Bill's Blog on Hair Replacement

I'm Liking NXGEN

HD-OldBill — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:02:00 GMT

I'm liking NXGEN even more. After experimenting with the NXGEN effects, Scalp Scrub Step 1 & Step 2, I'm becoming a firm believer. It's next to impossible to totally cleanse your scalp and hair after using any oil based solvent, but with NXGEN you should never use a solvent. If you don't wait until you have a total melt down situation NXGEN does a wonderful job cleaning the residue off your scalp without using solvents.

Last time I waited a little bit too long and I started to have some melt down that got into my hair. I was able to remove it during my second scrub with Step 1 just by combing through it with a fine toothed comb in the shower, before rinsing. Of course I always use the exfoliating pad with any scalp scrub.

Also, NXGEN 4 liquid adhesive is working great for the front.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

My First Webcast!

HD-OldBill — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:57:00 GMT

Yesterday morning I didn't really know what a webcast was. But by the evening time I had my first one. I was surprised how successful it was. It's a pretty neat venue to have a direct dialogue with clients. I really enjoyed the hour.

I prepared about a half dozen pages of notes, thinking this would be a long sixty minutes and I'd need stuff to say for an hour. Well, I didn't get a chance to even look at my notes. The hour seemed to be over before it started. There where so many really great questions coming at us so fast that I could barely answer them all.

This was a real learning experience for us and I believe everyone who participated got something out of it. Brandon would like to have more of these in the future. If you would like to get an email or a text message reminder of when we are going to do this again, please be sure to let us know so we can contact you. If you'd like to join us, be sure to come ready with any subject you might be interested in discussing.

Have a great hair day,

Bill

Hair Transplants -The Good, The Bad and The Ulgy

HD-OldBill — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:35:00 GMT

Diane, one of our head technicians was off sick yesterday. One of her appointments was with a new client from Paramus, NJ, who wanted to come to the office to be fitted the first time. He was already in transit and couldn't be rescheduled, so I decided to take the appointment.

When he came in I was surprised to see what he was wearing. The unit was a 3/4 cap that wasn't layered or blended. The hair was way too long and way too thick. I thought my first challenge was to convert him from this somewhat less than stellar look to which he had obviously grown accustom.

As gently as I could I began to talk to him about changing his style. He admitted to me that he thought his hair piece looked bad but said wait until you see what is under it.

When I removed his hair system, what was under it was not all that uncommon, because about 50% of our clients have had hair transplants. He felt this botch job was unique to him. I didn't dwell on the transplant but proceeded to transform his look using the hair system he came in with. After layering and blending, there was quite a pile of hair on the floor. And of course, it was a no brainer, he was delighted with the new look.

It was at that time he really began to share his thoughts. He told me about the devastation, humiliation and the embarrassment the negative effect the hair transplant had on every aspect of his life.

The worst part in my estimation is that he couldn't bring himself to sue because of the level of embarrassment. This is so typical. If there was a venue to bring all these guys together, it would probably be the biggest class action law suit ever.

The nonsurgical hair replacement industry doesn't complain either because these guys are committed hair wearers, adding new clients to their ranks every day. These men can't even shave their heads in an effort to conceal their boldness because of all the visible scaring. They have to wear hair.

The advertising claims and reluctance to qualify prospects is a joke. Many times they use before and after photos of guys wearing hair pieces to sell transplants. As a matter of fact, there is a surgery center in San Antonio, Texas who has stolen one of our models before and after photos from our website and used it for their ad on the cover of the Greater San Antonio Yellow Pages. These doctors have a lot of nerve and they call themselves professional!

I can't say that all transplant doctors or all transplants are bad. There are some success stories for the candidates who are properly qualified. Check out Joe Byden tonight when he gives his big speech at the Democratic Convention. I guess he would be considered a transplant success as long as he always looks straight into the camera. You seldom, if ever get a shot at the back of his head where he only has a few strands making a feeble attempt to cover the scar tissue. It must be a pain to at all times be on the alert to always face the camera.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

Quick Fix

HD-OldBill — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:21:00 GMT

Early this morning I worked for a couple real sweaty hours on the river shore, than jumped in the shower. I shampooed first with Deep Cleaning Shampoo, than with Hydration Shampoo. When I got out of the shower, I was surprised to find the lace in front was completely off after just attaching it Friday morning using a thin layer of the white NXGEN Step 4 Liquid Adhesive.

