| 10
YEARS AND NUMEROUS HAIRPIECES LATER
I am 35 years old, and yesterday, after wearing various hairpieces
for the last ten years decided it was time to give them up. Sure
technology has improved dramatically since my first one, which
was attached to the perimeter, but even my latest one (fully bonded
onto the scalp, very fine base, actual "growing" appearance)
became such a major controlling factor of my life. You always
feel great when you have a new one fitted, then a few weeks down
the line the color of your "New" hair will start to
fade, (a natural process). Soon your sides don't match your top,
and then you have it colored and due to the porosity of your new
hair it will take color very quickly and may even appear darker
than your own hair! Trying to match the color is almost impossible,
and if you do achieve it remember that it will only be a matter
of a few shampoos down the line before your in the same boat again.
Leaving on your deep conditioning treatments to improve the loand
condition of your abused new hair will also fade the color! The
only way around color fade is to go for a hairpiece that is not
human hair, but I have yet to see one that looks and feels natural.
The ends of the fiber will look frazzled in no time, and avoid
opening the oven door with your head in the way; your fiber hair
will melt so quickly right before your very eyes!
Yes, today I am very anti hairpiece.
When I got my first one it did give me confidence for a while,
but once problems start you really do become paranoid. I was so
controlled by mine that I would only sit at the back of the bus
or train whenever I went out because I hated people sitting behind
me. If people looked at my hair for what seemed like a long time
my heart would start to race and I would sweat like a pig. If
it was windy I would wear my baseball cap, Sunny, I would wear
my baseball cap (your hair colors worst nightmare), it seemed
that I spent so much time in my cap and only really relaxed with
my hair in a social environment when I was drinking with friends
at night when the clubs and pubs were softly lit!!
I never thought that after this much time I would have been able
to take off my hair, but yesterday I had had enough of trying
to match up the color, my hair went orange with all the attempts
I made of matching it up, I was so depressed (something I had
been suffering with over the last 4 years on and off medication)
that I decided to give it up. My head underneath 10 years of hairpieces
was so pale, so baby soft that I had to apply a tanning cream.
This morning when I woke I went straight into the bathroom to
check out my new 'self'. I do like it, in fact I feel so free
of all the hassle I used to go through.
For a long time I just wanted to be me, and now I can be, no more
pretending, hiding under my hairpiece, no more feeling oppressed,
self conscious that people might have thought that I was wearing
a wig. God! The things that I have gone through!
So, if you are thinking about taking off your hairpiece or maybe
updating your existing one with a new better technology one, remember
I have been there, yes the new ones look better, but at the end
of the day you are not being true to yourself or others, it really
is not worth the hassle that you will have to put up with, if
you are taking yours off, believe me, it's the best thing you
can do to boost your self confidence!
If you got this far, thanks for reading.
Bye
Paul
The
Evil of Hair Club for Men
Hi Tony.
Just wanted to describe the Evil scam that is Hair Club for Men.
If anyone is considering this option, for the love of all that
is holy, DO NOT!! This company preys (and makes huge profits)
on the insecurity of baldness. I foolishly went to HCM and essentially
gave them $1640 for a ridiculously fake hairpiece. The commercials
and video they show are in no way what they ultimately superglue
to your head. HCM relies on their "bio matrix" which
is described as individual realistic hairs fused within the "bio-matrix",
to suck the customer in. This is simply an outright lie, and because
of all the paperwork they make you sign, the customer never knows
this until the top of your head is shaved and a medical adhesive
"polyfuse" is applied and the customer has just a fake
hair piece attached to the head. HCM knows that they are deceiving
the public because of the separate contracts they make a customer
sign. The customer from beginning to end is always put in a position
of disadvantage. Their warranty is an absolute joke. The minute
you leave the location you waive the refund of only half of what
you paid. This is important to mention because I asked my 'stylist'
why the hair line looked so fake and his response was 'there is
just a lot of body and when you come back in for your follow up
the hair line will look more natural.' Another lie. I went back
the next day and demanded to have this monstrosity removed, and
at least half of my money back. I was told that was against their
policy. If i can prevent HCM from preying on others and financially
raping them my experience was worth it. Please print this!
Jim
P.S. I am considering legal action against HCM and was wondering
if they have ever been sued successfully? Thanks for any info.
I
wanted to start by saying Thank you for this wonderful web site.
