I had been putting up with my hair loss for just over 8 years and have quite literally tried everything; Rogaine, herbal ointments, various pills, supplements and vitamins, hair in a can (spray on), you name it. So, when I saw an ad on TV for Hair Club one night a few years ago I thought, 'Why the hell not, I’ve pretty much tried everything else?'
I dialed Hair Club's 800 number and was treated very well by the operator and at one point was even "congratulated" on taking the first step towards stopping my hair loss, however, the operator wouldn't give me any pricing information over the phone, which was a cause for concern. I asked the operator several times, but she said she honestly didn't know the answer. I mean, I know nothing is free right? It was worth a shot. Anyway, I made an appointment at the closest Hair Club center and went in on a Saturday to get the actual lowdown. I was quickly greeted by a nice guy, he looked close to 30 (name withheld) who had a full head of hair. His hair was all spikey and cool- pretty much exactly like the guys I simultaneously envied and hated because I couldn't do a damn thing with my hair. It was obvious, this guy wasn't going to relate to my problem.
We started talking about hair loss and why I had decided to come in, eventually I got the facts, er, sort of. I discovered that all the topical products I were worthless since no product can actually regrow a dead hair follicle. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. My options, I was told, were surgery or a non surgical option called a "bio". After this we started talking about the good stuff, cost. The going rate for the best, and most natural looking surgery, is a few thousand dollars. Yes, it's expensive, but it moves takes some of your healthy hair follicles from the back of your head to fill in the balding areas in the front and crown. It made perfect sense after he broke it down to me. The cost was actually reasonable for the procedure, but it was a bit out of my price range.
We then started talking about the non surgical hair replacement option. Basically, Hair Club takes a sample of my hair, review it, and then match it with real human hair. They then blend the real hair into mine in to cover up the bald spots. To do this, Hair Club bonds the real hair to your scalp with the same way procedure people get their teeth capped and bonded, just with hair. Since hair doesn't actually grow, I would have to come back every few months to get it cut or 'reblended'. I had a lot of hair loss, so the price quoted me was lower than I had been expecting and I was intrigued. The rep told me that the entire process took about 6 weeks and that the actual application would take about two hours.
I really started to pushed him for the maintenance costs, and got from him, that the general maintenance costs were about what I was paying for car insurance. At this point, I was pretty much on the fence. How was I supposed to make a decision about my future when I don't know what this was gonna look like?
The Hair Club rep brought out a giant book of testimonial pictures, and honestly, there were some awesome before and after pictures. There were also several surgery and non surgical guys and womens pictures. Apparently surgery doesn't work for women, but why - I don't know. Anyway, then the sales guy, (yep, the same one with the awesome hair) told me about when he had come into Hair Club to get HIS hair back. This threw me for a loop. He had gone with the bio solution and even let me get as close to his hair as I wanted to have a closer look. Honestly, I couldn't believe it. When I first came in I would have sworn it was his natural hair. He told me his story and I could relatere. He then started to tell me about Hair Club's 30 day guarantee, so I figured, if I tried it and it wasn't for me, I’d just give up.
It is now three years later and, yes, I have a full head of hair. I pay a maintenance fee every month and, for me, it's worth every damn penny. I am so much more confident around people, especially chicks, its not even funny. Frankly, I love the results. Yes, there is maintenance. While it is affordable - no, it's not cheap. For me, it was totally worth it. Right now I wear my hair forward or spiked up. In the past I've worn it very messy, parted at times, whatever I liked really, it's up to me. No, it's not the hair I was born with, that said, no one knows that but me....well, and Hair Club.
My advice is to call the local hair club that’s close to you and talk to them directly, or lookup the 800 number. When you meet with a rep they will give you the facts, that part I really liked. This may not be a solution for penny pinchers, but if getting your hair back is actually WORTH it to you, like it was for me, you could do worse than a great looking proven solution.