After blotting my hair dry, I sprayed Adjust-A-Bond on the corner of a dry washcloth and wiped the adhesive lightly than pressed the lace down onto the adhesive. One hour later after my body cooled down and dried out, the lace was bonded as good as ever.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

PS: Check out our lace front clean-up video if you have a dirty hairline.

Frizzing Synthetic Grays

HD-OldBill — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:41:00 GMT

If the gray hairs in your system is synthetic, heat and or friction will cause the gray to get frizzy especially in the front and especially if you use a hair dryer. You can easily defrizz the front hair line with a curling iron.

The temperature of the curling iron is critical but easy to control. Under 180 degrees F will not do the job, above 220 degrees F will melt the fiber. Most curling irons will go well over 220 degrees F.

An easy way to control the temperature is with a damp wash cloth. Wipe the damp wash cloth over the barrel of the curling iron. If it sizzles, it's too hot, turn it down to #1 setting. The damp wash cloth will cool the temperature. If you can see a very slight vapor of steam but not hear a sizzle, you're in the proper temperature range. Another good safety measure is to dampen the hair before curling. The idea isn't curling necessarily but to smooth the frizzies. Use a medium to large size barrel curling iron.

Take max, a 1/2"parting of hair in the front and smooth with a fine tooth comb. Run the comb through the section of hair and holding the hair at the end, putting slight tension on the hair. Than put the barrel of the curling iron behind the section and close it as close to the scalp as possible without touching your skin with the hot iron. Put slight tension on the hair over direction the hair forward off base and keep turning the iron in order to smooth all the ends. This will take some practice. I recommend practicing on your old system just before you do a switch.

If you would like me to do a video on this, please let me know.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

NXGEN Step 4 Adhesive

HD-OldBill — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:12:00 GMT

It's called NXGEN effects Step 4 Unifying Agent. It's a long name for a white water based adhesive. I guess the reason they call it Unifying Agent is because it unifies the lace to the skin.

I use the 64F, that's the super fine Hollywood Lace. With this glue the lace does disappear when you press the lace down into it.

I've worn it now for 7 days and I've really put it through a good test. I worked outside landscaping the river shore for a couple hours 5 out of those 7 days. It's very dusty, dirty and extremely sweaty work, along with two one hour workouts in the gym.

Cleaning it at least once a day with a makeup pad and adjust a bond tends to break it down some, but it is important to keep the front hair line clean. I decided to rebond the front today which only took me about 10-15 minutes.

I started by spraying some Adjust A Bond down through the lace and working it around with my finger until the lace released from the adhesive. Then lifting the front lace up any small particles of adhesive residue that stuck to the lace I was able to remove it by wiping it with a paper towel. Then with a paper towel and Adjust A Bond I cleaned all the adhesive off my scalp in the front, changing paper towels a couple times until my front area was squeaky clean. The front lace is held back with a comb in the hair or a clip.

Then I squired a few drops of NXGEN Step 4 Adhesive on my scalp raising up my eye brows so I can easily see where the front edge will lay. Using my finger tip I kept smoothing it until it started to dry clear. Then I brought the lace forward onto the adhesive and with the teeth of the comb, pressed the lace down into the adhesive.

Then like a dummy, it was only an hour and a half later I went to the gym and did get a little bit of white sweat marks on it that will take a few hours to evaporate. It's best to stay cool for a few hours after using any white adhesive because the moisture of the perspiration will carry into the adhesive and make white marks. I like the NXGEN 1 & 2 for cleaning. NXGEN Step 4 Adhesive seems to be pretty good also but I don't recommend using Step 3 Scalp Preparation. It seems to be oily I think it will prevent a good bond. Until we learn more about Step 3, I don't recommend using it.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

Black Hair Show

HD-OldBill — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:43:00 GMT

In an effort to keep up with the latest trends and fashion in the black woman hair styles, Saturday I flew to Atlanta Georgia to attend what I believe to be the largest black womans hair show anywhere.

