Bald is sexy, bald is beautiful…. We have all heard this haven’t we? When I was young, I had hair that most men and women would die for. It was bright red, with a slight beautiful curl, thick, luxurious and the envy of all my friends in highschool and college. Women would come up to me in the mall and tell me i had beautiful hair and asked me if my red was natural or did i color it. I was not the model type, if you know what i mean in the looks department, so my hair was everything to me.
In my early 30’s, when i started to lose it, it was so traumatic, that i would spend hours researching hair loss.My family owned hair salons and I would also ask weekly if any new products came out to help stop my hair from falling out. Back then, hair plugs/transplants were not an option because of expense. Even today, the expense is too much for my , and most men's budgets. After years (almost into my late 30’s), i finally gave up and started shaving my head. The first time, i went home and cried my eyes out, in fact, it took me years to get used to it even after i became a hair designer and color specialist.
I actually never thought of a top piece/wig/toupee until Bob and i purchased Aj’s Wigs. I'll never forget the day a man named Mark came in with beautiful hair. I had never met him and didn’t know he was a client of Bob’s. In fact, I thought he was here for me as a walk in male hair cut. When he told me he had an appointment with Bob to recondition his piece and to reattach it, i laughed and said there was no way he had a hair piece on. (see a picture of Mark below). A few weeks later, another man named James came in (see James below) and again, I thought he came in for me.
You would be aghast if you knew how many leading men in hollywood had hair pieces on. They are so natural looking, and the best part is that unlike hair plugs and surgeries, not only are they a fraction of the price, but there are no lifetime contracts which tie you to additional expenses. With most of these hair replacement institutions, you are basically signing a long term contract which ties you to them for years and years. Part of the contract is hair cuts at a high rate every 6 weeks, etc.(some as high as $80.00)
With the modern day version of male pieces, you can swim, bike, run, play sports without having to worry that it will come off. They are breathable and lightweight, they have incredible natural movement.We at Aj's Wigs have a large male clientele who have taken charge of their hair loss. That's what it’s all about. Taking charge of what nature took away. Yes, bald can be sexy on some men, depending on face shape. Yes, we can all say that it takes a certain look to pull it off, but with today's top pieces, why should we settle? Why should men have to go through the emotion that devastated and haunted me for year’s.
I've been a hair stylist for 26 years now, and over and over again, I hear my women clients ask me "Why is it ok for men to both go grey and to go bald, but its not ok for women". My answer to them is, it’s not. I point out to them a client AJ's Wigs has named Roger (I do not have his permission to use his last name). Roger worked for Citizens Bank for years and several times, he was up for a promotion. He is tall, good looking, in his mid 40’s with thin hair on top of his crown. He was obviously good at his job because if he wasn’t, he wouldn't have been up for these promotions. We fitted him with "the diamond", a beautiful piece with medium length bangs. Two weeks later, he got his promotion to main Branch Manager.You see? even in the world of men and business, especially as we get older, there is still discrimination. There is always someone younger, someone better behind us all, and we have to do our very best to compete in the market place. Is it coincidence that Roger got a promotion right after re-creating his look or image? In my line of work, the answer is no.There are no coincidences.
But it's not just about us older men, as there are more and more men in their late 20’s to mid 30’s losing their hair and they, like me, will go through the same trauma and emotions, yet they don’t have to.The big thing to remember, is that male top pieces are not wigs, but considered add ons that blend into your natural hair on the sides and back. They can be attached a few ways depending on your lifestyle and how much hair you have on the sides and back, but i guarantee, no one will know you're wearing one. So take charge, take command of what nature is taking away, as this, is the male revolution.