Hair loss looks different for everyone. For some people, it begins with a widening parting or areas of thinning where plenty of natural hair still remains. For others, the hair loss is more advanced, leaving areas of the scalp with very little or no hair at all.
That’s why there isn’t one hair loss solution that works for everybody.
Two of the options we offer at Verve are hair integration and non-surgical hair replacement. Both can create incredibly natural-looking results and provide a secure solution that becomes part of everyday life, but they work in very different ways.
If you’ve been researching hair systems and aren’t quite sure which option could be right for you, this guide explains the difference.
What’s the Difference Between Hair Integration and Hair Replacement?
The simplest difference is how the new hair is fitted and how much of your own natural hair is used.
Hair integration works alongside your existing hair. Your natural hair is incorporated into a bespoke system to add coverage, density and length while still allowing your own hair to remain part of the finished result.
Non-surgical hair replacement uses a hair system that is secured directly to the scalp using a medical-grade bond. This means it can provide coverage in areas where there is very little natural hair remaining, or no hair at all.
Neither option is automatically ‘better’ than the other. The right choice depends on the type and extent of your hair loss, the health of your hair and scalp, your lifestyle and ultimately what you would like your new hair to look and feel like.
| Hair Integration | Non-Surgical Hair Replacement |
| Integrates with your existing hair | Hair system is bonded to the scalp |
| Usually suited to thinning or partial hair loss | Can suit moderate to advanced or patchy hair loss |
| Lace, laceless and integrated extension options | Stock and fully custom-designed systems available |
| Your biological hair remains part of the finished look | Can replace hair in areas with little or no biological hair |
| Semi-permanent and designed for everyday wear | Semi-permanent and designed for everyday wear |
| Requires ongoing salon maintenance | Usually requires a re-bond every 3–4 weeks |
What Is Hair Integration?
Hair integration is designed for people who still have natural hair but need additional coverage, volume or density.
Rather than covering all of your existing hair, an integration system works with it.
At Verve, our systems combine your biological hair with 100% Remy human hair to create a result that looks and moves naturally. The colour, length and density can all be tailored to you, whether your aim is to recreate the hair you had before your hair loss or use the opportunity to try something a little different.
There are different ways of creating an integrated hair system depending on the amount and location of the hair loss.
Lace Integration
Lace integration uses a lightweight mesh foundation to create additional support across the scalp.
It can be particularly useful where hair loss is more advanced and there isn’t enough biological hair throughout the affected area to create a secure laceless system.
Your existing hair is incorporated into the system alongside the added hair, helping to create natural-looking coverage and density.
Laceless Integration
Where there is more natural hair remaining, a full lace foundation may not be necessary.
Laceless integration works primarily with the client’s own biological hair to create the foundation for the system, making it a great option for certain cases of mild to moderate hair loss.
Integrated Extensions
Sometimes the problem isn’t thinning across the entire top of the scalp.
Where somebody has more localised or patchy hair loss, integrated extensions may provide additional hair and coverage without the need to add a separate parting.
The important thing is that the method is chosen around the hair you have, rather than trying to make your hair fit a particular system.
What Is Non-Surgical Hair Replacement?
Non-surgical hair replacement takes a different approach.
Instead of relying on your biological hair to support the system, a lightweight hair system is fitted over the area of hair loss and secured directly to the scalp using a medical-grade liquid or tape bond.
This makes hair replacement particularly useful where hair loss is more advanced or where there are areas with little or no hair remaining.
Once fitted, the system is cut, blended and styled to create the finished look. It remains securely in place between maintenance appointments, so you don’t have to take it off at the end of every day.
You can shower, sleep, exercise and get on with normal life while wearing your system.
For many people, that freedom is one of the biggest benefits of non-surgical hair replacement. It removes the daily routine of trying to disguise areas of hair loss and provides a consistent head of hair that feels much more like part of you.
Who Could Hair Integration Be Suitable For?
Hair integration may be considered when there is enough healthy biological hair available to safely support and blend with the system.
Depending on the individual and whether the condition is stable, this can include people experiencing hair loss associated with:
- Female Pattern Hair Loss
- Telogen Effluvium
- Trichotillomania
- Hair regrowth following chemotherapy
- Stabilised Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
- Localised scarring or trauma
- General thinning and areas of reduced density
However, the cause of the hair loss is just as important as the amount of hair you have.
Not every scalp or hair loss condition should immediately be covered with an integrated system. This is one of the reasons we carry out a full assessment before recommending hair integration.
Who Could Hair Replacement Be Suitable For?
Non-surgical hair replacement can provide greater coverage and therefore tends to be considered where hair loss is moderate, advanced or concentrated within a particular area.
