Analysing Consumer Reviews of DermMatch and Toppik
Hair thickeners and hair loss concealers are a relatively affordable and simple method of concealing hair loss for people with a thinning but not yet completely bald scalp. They do nothing to stop hair loss, though. The main difference between a hair thickener such as DermMatch and a hair loss concealer such as Toppik is in the art of covering thinning areas. DermMatch colours your scalp to match your hair colour and it coats and thickens your hair, making it stand up and spread out for maximum fullness. Toppik is one of the best known products amongst hair loss concealers, applying hair-building keratin microfibres that cling tightly to your existing hair and blend with it. To put it simply, hair thickeners colour your scalp and thicken your existing hair whereas hair loss concealers add new fibre-branches to your thin hair, increasing its density. These products usually come in the form of a powder, cream or a spray.
Each type of product, whether hair thickener or hair loss concealer, has its strengths and weaknesses. When comparing Toppik and DermMatch, Toppik is faster to apply and therefore more suitable for daily use. It does not form any layer that covers your scalp and so it enables you to continue with your daily topical hair loss treatment and is completely undetectable. However, it is not as good as DermMatch for creating fine frontal hairlines and it is considered to be less water resistant, so that you should not try to swim while you have it in your hair. DermMatch can be applied more precisely right to the spot and gives you a more natural looking hairline. It can be used both on dry and wet hair and the scalp and, therefore, is thought to be better at resisting harsh, rainy conditions or swimming than Toppik. Many consumers say that it is easier to style their hair after using DermMatch than Toppik. The downside seems to be that DermMatch needs longer to be applied (a minimum of five minutes versus 30 seconds for Toppik) and it covers your scalp with a layer of colouring substance that prevents you from applying topical hair loss treatments, and if it is applied poorly and in direct sunlight you can tell the scalp has been painted. However, many consumers report incredibly good results from using a combination of DermMatch and Toppik, mutually eliminating the weaknesses of both products.
At first try these products can be discouragingly difficult to apply but using less usually gives you better results than overdoing it, as you avoid rubbing the excess substance off on your pillow case at night. One common weakness of most hair loss concealing substances is that they do not match everybody’s hair colour. You are advised to try several different products to find the one that suits you best and try to refine your application technique. For special occasions, when you want to look your best, a combination of a hair thickening and a scalp colouring product with the microfibrous concealer should provide you with the most satisfactory results. Always apply the hair thickener first and then use the fibres to mask the remaining imperfections.