If you’re experiencing hair loss, you may be considering the quick and practical solution in the form of a human hair system. Often considered the best hairpieces for many wearers, custom hair systems can be a fantastic solution for both men and women. Since they are made to order, you may feel apprehensive about the ordering process at first — but don't worry, we are happy to help you get the perfect hairpiece for you!
Since custom hair systems are made individually for each user and don’t have standard sizes and shapes, it’s important to provide accurate hair measurements and measurements of your head. Choosing the correct size and shape will ensure you achieve a natural-looking style and fit.

You may be wondering how to measure your head properly and avoid making any mistakes or taking inaccurate measurements. This is a common concern with many of our clients which is why we have assembled this full guide to getting the perfect measurements for your hair replacement system.

Hair Length Measurements

Hair length is measured from the roots to the tip when the hair is straight. Curly and wavy hair systems are usually 1-2 inches shorter than straight ones (it depends on how pronounced the curl is).

However, keep in mind that extensions and hair systems are measured differently. A hair system is measured starting at the crown of the head to the tip of the hair. But extensions are the same length all over the head, whether you measure the hair strands at the crown or the nape.

This is also a good time to start thinking about how you plan to style your hair system, so that you purchase a hair system with the length necessary for your favorite styles. If you are not sure how you would like to style your hair system, take a look at our post where we review the best styles for each hair type.

Hair Base Measurements

Knowing the correct measurements for your hair system base size will ensure that you get the best fitting hairpiece possible. The size generally depends on how big the hair loss area is. Our custom hair system bases can be divided into four types:

• Partial size: Hair loss areas equal to or smaller than 4” x 4”
• Regular size: Hair loss area with larger than 4”x 4” and up to 10”x 8” (or within 80 square inches of total area)
• Oversize (or large size): Hair loss area larger than 10” x 8” and up to 10” x 10”
• Full head: Hair loss areas larger than 10” x 10”

A full head hair system base is more common among men and women who have complete hair loss. They are designed to cover the entire head including the sideburns and nape areas. In order to measure a full cap correctly it's necessary to have 7 hair measurements:

• Circumference: Place the tape on the edges of your head following the hairline and nape of your neck until you wrap it around your head.
• Front to back: Placing the tape at the center of the front hairline, measure directly across the middle top of your head to the nape of your neck.
• Ear to ear across forehead: Put the tape at your temple, just in front of your ear, measure from the hairline at the base of your sideburn, go up across the hair line along your forehead to the same point in front of the opposite ear.
• Temple to temple over top of head: Place the tape at the bottom edge of the sideburn in front of your ear and go directly across the top of head to the bottom edge of the opposite sideburn.
• Ear to ear over top of head: Draw the tape from the hairline edge at the top of your ear and go directly across the top of your head to the hairline edge at the top of the opposite ear.
• Temple to temple across back of head: Place the tape against your head at the front edge of the hairline (temple area), go around the head above the occipital bone to the opposite front edge of the hairline (the opposite temple area).
• Nape width: This measures the width of the hairline across the nape of the neck.

Place the tape at the lowest point on the bone behind your ear (mastoid bone) and measure across the neck to the opposite mastoid bone.

In addition to the correct base size, when ordering a custom hair system, you also want to make sure that you are also ordering the best base material for you. If you are not sure what material suits your lifestyle, you should look at our hair system buyer's guide that goes into detail on this topic. You can also take a look at the wide array of custom hair systems for women and custom hair systems for men that we offer.

A Few Tips For Achieving an Accurate Hair Measurement:

• Use a cloth measuring tape for a more flexible and easier-to-handle measuring tool.
• When measuring, don’t hold the tape too tight, making sure to leave a bit of slack.
• Don’t let the tape get twisted when measuring - it should be flat around your head.
• Measure at least three times so you can compare results and ensure you’re using the
  right technique to achieve an exact and accurate hair measurement.

Make sure to set aside a good amount of time to take your measurements, and be patient while taking them. It is worth it to spend a good amount of time to take the most accurate hair system measurements possible, since the better your measurements are, the better your hair system will fit. After all, you only have to send us your measurements once — we then keep them on file so that you can easily order more hair systems in the future.

If you’re still unsure about which hair system custom or stock will be right for you check out our guide to hair systems. Our detailed guide to custom hairpieces and stock hairpieces will help you decide which one is right for you.

Got any other questions for us? Feel free to give us a call at our toll-free number.

We would be more than happy to address any questions or concerns that you may have!

Call us toll-free:

1-800-756-8585