Newb inquiries regarding hair system salons

[Jake1979]

Hi guys, I've been researching hair systems for over a year now and hoping to get started in the next 1-2 months. I visited a salon in my area today and the lady was very nice and answered all of my questions and seems very qualified. She and her assistant asked alot of questions about my lifestyle and work environment and took a good hour with me matching my bio hair to what they thought would be best on color wheel which was a very dark brown with 20-30 gray. She charges $370 for the initial install which includes the unit and cut in and just everything that goes with getting it initially installed, and then she charges $120 per appointment for detach and reattach and cleaning and bio hair cut, and she claims I will only need to schedule these appointments every 3-4 weeks. However based on my research, my understanding was that a hair system must be removed and cleaned and then reattached every 5-10 days.

Also, I was hoping to be able to order my own hair system from Lord Hair or Lavivid and have her do all of the rest, but when I asked her about those two brands she said she doesnt like them bc she finds the hair to be "too coarse" and not natural. She says she only uses a brand called "Onrite" which she orders herself and takes care of that end of it,but I am not familiar with that brand. I tried to search for it and was able to find it for sale on a site called discount hair systems and another site that I dont recall the name. The units were listed as around $450 and up, but so far I cannot find much about "Onrite" hair systems or that company. I am a bit suspicious about this, feeling it may be a red flag, and wonder if these are just cheap units that she is using in order to increase her profit margin.

My questions are:

1)Has anyone heard of Onrite brand hair systems and do you know if they are any good?

2)are the prices she is charging fair and reasonable?

3) is it a red flag that she is claiming that I will only need to come in for reinstall every 3-4 weeks?

I'm just wondering if any of these things are obvious red flags and if should move on to another salon. Any help from some experienced hair system veterans would be so greatly appreciated.As you can probably tell, I am a rookie and definitely dont know much about this stuff yet, still learning and just trying to get started but dont want to start off at a bad place with a bad system that might sour me to the whole hair system deal. Being so green at this I'm an easy mark to be ripped off.

I hope I provided enough info to give a clear picture. Sorry if I didnt. Thanks for listening guys

 

[JMC]

Hey Jake!

I don’t know anything about that brand, but $370 for the unit and initial install is very reasonable. To give you some comparison, I live in NC my initial unit and install was $1000. Now that is fairly high and probably more in line with NYC prices, but there seems to be little competition in the area. Also, the salon is located in a high wealth area (Raleigh/Cary) with a lot of medical professionals.

You will most likely need to do a service every 2 weeks or so (depending on your body chemistry with the unit). Some people can go 3-4 weeks, but a lot still do it every 2 weeks based purely on hygiene.

My suggestion and exactly what I did.... get your install done by the salon and go 2-3 times after that for servicing. Each time you go be taking mental notes of how she does everything. Also, start watching the plethora of YouTube videos and information on this site to get comfortable enough to do it yourself. Trust me, I literally had no clue there were multiple bases to even choose from! I am now buying my own units and doing all the work myself (with the help of my girlfriend).

Honestly though, at $370 for the unit and initial base cut and haircut I would not hesitate a bit to keep going there for that. A unit costs anywhere from $170-$400 online. To cut the base (you could do yourself but this is one thing I hate doing) and the cut in of the unit you are looking at $75ish. If you find the unit she provides to be of good quality i think it’s extremely reasonable. It really seems like she is expecting to make a majority of her money off of repeat services from you.

Where are you located?

FYI: I’m not very experienced and don’t claim to be I just wanted to give you my perspective of someone who went through this about 6 months ago. There are many more people on here that can help far better than myself.

 

[Noah]

Hi Jake

Good info there from JMC. I agree, that is a very fair price for the system and fitting. The going rate in the US outside New York seems to be around $700 - 800. The maintenance fee is about average. It's a very good sign that she has spent time with you to understand your needs and wishes.

I wouldn't say the 3-4 week timetable is a red flag exactly. Most salons suggest 4 weeks of thereabouts, I think mainly because that is about the maximum gap that keeps the system looking OK, and not many customers are willing to come in for maintenance (or pay for it) more often than that. But I do agree with JMC that there are advantages on getting to the point where you do your own maintenance. It's more hygienic, the system will look better, last longer and feel more secure, and also you will be able to use finer more undetectable systems. A system has to be fairly robust to withstand being in place for 4 weeks at a time, and robustness and fineness/undetectability are pretty much inversely proportional.

I will PM you some comments on the suppliers you mentioned.

Noah

 

[Jake1979]

Hi Jake

Good info there from JMC. I agree, that is a very fair price for the system and fitting. The going rate in the US outside New York seems to be around $700 - 800. The maintenance fee is about average. It's a very good sign that she has spent time with you to understand your needs and wishes.

