All About Hair

Types of hair

Colors and pricing

Some lighter hair colors carry a surcharge. The order form will add $30 for colors #22R, #30R, #60RYH, #613. Human gray costs +$30 also.

Black hair and lace

If you want jet black color #1, please note that knot bleaching is ineffective on color #1. We advise that you choose a membrane base rather than lace if you want #1 black, or go with color #1B if you insist on lace.

60RYH white hair

When you receive this human gray hair, it can look very yellow. This is just a starting point and it is not ready to use yet. Shampooing with a blond (purple) shampoo will make it so white your eyes will hurt. But then you need to apply a toner to get your desired shade of gray, (or bright fashion color if you prefer).

Knot bleaching

We bleach knots enough to help hide them, but not so much that the hair sheds too fast. It’s a narrow target range and we usually hit the sweet spot.

• If you want to further bleach your knots yourself, it’s at your own risk. But it is very easy. Here some guidelines.
• Buy white powder bleach from the beauty supply store and either 30% or 40% volume cream developer. Avoid thin, runny liquid developer.
• The hairpiece should be dry, clean and free of any adhesive residue, and the hair must not be wet or damp as this would run the bleach up the hair shaft.
• Place bleach powder into plastic or glass bowl and add cream developer a little at a time, mixing with a nylon dye brush. (no metal).
• Paint the resulting thick paste onto the underside of the lace. Do not push it through, just liberally coat the scalp side of the lace (see picture below, hairpiece is upside down here).
• If the mixture is too runny it will go through the lace and give the hair blond roots, and if it is too thick, it will not bleach the top of the knot, so mix it to be just a bit softer than toothpaste.
• You can also add a drabber (purple liquid) if you are concerned about brassy tones.
• After 10 or 15 or 30 minutes (visually check frequently), rinse it out from the top (hair) side and then shampoo the unit to neutralize the process.
• Besides the list above and photo below, there are several YouTube videos online that demonstrate this process or something similar.

General

• Always wash out swimming pool water a.s.a.p.
• Knot bleaching is a way to minimize the dotty appearance that can be seen when dark hair is tied to lace.
• We do not accept any type of hair from the client for use in manufacturing of CoolPiece hairpieces. But the hair that we use is very well regarded by our clients.
• Donor hair does not come from religious ceremonies and it is not un-kosher. It's harvested from hair brushing, no hair is cut off the donors, with the exception of "Mongolian" and Virgin, described below.
• Don’t specify knotting method, we use the least visible possible in all situations.

Highlights

Spot highlights are areas of a lighter color hair interspersed with the darker color hair. They can look like stripes because the hair is all one color from knot to tip. They are named for the spotty color that results underneath the lace. These highlights have alarmed some clients so we discourage ordering factory highlights.

Even highlights are just a color change. e.g. color #2 with 50% even highlights in color #4 will look the same as color #3. You can potentially get a wrong color by guessing these. It is better to provide a good color sample for custom matching.

Real highlights are done afterwards by your stylist/colorist. They can be expensive but this is how to get correct expert highlighting and they will not have to go all the way down to the knot, so no stripes.

Hair types

• Indian hair is the best for hairpieces and wigs. The source is vigorous brushing, no floor sweepings, no tonsuring, no drain catchment. always 100% human.
• Remy Indian hair is (arguably) too big in cross section, but is good for tighter perms. Remy hair is simply less processed. It is not virgin hair from cut-off pony tails (See Mongolian below).
• Chinese hair, the first choice for totally straight hair. Extra charge. Longer lengths of this hair are in very short supply and often unavailable. Ask for availability.
• Mongolian hair, is Indian pony tail hair, but processed, so not the same as virgin hair Longer lengths of this hair are in very short supply and often unavailable. Ask us about availability.
• Virgin European hair is not available. Beware vendors of this, as it is usually not as described.
• Virgin Indian hair is available, this hair is not as manageable for hairpieces as processed hair. The cuticles may cause tangling. Extra charge.
• Virgin Chinese hair is sometimes available, this hair is not as manageable for hairpieces as processed hair. The cuticles may cause tangling. Extra charge.
• Brazilian hair is only a marketing term. It is just Indian hair given a different name by some sellers.
• Indonesian hair is also only a marketing term. It is just Indian hair given a different name by some sellers.
• Synthetic hair makes the best gray for the first 30%. Above 30% we blend in white yak hair by default because a higher percentage of synthetic gray does not look or feel right. Human gray can appear yellow and it is very over-processed because the donor hair is dark brown or black. However synthetic gray can look unnaturally bright in UV black light. If you frequent UV lighted rooms please mention it when you order and we will not include the synthetic gray and use yak instead.
• Human or Yak gray, be aware that if you recolor your unit, this gray will turn the same color as the other hair. Synthetic gray will stay gray after you recolor a unit.
• Evenly distributed highlights will change your overall color blend and may cause a mismatch with your real hair
• Spot highlights look like streaks or chunks except the color goes all the way down through the knot.
• Advice for Synthetic only: No hot water, no hot tools, no hot air.