On the websites of hair replacement specialists, you can always read about "custom-fit hair replacement". It is promised that the hairpiece is custom-made and made as a unique piece just for the customer. This service is used, among other things, to justify a hefty service fee that makes the hairpiece a lot more expensive than if you were to purchase it online. I, too, have paid vast sums for custom-fit hair replacements at a second hair studio - to be exact, 1,600 euros for a hairpiece measuring 15x15 cm. This is a small hairpiece that is actually suitable for people with incipient hair loss - but not for someone with my hair status.
Custom-fit hair replacement: This is what happens in a second hair studio
When you go to a studio that specializes in selling second hair, you will be advised on the spot about your options. It is asked or determined what kind of hair loss you suffer from and then checked, which hair replacement is possible for you. Unfortunately, in my experience, these studios are not up to date. They sell hairpieces that are absolutely not up to what is possible nowadays. For example, I initially wore a "mesh hairpiece". The name suggests it - the hair is tied onto a coarse mesh net. This is supposed to have the advantage that your own hair can be pulled through. Unfortunately, this does not create a natural parting and the whole thing is quite quickly recognizable as a hair replacement. Also, the monofilament outfit is still sold in these studios as the most natural solution - but as I reported here, the Silk Top is vastly superior.
But now back to the custom-fit hair replacement and how it is created in the second hair studio. You will most likely have plastic wrap placed on your head and glued down to mimic your head shape. Then your hairline and the area affected by hair loss will be traced with a marker. This creates an "imprint" that is used as a template for the hairpiece. That's all!
You can easily save this service by measuring your head yourself. All you need is a flexible measuring tape to measure the length and width of the area of the top of your head that should be covered by a hairpiece. This often refers to an "extended" crown that continues towards the back of the head, but also completely bald areas that should definitely be covered. In the case of diffuse hair loss, a smaller hairpiece is often sufficient - here you do not necessarily have to measure.
Is it worth going to a second hair studio at all?
You can already read it out - I have not had good experiences with second hair studios and am accordingly bad to speak of them. Nevertheless, it can be worthwhile in certain situations to visit such a studio after intensive research. Especially if the hair loss is already advanced - for example, in the case of Alopecia Areata - so that you need a wig, it may be useful to have your head measured correctly. But even in this case, you should definitely do your own research on how to distinguish good wigs from bad ones, so that you don't end up with something that only benefits the second hair studio. You can get a rough overview here.