I wouldn't say the 3-4 week timetable is a red flag exactly. Most salons suggest 4 weeks of thereabouts, I think mainly because that is about the maximum gap that keeps the system looking OK, and not many customers are willing to come in for maintenance (or pay for it) more often than that. But I do agree with JMC that there are advantages on getting to the point where you do your own maintenance. It's more hygienic, the system will look better, last longer and feel more secure, and also you will be able to use finer more undetectable systems. A system has to be fairly robust to withstand being in place for 4 weeks at a time, and robustness and fineness/undetectability are pretty much inversely proportional.

I will PM you some comments on the suppliers you mentioned.

Noah

Thank you so much Noah! Very good advice and info and great help in the message! I sent you a message also!

 

[Jake1979]

Hey Jake!

I don’t know anything about that brand, but $370 for the unit and initial install is very reasonable. To give you some comparison, I live in NC my initial unit and install was $1000. Now that is fairly high and probably more in line with NYC prices, but there seems to be little competition in the area. Also, the salon is located in a high wealth area (Raleigh/Cary) with a lot of medical professionals.

You will most likely need to do a service every 2 weeks or so (depending on your body chemistry with the unit). Some people can go 3-4 weeks, but a lot still do it every 2 weeks based purely on hygiene.

My suggestion and exactly what I did.... get your install done by the salon and go 2-3 times after that for servicing. Each time you go be taking mental notes of how she does everything. Also, start watching the plethora of YouTube videos and information on this site to get comfortable enough to do it yourself. Trust me, I literally had no clue there were multiple bases to even choose from! I am now buying my own units and doing all the work myself (with the help of my girlfriend).

Honestly though, at $370 for the unit and initial base cut and haircut I would not hesitate a bit to keep going there for that. A unit costs anywhere from $170-$400 online. To cut the base (you could do yourself but this is one thing I hate doing) and the cut in of the unit you are looking at $75ish. If you find the unit she provides to be of good quality i think it’s extremely reasonable. It really seems like she is expecting to make a majority of her money off of repeat services from you.

Where are you located?

FYI: I’m not very experienced and don’t claim to be I just wanted to give you my perspective of someone who went through this about 6 months ago. There are many more people on here that can help far better than myself.

Hey JMC, thank you so much for your response and for sharing your knowledge and experience with me bro! That is very helpful giving me an idea of price ranges and how you got started and learned to do it yourself.
I would very much like to learn how to do the DIY at home deal, and I will do what you suggested and try and get as much info and details about what she is doing and materials she is using when she does installs. She seems pretty open about sharing information with her clients, and I'm really hoping I can do as well as you did in educating yourself on how to do all of the work yourself.
I agree with what you're saying about the time between detatch/attach cleaning stuff. I sweat alot and am pretty active, and from all I've read and seen online I dont think I could make it more than 12-14 days between appointments. I'll probably just have to go every 2 weeks and spend more money until I get the hang of it to do myself.
I've been watching alot of YouTube videos and seems like just as you said, cutting the base is the trickiest and requires the most practice but guys seem to get the hang of it. I've seen a couple of guys who messed up their units the first time. There is a guy who sells an ebook on the ins and outs of diy hair systems so I may check that out also. I just want to get to the point you are at with it, where I'm comfortable doing all of the maintenance at home and not have to depend on anyone to do all that.
Thanks so much again brother, for sharing your experience and knowledge with me! It's very helpful and I am very grateful. Oh, and I live in a super hot and humid area in the summer months so hopefully I can learn by then how to do it myself at home. I'll do another consultation at a different salon in my area next week and hopefully get started shortly after the new year, but I will let you know how it goes. Thanks again man

 

[BaldBearded]

Of course, she told you that!

She doesn't make as much money if you bring in someone else's system. And she will bad mouth everything she doesn't sell. This is standard practice.

There is no manufacturer called Onrite. The company you found is a reseller, with a fancy website, a nice catalog of lots of monofilament systems... some newer stuff.

Big red warning light for me... NO CUSTOM SYSTEMS.

They buy in bulk, for cheap prices... and offer a dizzying array of products.

The pics are of old men... and I bet they have not updated these pics in 10-15 years.

Not impressed.

And Lavivid makes an excellent product, btw.

 

[Jake1979]

Of course, she told you that!

She doesn't make as much money if you bring in someone else's system. And she will bad mouth everything she doesn't sell. This is standard practice.

There is no manufacturer called Onrite. The company you found is a reseller, with a fancy website, a nice catalog of lots of monofilament systems... some newer stuff.

