When looking buying men’s hair pieces online, one of the most important choices to consider is the type of base needed.
The “base” of the hair piece is what the hair follicles are sewn into. Common base materials include polyurethane, lace and nylon.
Different base materials serve different purposes and each has its own positive and negative attributes.
Lace bases are very comfortable, as lace is usually the best material for air flow. A lace hairpiece will also offer a very natural appearance at the front hairline as the lace front is very fine and virtually invisible.
On the flip side, lace hair pieces tend to break down faster than other materials because the lace is very delicate.
Attachment may also be more completed, especially if you plan to use hair piece tape. The tape can sometimes be more difficult to remove and tearing may occur.
Nylon bases are somewhat similar to lace. Nylon men’s hair pieces can come in a variety of styles including fine mono and welded mono. A nylon base will also have superior ventilation compared with polyurethane bases and thus offer more comfort to the hair wearer.
Nylon is also typically stronger than lace; making nylon hair pieces a more durable option.
Some may argue that nylon does not offer as natural an appearance as lace when used in base construction; however the quality of nylon produced these days has helped nylon to rival lace in natural appearance.
The durability of nylon also helps hair piece wearers with easy removal, as they do not have to worry about tearing quite as much as they would with a lace hair piece.
Polyurethane hair pieces are sometimes referred to as PU or thin skin. It is designed to almost mimic the appearance of actual skin. Men’s hair pieces made of polyurethane have become a very popular choice in the hair replacement industry.
PU offers a very natural appearance is easy to care for. It is also a material very commonly used for disposable hair pieces.
One of the main downsides to using a polyurethane base construction is the material tends to be less breathable than lace or nylon.
This can make the hair wearer hot and uncomfortable, especially if they live in a warm climate or have a very active lifestyle.
Often, base materials are combined to create hybrid base styles.
For example, many of the most popular men’s hair pieces use bases that are constructed mainly of lace or nylon, but feature a polyurethane perimeter for easy attachment.
Sometimes, all three materials may be combined to provide the best features of each of the materials.
You may see a base composed of welded mono, with a PU perimeter for attachment and a fine lace front to offer the most natural appearance.
Choosing the right base style for your hair piece is relatively easy. It’s just a matter of deciding what your priorities are. If you value a natural appearance over anything else, you may want to choose lace. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time maintaining your hair piece, you may prefer a polyurethane unit. Many men often find that a variety of different base styles suit them well, and don’t mind using a selection of different base materials.
