Just got my first custom piece from Eric, and it occurred to me that I've never seen a continuing photo essay of the life of a specific hairpiece. Oh, I've seen shots from right after the cut-in, and then some more shots 3 months later, but I've never seen a thread with a regular series of shots at shorter intervals of a specific hairpiece. I think I'm going to do that with this one just for kicks. This, obviously, is the first installment.
I'd like to start with a pic of me taking the thing out of the mailing envelope. But I didn't think of it until a couple days after, so I guess I won't be doing that. I'd also like to show a pic before I cut away the excess lace (or at least most of it), but I didn't think of that, either, so I guess I likewise won't be doing that.
What I can do is show you the piece right after I cut off most of the front lace. Here's the first shot:
That ^^^ is a freestyle 1b, 110% density, 15% gray, sfs, cut from a template. Hair was ordered straight, and it's pretty doggone close to being that by hairpiece standards. There's a slight "bend" -- I wouldn't call it a curl or a wave -- several inches down the hair shaft, but that really will wash right out (if there's anything left of the "bend" after the cut-in). Hair quality appears to be excellent at this early stage, and the gray could not possibly look more realistic.
Here ^^^ is a closer look. I've already sealed the underside, so you may see some residue. For those wondering, I'm one of those whacky guys who actually uses clear, matte finish spray paint as a sealer. Spray in short, quick bursts, and it will not affect the underlying hair. It's by far the strongest "sealer" that anybody has ever suggestd, and it works great for me. But do keep it away from the very front of the hairline as it slightly (and I can't stress the word "slightly" enough) stiffens the lace and it might affect transparency. I offer no opinion on whether there is any risk associated with using spray pain on something that will be in contact with your scalp. If you have any concerns in that regard, continue to use Debbie's sealer. It's good stuff, too, and it is without question non-toxic.
Here ^^^ is an even closer vew of the base. I include this to note the stitching pattern. See how it follows a somewhat irregular "curve"? That's because Eric's factory actually followed my template. My template provides for mini-temple flaps, so the contour should be slightly irregular IF the template is followed. If not, there will just be a uniform curve or arc following one of the basic contours that we all know about (C, A, CC, etc). This is very important to me because I realized upon comparing my new piece from Eric with the last lace piece I received from "Well Known Retailer X" that Retailer X hadn't sent my template in at all. He just took some measurements and told the factory to slap a CC contour on the front and a C contour on the back. Or, in fairness, maybe that's what the factory did before tossing my template in the trash. Either way, my damned template wasn't followed by the other guys. While that piece was close enough to be of some service, it kind of ticks me off now that I realize what happened. Great job by Eric's factory in following the specs and actuallly using the template. Great job by Eric in actually sending the template rather than trying to save a few bucks in postage.
Here ^^^ is the front of the piece (or maybe the back) sitting on my well stained styrofoam head. Dig the gray. Extremely natural. Just enough to show, but not so much as to make me look older than I am.
And here ^^^ is the back (or maybe the front -- hard to tell since the piece is currently in "Cousin It" mode). Again, I think the gray is just fantastic. 15% is perfect, in my humble opinion, for those wanting to show just a "touch" of gray.
And here ^^^^ is the very, very awesome crown. I don't bleach the knots on the crown (just too much risk of shedding in that area, in my opinion), so I'm sure you can see some knots if you're looking for them. But I just don't care. Not enough to do anything about it, anyway. I think this pic shows that the freestyle ventilation is very well done. And then there's that tremendously realistic looking gray again. Just enough! That crown looks exactly like my real crown did once upon a time.
Alright, gang. That's it for this week's episode. The cut-in is Thursday. Tune in again next week for more pics. Same hair time, same hair channel.
I'm diggin' the "Buy it from Eric" experience so far.
This message has been edited by JDinTx on Mar 17, 2012 9:09 PM This message has been edited by JDinTx on Mar 17, 2012 9:03 PM
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Re: The Life of a Hairpiece -- A Continuing Story in Pictures
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March 18 2012, 10:53 AM
This is a great idea JD and will be great for newbies to see how different a piece looks from beginning to end.
Like I was saying in a different thread, when you first get these out of the package as a new wearer you tend to think "what the hell is this" and can't image it looking right.