Big red warning light for me... NO CUSTOM SYSTEMS.

They buy in bulk, for cheap prices... and offer a dizzying array of products.

The pics are of old men... and I bet they have not updated these pics in 10-15 years.

Not impressed.

And Lavivid makes an excellent product, btw.

Hey man, I really appreciate your perspective and feedback. Thanks for reading my story and for your help and advice. I actually follow a couple of guys on YouTube, and have been in touch with for last couple months, who use Lavivid and I'm really impressed with the high level of quality and natural appearance that i see in their units.
I have a consultation at another place next week, so hopefully it will be a good situation. I'm hoping to find someone who will allow me to order my own unit and they just do the work on their end of things. Based on my research my first choice is Northwest Lace, 2nd and 3rd are Lord Hair and Lavivid.

I really want to get started on this journey so I can learn to do it myself and not have to rely on salon for maintenance. Worst case scenario, I'll go with a place who supplies their own (as long as its decent quality) that may not be best system, learn from them for 2-3 months, and then start do the diy at home with my own system of my choosing that I order myself.
Thanks again for your response and helpful feedback brother! This is a really great community and I appreciate everyone's help and experience and knowledge.
Happy Holidays
Jake

 

[AxC123]

Hi guys, I've been researching hair systems for over a year now and hoping to get started in the next 1-2 months. I visited a salon in my area today and the lady was very nice and answered all of my questions and seems very qualified. She and her assistant asked alot of questions about my lifestyle and work environment and took a good hour with me matching my bio hair to what they thought would be best on color wheel which was a very dark brown with 20-30 gray. She charges $370 for the initial install which includes the unit and cut in and just everything that goes with getting it initially installed, and then she charges $120 per appointment for detach and reattach and cleaning and bio hair cut, and she claims I will only need to schedule these appointments every 3-4 weeks. However based on my research, my understanding was that a hair system must be removed and cleaned and then reattached every 5-10 days.

Also, I was hoping to be able to order my own hair system from Lord Hair or Lavivid and have her do all of the rest, but when I asked her about those two brands she said she doesnt like them bc she finds the hair to be "too coarse" and not natural. She says she only uses a brand called "Onrite" which she orders herself and takes care of that end of it,but I am not familiar with that brand. I tried to search for it and was able to find it for sale on a site called discount hair systems and another site that I dont recall the name. The units were listed as around $450 and up, but so far I cannot find much about "Onrite" hair systems or that company. I am a bit suspicious about this, feeling it may be a red flag, and wonder if these are just cheap units that she is using in order to increase her profit margin.

My questions are:

1)Has anyone heard of Onrite brand hair systems and do you know if they are any good?

2)are the prices she is charging fair and reasonable?

3) is it a red flag that she is claiming that I will only need to come in for reinstall every 3-4 weeks?

I'm just wondering if any of these things are obvious red flags and if should move on to another salon. Any help from some experienced hair system veterans would be so greatly appreciated.As you can probably tell, I am a rookie and definitely dont know much about this stuff yet, still learning and just trying to get started but dont want to start off at a bad place with a bad system that might sour me to the whole hair system deal. Being so green at this I'm an easy mark to be ripped off.

I hope I provided enough info to give a clear picture. Sorry if I didnt. Thanks for listening guys

Hi jake, where abouts are you ?

My very first system was an onrite. Google onrite hairsystem and you will getmany re sellers.
mine came from a supplier in Montréal

Onrite - Brands

novera.ca

The price is good. I would recommend a 2 week maintenance, and in the first week, some short visit to tweek things, such as hairline lift.
A lot depends on type of system and attachement method..good luck

 

[Jake1979]

Hi jake, where abouts are you ?

My very first system was an onrite. Google onrite hairsystem and you will getmany re sellers.
mine came from a supplier in Montréal

Onrite - Brands

novera.ca

The price is good. I would recommend a 2 week maintenance, and in the first week, some short visit to tweek things, such as hairline lift.
A lot depends on type of system and attachement method..good luck

Hey man, thank you so much for that info and link! I appreciate you sharing with me your experience with that brand, that is super helpful to me! So that onrite may be a good unit for a beginner then? If I go to that lady who uses that brand im hoping it can work well for a few months and then I may switch.
Yea the maintenance every 2 weeks could get expensive for me, but I honestly dont see how I could go any longer than 2 weeks. She tells me she can advise me on how to do small "tweeks" to the unit at home for small maintenance that may stretch it a little bit between appointments, but having no experience at all I dont know what the actual time period will be for me. And I understand that it is different for everyone, but I'm thinking that I may be a person who needs maintenance more frequently than most (based on how much I sweat and lifestyle).
I'll check out that link a little more closely and look at the different types, and not sure of the specific base she uses.
I live in the southern region of the US so pretty humid in the spring and summer months.
I really appreciate your help and feedback and for sharing your experience with that brand of system, very helpful! I'll keep you updated on how things go and thanks again man! Happy Holidays!
Jake

