Most of the hair used for making hair extensions, hair pieces, and wigs sold in the US is sourced through India. Much of it is collected from monasteries located throughout the country. The largest and most famous monastery is in the south of India. Indian women donate their hair as an offering to their God as a sign of modesty. It is their understanding that it will be sold by the monks for a substantial sum of money that will be used to finance schools, hospitals and other publicly favored facilities. But not all hair that finds its way onto the market is the same.
GRADE: Cuticle, Non – Cuticle, Virgin, Processed, Single Drawn, Double Drawn, Remy and Non – Remy
SOURCE:
- MALAYSIAN HAIR (aka Asian Hair) a thick and coarse fiber that is naturally straight and dark brown to black in color.
- INDIAN HAIR (aka Italian Hair) a variety of fiber types from fine and straight, medium thick with body wave and curly to thick coarse hair. “Italian hair” is actually Indian hair that has been processed in Italy or Spain and then sold at premium prices. Indian hair is popular to use for custom made hairpieces because it can be made to resemble European hair. Although prices for Remy Indian hair can sometimes increase every 2-3 months, it is still available in the less expensive non – Remy form. The Indian hair fiber is small in diameter compared to Chinese hair and after chemical processing can feel and look just like European hair. Finally, a great attribute of Indian hair is that it comes in a full range of textures and body.
- EUROPEAN HAIR (aka Russian Hair, Caucasian Hair) a fine to medium density fiber that is naturally straight to slight wave and available in a variety of natural colors, most commonly dark blonds to medium browns. The Virgin colors will often be streaked with lighter shades or the ends will be much lighter than the roots due to weathering.
SINGLE DRAWN HAIR (aka Cuticle Hair, Virgin Hair, and Remy Hair) a bundle of hair, no matter its origin or grade that appears like a ponytail because all the short lengths of regrowth hair are kept in the bundle. Many a novice buyer thinks the shorter lengths are split ends. Different manufacturers sell bundles of hair in single drawn form, but sometimes split the percentage of short hair and sell at a higher rate. They may decide to take out perhaps 50% of the shortest lengths and leave the rest in the bundle.
DOUBLE DRAWN HAIR (aka Non – Cuticle Hair, Processed Hair, and Non – Remy Hair) a bundle of hair, no matter its origin or grade that is all one length. There are no shorter lengths of hair present, Non – Remy Processed hair is usually sold double drawn. The term refers to a mechanical process that draws out all the shorter lengths from a bundle, and then draws again to realign the top of the bundle.