I've been waiting to write a review about Toppik until I've used a few bottles to see how the product holds up in different weather and conditions. I absolutely love it. I have Alopecia and (bad) thinning on my crown. I wore a partial hairpiece for years, which looked great and did the trick. But for any of you ladies out there in the same position, you know what a human hairpiece means. It's expensive, so for me, I could only have two, and they were identical pieces. They were dyed to match my hair, which meant I had to color my hair exactly the same color for years. And the style never changed, short bob forever. Not to mention the maintenance, head forms in the bathroom, and having to replace the hairpieces when they wear out. I decided to give Toppik a try because I wanted to see if I could use it and feel comfortable with my own hair. To explain my level of thinning, I would never go out of the house without a hat or hairpiece. Ever. Once I started using Toppik, the hairpieces and head forms went into the closet and they haven't come back out! I love love love this stuff. I started out using Toppik with the spray applicator, which worked well for a while. But then I noticed the spray applicator wasn't working as well as it once had. I would pump once and have to wait forever for the air to refill the pumper and it would take a long time to cover my thinning areas using this method. So I finally popped the sprayer off and used the shake method. Works like a charm. Because I am thin all over my crown, I use the sharp end of a comb, start at one side of my head, slightly above my ear, and create a part to the back of my head. Shake on the Toppik from back to front (careful near your face! it can be messy). Repeat the process about half an inch apart all the way across my head. Once I'm done, I use a cotton ball to clean my face and hairline of any Toppik that has gotten out of control (especially check the nose and under your eyes). Quick check with a handheld mirror for coverage, and then I usually use some type of defrizz or smoother on my hair. When I put that on, I do end up with Toppik on my hands from rubbing my hair, no biggie. After that I use regular hairspray which seems to work well to lock the Toppik in place. I believe there is a product you can buy to do this, but I've never used it. Since I've started using Toppik I've grown my hair out. I haven't had long hair in about 10 years because I had to conform to the hairpiece, but not anymore! I can wear my hair wavy or straight again, when before I always had to blow-dry it straight to match the hairpiece. I love my hair again, which isn't something I thought I would ever be able to say. And there is a weird side effect of the Toppik for me. Normally if I wash my hair in the morning, and don't use Toppik, by the next morning, my hair is starting to get a little greasy, not a problem if I'm wearing a hat, but even before my hair loss, I washed my hair every day. When I use the Toppik, my hair looks awesome the second day! It ends up super full from the roots down and not oily at all. I can sometimes go three days without washing it, which would have seemed crazy to me before using this product. The best I can surmise is that the Toppik absorbs the oil my scalp is secreting?? Anyway, I don't really care, because it means I can get two, sometimes three great hair days out of one styling and application of the Toppik. So the downside? It is really messy. No matter how careful I am, I still end up with Toppik all over the sink and counter, and I use dark brown, so it really shows. As messy as it is, I really don't care. It could be ten times messier and I would still use it. Because until you've gone through the difficulty of losing your hair, you will never understand how amazing it feels to get compliments on your own real hair again!! I have been out in the rain with no problem, and worked out. While working out, when my head gets sweaty and I wipe it with a towel, there is Toppik on the towel. I just make sure to be careful. Have not gone swimming in it, and probably won't try. I've also used Great Hair Day powder and really liked it, but for the amount of coverage I now need, Toppik is the product for me. If you are on the fence, order the smallest size and try it. You can always send it back if it doesn't work for you, and it could change the way you feel about your hair!
