“What if it’s still thin after two visits? What if it’s done wrong? What if the hairline’s too straight or high or I want more of a widow’s peak?” says Seppänen, who now makes TikToks about his mane makeover. “With a hair system, I can just bring down the tape and place it a little closer to my eyebrows.”
After her TikTok of a toupee transformation on her handyman went viral a few years ago, Calgary hairstylist Dani Niven was flooded with DMs from balding men begging for the same man-weave magic. Her barbershop has now hit capacity with hair system clients—she sees about five men a day—and she’s training staff just to keep up.
“It’s exploding because hair systems just look way better now than they ever have. And guys that are stepping up and showing their transformations on social media are making a very positive impact on it. Other guys are just seeing how realistic and high quality they are,” Niven says. “I feel like before, anytime anybody ever heard the word toupee, they just pictured some guy with a horrible hairpiece flapping in the wind looking like Donald Trump.”
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Long the butt of sitcom jokes, toupees have leveled up in recent years thanks to advancements in materials and craftsmanship. Unlike the chonky, sweaty mops of the ’80s, modern hair systems use whisper-thin lace or polyurethane bases that basically vanish into the scalp, built to fool even the closest mirror check. High-end versions are hand-tied with real human hair matched to your natural texture, color and growth patterns.
“It feels like you’re wearing just your own skin. It becomes invisible, like you’re not wearing it,” says Aaron O’Bryan, a Toronto-based TV personality and hairstylist who rocks a system himself. Beyond comfort, the latest adhesives have staying power—you can work out, shower, even swim without worry. “I can wear my hair system for two or three weeks without it moving or coming off my scalp,” O’Bryan says, crediting stronger, less irritating glues and tapes.
To keep everything looking crispy, toupee wearers typically go to the salon every few weeks for a reapplication, a trim and a meticulous blend with their natural hair. The piece itself gets a full replacement every five months or so. Unit prices range from $300 to $1,000, depending on quality. “It’s almost like a subscription service,” O’Bryan says.
O’Bryan underwent two hair transplants in his thirties but couldn’t achieve the fullness he was after. Meanwhile, the hair-loss drug finasteride—often prescribed after surgery—came with unwelcome side effects, including erectile dysfunction. He opted for a system, styled into a high-volume pompadour, four years ago.
“I was very excited that I finally had the hair I wanted. I was a bit apprehensive about how I would announce it to people and I was self-conscious for about two weeks,” says the 42-year-old. “But after that, I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t even care if people know that I’m wearing it.’”
He decided to reveal his hair hack on the Canadian morning show he appears on. While Fletcher and Niven note several of their clients keep their systems under wraps, O’Bryan advocates for full transparency. “I think most men should just own it at the end of the day,” he says. “Hair should be seen like an accessory, like jewelry or like if a woman wears extensions. It’s an accessory to amplify our appearance and to make us feel more confident.”
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Courtesy of Isidro Almaraz
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L.A.–based actor and hairstylist Elena Maravelias echoes the sentiment, calling for greater gender equity in how society views beauty and grooming. “If I was dating a guy and while we were making out, I put my hand in his hair and figured out he’s got a hair system, I wouldn’t care. Like, I wear hair extensions. I enhance my image with makeup. What is the problem if a guy wants to do that?” she says. “I’d rather date a confident man that feels good about himself and isn’t walking around with a chip on his shoulder because he lost his hair and doesn’t like how he looks.”