First, it is important to recognise how concealers actually work. Consisting of tiny fibres or powders, the formulations attach to your real hair, and ‘pad’ out the volume. In other words, your head appears to harbour more hair (and thicker hair) than it actually does.

Clearly a major limitation of concealer products should now be apparent – they only work if you still have hair for the fibres to attach to. For this reason, they simply won’t work for men who are totally bald on top.

There is also a sliding scale of effectiveness. The more hair you lose, the less coverage the products will provide, although it is suprising how little hair concealers can actually cling to. Even the ‘fuzz’ that many bald men have remaining can sometimes be sufficient for some coverage, as shown in the photos below.

The major brands

So what are the most popular concealers called? Well, one product discussed regularly in our forum is Toppik. Also available are DermMatch, Fullmore, Couvre and Nanogen Nanofibres. There are many others, however these products are the best known and most widely available.

What are the advantages?

The best thing about cover-ups such as these, is that they provide an immediate, non-invasive and relatively cost-effective solution. Using the products is straightforward, and to be fair, they tend to do their job very well.

What are the disadvantages?

Aside from the issue mentioned above regarding the requirement for remaining real hair, concealers can be difficult for some people to live with. Applying the cover-ups is easy enough, but it can take a considerable amount of time. Most users are also constantly afraid of being found out, with other people touching their hair and getting caught outside in bad weather being of particular concern.

Please note that HIS cannot recommend or discourage the use of any of these brands. Temporary concealers will certainly do you no harm (except allergic reactions which tend to be rare), however we do have concerns about the psychological effects of their long term use. If the products do not restore true confidence in the majority of users, it seems counter-productive to use them in our view. Obviously it is up to the individual to make their own decision.

Couvre, along with Toppik, are two of the most popular concealers in the world. When you view the before and after photos on both the Couvre and Toppik websites, it is easy to see why so many people use these products.

To be fair, you may be quite suprised by the realistic appearance of hair accomplished by these products. Toppik is applied to the hair, and Couvree is a color application which goes directly on the scalp. The first provides an immediate thickening effect to the hair itself, and the latter helps reduce the appearance of skin under the hair. Those with thinner hair tend to use both products for double the effect.

Couvre (and Toppik) are not without their drawbacks however, and do not suit everyone. For more information see our Temporary Concealers page.