Hair System Industry: Common Terminology

The importance of hair to a person is self-evident. It’s not just about appearance; it’s also about inner confidence. When a person with hair loss finally decides to use a wig or toupee, many technical terms confuse them.

What does this word mean? Are they the same thing? What’s the difference between them? How do you choose?

Understanding precisely what they are helps one make an informed decision.

1. What’s the difference between “Toupee”, “Hair System", “Hairpieces", “Topper", and “Wig”?

For Men, “Toupee”= “Hair System”= “Hairpieces.” They are the same thing.

For Women, we usually use the words “Hairpieces,” which refer to ‘Wigs’ and “Hair Toppers.”

When we say “wig" no matter whether for Men or Women, it is a full-head wig, while all the above words don't necessarily provide full head coverage. So, if you are suffering from alopecia, you should opt for a full cap wig, whereas if you are only bald at the front and top, you can choose a toupee or hair topper.

2. What are “PU,” “Poly,” “Thin Skin,” “Poly Skin,” “Clear Skin” and “Coating Skin” ?

You may see many words describing the base material of a hairpiece or hair system

Here is some insight into their terminology:

PU is the abbreviation for “polyurethane”. When used in the hair system industry, normally PU=Poly Skin=Thin Skin=Clear Skin. You can treat them as just Skin!

Poly Coating means applying the Polyurethane liquid onto the lace or mono materials. When it is completely dry, the Polyurethane is overlaid on the lace or mono. Compared with only skin, poly-coating is more durable!

3. What is under hair or under knot for the natural front hairline? Why do the models with double-folded lace fronts have underhair while full lace hair systems don’t need under hair?

Under hair or under knot is hair ventilated on the edge of a toupee or wig from the underside of the base to cover the edge so that the edge of the base is not visible. This is usually used on combination base design models.

We combine mono and skin materials to create a more durable hair system base. This hybrid base has a longer life span than a pure mono, pure skin, or pure lace base. On this basis, we add a slightly double-folded lace front to increase the naturalness of the front.

Those full-lace hair systems already have a very natural front hairline, so we don’t need to overdo anything.

4. should I choose human gray or synthetic gray while adding gray hairs to my unit? What’s the difference between these two types of gray hair?

If your clients have gray bio hairs and want to choose a hair system with a gray percentage for the best blend and the most natural-looking, we suggest they select models with gray hairs.

The factory typically offers 3 gray hair materials: Human Gray, Japanese Kanekalon Synthetic Fiber and Yaki Hair.

Human gray means the gray hair is made from real human hair. This is the best quality gray hair, as it is real hair. The only disadvantage is that the gray hairs may turn yellow over time.

Synthetic fibre is also a good choice for gray hair as it won’t change colour even if you keep it for a long time. However, the fibres may get tangled and frizzy compared to natural human gray hair. We strongly suggest choosing real human gray hair if your clients need a high gray percentage.

Yaki Hair is the hair from Yaks. There is a kind of Yak in China; the hair on their belly is long and shiny. You can consider yaki hair when looking for a very bright gray colour. Of course, it does not feel the same as human hair, but looks great nonetheless!

We hope the answers to the above questions can solve your concerns. Feel free to contact us if you need any further assistance.

You are most welcome to visit our website and leave your questions there:realhairgroup