There were hundreds of exhibitors and tens of thousands of attendees. I was able to catch a 7 AM flight out of Harrisburg, spend a whole day at the show and get an 8 PM flight back to Harrisburg. It was a long day but well worth it.

As expected there was a lot of flair and hype with the way out trend styles. Meanwhile the fashion styles were clambering for attention an the runway. Not too long ago these fashion styles would have been considered trend.

What I thought was interesting was the tried and true classic styles, mostly exposing at least some of the hair line stole the show. Lace front wigs and lace front closures are huge in the black womans market.

As I said, the day was long but well worth it, getting to see old friends in the business and meeting some new ones. On the way home my mind was realing on what we can do to better serve this market.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

More Experimenting...

HD-OldBill — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:52:00 GMT

I did a switch today using the Walker No Shine in the perimeter and NXGEN Step 4 White Liquid Adhesive in the front. The jury is still out on the NXGEN Step 4.

Here's a close up of the front. This is only a 30 density unit (very light), not much hair so invisible adhesive is critical. Eileen (my lovely wife) likes the 40 density better because this piece makes me look older, but she knows I like to experiment. I'll let you know how it works out.

Have a great hair day,

Bill

Super Tape?

HD-OldBill — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:56:00 GMT

Wednesday will only be two weeks that I've been wearing the Super Tape in the horseshoe and Walker No Shine in the front. I was surprised this morning to find the back about 1/4" was lifted.

Maybe it's too early to tell, but I think I like the Walker No Shine better then the Super Tape. Wednesday, I plan to use Walker No Shine in the horseshoe and test the new NXGEN Step 4 White Liquid Adhesive in the front.

I'll let you know.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

Daily Care Between Bondings

HD-OldBill — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:32:00 GMT

I'm sure everyone has their own daily care and maintenance between hair system bonds. I would love for you to share with our community your own personal tips and tricks in keeping your hair looking great all the time.

I thought it only fair to first share with you what I do daily with my hair. Well, here goes.

First, after I attach a new unit I always thoroughly saturate it with lukewarm H2O then blot it with a towel. I then spray a few pumps of ProTouch Spay Gel on my growing hair to give it a little body because it is so fine and limp. Next, I direction it with a comb and brush. I prefer to leave my hair dry naturally but sometimes to give my growing hair a little more body by blow drying it.

After my growing hair is dry, I'll give it a few spritzes of the water soluble ProTouch Holding Spray. I seldom ever use holding spray on my hair system.

With a new hair system, the first couple mornings I only shampoo my growing hair trying not to get too much shampoo on my system. I only rinse my hair system. After getting out of the shower, I blot my hair, never rubbing it with a towel. Followed by my normal Spray Gel on my own hair. Every morning I also always make sure to spray a few spritzes of leave-in conditioner on the system hair only.

Oh, and I almost forget, every morning without fail, the first thing I do after blotting with a towel, I spray a bit of Adjust-A-Bond on a make up pad and clean the front edge of my system.

After the second day, I simply alternate shampoos between ProTouch Hydration Shampoo and Goldwell Kerasilk Shampoo. I only ever use those two shampoos on my hair system, I never use them on my growing hair. As for my growing hair, I prefer to alternate every other morning between the ProTouch Shampoo and the ProTouch Deep Cleasing Shampoo.

Thanks for reading my stuff and if you're so inclined, thanks for sharing your daily routine.

Have a great hair day,

Bill

Good Riddance Little Pucker

HD-OldBill — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:54:00 GMT

I was in a hurry last Wednesday when I put this unit on. I screwed up and got a pucker right in the front. Every morning I had to deal with camouflaging the little pucker.

Yesterday morning after my shower, I looked in the magnifying mirror to find the little pucker looking back at me and decided to try cutting the pucker out. I thought, what the heck, if I screw it up I always have about a half dozen back up units. I get a pretty good deal on them because I know the right people at Hair Direct... hehe.