 

[AxC123]

Hey man, thank you so much for that info and link! I appreciate you sharing with me your experience with that brand, that is super helpful to me! So that onrite may be a good unit for a beginner then? If I go to that lady who uses that brand im hoping it can work well for a few months and then I may switch.
Yea the maintenance every 2 weeks could get expensive for me, but I honestly dont see how I could go any longer than 2 weeks. She tells me she can advise me on how to do small "tweeks" to the unit at home for small maintenance that may stretch it a little bit between appointments, but having no experience at all I dont know what the actual time period will be for me. And I understand that it is different for everyone, but I'm thinking that I may be a person who needs maintenance more frequently than most (based on how much I sweat and lifestyle).
I'll check out that link a little more closely and look at the different types, and not sure of the specific base she uses.
I live in Southeast Louisiana so pretty humid in the spring and summer months.
I really appreciate your help and feedback and for sharing your experience with that brand of system, very helpful! I'll keep you updated on how things go and thanks again man! Happy Holidays!
Jake

My pleasure, happy holidays

Also try to get the model name she is proposing, the onrite catalog is available here

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...FjAAegQIAxAC&usg=AOvVaw1CW3BCx1VhuAegNlofTPC_

[/URL]

 

[AxC123]

My pleasure, happy holidays

Also try to get the model name she is proposing, the onrite catalog is available here

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...FjAAegQIAxAC&usg=AOvVaw1CW3BCx1VhuAegNlofTPC_

[/URL]

Link does not seem to work, just google

Onrite catalogue
And you will get the catalogue in pdf

 

[Jake1979]

My pleasure, happy holidays

Also try to get the model name she is proposing, the onrite catalog is available here

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sour...FjAAegQIAxAC&usg=AOvVaw1CW3BCx1VhuAegNlofTPC_

[/URL]

Ah man that's awesome brother, thank you! I found it on a couple of other sites but this one you posted is much better and with photos. I'll make sure I get the model and all specifics, thanks man!

 

[JMC]

Holy cow I’ve never seen so many complicated bases in my life! It’s rather dizzying to look through that catalog and as a complete newbie would be extremely overwhelming!

I am sure she has either explained the major bases to you and the pros and cons of each, but if she didn’t make sure she at least explains to you the difference between skin and lace.

With what you said about sweating I would HIGHLY recommend you go with French or Swiss lace base. My first base was a poly unit and it nearly kept me from proceeding with keeping a unit. It was so u comfortable with all the sweating I was doing. It smelled horrible due to the sweat not being able to breath and the itchiness.... my god!

My second base was a mono lace base, which I have a feeling will be what she tries to push on you because they seem to be the cheapest and most easily accessible. The unit itself can last a very long time and it’s not horrible, however you will be instantly amazed at the difference between that and a French or Swiss lace base.

Anyways, good luck. Please come back and let us know how it goes. I’m only 6 months in, but I love to hear new opinions.

 

[Jake1979]

Holy cow I’ve never seen so many complicated bases in my life! It’s rather dizzying to look through that catalog and as a complete newbie would be extremely overwhelming!

I am sure she has either explained the major bases to you and the pros and cons of each, but if she didn’t make sure she at least explains to you the difference between skin and lace.

With what you said about sweating I would HIGHLY recommend you go with French or Swiss lace base. My first base was a poly unit and it nearly kept me from proceeding with keeping a unit. It was so u comfortable with all the sweating I was doing. It smelled horrible due to the sweat not being able to breath and the itchiness.... my god!

My second base was a mono lace base, which I have a feeling will be what she tries to push on you because they seem to be the cheapest and most easily accessible. The unit itself can last a very long time and it’s not horrible, however you will be instantly amazed at the difference between that and a French or Swiss lace base.

Anyways, good luck. Please come back and let us know how it goes. I’m only 6 months in, but I love to hear new opinions.

