While we all wish for flowing, luscious locks, the reality is that not everybody can achieve that without a little bit of help. As we age or experience changes in our lives, our hair can change right along with us, thinning out or starting to succumb to hair loss. Fortunately, hair toppers exist and can be the perfect solution if you want to boost the volume in your hair or hide thinning patches.
It can be a little hard to get a hair topper looking natural, especially if you’ve never worn one before. To help you out, we’ve made a complete list of the best methods to get your hair topper blending in perfectly with your real hair. You’ll also learn the best ways to apply and care for your hair topper.
Why Use a Hair Topper?
There are many different types of hair toppers available, but the common goal among all of them is to disguise hair loss, hide spots of thinning hair, or to add more volume to the hair. Hair toppers are available in either synthetic hair or natural hair forms, with synthetic toppers being cheaper and natural toppers being easier to blend into your natural hair.
Types of Toppers
There are three main types of toppers that you can choose from to effectively provide natural-looking hair coverage.
Part Toppers
A part topper is designed to be worn across the natural parting of your hair. They can easily hide thinning hair along your natural parting when applied correctly, no matter if the parting is on the left or right side, or straight down the middle.
Crown Toppers
Crown toppers are created to be applied to the area at the back of your head, the crown, where your skull starts to slope downward toward the base of your neck. This type of topper is ideal for someone who may be getting bald spots on the back of the head or someone who wants to add volume to thinning hair in the crown area.
Top Toppers
A top topper is designed to be worn at the very top of the head and can cover a lot of hair or just a little bit, depending on its length and thickness. This type of topper is a good idea for someone who has thinning hair on all sides of their head or someone who wants to boost the overall volume of their locks.
How to Properly Apply Your Hair Topper
The first step into making your hair topper look as natural as possible is applying it to your natural hair correctly. These steps can help you understand how to easily put your hair topper into place.
- Prepare your topper by opening all of the clips and gently laying it down somewhere within easy reach, clip side up.
- Tease the areas of your hair where you will be attaching the topper. This will give a more secure hold.
- Apply the topper to your hair, clipping the front clip securely in place.
- Hold the topper in place firmly and move your hand around to the back, securing the clips there.
- After the back clips are in place, keep holding the topper firmly and secure any remaining clips on the sides of the topper.
- Once all the clips are secured, you can style and blend your topper into your real hair as desired.
This video demonstrates the best way to securely apply a hair topper if you need help visualizing the process.
The Best Methods to Make a Hair Topper Look Natural
These methods are the most effective and easiest way to get your hair topper looking completely natural when applied to your head.
Trim It
Most hair toppers will need to be trimmed to match your hair length and style as soon as you purchase them. It is important to customize your hair topper with trimming, as this will help it blend into your natural hair the best.
If you don’t feel confident about trimming your own hair topper, you may want to consult with a stylist who can help you trim and craft your hair topper until it perfectly matches your needs and expectations.
Apply Makeup to the Hair Line
It is likely that your hair topper will have lace netting underneath it that holds the hair together and holds the clips that allow you to place the hair topper into your hair. Once you apply your hair topper, you may notice that the lace or netting sits awkwardly on top of your hairline, making it obvious that you are wearing the topper.
You can fix this issue by taking foundation or concealer that matches your skin tone and gently dabbing it along the topper’s hairline. Blend the makeup gently over your skin and the topper, blurring the appearance of the lace or netting.
You can also finish up by dabbing a translucent setting powder over the makeup to hold the concealment in place all day long.
Blend It
Another great way to make your hair topper look natural is to blend your natural hair with the topper. This can help prevent any lines or noticeable areas where the topper is just sitting on top of your head, standing out from your hair.
In order to blend your topper, take a few pieces of your natural hair out from under the lace or netting. Comb the hair up and over the front of your hair topper, blending the natural hair with the front of the topper hair. This will create a seamless transition from your real hair into the topper, making it look more natural.
This video can help you visualize how to easily blend your topper into your hair.
Remove the Shine
While this is more of a problem with synthetic hair, some natural hair toppers may also experience excessive shine or a sheen that makes the topper look completely fake. The best way to get rid of this is to wash the hair topper before use, removing any chemicals or other materials that may be causing a fake plasticky sheen. Keep in mind that it may take a couple of washes to completely remove the shine, though.
