Toni's Story

I started to experience hair loss in my early twenties. It really knocks your confidence, especially at such a young age. At uni, I became self-conscious and started using hair fibres, but they were terrible. What you see on the adverts does not match the reality!

I started getting depressed. I hated seeing clumps of hair falling out in the shower. I tried caffeine shampoos, I tried Minoxidil, I even tried hair loss tablets. None of it really works. Unfortunately, if you’re gonna lose your hair, you’re gonna lose your hair.

A year or so after uni, someone I knew sent me a link about hair replacement. The hair systems looked really good, and it felt like a cost-effective solution. By buying a hair system, I could avoid spending thousands of pounds on a hair transplant.

I booked a consultation with a salon in London, they were OK, but everything felt really rushed. They didn’t tell me much about the system or how to maintain it. I felt kept in the dark with it all.

They used tape to fix the hair system on, without any glue. It’s strange looking back, but they didn’t even make it clear that I was supposed to come back to get it maintained and refitted. It felt very unorganised, it wasn’t a good service.

Shortly after having the system fitted, I went inter-railing around Europe for about three weeks. I loved the way the system made me look. It had been a while since I’d had a full head of hair, so it was a significant change!

A couple of weeks into the trip, I started noticing that the hair was changing colour from all the sun and UV. My hair is quite dark, but when I got back, my hair system was really light. Again, the salon hadn’t told me that I needed to avoid over-exposing the hair system to the sun.

As I travelled across the continent, the adhesive on the tapes started to break down. I had not been shown how to change the tapes, so I just kept adding more. Things got very sticky fast!

When I returned home, I booked an appointment with Tracey. By the time I arrived for my appointment, the hair system was almost orange. It was covered in mountains of tape around the perimeter. Tracey took one look at it and asked: “What have you been doing?!” We both laughed when I explained that I’d only had it for three weeks!

Tracey fixed my system and taught me everything I needed to know to maintain and look after it properly. She explained that the speed in which the system had changed colour was a sign that it was not of good quality. She ordered me a new, much better hair system.

She told me that I could come back every 4 weeks to have my hair cut and the system refitted. I’ve been going to Tracey for 5 years now. She’s brilliant! We’ve grown to know each other over the years–we’ve become really good friends. We always have a good chit chat when I come in.

Tracey has a way of making you feel comfortable and at ease. She’s very understanding and knows everything there is to know about hair loss. She’s taught me loads about wearing a hair system—how to clean it, what products to use, the best routine for looking after it. She’s the best hairdresser I’ve ever had. She has completely restored my confidence. What she does is amazing.

Recently, someone commented on my hair. They asked how I got it looking so good. It’s moments like that that make me smile.