Buyers new to hair systems spend most of their time asking about hair — origin, grade, cuticle direction. That matters, but it is the easier half. The base is what decides whether a piece is comfortable in August, whether it survives eight months or eighteen, and whether anyone notices it at a metre’s distance.
There are four constructions we build regularly. None of them is best. Each is a different trade between comfort, lifespan and how invisible the front edge is, and the right one depends on the client wearing it — not on what is cheapest to make.
Full lace
The entire base is fine mesh — Swiss lace, or HD lace where the front needs to disappear completely. Every hair is ventilated by hand, knot by knot. A full lace piece is the lightest thing we make and the most breathable; a client in a hot climate will feel the difference within a day.
It is also the most fragile. Lace tears along the perimeter first, usually where tape or glue has been pulled off carelessly. Expect six to nine months of daily wear, less if the client is rough with removal.
Suits: clients who wear the piece every day in heat, who part their hair in different places, or who will be seen close up under strong light.
Skin, or poly
A thin polyurethane membrane with hair injected through it rather than knotted. At the front edge, thin poly reads as skin — there is no knot to see, because there is no knot. This is the construction that photographs best and the one clients ask for after seeing someone else’s.
The trade is heat. Poly does not breathe. A client in Dubai or Ho Chi Minh City in July will tell you about it. Poly is also the easiest base to attach and clean, which is why it dominates in salons — a tape change takes minutes.
Suits: clients in cooler climates, anyone who changes attachment often, and first-time wearers who want the front edge to be foolproof.
Hybrid
Lace through the centre for breathability, a thin poly perimeter for a secure hold. In practice this is what most experienced wearers settle on after trying the other two, because it fixes the specific problem each of them has: the crown stays cool, and the edge stops tearing.
The join between the two materials is where a hybrid is made or ruined. Done badly it is a visible ridge. Ask any supplier for a photograph of the underside at that seam before you order a run.
Suits: repeat wearers, and any client who has already worn out a full lace piece at the perimeter.
Monofilament
A durable mono mesh crown with hair hand-tied through it, usually with a lace or poly perimeter. Mono is stiffer than lace and holds its shape, so the parting stays where it was set and the hair moves naturally rather than lying flat.
It is the longest-lasting of the four — twelve to eighteen months is normal — and the least fussy to care for. The cost is that mono is slightly more visible than lace at very close range, which is why it is usually paired with a lace front.
Suits: clients who want the piece to last, who are hard on their hair, or who need a parting that does not move.
Side by side
| Full lace | Coolest and lightest · least durable · invisible at any angle · 6–9 months |
| Skin / poly | Hottest to wear · easiest to attach and clean · undetectable front edge · 4–6 months |
| Hybrid | Cool crown with a secure edge · the usual second purchase · 8–12 months |
| Monofilament | Most durable · holds a parting · slightly more visible up close · 12–18 months |
Lifespans assume daily wear and reasonable care. A client who wears a piece three days a week will roughly double them.
Three questions that settle it
When a retailer sends us a client brief, these are the three answers we actually need. Everything else can be adjusted later.
- How hot is it where they live, and do they wear it daily? Heat plus daily wear rules out full poly, whatever else the client wants.
- Have they worn a piece before? First-timers do better with poly or hybrid — the attachment is more forgiving. Experienced wearers usually want lace.
- Where do they part it? A fixed parting suits mono. A client who changes it needs lace or a silk top, or the knots will show on the wrong side.
We cut every base to a template taken from the client’s own head, or to standard sizes if you send measurements instead. The men’s toupees page lists the sizes and densities we hold as standard, and the factory page explains how the pieces are actually built.
If you are still deciding, order one of each as samples. Four pieces in your hand will settle an argument that four pages of specification cannot.