Until recently the weave was almost solely the preserve of black women who wanted to add straight long hair to their natural tight curls. Now, however, the technique has just made the crossover to men as a treatment for male pattern baldness and is being regarded by many hairstylists and barbers as a “game changer”.
Don’t get it wet!
The “man weave” is a colloquial term for the cranial prosthesis. Compared with most treatment for balding men it’s relatively cheap (between £150 and £600) and it doesn’t involve surgery of any kind. Applied properly the results are normally impressive as the weave is carefully colour matched to blend in with existing hair.
There are a couple of downsides though. The weave isn’t permanent, although it should last a few months and you are advised no to wash it or get it wet as this can loosen the adhesive and the whole thing can come off.
Prefer a more permanent solution?
If you’re contemplating a “man weave” and you don’t mind going for a shorter “buzz cut” look then an alternative worth exploring might be Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP). This increasingly popular treatment is being adopted by more and more bald and balding men around the globe.
Normally carried out over a couple of sessions a skilled practitioner will develop a layered look of closely cropped hair by applying organic ink compounds directly into the scalp with astonishingly lifelike results.
Like the “man weave”, scalp micropigmentation is non-invasive and doesn’t involve any surgery. It is more expensive than the weave as an initial outlay, but the finished product is permanent and maintenance free. Even close friends, family and work colleagues can’t distinguish between SMP and the real thing and there’s zero chance of being found out in public as it can’t work loose like a hair system.