This may include people experiencing:
- Male Pattern Hair Loss
- Female Pattern Hair Loss
- Alopecia Areata
- Alopecia Totalis
- Alopecia Universalis
- Stabilised Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia
- Hair loss or scarring following radiotherapy, burns or trauma
- Other forms of significant or patchy hair loss
The system itself can then be selected or custom-designed around the amount of coverage required.
Which Looks More Natural?
This is probably one of the biggest questions we’re asked, and the reassuring answer is that both can look incredibly natural when they are designed and fitted correctly.
A good hair system shouldn’t announce itself as a hair system.
With integration, your own biological hair remains part of the finished result, with additional hair added to create the density and coverage that has been lost.
With non-surgical hair replacement, carefully selected hair, colour matching, density, system design and professional cutting all work together to recreate the appearance and movement of natural hair.
The smallest details matter.
Hair colour, texture, density, length, parting, coverage and even how you normally style your hair all need to be considered. That’s why there is such a difference between simply buying a hairpiece and having a system professionally designed around you.
What About Custom-Designed Hair Systems?
For some clients, an existing stock hair system can provide exactly what is needed.
For others, going custom gives us far greater control.
A custom-designed hair replacement system is manufactured around your individual scalp measurements and requirements. We can consider the precise area of coverage, colour, density, length and other details to create something specifically for you.
Customisation is also an important part of hair integration at Verve. There isn’t one standard head of hair that everyone should be trying to achieve. Some clients want to replicate their biological hair as closely as possible, while others decide that if they’re choosing new hair, they might as well have the hair they’ve always wanted.
Both are absolutely fine.
Which Is Easier to Maintain?
It’s worth knowing from the beginning that both solutions require ongoing care.
These aren’t systems that are fitted once and forgotten about.
Maintaining Hair Integration
Your biological hair continues to grow while wearing an integration system, so regular maintenance appointments are important. They allow the system to be adjusted, your natural hair to be cared for and the overall condition and security of the integration to be checked.
Different components of an integration system can also have different lifespans, which we’ll explain fully during your consultation.
Good home care makes a big difference too. How you wash, dry, style and sleep in your hair can all affect its condition and longevity.
Maintaining Hair Replacement
Bonded hair replacement requires regular re-bond appointments, typically every 3–4 weeks.
During this appointment, the system is removed, the scalp and hair system are cleaned separately, your biological hair is cut where required and the system is then securely re-bonded before being blended and styled again.
Although that sounds like a commitment, many long-term hair system wearers simply treat it in the same way they would a regular hair appointment.
Can I Still Exercise, Sleep and Live Normally With a Hair System?
Yes! And this is an important part of what makes semi-permanent hair systems so appealing.
Both integration and bonded hair replacement are designed to work around everyday life.
Depending on your individual system and the aftercare recommendations you’re given, you can continue with things such as exercising, sleeping, washing and styling your hair.
There may be a few changes to your routine to keep both the system and your biological hair in the best possible condition, but the aim isn’t to give you beautiful new hair that you’re frightened to actually live in.
It’s quite the opposite.
Why Your Hair Loss Diagnosis Matters
Before choosing between hair integration and hair replacement, it’s important to understand why you’re losing your hair.
Sometimes what looks like straightforward thinning can have another cause. Certain inflammatory or active hair loss conditions may need medical investigation or treatment before a semi-permanent hair system should be considered.
At Verve, our approach is informed by trichology as well as alternative hair.
That means if we don’t think a particular system is suitable for your hair or scalp at that point in time, we’ll tell you. Where necessary, we can discuss alternative removable hair solutions or recommend seeking further assessment or treatment first.
Covering the hair loss should never come at the expense of looking after the health of your scalp and remaining biological hair.
Hair Integration or Hair Replacement: How Do I Choose?
You don’t need to work this out by yourself before coming to see us.
In fact, we’d rather you didn’t.
People often arrive at Verve convinced they need a particular type of system because of something they’ve seen online, only to discover there’s another option that works much better for their hair.
During your consultation, we’ll look at:
- The type and pattern of your hair loss
- How much biological hair remains
- The health and strength of your existing hair
- Your scalp health
- The areas where coverage is needed
- Your preferred style, colour, length and density
- Your lifestyle
- The level of maintenance involved
- Your expectations
- Your budget
From there, we can explain the options that are genuinely suitable and give you the information you need to make the decision.
There should never be any pressure to choose a hair system on the day.
Find the Right Hair Loss Solution for You
Hair integration and non-surgical hair replacement can both make an enormous difference when you’re living with hair loss, but the best results come from choosing the right system for the individual wearing it.
If you’re considering a hair system and would like to understand your options, our team at Verve Hair Loss in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire can help.
We’ll assess your hair and scalp, talk openly about what you’d like to achieve and explain which options may be suitable for you.
Book a hair loss consultation with Verve and let’s find the right solution for your hair, your lifestyle and you.
