How one frustrated hair system wearer changed the industry forever
Stock Hair Systems (SHS) is the latest chapter in a story that started back in 1998 - when one frustrated hair system wearer decided the industry needed to change.
Back in the late 90s, if you wore a hair system, you were entirely dependent on a hair replacement studio. You booked your appointments, you paid whatever they charged, and you accepted whatever quality they provided. There was no other way - buying a hair system online simply wasn't a thing yet.
I was a client at one of the largest hair studios in the country. And like so many clients there, I felt completely tied in.
The system itself required a small mortgage. Then came the monthly reattachment costs. And when a system started losing hair or breaking down after just a few weeks, there was little recourse - just book another appointment and pay again.
The appointment cycle itself was its own problem. Every three to four weeks I'd be back in the chair because the bond had loosened, or it simply wasn't comfortable anymore - especially with an active lifestyle. Going back more frequently wasn't really an option. It was just too expensive. So I just lived with it, counting down the days to my next appointment, living my life in 3-4 week blocks.
I knew there had to be a better way.
In 2002, I became one of the first people in the world to sell hair systems online. At the time, this was a completely new concept - the idea that you could order a professional-grade hair system direct, without a studio acting as the middleman, was almost unheard of. I built the business around a simple belief: that men deserved access to quality hair systems at honest prices, and the freedom to manage their own hair on their own terms.
That second part mattered as much as the first. I was an early advocate of self-maintenance - the idea that with the right system, the right knowledge and the right support, you could take control at home rather than being tied to a studio schedule. It wasn't just about saving money, although that was significant. It was about freedom. The freedom to reattach when you needed to, not when your next appointment happened to be.
More than two decades later, nothing about that founding belief has changed. The industry has evolved, the systems have improved, and the online market I helped pioneer is now thriving. But SHS is still run by a real wearer, still built around honest pricing, and still firmly on the side of the client rather than the studio.
I've been in your shoes (quite literally) and I haven't forgotten what that felt like. That's why I built SHS, and it's why I'm still here.