Hair replacement systems have become increasingly popular in recent years. They are a cost-effective and safe alternative to risky surgical procedures used to cure conditions that cause hair loss, such as alopecia. In todays blog we are not talking about a hair system’s basic use but about hair color. Hair color is a key aspect of hair fashion and has an impact on how you present yourself to the world and how others see you. This blog post will focus on hair color.
High fashion is not a term exclusive to women. Some people who are new to the hair replacement industry may have a preconception that toupees are only worn by older men, or men experiencing severe hair loss. In actuality, almost 50% of toupee sales are made by young men, aged between 20 and 40. The ever-increasing number of young end-users of hairpieces makes fashion trends another important demand in creating stunning and high-quality hair systems. Colour is one of the most important factors that young users focus on, deciding on the perfect hair colour is vital to achieve a stunning looking head of hair.
Highlight and ‘T- Colour’ are the most common colouring processes used for women’s hairpieces. Women’s hairpieces are dynamic and include hair toppers, frontal, weft, extension and full-size wigs. Currently we are finding that these special techniques are also being used regularly on men’s hair toupees. Hair colour has become a dynamic, powerful and stylish way to express oneself.
Pictured above is Bono Hair’s color ring for stock men’s hair systems. The majority of these are pure colour whilst some have differing levels of grey percentages. ‘’Could your hair systems be coloured as below?”
This is a question that we typically receive from our clients, especially from those who have just started up business in the field of non-surgical hair replacement solutions. The answer is both yes and no!
For custom-made orders, yes – this is no problem! The process involves a combination of both highlight and T-Colour that is, traditionally, more commonly used for women’s hair systems.
Highlighted hair is often lightened by using the T-colour method, where one part of the hair is dark brown, and another section is blonde. We colour the hair before the hair is knotted onto the system. Firstly, the hair strands are bleached to the light colour desired and then one part of the hair is dyed to a darker colour. The hair is then knotted onto the base. The finished toupee will look like the image above.
“What about stock hair units?” “Could hair salons/barber shops buy stock hair systems directly and then highlight strands of hair?”
It is important to note that hair stylists can color the hair themselves, but we recommend ordering the system with the desired areas highlighted to achieve a more desirable finish. We will discuss why this is a good idea throughout the blog.
“Why is your hair synthetic and not real human hair? Why can’t real human hair be coloured or dyed just like naturally growing hair?”
Firstly, all our stock hair systems are made with real human hair, except grey hair systems – grey hair is synthetic. However, real human hair is different from our own growing hair as it has become detached from the donor’s head – therefore it cannot be coloured by stylists.
For all finished stock hair systems, whatever colour they may come in, virgin hair is unprocessed, and coloured hair has been chemically altered. Just like colouring with hot oil, the finished colour will not fade easily. Therefore, it is not possible to bleach a finished darker colour to a lighter shade, but lighter colours can be dyed to darker shades.
There is a solution to this common problem – leaving the stock hair replacement in its natural colour. This means the hair is not chemically processed by us in the factory. This ‘virgin’ colour can be processed by hair stylist to colour or highlight to individual preference. If you do need this special custom stock unit, please contact us directly.
T-Colour
T-colour, such as the colour in the picture above, typically has darker roots and lighter hair at the end. We can use the T-colouring method with custom orders, but it is not workable with stock hair units. For stock hair units you can only dye the colour to a darker shade and it is not easy to get a lighter one.
When we talk about changing hair fashions, hairstyle is another important factor as it adds style, flare, character and dimension to the hair. Let’s take a quick look at the following images of fashionable hairstyles.
‘Brushed back’ is one of the most popular hair styles. The front hairline is exposed when the end-users brush their hair back. This raises an important and commonly asked question: How can you make the knots invisible along the front hairline? Colour is key. Let’s have a closer look at the knots on a system to see what this means.
The left picture shows knots that are not bleached whilst the right picture clearly shows bleached knots. We can see that bleached knots are lighter in colour, they closely match the colour of the lace and skin. This makes it possible to have an invisible, undetectable and natural-looking front hairline. There are two ways to achieve natural looking knots: Dye-after and bleached knots. Let’s explore both options.
Bleached Knots
Bleaching knots is the process by which chemical matter is applied on the bottom side of the lace base to effectively cover knots. After several minutes, this chemical is washed out. We can now see that the knots have been bleached to a lighter colour.
(Picture – Different bleaching effect from different time range of processing)
It is clear from the above picture that, the longer the processing time, the lighter the knots can get. Imagine how it would look if an end user was sporting a brushed back style with knots that were not adequately bleached! Lighter coloured knots, that more accurately match the skin tone of the wearer, make the front hairline truly undetectable.
However, you may receive such a question from an end user: ‘Why not bleach the knots for longer to make the knots totally invisible’. This is a good question. Remember, when a system is coloured it is difficult to be coloured again or to add highlights to the hair. Bleaching is a heavy chemical process that has a great impact on the quality of the hair. Excessive bleaching will damage the hair irreversibly and lead to increased hair loss.
Dye-After
‘Dye-After’ is an alternative solution used to get knots to a lighter colour. Since this process is complicated and high in cost, it is typically only used for colour 1 and 1a and only applied to the front hairline.
Initially, the hair will be bleached to a light colour and then knotted onto a lace base. Once the knotting is finished, the hair will be dyed to the target dark colour whilst still leaving the root light in colour.
Overall, highlighting hair and using the T-colour method definitely makes hair more fashionable! However, bleaching knots and dye-after make it possible to sport an undetectable hair system with a brushed back style!
FAQs about colour
These are some common questions that we receive from clients about colouring the hair on systems:
Why should we choose Chinese Virgin Hair for a lighter finished colour, such as blonde?
The lighter the finished colour, the heavier the chemical processing of the hair. Chinese Virgin Hair is the strongest hair type so it can withstand heavy chemical treatments. For more details, check out the following link:
https://www.bonohair.com/is-european-hair-the-best-hair-type-for-hairpieces/
Why does the hair quality seem different for dark and light colour hair even when the same hair type is being used?
When processing the same hair type to a different colour shade, let’s day dark brown to blonde, the finished hair strand (which is blonde) has been treated with heavy chemicals. To some extent, this causes damage to the hair quality. This is also why we suggest that you do not colour the hair replacement system yourself after purchasing it, this will cause secondary damage.
Why is there a colour difference when using European hair?
For custom-made orders, some clients request the use of European hair. European hair is the finest hair type on offer, it is far too thin to undergo any colouring process such as bleaching or dying of the hair. When we use European hair, we keep it in its original colour, therefore European hair may have slight colour differences between different end users. For custom-orders made with European hair, we will do our very best to match the hair colour sample send into us. Please note that is may be necessary for your customers to accept the very slight colour difference that may exist.
Whatever hair colour your customers desire, whether it be a basic pure colour or fashionable T-colour or highlights, we have the solution! Please feel free to contact us. Bono Hair is the professional hair replacement manufacturer on your side.
Hi Nancy I have a Remy hair system but when it arrived it was a orangey brassy blonde so my hair stylist died at a dark brown she said I cannot use permanent hair color on it so I have to keep taking it back to get it dyed is that true?
Yes, that is true.