When it comes to hair toppers, you want to find the one that looks the most natural on you. The one that blends so seamlessly with your own hair that you can't even tell where your hair ends and the topper begins.

When I was first shopping for hair toppers, I noticed a few common issues.

1. Hair toppers often 'lifted' at the front creating a gap between my hair and the topper. Due to the cap construction of most toppers, they don't sit completely flat or flush to your head. This creates an odd-looking gap between your hair and the topper which doesn't look very realistic.
2. The hair topper felt super bulky and 'wiggy'. Due to too much hair being sewn into the cap (and being sewn by a machine rather than by hand), it looked like WAY too much hair.
3. The hair toppers felt 'puffy' all over the cap and added about an inch of height! Although some people might love the volume, this just wasn't me.

So, if you know me and you know the Lusta story, you already know that I created Lusta so that I could create the most realistic hair toppers. Ever. I wanted to create pieces which blended super seamlessly and looked indistinguishable from my own hair.

This is the type of topper I created 👇

I mean, can you tell this isn't their real hair?

But, if you're still unsure about Lusta, and I want to shop around a bit, there's a couple of factors to consider when you're looking for the most realistic hair toppers.

Synthetic vs. Human Hair

The first decision you'll need to make is whether you want to go for a synthetic hair topper or a human hair topper.

As the name suggests, synthetic hair is 'fake' hair made out of plastics, whereas human hair is real hair grown right out of someone's head. The bottom line is human hair usually looks a lot more realistic- because it IS real. However, human hair does come with a higher price tag. Someone had to grow this hair themselves and they need to be compensated for the material they've provided.

Sometimes, when shopping for hair, you'll find 'human hair' at a super low price point....maybe even a few hundred dollars. Sorry to break it to you, but it's incredibly unlikely that this hair is ACTUALLY human hair. There's a lot of scammers out in the hair world, and it's important to do your research when choosing a company.

If you are able to find cheaper human hair, this is unlikely to be 'remy' hair. Remy hair refers to hair which is collected all in one pony tail and therefore the cuticle of the hair is all running in the same direction (which prevents tangling and knotting). Whereas non-remy hair is usually hair collected from salon floors. Non-remy hair tangles super easily and therefore only lasts a few months before becoming unwearable.

If you want a realistic hair topper, the lowest quality you should be looking for is remy hair. This is the standard. But if you want the MOST realistic hair topper, you should also be looking for highest quality remy human hair (sometimes referred to as 'euro' hair).

However, if your budget doesn't allow for good quality human hair, you can still make synthetic pieces work for you.

Silk Top vs. Mono Top vs. Lace Top

Next, you'll want to think about the cap construction of your hair topper. Let me walk you through each of them step-by-step.

Silk Tops

Silk tops are our Lusta favourite. A silk top is made from three layers of material, with the silk on top creating an ultra-realistic looking scalp. Silk tops are quite durable and will usually last 2-3 years. However, there are various silk top constructions (more on this later) and some are better quality and more realistic than others.

Mono Tops

Mono tops have one layer of fabric for the cap and are missing that realistic looking scalp. However, mono tops are great for woman who want a LOT of volume on the top and prefer short, pixie cut styles. Mono tops will last about 1-2 years.

Lace Tops

Lace tops are made with a single layer of very thin lace. The lace gives the illusion of hair growing right out of your scalp. Lace tops are awesome, but they do come with a few drawbacks. 1) Lace toppers usually only work for women with receding or no hair lines. They're not designed to blend with your own hair like a silk or mono topper. That means that if you do have your own hair line, the topper might appear to be 'floating' above your hair line and note look as realisic. 2) Lace toppers, due to their delicate nature, don't last as long as silk or mono tops. Usually, you can expect up to 1 year with a lace topper.

Machine Made vs. Hand Sewn

The next thing you want to check is whether the pieces are machine made or hand sewn. Machine made pieces usually don't have the natural movement you get with a hand sewn pieces. The sewing is all very uniform and straight- which is not how natural hair grows, so it tends to look less realistic. However, machine made pieces are often a lot less expensive than hand-sewn pieces. A machine made piece takes only a few hours to make, whereas a hand-sewn piece can take up to 100 hours.

We always suggest doing your research when looking for the most natural-looking hair toppers. Read all the reviews. Check out the company's social media. And find the piece that feels right for you and for your budget.