The base decides how your topper looks. The attachment decides how it works in everyday life — how long it stays in, how much it wears on your own hair and whether you can take it off yourself in the evening.
There are five options. Which one suits you depends mostly on how much of your own hair you have left and whether you want to be able to take the topper off every day.
Clips
The most common attachment and the one that comes as standard. Small snap clips around the edge of the hairpiece attach to your own hair. You put it on in a minute and take it off just as quickly.
Requires you to have your own hair to clip into, at least around the edges. Clips need something to grip.
The advantage is freedom. You take the topper off when you sleep, work out or shower. The downside is that clips pull on the same spots every day — move them a centimetre or so now and then so the strain doesn't always fall on the same strands.
Tape
Double-sided tape between the hairpiece and the scalp. The topper then lies completely flat, which makes it less visible than clips and more comfortable if your scalp is sensitive to pulling.
Requires little or no hair of your own under the attachment point. So it works exactly where clips have nothing to hold on to.
The tape is changed roughly every two to three weeks. Residue should always be dissolved with a suitable remover, never scrubbed off.
Halo wire
A thin, adjustable wire that runs around the head and holds the hairpiece in place with tension instead of clips. It's gentler on your own hair than clips, because the strain is spread out.
Our Luxury Hairline Hair Topper attaches this way. The wire sits under your own hair at the nape and over the ears, and is hidden by the hair on top.
Sew-in
Your own hair is braided and the hairpiece is sewn onto the braid. No heat, no glue. It's the gentlest permanent solution.
Requires enough of your own hair to braid, and works best on thick or curly hair.
It stays in until it's re-sewn, which is done every two to three months. You can't take the topper off yourself in between.
Mesh
With Mesh, we attach a net to your own hair and then attach the hairpiece to the net. The hair underneath is left alone and never comes into contact with glue or heat, while the result stays securely in place around the clock.
For Mesh we use either a lace closure or the Luxury Hair Topper Deluxe in human hair. Both are hand-tied, which is what makes the result read as your own hair when it sits on a net.
The choice between them comes down to how much coverage you need. A closure gives a natural parting over a smaller area. The Deluxe covers a larger area of the head and has mono in the parting with lace all around, making it the first choice when hair has thinned across the whole top.
Requires some of your own hair to attach the net to. If the scalp is completely bare, a wig is the right solution instead.
Book Mesh with a hair topper or Mesh with a lace closure. The whole method is explained on our Mesh hair extensions page.
How to choose
You want to be able to take the topper off yourself every day: clips or halo wire.
You want it to stay in around the clock without thinking about it: Mesh or sew-in.
You have little hair of your own where the topper will sit: tape or Mesh, since clips need something to grip.
Not sure which base you need under the attachment? Read mono, silk, lace or fishnet.
Frequently asked questions
Do clips damage your hair?
They can if they sit in exactly the same spot every day. Move them regularly, don't clip them into hair that's already thin, and take the topper off at night – that way your own hair stays healthy.
Can I sleep with my topper on?
With clips or a halo wire, you should take it off. With Mesh or sew-in it stays on, so sleep in a satin cap to keep the hair from frizzing against the pillow.
How often does Mesh need redoing?
Every two to three months, as your own hair grows out. The hairpiece is reused at every reinstallation as long as the base is intact.
Can I work out with my topper?
With Mesh or sew-in, yes. Sweat does wear on human hair that gets no moisture from a scalp, so rinse and moisturise more often if you train a lot. With clips, it's easiest to take it off.
Can I change attachment method later?
Usually, yes. The same hairpiece can go from clips to Mesh if the base can take it. We'll look at it in the salon and tell you whether it's up to the switch.
Browse our full range of hair toppers, or book a free consultation and we'll go through which attachment suits your hair.