Does my hair look fake?

[LighteningBug]

I would really like honest opinions.

Due to decades of chronic health issues and many, many years being very anaemic my natural hair basically looks awful. Couple this with parents who have naturally very thin hair genetically I was never going to be blessed with thick locks.

Doesn't matter what I eat, which supplements I've tried, hair loss medication/products, getting my iron levels to normal ranges with infusions etc, I still and will forever have shite hair.

I reached a point around 10 years ago where I just couldn't stand going out with hair like it is. I could dye it, get good cuts, wear it up with a bun/ponytail attachment etc but it still really depressed me and frankly made me feel old......Then I discovered hair toppers.

At first I wore cheaper synthetic ones, they were ok but never integrated well with my own bio hair. I then moved on to human hair toppers (once I got over the ick of wearing someone else's hair). Good quality ethically sourced hair is not cheap though and I have spent a small fortune on them over the years and they are getting more and more expensive (many £1k+).
With every day wear they only last a year or two and sadly atm due to my chronic health issues worsening I've not been working much so have had to purchase a cheaper topper until my finances resolve but I have become very conscious that it looks like it doesn't belong to me.

I appreciate this is just a photo and you aren't seeing the hair in RL but can I ask what your opinions are? Does my hair topper look fake? Would you know by looking at me that I'm wearing helper hair?

I've added my own horrible hair so you can see the difference.

Yes it's basically a toupee with clips. You can get finer ones for minimal hair loss and thicker/larger based ones with wefts and more clips for more diffuse hair loss.

This is a photo of the underside of my topper, the pressure sensitive clips simply clip onto my own hair.

It looks beautiful, very natural!

I know the struggle have always had fine hair and ended up resorting to extensions. Still searching for the best thing as it can be noticeable at times (and also high maintenance 😭)

They look nice. I’d think nothing of them.

Most days not at all, it feels not different to wearing your hair up or having hair clips in.

If I have a headache then it does feel more sensitive but not often.

I can wear my hair in a low ponytail and often do but it's trickier with a high ponytail although there are a few tutorials on YT for making a topper work for a higher updo.

My DD has the same issue, sadly she has inherited my fine hair and can not find hair extensions to work, she did find some really good tape ins but they wrecked her hair eventually.

That looks lovely and very natural 😊

Thank you so much. I don't think people fully understand just how depressing it is living with very fine hair, it knocked my confidence for years. I could spend hours washing and styling my hair but it never looked good. I could dress in the nicest clothing but as soon as I'd look at my hair my heart would sink to my feet. I'd give anything to have naturally thicker hair but that's just never going to happen so toppers are the next best thing for me.

Completely natural. I thought this was going to be a question about does the shade look natural. It looks really natural and very lovely. Don’t worry op.

I've had 3 iron infusions 3 years ago and now my iron levels are normal, sadly that hasn't improved my hair growth at all. I'm in perimenopause and that now seems to be exacerbating the issue.

My DD has had some joy with a new supplement trial she has been on for the last 6 months, they seemed to be helping, she had some very thin patches which have grown thicker. I tried them but they've done nothing for me 😞

I’ll be honest it’s affected my entire life. When I was a child I apparently had very bad cradle cap. My mother pulled the scales off and those patches never grew back. So I’ve always had bald patches on the top of my head.

I was able to cover these patches using various clips and up dos for years, as I still had lots of hair to use, but then menopause began and I’m losing more hair but it’s more of a general thinning. I’m on HRT and I’ve had everything else checked and rechecked and it’s still falling out.

Luckily it is still ok ish at the hairline so I pull some of my bio hair and the topper back with hair grips. It covers the join between the topper and my bio hair and I feel like people won’t be staring at my hair so much. I’ve attached an image so you can see. It’s not perfect but it does the job.

@LighteningBug

it looks fab.

naturally fine hair, menopause, illness & now a stroke my hair is really suffering. I'm not yet at the stage where I want to start dealing with it (still very much too unwell to care enough!) but it's great to know there are things that can help & how good they look!

when I was a child 40 odd years ago, my Aunty wore wigs as she had incredibly fine & sparse hair. She was such a confident person & it wasn't a secret. She had several & she'd wash & style them. Always let me 'help' when I wanted to. But they wee hit, heavy & itchy! (She said) I'm glad they have come on so much.

That looks really good. And your hair is a really lovely colour. I love that rich deep brunette. Mine is mousy.

I totally understand, it really does effect you and perimenopause doesn't help at all.

Your topper looks very natural, no one would have any idea you were wearing helper hair.

I do hope you start to feel much better in the future.

I'm pretty good at spotting fake hair and that looks natural to me. It's not too weirdly shiny and the hairline looks good. Winner.

How can a person help how thick their hair is as they age ? What age limit is there for having long hair ? is it written down somewhere?

Looks good OP.

It looks great, very natural.

I think it looks great!

It looks lovely- the volume looks completely proportional to your face and head.

My hair is thin and I just have a small amount of extensions to thicken it slightly - you’d never know as the colour match is excellent.

Yours looks like it blends in very well.

Hey OP, looks lovely and natural - I wouldn't have noticed at all.

However just want to let you know even if I did notice that it was a topper / extension, it is still YOUR hair and looks fab.

A lot of young ladies I know use toppers, extensions, even wigs - some have good hair but want a change without damaging their own hair and some just prefer it to their natural x

No, it does not look fake. Very natural looking.

Looking good! :-)

It doesn’t look fake. I don’t know what it looks like outdoors in the wind etc. Obviously can’t see you let face but with the topper you look much younger.