What are hair-building fibers, anyway, and how might they benefit me?

(unfinished post right now)

Hair-building fibers (like Toppik, Caboki, SureThik & others) are small, hair-like strands designed to fill in areas where people are experiencing hair loss.  From my findings, they're made out of either keratin, non-keratin organics, or plastic (typically nylon, polyester or acrylic) and temporarily stick to the skin until removed by washing with a bit of soap or shampoo.  When applied in appropriate cases, they work remarkably well, and can be very hard to distinguish from real hair, even up close.

Here's how they work:

Hair fibers are sprinkled or sprayed on to the skin area by means of a small container that works not unlike a spice jar or air-sprayer.  Then you apply a fixative (almost any hair spray will do) to help keep them in place.  In addition, the fibers themselves are usually electrostatically charged, which helps them lock on to fine, thin hair in those regions.  Pre-gaming with hair-thickening agents such as shampoo, gels or waxes can also help. 

In which cases do they work best?

My experience in terms of the scalp is that hair fibers work best on patchy areas that: 1) still have some fine, silk-like hair remaining, and 2) have full hair not too far away.  This should apply to most people with thinning hair or pattern-baldness, but not so much to people completely bare on top.  Note that I initially mentioned hair fibers working on skin, because theoretically they can also be applied to other areas, such as the beard, eyebrows or chest.

So where do I get this stuff?

IME you'll get the highest-quality, keratin-based, most environmentally-friendly stuff by the major brands, such as Toppik.  You'll also be paying about 8x as much compared to quality generics, and the net visible differences aren't dramatic, either.  For example, one might start shopping just like this.  Now personally, I've been trying a generic lately from a company that sounds like "HinallyFair."  The primary ingredient in their fibers seems to be cotton, and it's worked well-enough for me.  Note that the product comes in plastic pouches, so I use an old Toppik bottle to apply it.  If you don't have one, you could use any spice bottle with fine-ish holes, or really anything functionally similar.

How much difference have hair fibers made in my own life?

I started losing my hair decades ago, at a fairly young age.  At first I began compensating by growing it longer on top, and cutting the sides short.  Along the way, I learned to skillfully use the electric clippers to complete satisfaction, saving me... oof, it must be hundreds, or maybe even thousands of dollars in barber's fees along the way.  I was also lucky in that my hair loss slowed down enough such that hair fibers have worked for me for many years.  At this point It's not hard to see shaving it all off down the road, but I'm still hanging on.  It also helps that I still have some hair in front to help create a semi-natural hairline (my balding is in the classic 'U-shape'), and that I'm not obsessed with creating the illusion of a perfectly full head of hair.  When I don't feel like messing with my hair, I wear a styled-up baseball hat when in public.  I cut my hair about once a month, which takes about 5-10 minutes.

TO DO:

- show some good before and afters

-find some r/bald posters that could benefit

-maybe mention your recipe for homemade fibers?

-anything else?