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Re: The Life of a Hairpiece -- A Continuing Story in Pictures
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March 18 2012, 1:35 PM
Great Idea! Cant wait to see how it develops and turns into a hairstyle. It really is surprising to see the piece when it first comes out of the package, it looks like an animal of some sort. But once it gets cut in and attached it really changes drastically. This is going to be a great visual guide for all newbies
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Re: The Life of a Hairpiece -- A Continuing Story in Pictures
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March 18 2012, 5:04 PM
Chesca wrote:
"Fabulous colour mix, very realistic!"
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Oh, yeah. Eric's factory seems to have this "gray" thing down solid. I've been wearing a stock skin piece I got from Eric for a solid month now. The gray was excellent in it, too. So much so that I set aside a perfectly serviceable lace unit from "Well Known Retailer X" in favor of a stock standard (read that as "thick") skin piece.
What I really like about the work of Eric's factory in terms of the gray hair is that they mix it uniformly throughout the 'piece. I've seen some others who just toss the gray in as an afterthought in a "here and there" kind of way. Not so with these 2 units. I bet if you took the pieces apart inch by inch, you'd find the appropriate amount of gray in each segment.
Good stuff!
I've got an intermediate thickness skin piece on order, too. That unit will also become a part of this thread when it arrives.
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I think it's important for the newbies to realize that even the "dead period" between the time you get your hairpiece and the time of your cut-in can be used constructively. You can use that time to "get to know" your new hairpiece. Chat with it, see what its interests are. Oh, sure, there will likely be a bit of a culture divide, since the 'piece will be from Asia and most of you will not, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of common ground to be found. I, for instance, discovered only today that my new piece is a big sports fan. And that was good news, because I'm a sports nut. As a result, I decided to take him out to see the local sports stadiums today. Here are a couple shots:
Here my new 'piece shows his proud support for the two time defending American League champion Texas Rangers:
The new 'piece really liked the retro look of the ballpark, and he's real excited about the signing of Yu Darvish. I'm glad, because the 'piece is going to be spending a lot of time at the ballpark this spring and summer.
As for the local football team, well, let's just say that the new 'piece is not quite as enthusiastic in his support of the Dallas Cowboys:
After we left the Ballpark and Cowboys Stadium, the 'piece surprised me by telling me that he was a big fan of roller coasters. Well, as luck would have it, the stadiums are right next to one of the biggest roller coaster amusement parks in the world -- Six Flags Over Texas. Unfortunately, the park was closed (which is just as well, because they probably would have made me buy an extra ticket for the unattached piece), but I was able to get a shot of the new 'piece from the parking lot with the Texas Titan in the background:
The 'piece is very excited about returning later this spring and giving all the rides a spin.
Well, that's all I have for now. I feel it was a well-spent day with the new 'piece. I know him a little better now, and I can truthfully say that I like him. Call it pre-bonding bonding.
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This literally had me rolling in laughter just seeing the first pic under the baseball cap. This is one of the most hilarious things I've read in a long, long time.
By the way, I'm one of the biggest Dallas Cowboys fans on the planet (as you know from our discussion). I hope the piece doesn't have to wear the bag anymore after this next season gets underway!
Thanks for this post, insanely funny!
Eric
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I took him to a bar late last night, and he vanished while I was in the bathroom.
Here's the last picture I took of him (he was about to have his 5th double of the night, had just bullied some guy into giving him his necktie so he could use it as a headband, and, of course, he was finishing the last cigarette in the pack I'd bought for him about an hour before):
He's a bad seed, guys. But I need him. Badly. So I'm reaching out to all of you in the NWLace community to help me find him before the cut-in tomorrow. And I'm not just talking to those of you in Texas. This fella is a world traveler, having already gone from China to Washington state and then on down to Texas, so there's no telling where he might be. The bartender tells me he was last seen heading out the door with a biker chick with a bunch of tattoos. So, if you see him, please post here. But do NOT try to apprehend him. He's a mean drunk and I don't want what he might do to you on my concience.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. It's good to have this community to reach out to in a time like this.
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And not too far from the reality of an 'international' wig seller's marketing ploy when they try to persuade that a crummy piece is the best thing since sliced bread......... yeah, right.
Do you think your piece will travel the world that like stolen garden gnome and start to send Eric postcards from his travels?
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And not too far from the reality of an 'international' wig seller's marketing ploy when they try to persuade that a crummy piece is the best thing since sliced bread......... yeah, right.
Do you think your piece will travel the world that like stolen garden gnome and start to send Eric postcards from his travels?
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Sadly, I see my 'piece winding up in rehab. Hopefully I can find him before he hits rock bottom. And if I do, I'll attach with blue lace tape to make sure he never gets away again.
