Why Are Most Human Hair Wigs Made Of Asian Hair?
Franek Migaszewski

At first sight the answer seems very obvious – they are
cheaper. And of course that is true. But in fact Eastern
European hair is not that much more expensive – the amount
necessary to make a good wig is about 30-50 USD in Poland or
Czech Republic. That is not a fortune if you are going to spend
a few hundred dollars on a wig. So what is the catch?

The problem is on the supply side. There are over 2 billion
people in Asia and only 200 million in Eastern Europe. Most of
people in Eastern Europe have no need to sell their hair for
economic reasons. Moreover, I don't have to emphasize how rare
it is in rich Western European countries to sell one's hair.
That is what makes European hair rare and explains why local
wig-makers purchase only the amount necessary for their own
production. Outside of Eastern Europe, due to its rarity, the
price of the best European hair (so called "raw virgin hair")
is skyrocketing.

Hence 99% of human hair wigs are made of Asian hair. This hair
is marked by such trade names as "human hair" or "remy hair".
If the producer or a sales person does not state directly that
the hair is exclusively European, you can be 100% sure that you
are dealing with Asian hair.

Asian hair is by nature very dark (black), very straight and
thicker than European hair. Subject to a complicated process of
a pigmentation removal, the hair looses its natural shine and
resilience. Before it finally gets to you it will be dyed
several times using synthetic chemical products, which no one
would use to dye their own hair. Such a hair has a tendency to
show a ting of a dark or red color. This is why it has to be
dyed several times and go through a bleaching process. That way
any color can be obtained, but hair structure gets damaged
during the process. It is not pleasant to the touch anymore and
even after as little as twenty weeks it will loose its shine and
become dull.

Another issue concerns the manner in which the hair is
obtained. It is not planned from the start with the thought of
creating wigs. Hair is cut in random hair salons. Part of the
hair also comes from ritual ceremonies of cutting of the hair
as a sign of entering into adulthood. Such hair in the fervor
of the ceremony falls to the floor and is gathered from there
and placed in a great pile. In the process the hair is turned
against and opposite to each of its strands and not layered in
the same direction. Although it may not seem so at first, this
does change the fundamental significance in the quality of your
wig.

Every strand of hair has a coarse cuticle, which clings to the
cuticle of the neighboring hair if they are layered in the
opposite direction. In effect hair is twisting and intertwining
into a hair clump so difficult to comb out. The only method for
solving this problem is to completely remove the natural
cuticle, which is then replaced with a silicon one that gives
the hair its shine. It is a brutal and destructive process –
such a wig will maintain its sheen no longer than for a period
of 4 to 12 weeks. After that time hair becomes dull and
unattractive.

The best Asian hair comes from India and Pakistan. In reality,
it is not much better than hair described above. The advantage
is that this hair is less stiff and may have a natural tendency
to from slight waves. For that reason, many producers claim that
it has the same qualities as European hair, which is not true.

If only there were more Eastern Europeans, life of wig-makers
and their clients would be simpler, heh?


About The Author: Franek Migaszewski is co-founder and manager
of http://www.wiggywigs.com site, the first wig vendor from
Eastern Europe selling human hair wigs directly to the western
markets on the Internet.