I started Thinning when I was in my mid twenties. After years
of feeling inadequate for my balding I decided to get a hair system
four years ago. At first I loved it and then They start tracking
your head and the systems get bigger and bigger until you are
almost using a full wig. I new my bald spot had not grown that
much so I asked them to stop tracking and let my hair grow in
under the system. Sure enough the balding spot had not changed
much in 4 years. I had the company make my systems smaller and
then the quality started to change. First hair that was to course
then too curly then the wrong color. My self esteem had started
to falter even more I worried constantly about how my hair looked
and if people could notice the hair line. Day by day I started
to change I stopped going places where I could not wear a ball
cap ! ! or if the lighting was to bright when I had no hat. It
effected my personal and professional life. Then about two months
ago I started contemplating shaving my head. I worried what people
at work would say. Then about two weeks ago I discovered your
website and read some of the hair system horror stories, and it
seemed to match all the symptoms I was showing. I started my Vacation
This week and woke up on Saturday and decided enough was enough.
I removed the system took the clippers and cut off all my hair
and then got in the shower and shaved my head. I started to live
my life on May 25th 2002. I have to say this was the first time
in my life I took a chance on something this big and It felt great.
I have had my head shaved for four days and I feel so free I feel
I can start to enjoy my Life again. I will be 34 on June 22nd
and this is my present to myself. I am no longer restricted because
of a hair system I feel fr! ! ee to do The things I want to do
such as swim, camp, ride amusement park rides or water park rides
and not have to worry about my system being noticed or coming
loose. Once again thank you for this website and all the wonderful
stories. Special thanks to Paul in your horror stories section.
When I read his story I felt as If were written about me. Once
Again Thank you.
A. Lucero
Las Vegas Nevada
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| Trapped What is the proper
and legal way to let "Hair Club for Men" know that
I want out of the monthly payments that I’m paying
them. I signed a contract about a year ago when I got my first
"Glued on Rug", and entered this "silver program"
where, for about $250 a month , plus services, tipping and products,
it reached around $320 a month!! I joined this program thinking
.."wow" those guys on TV have a really great looking
head of hair and it looks so real, " girls run their hands
through it ", water ski, get it wet, ect..ect... I want everyone
out there to know...." All that stuff is pure " BULL----!!"
I’ve tried dating a few girls and yes ..eventually they will find
out , and they will be so pissed that you never told them about
it. ....that is the bottom line fellas!!!! They will eventually
find out! Anyway….please tell me how I can get out of this contract
legally...I feel trapped to this glued on rug! Help!
Thanks , Roger
Dear Roger!
Any good attorney can get you out of that contract,
but for a small fee though!
Good Luck!
Tony
After 10 years of wearing a hairpiece, I finally got rid of
it and shaved my head. I did this 3 months ago and it has been one
of the best decisions of my life. Here's some of my story:
I started losing my hair at about 19 and was noticeably going bald by 21. I was a musician in a rock band (back in the 80's when big hair was in!) so I was completed devastated. I went to my first HCM
consultation back in 1986 when I was about 21 but wasn't ready to do
it yet. Throughout my 20's I was very self-conscious of my hair loss
and spent allot of time wearing a hat. I dreaded seeing people that I
hadn't seen for a while. I would get comments like "dude, what
happened to your hair?" At 29, I went to an HCM competitor for a
consultation. The salesman's hair looked pretty good. He went on
about how it was a "non surgical" procedure where real hair was
"integrated" with your own hair. He also said I would look 10
years younger. I signed up and gave him a $1000 deposit without even
having a clue of how they were going to do. Is that insane or what?
I went back 8 weeks later and gave them the other $1000. I remember
sitting in the private styling room excited and nervous about what
was going to happen. The stylist them came in and proceeded to shave
the top of my head and then glue a toupee to the part she shaved.
What! This is the secret procedure? I didn't really know what to
do so I just went along with it, thus starting a 10 year love/hate
relationship with the dreaded "hair system" as they like to call
it. I must admit that it looked pretty good and gave me confidence
at first. However, as many have testified here on this website, that
confidence faded and I became paranoid, wondering if people knew I was
wearing a piece. The piece began to run my life. I eventually
stopped having it glued to my head and started using clips so I could
take it on and off. I ordered a new piece about once a year. I would
worry about the color of the new piece because they could never get it
just right. Either it would be too dark or too light. Either way it
would always fade to a reddish color. People would always ask me if
I colored my hair or I would hear people refer to me as having red
hair. I hated it. The expense plus the time and hassle began to
drive me nuts, but the thought of going through life without it made
me sick and I just couldn't imagine it. I felt trapped in the
hairpiece and thought I would probably have to wear one for the rest
of my life.
