Beating the system: covering up hair loss

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I’ve been building up since I started writing this blog to writing about my experience with hair replacement systems. My experience was not a positive one on the whole, so I wanted to wait as long as possible after the system was removed, so that I didn’t use the blog post to vent unfairly about it. I know that for lots of people experiencing hair loss, they are a fantastic option and others have had a good experience with the salon I went to.

Nevertheless when I opted to get the system, I didn’t ask all the questions I could have done. I had done some research which uncovered plenty of negative online reviews but I felt they were outweighed by the fact this salon had been recommended by the dermatologist I consulted with about my condition. Having waited so long to confront the problem and decided to at last take action, I wanted to book an appointment quickly.

The salon I went to was Lucinda Ellery in London. Lucinda herself has experienced hair loss for most of her life and worn wigs. This experience led her to create the Intralace system, which is essentially a weave. For the full Intralace system, the affected parts of your scalp are covered with a fine, breathable mesh which your hair is pulled through in small sections. Fibre connections are plaited into this hair, creating a bond. Panels of hair are then sewn onto the mesh: one panel of hair for each row of bonds.

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After getting the Intralace

The system price varies according to the size (or grade) of the mesh. There is also an alternative system for people who are only affected by thinning hair or hair loss on the parting, or the front of their hair, called the Intralace Minima. The system works the same way but hair is only added to the parting. For both systems a fringe is required to cover the mesh.

For people suffering from total hair loss, medical grade tape can be used to attach the system. This is called the Intralace Freewear.

Every six weeks the system must be tightened (or adjusted to use the official term), which involves pulling the hair which has grown more tightly through the mesh, and re-bonding the fibre connections. Once every six months the system is removed, the hair underneath washed and the system is put back on. This process is called a realignment and is necessary to reposition the system to take into account any new hair growth. The system lasts for two years, at which point you need to buy a new Intralace if you want to continue with the system.

The big advantage of this approach in my eyes was that in between appointments I would be able to wash my hair, swim, sleep and generally live as if the hair was my own, allowing me to build up some of the self-confidence I had lost through my hair loss.

The huge disadvantage initially was the price. I was quoted £2,095 for a Grade 2 Intralace and told that I would need more frequent adjustments, every five weeks, at £98 an hour. These appointments took around two and a half hours. The realignment would similarly need to be done at the five month mark at the same hourly cost and would take around five hours.

In this video, you can watch a more positive review of the system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rigD8hj5zPA.

At the consultation, I did not actually speak to a member of the salon staff but the person I consulted with was very sensitive on the whole and had a nice manner. I felt he was an expert in the system, rather than in hair loss (which was in line with what I had expected), although he did attempt, slightly clumsily, to analyse what the cause was.

He was very efficient but spent plenty of time going through everything and I didn’t feel rushed. I think he picked up very clear signals from me that I was keen to commit to the system that day, which I got the feeling was unusual for their clients and I think that was why he offered me free hair extensions to cover the parts of my scalp where I didn’t need the system. This would allow me to have long hair which he recommended as it would be ‘slimming’!

It was a huge financial commitment for me and represented a big sacrifice but I felt it was something I really needed to do to move forward in my life.

In a separate post, I’m going to describe my experience once I had the system put in but meanwhile, I would love to hear your thoughts on hair replacement systems. Is there anyone who has opted for the Intralace or a similar system? Tell me about your experiences in the comment section!

19 thoughts on “Beating the system: covering up hair loss”

  1. Pingback: Intralaced: the Lucinda Ellery experience – Splitting Hairs

  3. Hi please can you let me know what system you have opted before after your experience with the lucinda ellery intralace system. Thank u Ms Kaur

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      1. Thank you very much for your honesty!

        I was considering LE and glad I read this as I felt the reviews were too good to be true and the costs are so daunting.

        Does connect hair extensions offer services to make the roots more volumised!