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Well JD, some news on this....I had him on the wig stand right next to one of those 16" blonde hair full cap wigs before mailing him off and now she is gone. I found that tie from your photo in my hallway...so he's been back and he's got a partner in crime now. My guess would be Vegas at this point, maybe check the chapel registries.
If you do find him you're going to have to really watch him from now on when he isn't taped down(lock the bathroom door after a detach)....maybe get one of those "lo-jack" tracking devices for vehicles and put one on him when he is by himself for an extended period of time.
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Oh, well, I have a weakness for blondes myself, so I guess I can't fault him. Like we all do sometimes, he was just thinkin' with the wrong follicle while trying to get his knots bleached.
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Look what showed up on my front porch this afternoon. Was expecting my blonde full cap from Eric and instead I got a slightly torn open package and a sign that something wasn't quite right:
The postman said he heard giggling from somewhere in the truck and couldn't figure out where it was coming from.
RD
This message has been edited by RD. on Mar 22, 2012 11:31 AM
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Alright, guys, the goal of this whole thread was to let the newbies see the life of a hairpiece every step of the way. So here are some very raw pics right after the cut-in. NOTE: this is what I call a "cut-in attachment." That means I just slapped the thing on and didn't even try to make the lace completely invisible. I just put a single layer of ghost bond down and didn't even really press the lace in. I just wanted it secure enough to allow for a cut-in. I do a half-azzed attachment like this for cut-ins because I immediately take it off after I get home to rinse out the little clippings that remain throughout the hair after my stylist layers everything. I'll get some photos up either this weekend or early next with a full blown as-close-to-perfect-as-I-can-get attachment. I will tell you this -- the lace is excellent. It will be completely invisible once I do an attachment in earnest. That said, I usually wear it down, so perfect attachments are a rarity (and completely unnecessary) for me.
Anyway, here "we" are right after the cut-in:
Here's a "sort of combed, but not really" front view:
Another front view (not combed at all and close to the way I wear it in everday life):
Side view (the contour is very natural, I think -- and I'm braggin' on the work of Eric's factory, not myself):
From the back:
And one of the crown:
Here's one showing what I think is the advantage of putting little temple flaps in the template -- it allows for a smooth line rather than a sharp angle at the point where the 'piece and your real hair intersect:
That ^^^ is one thing you can't get from a stock piece. The angle will always be sharp at the intersecting point with a stock piece
All right, gang, that's it for now. I'll get some pics with an A-1 attachment in a few days, and I may actually comb it in earnest and show several different parts to illustrate the versatility of a free-style unit.
This message has been edited by JDinTx on Mar 22, 2012 1:49 PM
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"Already looks great and not in the least bit hungover! I love the colour mix and the hair quality looks excellent."
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Yeah, I think I'm gonna stick with Eric and forget about the "other guys." I'm pleased with the quality of the 'piece, but what really sets Eric apart is the VERY attentive customer service. Still, if the 'piece wasn't excellent, I'd just have to deal with the not-so-hot customer service of the other guys. Happily, I can have my cake and eat it, too, at Northwest Lace.
This, boys and girls, is the silver lining in BA's fall from grace. There would probably be no NW Lace had a void in the marketplace not been created by the demise of BA's place.
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Talk about an entertaining thread...insanely funny! Thanks for posting all the different stages of a piece JD, looking forward to also seeing the post cut in attachment/style. I am hoping there won't be too many more misfit pieces like this, so thankful he found his way back home though.
Just make sure you stay stern with him so he knows that kind of behavior won't be tolerated, you cannot be an enabler or the cycle will continue...I don't want to see the two of you on Dr. Phil.
It may have been mentioned above already, but JD went with 110% density on my scale (equivalent of 70% on the low scale) just so that everyone has another reference on what the different densities look like.
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Yeah, just a side note on densities...and here that note comes:
I don't know about the rest of y'all, but the densities of my units have generally varied wildly with the "other guys." This is my second 110% unit from Eric (the first was a stock standard thickness thinskin), and I'm happy to report that the density appeared to be very, very close between the 2. So, go with what you think you need the first time around and then gauge everything according to that afterward. I, for example, will probably drop down to 100% from here on out now that I'm comfortable with Eric's density scale and know that his factory is consistent. I recommend always going a little on the heavy side if in doubt, because a good stylist can thin it out, but you'll have to send it back if you want more hair added.
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