I then started noticing a lot of guys with shaved heads that looked
good and wondered if I could ever get up the nerve to do it myself.
I would set dates to do it and then chicken out when the time came.
This went on for about 2 years. I finally came across this website
and started reading about guys who went through the same thing as I
was going through. I found that I wasn't the only one who had
experienced this. They said ditching the hairpiece and shaving their
heads was the best decision of their life. Could it be the same for
me? I decided to do it and set a date for the next Friday. I came
home from work that Friday, took off the piece and buzzed my hair with
the clippers. I then shaved it to the skin. I won't lie, the first
week was rough as I wasn't used to seeing my self without hair. The
thought of going to the office with my new look after 10 years made me
sick. I can't imagine anyone being more nervous or anxious than I
was, but I did it. I walked into the office Monday morning with my
new style. Obviously, many people were blown away and shocked. Some
knew I wore a piece, but many did not. As the days went by, I began
to feel more comfortable with it. I received many compliments from
co-workers and friends. I have actually had several women at work
(good looking too and some I didn't even know) stop my at work and
tell me that I looked "way" better and that it was a very good
look. I'm a happily married man, but let me tell you, that is a
real confidence booster. The freedom I enjoy in my life without the
piece is incredible. No more fussing with it in front of the mirror.
My time in the morning getting ready for work has been cut in half.
I don't mind windy days anymore. I can go to the gym with
confidence, ride in a convertible, etc.
If you're feeling trapped in a hairpiece and are contemplating
getting rid of it, my advice is to go for it. I don't think there
has ever been a better time (in my lifetime anyway) to have a shaved
head. It\'s in style and women love it too. Look around. Every time
I go to a restaurant or store there are always other guys and
sometimes several with shaved heads. And check out the women that
are with them too.
Thank you Tony and to all of the former hairpiece wearers who signed
this guestbook. Your support helped my to make a decision that has
totally changed my life for the better. May God continue to bless
you.
Steve
My name is Glenn and this is my My story, with a slightly different perspective. I’ve been wearing a hairpiece since I was in my mid 20’s (now I’m in my very late 40’s) Ok, I’m pushing 50. The fact is, I’ve hated wearing it from the beginning, along with all the trouble and expense it takes to maintain it, but I dreaded going natural for fear of everyone’s reaction. I work closely with a few rather, mean-spirited and cruel hearted people, and I just knew they would make my life miserable if I removed the hair. I know, I know, I’m addicted to approval, but after reading Joyce Meyers book on that very topic. I overcame it. And in a BIG way. THANK YOU JOYCE!
One thing Ive noticed on your web site, is the theme for men to SHAVE their heads and move on from there. But I have a different perspective. Why should I have to shave my head just to rid myself of the hairpiece? One of the reasons I wanted to do this, is that I felt as a maturing Christian man I was not representing myself Honestly to others as a representative of Christ. How could I be true to Christ if I was not true to myself and others? But I also did not want to go so far as to shave my head, as this seemed too radical a departure of who I am. In other words, shaving my head just wasn’t me. To each his own, and I’m not suggesting that Christian men with shaved heads are any less a Christian. Not at all. I just wanted to have (in my perspective) an easy going, low care, and natural appearance that hopefully says, I am a growing Christian man, now comfortable with my appearance’. So why all the hype about shaving the head? Isn’t it enough to just go natural and feel good about it?
So as it goes, at my first opportunity (my day off) having removed the unit, scrubbing my head well in the shower, and then donning a baseball cap, I drove into town to a Fantastic Sams and waited for the store to open. I was their very first person for the day and was the only client in the store. A beautifully spirited young lady came to my aid as I explained that this was my first day in over 20 years of going with out my hair piece, and I was putting myself in her talented hands for my new look. I’ll never forget how sweet she was as she welcomed me to the World of Freedom and offered very kind words of support. She started with a light scissors cut and as I kept saying, shorter please, shorter she laughingly took a set of clippers and gave me a slight buzz cut, but not a close cropped to the scalp cut. It was very natural, and made me look and feel RIGHT. THANK YOU Arnetta! You are a very Gifted, Talented and Blessed young lady!
