I feel for you Butterbud, my sis has the same problem and it is tough to deal with. I use to be a hairdresser and we've explored a lot of things.

The best syle for her natural hair was a short bob wich added bulk at the bottom. Then we found a partial hairpiece that sat on the top of her head to blend with the bottom. The part in the hairpiece looked like scalp, and it blended great with her natural hair. It was not a thick hairpiece so it looked very realistic. I wish I had a brand name for you, but I don't.

Covering the front of hairline is the toughest. If you are willing to spend the money there are hair transplants available, and a hair weave (extension) expert might be able to help you, but there would be maintenance and it won't be cheap.

Wigs are not created equal. There are some very nice synthetic wigs, but they do look a little shiny. You get what you pay for in wigs. Go to the biggest wig shop in your are. If there is a more expensive area with a wig shop they may carry higher end lines too (that is what we found). There are also some wigs that you pull your hair through if you have enough to do that. My sis had problems with that but she isn't real skilled with hair. IF that is easy for you I'd look into some of those too. Also, some of the higher end shops deal with lots of cancer patients and have private rooms where a stylist will help you. Hope that helps, best wishes.

Ponderin, I have a friend who had extensions put in - by supposedly the best in NY city. They looked great but eventually they pulled out tons of her own hair when they were removed during "maintenance" (and her hair was thin enough to begin with, obviously). As a hairdresser, have you heard of this happening? I hear it's pretty common with weaves or extensions - "buyer beware"...

I'm not an expert in extensions, but it is my understanding extreme caution needs to be taken when removing them.

I do know that there are many ways to add extensions to the hair. Some add little pieces of hair in with a tiny braid, and other glue. Still other use a cornrow at the base and add long wefts onto the cornrow.

I do know that braids can make hair fall out from the root if too much tension is used when putting in the braid. You also have to be very careful when washing/conditioning and maintaining or the natural hair can start to dread and knot up...that would break the hair when trying to remove them.

I was told by a gal that swore the glued in ones will not break hair if they are applied and removed correctly. I can't say if it does or not, as I have never done or had them. There is a lot of info online if anyone is interested in learning more. One of the best sources I found was a gal named Bridget in Seattle. I think it was called Scream in Seattle. She is supposedly very good and does all kinds of extension from the unusual to beautiful. I think she used a pinch braid method, however a gal in my area thinks glue is the best. My advise if for anyone getting them to really do their homework and talk with others that have had it done by the practitioner.

Also, with braids many people think they are loosing "tons" of hair when they are removed when in reality it is no more than they would have naturally lost in shedding (as we all do, some more than others). A braid will hold that hair rather than shedding it so it seems like you loose a lot.

Thanks for taking the time to answer. I just can't believe that there is nothing out there that looks realistic in this day and age so I'll keep on trying til I find it.

I have seen wigs that are very realistic at MR K's. I was shopping for a "head" to display a hat on and told the lady as a customer walked in, "when you get a wig that looks like her hair, I might buy one." The laugh was on me, the customer was wearing a wig. It was short and whispy, really looked great. By the way, my hair is thin on the top, thankfully I am not the type that wastes time worrying about it, but I did notice all you have to do is comb the hair on top/front to the side and you can't see the scalp.

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I buy skin products from a company called skinbiology. They have products for thinning hair, too, although I've never tried them. The creator of these products seems to be well-respected and is the person who discovered that copper is good for aging skin. I don't know if it will help, but it might be worth a try. There's tons of info on the site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hair products

www.doctoredlocks.com has some good hair falls and 3/4 wigs.

Also,have you tried using nioxin? It really helps plump up what hair you have.You can find it at almost any salon and some stores that sell beauty products.