You notice it first under the bathroom light. The part is a little wider than last year. Then a friend posts a photo taken from above, and your crown looks thinner than you remember.
So you adjust. You part your hair on the other side. You wear it up less. You check every picture before it goes online.
A good hair topper ends that in about 60 seconds. You clip it in, style it with your own hair, and what people see is volume. Not scalp.
The key word is good. Pick the wrong base, length or shade and the topper looks like a topper. Below are the five things to check before you buy a hair topper for thinning hair, in the order we'd check them.
In this guide
The short version
- Base: silk top if you care about how your part looks up close.
- Length: match your own hair, or go one size longer.
- Shade: check your roots in daylight. Gray mixed in? Go lighter.
- Clips: pressure-sensitive clips hold best on fine hair.
Before you start: if your hair started falling out suddenly, comes out in patches, or your scalp is itchy or sore, see a dermatologist first. A topper hides thinning, it doesn't treat the cause. The American Academy of Dermatology has a clear overview of female pattern hair loss.
The basics
What is a hair topper?
A hair topper is a small hairpiece that sits on the top of your head. It's attached with clips that grip your own hair, so your natural hair stays underneath and around it. You style both together and they read as one head of hair.
Most women use a topper to cover one of two things: a part that keeps getting wider (see what works for a widening part), or thinning at the crown. Some have both.
When it's the right one, small things change first. You wear your hair down again. You stop angling your head in photos. Wind, bright sun and overhead office lights stop being something you plan around.
Hair topper vs wig: which one do you need?
Hair topper
Covers the top only
Best if you still have decent hair on the sides and back. Lighter, cooler, easier to blend, because most of what people see is still your own hair.
Wig
Covers the whole head
Makes more sense when thinning is spread across the whole scalp, or when there isn't enough hair left for clips to hold onto.
Toppers in warm shades
Step 1
Measure how much coverage you need
The base is the piece of material the hair is attached to. Its size decides how much of your head the topper covers.
Part your hair where you usually wear it.
With a soft tape measure, measure the thin area from front to back, then from side to side.
Add about half an inch on each side. The clips need to sit on healthy hair, not on the thinnest spot.
| What you see | Base size to look for |
|---|---|
| A widening part | Narrow, around 3 x 5 in |
| Part + thinning crown | Around 5 x 5 to 6 x 6 in |
| Most of the top of the head | Larger topper, or a wig |
Step 2
Choose the base: silk top, lace or monofilament
The base sits right at your part line, which is the first place people look. It's the single biggest factor in whether a topper looks natural.
Lace
Light, breathable
Hair is hand-tied knot by knot into a fine mesh. The knots can show at the part as tiny dark dots, especially on blonde or gray hair.
Monofilament
Good from a distance
A thin see-through material that lets your scalp color show. Durable, but knots can still be visible up close.
Silk top
Most natural part
Knots are hidden under a layer of skin-toned silk. When you part your hair, it looks like scalp with hair growing out of it.
"The part line is the first place people look. That's where a topper wins or loses."
If the part line is what bothers you most, a silk top base is worth the extra cost. It's the one that holds up when someone is standing next to you. See the full silk top vs lace comparison.
What about density?
Density is how much hair is on the base. For thinning hair, light to medium density usually blends best. A very full topper on fine hair looks puffy and stops where your own hair starts.
Silk top toppers in Gray
Step 3
Pick the right length
Match the length of your own hair, or go one size longer. A stylist can always trim a topper to blend it. Nobody can add length back.
Measure your hair from the crown down to where the ends fall, then use this chart:
| Length | Where it falls | Works for |
|---|---|---|
| 10 inches | Around the chin | Bobs, short layered cuts |
| 12 inches | Shoulders | Lobs, shoulder-length cuts |
| 14 inches | Collarbone | Collarbone-length hair |
| 16 inches | Just below the collarbone | Medium-long hair |
| 18 inches | Chest | Long hair |
Between two sizes? Take the longer one.
Step 4
Match your shade
Shade is where most women get stuck. There are 11 shades to choose from, and a few simple checks make it much easier.
- Look at your roots and the middle of your hair, not the ends. Ends are almost always lighter from sun and old color.
- Check your hair in daylight, next to a window. Bathroom lighting is too warm or too blue to judge.
- Gray mixed in and between two shades? Go lighter. One solid color? Go darker. A slightly darker topper reads as shadow at the root, which looks natural.
Step 5
Check the clips
Most toppers use small snap clips sewn into the base, usually one at the front, one at the back and one or two on each side. Pressure-sensitive clips with a silicone backing hold better on fine hair and are gentler on it.
Fine hair tip: move the clips slightly from day to day so the same strands don't take the pull every time.
In 60 seconds
How to put on a hair topper
Brush your hair and part it where you usually do.
Line up the topper's part with yours, front clip about half an inch behind your hairline.
Open the front clip, slide it in close to the roots and snap it shut. Then the back clip, then the sides.
Pull a few strands of your own hair over the front edge if needed, and style everything together.
The first couple of tries take a few minutes. After a week, it usually takes under a minute.
Make it last
How to care for your hair topper
- Wash every 10 to 15 wears with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.
- Air dry on a wig stand or a towel. Don't wring it.
- Take it off before bed and before swimming.
- Store it on a stand or in its box so the base keeps its shape.
With this routine, a good topper holds up for many months of daily wear.
Made for thinning hair
The Noxelya SilkBlend topper
- Silk top base, so the part looks like your own scalp
- Lightweight and breathable for all-day wear
- 5 lengths, from 10 to 18 inches
- 11 shades, from Natural Black to Platinum Blond
- Snap clips, on in about 60 seconds
Your questions
Hair topper FAQ
Can people tell I'm wearing a topper?
Not if the base, length and shade are right. The part line gives most toppers away, which is why a silk top base makes such a difference up close.
Do hair toppers damage your hair?
Worn correctly, they shouldn't. Problems usually come from clips placed on the thinnest area, or worn in the exact same spot every day. Clip onto healthy hair, move the clips slightly each day, and take the topper off at night.
Can I sleep or swim in a hair topper?
It's better not to. Sleeping in it tangles the hair and pulls on the clips. Chlorine and salt water dry out the hair quickly.
How long does a hair topper last?
It depends on how often you wear it and how you care for it. With daily wear and the care routine above, expect many months.
Can I wear a topper if my hair is very thin?
Yes, as long as there's enough hair at the edges of the thin area for the clips to hold. Pick a lighter topper, since weight pulls on fine hair, and choose a base a little larger than the thin spot so the clips land on stronger hair.
Can I have my topper trimmed?
Yes. Have a stylist trim it while you're wearing it so it blends with your own layers. Tell them it's a hairpiece so they cut it the right way. Wear it a few days first: a cut topper can't be returned.
Keep reading
You can keep planning your hair around your part.
Or take one minute tomorrow morning and stop thinking about it.
Get my Noxelya topper