As for my first day at work. What the heck was I so worried about anyway? I was approached with uncanny support and complements. What? Am I in the same universe? Who are these people? They looked like the same folks I worked with last week, but they are being NICE to me. I went home at the end of the day rather confused, but very grateful. During that first day, I noticed a lot of double and triple takes from folks that I only know casually, which kind of caught my funny bone. And then, there were the folks that couldn’t look at me as we passed in the hallway. I’m thinking now, it was harder on them than me to come to work with my new bald/natural look. Since that first day several people have approached me with great discussions on being natural and true to yourself as I shared how my faith led me to the decision to go natural. Some of them
actually said they Admire me. ME? Yes, for having the courage to take this step In my life.
My final words: Yes go for it! End your slavery to your hair replacement system and move on. Whether you decide to shave it smooth or go for the naturally balding look as I did, it is after all a mater of personal taste. It is your choice. Remember that shaving your head is not the only option. The fact is, regardless of your choice of style, you might be admired by some for taking the step, and even considered Courageous. So don’t let
your fear of everyone’s reaction keeps you a slave any longer. My strength and will to do this came from prayer. In fact, this experience has actually deepened my faith and helped me to become a stronger Christian man.
The courage to take this step is within you too. You may need some help to find it just as I needed, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Browse through books in the self-help sections at local bookstores. Find one or two that speak to you. Or use whatever means you have to seek out the courage and the will to make this positive change happen. If you are a man of faith, rely on it and I’m sure this will help you become stronger in
your faith. You will eventually come to the place in your heart that says, Its time.
You will know when its right. And then, as my sweet Arnetta says, WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF FREEDOM!
RE-FOUND FREEDOMS!
Not wearing a hairpiece makes wearing a hat fun again.
Not wearing a hairpiece makes wearing pull-over sweaters fun again.
Not wearing a hairpeice makes it fun to walk in a breeze again.
Now that I’m not wearing that hairpeice I’m going to test drive
convertibles this spring!
And I can’t wait to go to the beach this summer and take my first HEAD
ON dive into an on-rushing wave again. Hmmm (reminder to self) make
sure my trunk strings are tied tight! I don’t want to go but so-natural!
YYikes.
I joined the Hair Club in 2002. At the time it seemed like a good solution to my anxiety about being 22 and balding. I did feel more confident. My wife also thought that it looked great and my family all thought that it looked good. I have a twin brother that went a different route. He shaved it. He really looked fine. I had just graduated college and moved away from home to start a new job so I thought I would take the opportunity to make the change and join the HC. I did like my new look. Gradually, I began to hate it. IT was such a pain to maintain. The color fades, the hair gets loose, and the back looks funny because of the hair shifting. I began to feel just as self-conscious as I did prior to getting the hair. I hated dealing with it but I was too afraid to take it off because of what my friends and co-workers would think. I was so jealous of my twin brother for taking the high road and accepting who he was. I also went wrong in letting the Hair Club charge my bill to my Credit Card. The balance grew and grew even though I was paying $240 each month towards the balance. After two years in the hair club, I decided to change jobs and move. I took the opportunity to kill the squirrel on my head. It took almost an hour to remove all of that glue. It took some getting used to but I have never felt so free and happy with the way I am. It is really maintenance free. I buzz it every couple of days rather than shave it. I don\'t have to spend 20 minutes combing my hair trying to get the gaps and rug to blend in the back. There are many regrets about letting the Hair Club suck me in. Money is one. Another is now I have to live with the fact that I was "that guy that wore a rug" My wife has pictures on the wall of me with the rug. Many people that I work with now have been over and they see the pictures. I don\'t get into really but if they were to ask I would tell them about it. Many of them are too polite to ask but I see the confusion in their eyes, "how did he have this much hair three years ago?" I can just hear them thinking that in their heads. I regret not accepting the fact earlier. I am now 26 and enjoying my baldness. I teach high school so I do get a lot of jokes thrown my way but I jump right in and joke with them. My advice to anyone who runs across this is to think about the long term and realize that having hair doesn't make you and you will only make things worse if you hide behind a rug. IT took me too long to realize that I didn't feel any less worried with that darn thing on my head. Enjoy life! I can now go to amusement parks without worry. I can ride my motorcycle. I can go swimming. I can do so much more and feel better doing it too.
Andy - Hoxie, KS
Hello,
I recently (about 2 months ago) decided to stop
wearing the ridiculous rug™ that HCM was supplying at unbelievable
prices.
