want to be able to style your hair without any inconvenience. You’ll want to let it down or have an elegant updo from the nape. But above all, you don’t want anyone to know you are losing your hair!”
Another commonality in all ethnicities is that hair systems for men are easier to create than hair systems for women. “Luckily,” explains Turner-Primus, “there are lots tips, tricks and technology now to accomplish this more natural-looking result in women, too.” She explains that in creating the hair system, the four most important differences to capture when designing for a black woman are the frontal hairline, the texture of the hair, the cap tone itself and the hair density. And, finally, a black woman’s hair system requires more diligent care due to the processing of the actual hair, which makes it more fragile.
HAIR TEXTURE: “Until recently, black hair never really looked natural on a wig or on a hair system: It was too wavy and had a hard shine on it which does not look natural. Once we were able to get the right process on the hair, hair replacement systems for African American women became a great option,” explains Turner-Primus. “For Asians, we’re able to match their hair texture exactly by using Virgin Human Asian Hair and for Caucasian women we use medium Indian Hair for its natural wave variation, shine and volume, while not being overly dense.”
FRONTAL HAIRLINE: “It doesn’t matter who is or what their ethnicity is, we are trying to match their natural look, the way it used to be before they lost their hair. And the best way to do that is through pictures. We can hand customize and recreate any hairline whether it needs blend with existing hair or on a full cap of hair and we try as hard as possible to mimic the person’s hair as it used to be,” says Turner-Primus. A lot of the customization to the person’s formal style or ethnicity will happen upon the final cutting, designing and styling of the hair system while the client is wearing it.
HAIR DENSITY: “Hair density definitely differs among ethnicities,” explains Turner-Primus. “While we can match the hair texture by using different types of hair to begin with, we are also careful to match the necessary density the person used to wear as well. Especially for African America women, too much density in a hair system can be overbearing, especially if they’ve been without hair for some time,” explains Turner-Primus. The main thing is that it shouldn’t LOOK like a wig, which is often too thick and dense.
BASE TONES: While most Caucasian and Asian women use the same basic neutral base tones, African American women come in many different skin tones and hues that must be customized and personalized at the base for a natural-looking scalp, as if the hairs are growing right out of it and it perfectly matches the client’s skin tone.
CARING FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR SYSTEM:
• Never brush hair from the top of the crown downwards because hair can get mixed and matted. Brush from ends first, working your way up to reduce tangles. The hairs are not attached to a live follicle, so they can un-knot or simply break off. Caucasian hair can be a little silkier so you can brush gently.
• Wear a satin hair cap to bed or make sure hair is safely contained in two loose ponytails or braids. Because of the hair’s chemical processing, it tends to matt very quickly if not protected at night.
• When shampooing, always do it in a shower and always in the direction that water and the hair flows naturally, which is down. Never pile hair up or rub it around. You want to minimize tangling at all cost. Just massage gently with fingers at the cap to push shampoo and water through to clean your scalp underneath.
• Use a spray-in, leave-in conditioner to avoid build-up at cap. Brush from the ends first, working out any tangles.
• Use special products and tools formulated and created for use on hair systems that your hair replacement specialist recommends and shows you how to use, no matter what your ethnicity. And stick to the same line of products.
• All tools should be used on the lowest heat setting, especially for hair systems for African Americans, since the hair is already processed and more fragile.
“It’s a learning curve,” says Turner-Primus, “one that I take very seriously. I really listen to my clients about what they need their hair to do and I take my time to show them how to get the best results. I let them participate in the choices in the creation of the hair system so they can have a vision of what they’re going to look like in it-then, I help make it come true!”
About the Author
Naomi Mannino is a freelance writer who writes about health, beauty, and fashion, with a specialty in writing about hair, hair loss and Alopecia. She is a contributing writer for HairLoss.Com who writes about hair loss condition and hair loss solutions.
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