Tom Hanks may still have a full head of hair, but his old friend Woody is less fortunate. In the trailer for Toy Story 5, the pull-string cowboy whips off his hat to reveal a glossy bald patch buffed into the back of his plastic scalp. “Someone needs a brown marker,” murmurs a fellow toy.
The first Toy Story arrived just 31 years ago, yet a throwaway line, that Woody looks “old because [he’s] bald”, has clearly struck a nerve. Within 24 hours of the trailer’s release, Google searches for “bald spot” had almost doubled, with a spike in queries for “hair transplant” alongside them. Even fictional hair loss, it seems, is enough to send men spiralling towards the mirror.
But, before booking a one-way ticket to Turkey or reaching rashly for the clippers, it’s worth pausing. Male pattern baldness is as old as vanity itself – and thinning need no longer spell defeat. We asked the experts for their follicular fixes, and the most effective ways out of this particularly tough spot.
Five ways to disguise a bald spot
Get a tactical haircut
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Jake Murphy, store manager at Ruffians Covent Garden, insists that the key to hiding a bald spot is to work with whatever hair you’ve still got, not against it. But, there are rules. “Please, no comb-overs!” he says. “For a thinning crown, a mid-length swept-back style works best. Too long, and it runs the risk of parting or falling down, revealing your secret.”
Murphy is equally firm on the cut. One uniform length is a no-go: it makes the varying densities of hair on your head painfully obvious. “Instead, get subtle layers to combat this,” he says. “Or try having the top a touch shorter than expected, which can add volume. Also, wearing your hair the opposite way to how your crown grows can give it lift.”
Try sprays and powders
When Toppik first popularised spray-on hair, it was viewed as a novelty. But, such products – powders included – are actually a solid option. Try Mane Hair Thickening Spray (£22, Mane) or Boldify’s Hair Fibres (£20.95, Amazon).
“These spray or shake-on hair products use tiny, statically charged fibres that cling to hairs,” says Boldify founder Mike Viskovich, “and can instantly create the look of fuller coverage. That’s what I’d typically recommend for men looking to disguise bald spots.” They’re most effective, Viskovich explains, for mild to moderate thinning, where there’s still some hair for the fibres to attach to – at least 30 per cent of the hair remaining. “They don’t regrow hair, but they provide an immediate, natural-looking camouflage that lasts all day when applied and set correctly.”
Invest in a hairpiece
“What comes to mind when we hear the word ‘toupée’ is now a thing of the past,” says Bradley Webber of The Aderans London Hair Clinic. “We often create small, bespoke jigsaw-like pieces to cover areas of hair loss, which blend in seamlessly.” These hairpieces, made for clients who are skewing younger and more fashion-forward than ever, says Webber, are virtually undetectable, and secure enough for swimming, saunas, even contact sports.
Another specialist wigmaker, Banbury Pastiche, will charge around £700 for an off-the-peg piece, which is removed at night. Bespoke options cost around £3,000, but can be worn for weeks at a time. As brand director Nick Allen says, adhesion technology is now very good. “Colour matching has improved, too,” he adds, “and a hair system made with real hair can be indistinguishable from your own. You can shampoo it in the shower and style it as you wish. It’s like having a full head of hair again.”
Explore scalp micropigmentation
It’s the closest you’ll come to Woody’s “brown marker” suggestion, but this non-surgical procedure has grown in popularity in recent years because, unlike hair transplants, it’s low-maintenance, with no incisions or scarring and a short recovery time.
“In simple terms,” says Sophie Cooper, managing director of the Harley Street Skin Clinic, “it’s a form of advanced cosmetic tattooing that replicates the look of natural hair follicles. Over two or three two-to-four hour sessions, a specialist microneedle deposits a pigment into the upper dermal layer of the scalp. Every few years, as pigments fade, top-ups may be required. “But it’s important to manage expectations,” warns Cooper. “It doesn’t stimulate hair growth nor alter the natural texture, density or thickness of existing hair. Instead, it works as a visual camouflage technique, reducing the visual contrast between hair and scalp.”
Put your hat back on
Not just any old hat, of course. LLLT (Low-Level Laser Therapy) caps and helmets harness red light lasers – or, to use the jargon, photobiomodulation – to thicken hair and boost density, which they claim will keep your bald spot at bay for a little while longer.
Brands including Bon Charge recommend 10-minute daily sessions to give your hair a glow-up. Similar peaked options include the HigherDOSE Red Light Hat and the Regrow Laser MD Laser 272, while futuristic at-home models include the LED Hair Growth Helmet.
Do they work? Sceptics may snort, but certain studies, some backed by Princeton University, suggest that the red light widens blood vessels, and that this can consequently stimulate hair growth. So the caps might not carry the same swagger as Woody’s cowboy hat, but for keeping a bald spot under wraps, it seems like they do the job.