My hair was wet from the shower. I just separated it over the little pucker, sprayed a little Adjust-A-Bond on the tips of a real sharp pair of scissors and proceeded to cut out a tiny wedge. Two quick snips and the little pucker was gone.

This morning after my shower I looked in the magnifying mirror and the little pucker wasn't looking back at me anymore. As a matter of fact it looked so darn good, I think I'll cut tiny wedges out of the fronts of all my systems.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

More Good Client Advice

HD-OldBill — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:32:00 GMT

After the NXGEN 1 and 2 scalp cleaner, I went next door for a hair cut. Afterwards I gave my scalp one quick washing to make sure there was no loose hairs in the bonding area. After drying my scalp, I sprayed the NXGEN Step 3 Scalp Prep on the bonding area.

I got my new disposable hair system out of the box. I like having the unit cut and blended with the bonding strips already on the system when I get it. I prefer the scalloped no shine this side to base in the front and the Supertape on the perimeter.

All I need to do right out of the box is peel the backing off the bonding strips, spray a little Adjust-A-Bond on the adhesive and position into place on my head. Then I thoroughly saturate the system with temped water and blot it with a towel. I usually use a little Spay Gel Mist on my own hair just to give it a little body. Sometimes I'll use the hair dryer on my growing hair a bit, but I prefer to leave it all dry naturally.

Surface preparation is the key to a strong bond. I sure am putting the NXGEN to the test. On Saturday the temperature was in the 90's and real humid. I worked with three other guys laying 950 sq. ft. of pavers under our deck. I never worked so damn hard or sweated so much in my life. I think it was worth it because we really like the way the patio turned out.

This coming weekend I have another dirty sweaty project on the river shore. I'm really putting the NXGEN surface preperation to the test. I'll let you know.

By the way, I tried Tim Ferris' adhesive removal and mirror slide clean on the unit I only wore for 2 weeks. I put the bonding strips on it so I'm ready to go next week when I do a switch.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

Good Advice From a Client

HD-OldBill — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:00:00 GMT

If I go a day without learning something, it's been a wasted day. I learn a lot from our clients and through our own experimentation. A recent example of learning from a client is TimFerris.

I normally leave my system on for a month. The last week I usually experience some melt down especially in the back and especially in the summer working outside, getting dirty and sweaty.

The messy clean up then requires lots of solvent, paper towels and a lot of rubbing to clean off all the residue. I then need to scrub my hair and scalp at least six times to get rid of all the solvent. I decided to take TimFerris' advice and remove my system after two weeks.

I didn't use any solvent. I just peeled off my system in the shower after shampooing. The steam and hot water softened the adhesive and makes removal easier.

Because I didn't use any solvent I wanted to test the NXGEN product line. Instead of solvent, I used the NXGEN Rinse Away Step 1 and an exfoliating glove. After just two quick scrubs with Step 1, I rinsed and used the Step 2 Deep Recovery, again using the exfoliating glove. After two quick scrubs and rinses, I was amazed how squeaky clean it got my scalp. It was so quick and easy and left no trace of residue.

To be continued...

Have a great hair day.

Bill

Principles: Why These Principles?

HD-OldBill — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:19:00 GMT

These timeless principles are primarily for our staff, and being put into place to align our strategies with our two primary philosophies which are innovation and automation being congruent with our automation philosophy. Anytime anyone has a question all they have to do is go to the principles for the answer.

Why go public with our principles and philosophies? Well, one of our primary principles is transparency.

Why make it available to our colleagues and competitors? I believe when the water level rises, all the boats float higher.

I've learned principles from some of the old master success trainers like Zig Ziegler, Steve Covey and Tom Hopkins and from success literature, primarily the Bible.

These are just the seeds. In the future I plan to fully explain and expand on each one. But, as for now I will go back to others subjects that seem to be more interesting.

Have a great hair day.

Bill

Principles: Getting the Job Done

HD-OldBill — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:39:00 GMT

Leadership chooses the right way, management concentrates on doing it right.

Have a great hair day.

Bill