If you are looking for more of a quick fix to your topper’s shine problem, you can sprinkle a little bit of baby powder or cornstarch onto the topper. Only use a little bit and evenly distribute it throughout the hair in order to prevent any one area from turning white.
Alternatively, you can use a dry shampoo to reduce the shine. A tinted dry shampoo may also make the topper look a little more natural once you apply it to your hair. Just give a quick spray of the shampoo onto the shiniest areas and along the part of the topper for best results.
Style It
Styling your topper is essential in making it look natural and blend with your hair. You shouldn’t just apply your topper and leave it sitting there, hoping it will somehow look natural over time. Instead, once the topper is securely applied, comb through it very lightly with fingers or a wide-toothed comb, blending the hair of the topper with your natural hair.
Depending on the material that your topper is made out of (synthetic hair doesn’t hold up to heat styling well), you can heat style to make natural-looking curls or straighten all of the hair together, blending it.
This video can give you more tips and ideas on how to perfectly style your hair topper.
Use Eyeshadow on the Topper
The area where the topper parts is one of the most problematic when it comes to making your hair topper look natural. If you want to help make the lace or netting look a little more like the rest of your hair, you can take eyeshadow in a suitable color and dab it along the part.
This will help make the parting look more real, can add shadow and depth to the topper, and can help make the lace of the topper more of a match to your natural hair color.
Choose a Suitable Color
Most shades of natural human hair have a variation of colors to them, adding depth and the appearance of volume. In order to make your hair topper look as natural as possible, you should choose a color that can help you achieve this 3D appearance.
When selecting a topper color, request a color ring from the manufacturer if they have one. A color ring holds swatches of topper colors you can compare to your own hair, allowing you to select the perfect color.
If color rings are not available, purchase the color that appears to be closest to your natural color. When you receive the topper, you can compare it with your natural color and then dye the topper or tone it to match your hair perfectly. Keep in mind that dyeing hair is typically easier if you have a human hair topper instead of a synthetic topper.
You may want to take the topper to a professional stylist and have them dye the topper for you, as this can give you the best, most natural-looking results.
Caring For Your Hair Topper
Caring for your hair topper and treating it gently will allow it to stay intact and in good quality much longer, leaving you with lasting, natural-looking hair. Here are a few tips and tricks that should help you care for it effectively.
Use Dedicated Cleaning Materials
Washing your hair topper is an important step in keeping it looking good and removing any fake sheen that it may have. Make sure to only use cleaning materials that are dedicated for synthetic or human hair topper cleaning, as they will be the gentlest and leave your topper looking its best.
Protect Your Topper
Like with other types of wigs, it’s important to protect your hair topper from extreme heat or sunlight. These conditions can cause the fibers in the topper to break down, degrading it over time. Wear a hat if you know you are going to be in the sun for a long time while wearing your topper.
You should also avoid swimming with your topper in, as toppers shouldn’t be soaked with water, except for cleaning, and the chemicals in pool water can damage the fibers in your hair topper.
Store Your Topper Correctly
When your topper is not in use, it should be stored in a clean Ziploc, satin, or silk bag. Comb through the topper lightly and ensure that the topper is not getting tangled on itself in the bag. You can use a hair net to preserve your topper’s integrity while in storage.
Keep your stored hair topper in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and any type of moisture.
Treat Your Topper Like Real Hair
A good rule to act by is to treat your topper much like it is your real hair. Don’t be too rough with it, and don’t tug or pull at the fibers. You should be conditioning your hair topper regularly to reduce the occurrence of knots and keep the topper feeling soft, and when your topper is applied to your hair, lightly comb to blend and style carefully, ensuring that the fibers of the topper maintain their integrity.
Natural-Looking Hair Toppers for Confident Style
Thinning hair or hair loss issues are no fun for anyone to experience and can be a serious blow to the confidence of many women and men worldwide.
Fortunately, hair toppers can help improve the appearance of bald patches and add volume to hair, offering a solution to the hair needs of many. As long as you take care to style and blend your hair topper into your hair, you’ll have a natural-looking topper and a renewed sense of confidence in your style in no time at all.