Hey man, thanks for that advice on the base! I really appreciate it, and that is something I will definitely base my decision on as far as choosing a unit. It sounds like it may be a miserable situation if it’s too hot and itchy, and I am just a very hot natured person and I sweat just standing still if I’m in a hot climate.
I’m glad you found a unit with a good base that is much more comfortable for you. It’s very admirable and commendable that you stuck it out through the first one and didn’t give up...many guys may have thrown in the towel but sounds like your perseverance definitely payed off, and now you are better for it and have good knowledge on what base to avoid. Thanks for sharing that experience and knowledge with me, it’s very helpful. I will mention all of that to the lady at my next consultation Tuesday, at the second salon, and I’ll see if she can do a Swiss or French lace base given my hot nature.
Thanks so much again JMC! Your help is worth more than you know! I’ll keep you and everyone else updated on how things go. Hope you have a happy new year brother
Jake

 

[Jake1979]

Hey guys, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a happy and safe New Year! I just wanted to post an update. I visited a second salon a few days ago. It was a little nicer, had a hair salon downstairs and some nice offices upstairs where I had my consultation. This woman (stylist) I met with was younger, probably mid to late 30s, and I just liked her alot better. She was very down to earth, made me feel at ease, and seemed much more open, honest and forthcoming with information and details. The first place I went to the lady was older, probably more experienced, but she just kind of gave me a vibe like she wasn't being fully honest, especially when I asked her about Lordhair and Lavivid products.
Anyways, this second place seemed great, and then she got into the systems they use and pricing... she said they also use OnRite, but mainly a product called Hairskeen, and she charges $1,000 for initial install, cut, and hair system and then $85 after that for maintenance appointments. The $1000 is not in my budget, especially paying this every 3 months, so I basically told her I'd think about it and get back in touch...I think she could read in my eyes and voice that this price was not gonna work for me, so she then told me I didnt have to get their hair system and could order my own, and if i went that route it would be $150 for the cut in and install, and then $85 for each maintenance appointment. This was great news to me, bc this was the scenario I was looking for, and those prices are in my budget...especially given the fact that (according to my basic research) I get get a good quality system for $200-250.
This lady was very informative and told me that if I do go there I can always call her in case of hair emergencies and she stays on call, and could get me in quick if I had issues, and would also teach me how to do alot of the maintenance myself and small touchups.
She did some measurements on my head and matched my hair color.
She said it was a color "2b" with 20% gray, is anyone familiar with the color "2b"? She said it was like a dark brown ash color. I'm just trying to figure out the right color to order. She also said she suggested the lowest level of density, especially on the first system.
I hope I explained all of that well enough, I know I'm kind of all over the place with these details, I apologize for that. Any feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated. I appreciate you guys and thanks for listening. Here's to a better 2021 for us all!

 

[Noah]

That's great news. She sounds like a keeper. I would definitely go for that solution.

It seems sensible to accept her word as to what colour to order. I don't think we can sensibly second-guess her judgement on that.

Here's to a better healthier 2021 for us all.

 

[Jake1979]

Hey Noah, thanks brother! Yea man, I really liked her and that salon and that is what I was looking for as far as a place that would let me get my own system. I think itll be a good place to start my journey at and learn how to do it myself hopefully as soon as I can. Now I just gotta shop online for the right system for me.
Thanks for your support man, I hope you had a great Christmas and a happy new year and here's to us all having a much better 2021!

 

[JMC]

Great news Jake. I can understand from a business point of view to not want to share as much information and persuade you that you need them. After-all, this is their livelihood. I normally help the businesses out that seem to be extra helpful even if it means a loss in revenue to them by sending referrals and often times I will use their service even if I don’t really need it.

 

[Diesel guy]

This is the first time I've heard anyone say go with a lighter density. Your working your way up - which makes PERFECT since to me. Looking forward to hearing how everything continues to progress.

 

[Jake1979]

Great news Jake. I can understand from a business point of view to not want to share as much information and persuade you that you need them. After-all, this is their livelihood. I normally help the businesses out that seem to be extra helpful even if it means a loss in revenue to them by sending referrals and often times I will use their service even if I don’t really need it.

Hey JMC, thanks for your support man! Yea I'm pretty happy and hopeful with this salon...i guess itll be a good place to start.
Yea man, i feel you on the business end of it. It is clearly in their benefit to keep you coming there and I've heard of some places being kind of secretive and withholding of information. Hopefully I can pick some things up, she seems pretty open and willing to help educate but there's no way to know until i start the process.
Really cool that you support your salon with your business and referrals. I think I will do the same when I get to that level on this journey...I'm the same way, really eager to help those who help me and try and do whatever I can to support those who are good to me...especially salon people in their position where it may not necessarily be beneficial to them to educate the client but they do it anyway, that is the best case scenario a rookie like me can hope for.
I may have gotten the color wrong..after looking on Lordhair site, she may have said 1B and not 2B...I should've written it down, I feel like a goof lol