Toppik and XFusion: fiber products that can make hair shafts thicker

There are many types of fiber products that can make hair shafts thicker; two of the more well-known products are Toppik and XFusion. These products are comprised of organic keratin fibers with a similar chemical makeup to human hair. You apply the product by spraying, painting, or sprinkling it on your scalp, where the fibers cling to your existing hair and create an illusion of a thicker and fuller hairline. The fibers stick to your existing hairs by static electricity, so you don’t have to worry about it coming off.

After the product is on your hair and scalp, it’s very difficult to take off completely — except with a thorough hair wash. See Figure for an example of a fiber product at work.

Toppik and other hair fiber products should blend in with your own the hair color, so choose the right color for the best results. The subtle addition of the extra fibers will diminish any contrast between your hair and scalp color. The drastic improvement also comes from the fibers adhering to the fine vellus hairs — shorter hairs which have little or no pigment — which can make your hair look thicker. In all, it’s a great illusion.

Apply the product before you put on a white shirt. And remember to comb through your hair to ensure the fibers are fixed firmly. How well these products work depends on how much natural hair you have to work with. They obviously won’t work very well if you’re bald or nearly bald with only a few hairs. In that case, a limited hair transplant can give you enough hair to use this product successfully. These products are excellent for making a hair transplant look fuller and may forestall more surgeries.

The problem with most fiber concealers is that they may not work at the hairline, but with a template placed slightly behind where the thin hair starts, you can create a reasonable illusion of a frontal hairline. Both Toppik and Xfusion offer spray applicators which can be used with their hairline templates.