What is Hair Club?

What is Hair Club? - Since I started this blog (then subsequently ignored it - oops), I've received several emails or inquiries asking me "What does Hair Club do?" or "What does hair club for men do?".
Firstly, it isn't just the Hair Club for Men anymore. Hair Club has been serving female clients for years now. Additionally, they also have a charitable organization Hair Club for Kids that as far as I know, donates hair systems and hair replacement surgeries to children that lost their hair due to medical reasons

Gotcha, but what is hair club and what do they do?

They provide multiple solutions for people who have lost or are losing their hair and wish to either stop going bald or to gain back the hair that is already gone.
I'm not sure how all their solutions work but the services they offer are:

• Surgical replacement
• Non-surgical replacement
• Topical solutions to stop hair loss
• Lasercombs to stimulate hair growth

What do the solutions cost?

I received the non-surgical solution, but beyond that I really don't know. I'm going to try and inquire with them and see if I can get some ballpark figures to post on here. Prior to my consultation they were somewhat vague about pricing so I may not be able to get a finite amount. Will keep you posted

How Does Hair Club Work?

A friend made an appointment for a consultation the other day and before they went in asked me what they could expect. Figured I'd post it here as well.

Hair Club Consultation

Once someone contacts Hair Club, he or she scheduled for a consultation where their budget, lifestyle, & hair restoration needs are evaluated. By the time they leave, they should have received a hair loss treatment plan that's was customized to match their needs which may include a hair transplant surgery, non-surgical bio-matrix or extreme hair therapy (EXT). The solution you get will be mostly based on your level of hair loss and whether or not you can afford surgery.

Hair Club for Men Non-Surgical Biomatrix

Pretty much what happens is your hair is color matched and the directional patterns on your scalp are duplicated. They then create a hand made high-quality toupee that is professionally fitted to your scalp by a licensed cosmotologist with medical grade adhesives. Then they give you a haircut so that your natural hair is cut in with the piece, and blends seamlessly. It requires regular visits to maintain the look, but not much more than your normal monthly haircuts. Also, their stylists have all worked with these systems for a number of years and are crazy good at making it look natural.

Follicular Transplant Procedure

The Hair Club use the follicular transplant surgery since that's supposed to be known as the best long-term solution for thinning and balding hair. Basically, a section of scalp is removed from the back of your head, then entire strands are plucked out, follicle and all, then re-planted into the front of the scalp or wherever the balding is occuring. These hairs grow like normal and because they're transplanted one by one, so that they don't look like plugs. The entire procedure is done in just one day, and under local anesthesia. Most people prefer this solution as it is permanent.

Why I Joined Hair Club - My Hair Club Review

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.