Where Does The Hair For Extensions Come From?

India - Indian hair is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the world. It is fine in texture and comes with a natural body wave that is the perfect texture for most people. Indian hair can also be purchased with a strong natural curl which is full of volume. A large percentage of highest quality hair extensions sold today are from India. Do you wonder how so much hair can come from India? Do people just sell their hair or is it taken from dead people? The answer is no!

India is a country with a large religious population of Hindus. Hinduism is a religion consisting of many customs and beliefs. One such belief in Hinduism is sacrificing ones hair in the name of god. This is an ancient practice which has been going on for many centuries. For most people, hair is what defines their appearance and beauty. In India, cutting the hair is considered letting go of the ego for God. People in India usually cut their hair because they are grateful for a blessing or asking for a blessing.

Everyday thousands of Hindus gather in religious places like temples to pray to God and sacrifice their long tresses. Temples have tonsure (cutting) rooms where devotees sit in rows and get their heads shaved by people appointed by the temple. The cutting process is done in a clean hygienic environment using disposable razors. The hair is then collected and put aside for auction. The bundles of cut tresses in these auctions are usually sold by the ton. A chain of buying continues from the main buyer to various middle men and distributors. These large quantities of hair are sent to the factories of the suppliers and then sorted, hackled and sorted by length. It is then sterilized, washed and dried under the sun outdoors. After drying, it is drawn and tied into bundles.

Italy - Italian hair extensions come from India, Italy is the largest importer of Indian hair. Italy does process the hair but they don't grow it. Italian women all want to keep their beautiful tresses.

China - Chinese hair is usually very straight and coarser than Indian, European or Russian hair. If you can get real remy Chinese hair that has not been over bleached it can be very beautiful, Make sure your client's hair is straight and medium /coarse in texture or it will not look natural. Most Chinese hair is non-remy and will only last a short time.

Europe - Hair that is called European hair does not necessarily come from Europe. It is a name for hair with a similar fine texture such as; Indian, Latin American, Ukrainian, or Moldavian hair, the only exemptions are Asian/Chinese hair, (Chinese can be stripped down to mimic the fineness of European but it is of extremely low quality). There is one thing you can be sure of; the European hair you purchase will not be coming from a rich European country, only the poorer countries have a hair market.

Russia-True Russian Hair is Very-Very expensive -about $200+ an ounce. And it is hard to find. The natural virgin colors range from level 2 to level 6 anything lighter needs to be lightened. If you are going to invest in Russian hair it is best to use it with a sew in weave so it can be reused for a few years or if you want to use keratin bonds make sure you are experienced to prevent shedding. Super Keratip Rebonds are the best and strongest keratin to use with this excellent hair-can be reused for up to 2 years.

Virgin - There is very little true virgin hair in hair extensions. The term virgin means never colored or permed. Chinese/Asian virgin hair will be black to off black in color and straight, if it has been acid washed it is not virgin. Indian Virgin is color #1b (off black) to #2 (darkest brown). European Virgin is the same as for Indian: color #1b (off black) to #2 (darkest brown), with no perm added like in a deep wave.

Synthetic - This type is best used for temporary occasions. Synthetic does not move the same as real hair and it can look overly shiny which comes off as fake. It may be a good alternative over very cheap human hair because it will not matt as fast. The best synthetic is the heat resistant type, (Futura brand) which can be curled with a curling iron.