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  4. I also use Lucinda Ellery and although I’m extremely grateful for the help In covering my hair loss I’m not as thrilled as i wanted to be. The first negative is the price. It’s a huge financial commitment as you’ve already said. The initial outlay, plus the upkeep costs of having to go back for the adjustments and the realignments. Secondly, there is no way I’d go swimming with my system on….absolutely not.
    there is also a huge difference in the ability in each of the stylists who tape the system down. One of them made sure the entire hair line was taped down whereas another only put small pieces of adhesive tape on, so my hairline wasn’t completely stuck down – can you imagine going swimming like this.
    I also feel that now they’ve secured my business, they’re not trying as hard anymore and have lost sight of the fact that I still have the need to be treated like it’s my first experience. They all tried so hard then and assured me i could ‘do anything’ with this system in place. I don’t feel that I can….as I’ve explained.
    I’d love to know if there’s an alternative.

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  5. There’s a distinct lack of honest reviews online – I wonder if LE is deleting these? I know it would have helped me if I’d been able to read someone else’s experiences before I took the plunge (and regretted it).

    I’ve been a client for about a year now. My experience was initially ok but I’m finding that as the months have passed, my hair just gets bigger and bigger on top and now looks very fake. This has always been my fear. The system is very top heavy and with fine hair it just looks wrong as the hair is still fine at the bottom but super dense at the top. Kind of a mixture between a mop and a mullet! My fringe doesn’t sit right and comes away from the rest of the system. When I’ve complained about this my concerns were just dismissed. I’m in a position where I’m having to straighten my hair reguksrky to make the top look thinner/stick to the scalp. Because of this straightening, my hair looks to limp at the bottom to have it down but when I have it up the fringe does not blend in. I seem to spend more time on my hair now than I used to before.

    The worst part of the whole experience is the damage that’s been done to my natural hair. When I first had the realignment done I was in tears with the damage that’s been done to my natural hair. I have lost a LOT of hair through the system. They can spin as many tales as they like about the system not damaging your hair – I have photographic evidence to prove otherwise. This is how they tie you in – my hair is now so bad I can’t carry on without a hair piece/system

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    1. I’m so sorry to hear about your experience. It’s similar to mine which is particularly upsetting as I hoped it was just a one-off. Do you think you would be able to consider the extensions I got, which I found did cover up the damage to my own hair while allowing it to recover?

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    2. MS T – I’m interested in your experience as I have just started with an Intralace and already it sits too high on my head. I also have naturally poker straight, very fine hair – it has always been like it, nothing to do with the hair loss/alopecia, so the thick hair in the system already looks weird. I have my first adjustment appointment soon and am hoping to have some more styling to help and I have bought straighteners. I’m feeling very negative about it all.

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  6. Possibly … think I may be beyond help now though … wish I’d found your blog earlier! My scalp is clearly visible now so not sure how well the extensions would work. I also live in Bham so travelling to London may be an issue

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    1. There is always hope! It’s worth a call and there may be a local salon that offers the system. The extensions are quite low maintenance too which helps a lot with cost and travel. Lots of luck x

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  7. Hi!
    About to go for consult with LE next week and quite concerned to hear the negative experience. I too have fine hair with thinning at the front and crown. Was thinking of either the Intralace Minima or Medi Connections. Am now thinking about looking into your extension option but Connect only seem to be in London 😢. Thank you so much for your reviews!

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  8. In case it helps anyone, I have heard a third hand positive review of Mark Ellery in London. I explored their system but was advised they couldn’t help as I have “too much hair ” . (Ironic, but I sent them photos and that is what they said.) London is inconvenient and expensive for me too so I didn’t pursue it

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  9. Hi,

    Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

    sorry to ask, but I have booked an appointment with LE for the medi connections. I have thin hair (also thinning on the top but do not want an intralace.

    Your comments regarding the quality of the hair and the bond is rather worrying and I want to make sure I explore all of my options.

    May I ask for the website and address of the service you used (connect hair extensions) so that I make sure I am looking at the same provider.

    thanks

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