Here is my story. I will try to keep it short because I could
literally write a book about my ten years of wearing the HCM system™
as they like to call it. I am 42 years old and like many people,
about 15 years ago I began very noticeably losing my hair, initially
with a receding hairline. It bothered me, I was self-conscious
and had low self esteem because of it. I was also in the music
and recording industry where image is everything and I felt out
of place around all the rockers™ with long, great looking hair.
I was also naïve enough not to realize how many of
them had extensions or were wearing some form of hairpiece. Finally
after seeing the HCM commercials run endlessly in the wee hours
of the night I gave them a call and made an appointment. I can’t
necessarily say it was a mistake because at the time, being about
31 years old it did make me feel better and at least gave me the
confidence to be more visible and outgoing. At that time it was
not fashionable for men to shave their heads so that did not seem
like an option.
From the minute I joined Hair Club I had problems. When I went
to get my first system™ I was informed about how to tip the technicians
and that bothered me. I barely had enough money to pay for the
hair. I remember is being around $1400 and back then you were
not getting regular replacements. They wanted you to purchase
a second system so you would switch each month while one was ˜in
the shop™. I could not afford a second one so that really
bothered me since there was no mention of this before they made
the sale.
The list of problems is too large to even discuss here but I will
touch on many of them briefly. Matching the hair in texture and
weight never worked. The front hairline was always changing, sometimes
looking better than other times but never natural enough to style
in such a way as to reveal the hairline. The haircut never worked.
It too had its good days and bad but you depend so much on the
technicians to style and play with it, and as most people know,
as good as it might look when you leave HCM, it rarely looks that
good or the same when you do it yourself.
They used several methods of attaching this monstrosity to my
head and after trying a few of them decided that the polyfuse
(might as well be rubber cement) worked the best for me. That
was not saying much though. I found that I could not wait for
my monthly visit and was running in for emergency repairs all
the time. I was always checking in mirrors to see if things looked
OK. You become so dependent on the advice they give and the products
they are selling that once you join you are a prisoner to them
in a way. Once you have hair and are showing the world, it is
even more devastating to think about taking this beast off and
becoming bald again. Most guys know that it is not just women
that we want to be comfortable with, but with our other male friends
that have hair and make jokes about others being bald.
Anyway, here I am about ten years later and I had gotten so tired
of glue and tape and the extra weight. I got tired of not being
able to splash water on my face and forehead without worrying
about messing up the hair or appearance of the hairline. I got
tired of waking up in the morning, not just with a bad hair day
but with this matted thing that was always shifting and moving
around. I got tired of how much time it took to shower and get
ready to go out, knowing I needed to redo the tape or bond in
the front and then having to style and carefully check it out.
I got tired of not being able to enjoy a windy day or a ride in
a convertible without being self-conscious. I got tired of not
being able to go swimming or out on a boat, always fearing what
it would look like when wet or if the hairline was coming up (which
it would do often if you were not careful). I got tired of everything
in the bathroom becoming sticky from the bond that I would clean
off my head and the underside of the system. The technology has
all changed but I rarely if ever saw someone leaving Hair Club
and thinking to myself “that looks natural
or “that looks great. I can't tell. It was not just that
I knew they were members but it was so obvious. You could see
bad hairlines and mismatches in color or texture....and everyone
wants to look younger so some of the old guys with gray hair would
have a carrot-red piece on and I would laugh hysterically.
I was so controlled by HCM that I was really not happy. On top
of all of this I was adding up all the money I waste on something
that is so horrible, and that is unlike me in other areas of my
life. I never do that. I was wearing a hat again, just like when
I was originally balding, so I would not have to worry about all
these things but then the hat became an issue for me and was certainly
not comfortable.
One day, about two months ago, I decided to not only remove the
rug but too shave my head as well. I have to say, it was the best
thing I could have ever done and in a sense I have my freedom
back. I do what I want when I want and don’t have to think
about any of those negative things I mentioned earlier. Not only
is it so easy to take care of but as other guys probably know,
the reaction from women is wonderful and truly a confidence booster.
Sexy™ seems to be the word used to describe my appearance and
I am told I am a good looking guy without hair. I love it!!! So
guys, forget the rug, throw the cat out..lolol. Bald is cool,
stylish, sexy, fashionable and easy.
Perhaps I will write that book after all.
Sincerely,
Robert Tetenman
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