The quality of hair that you receive within a set of extensions will play a major part in the difference between a good and a bad set of hair extensions.
We all know just how popular extensions have become throughout the world and, with the demand for them getting more and more everyday, the extension market is becoming very saturated, rapidly.
More and more manufacturers are skimping on quality, as the price of natural human hair rises.
With new competitors appearing throughout the market everyday, all retailers are feeling the pressure to perform.
As with anything, the price that you pay for your extensions will generally reflect in the quality of product that you receive, however the extension market is renowned for being a highly unregulated, so this cannot be taken as gospel.
This series of articles is designed to educate you as a consumer, so you can make an informed decision about the type of hair extensions that will choose to transform your look.
Origins have nothing more to do with the quality of extensions that you will receive other than the texture; however this still plays an important part in how our hair extensions look.
We must also understand that companies will sometimes treat the hair using chemicals to change the texture, which can also affect the quality.
Everybody's natural hair texture is different and, although not imperative, it is a good idea to look at the type of extension origin in relation to the texture of your natural hair, before buying.
Lets look firstly at probably the cheapest and most readily available; Chinese hair.
This has a very coarse/ thick texture and comes in dark colours, mainly black.
With Chinese hair you have much more chance of it being put through a chemical process; manufacturers know that extensions are very popular for people with that of Caucasian hair so they will strip down the cuticle to make the hair resemble this texture.
Next we have to remember that with Chinese hair, any extension colour other than black, will have to go through some kind of colour stripping process to reach its desired colour.
This normally means some kind bleach product will be used, so again, especially with the lighter colours quality will be affected.
It has such a coarse texture, it is not well matched to the majority of Caucasian types of hair.
It is personal preference as to whether you are happy wearing this hair.
To give you an example; my hair is quite fine with lots of layers and, as I prefer a thicker, coarser look and my hair extension stylist is very good at blending I do not see much of a problem using Chinese Extensions.
I reiterate that personal preference is key! So then we move up the scale to Indian hair.
Texture wise this is a much similar texture to Caucasian hair but will still have the same issues colouring wise as naturally it is found in very dark colours and blacks.
Indian Temple hair is hair that is sacrificed in temples throughout India.
It can be seen as a very good type of hair to use as long as it is not over processed.
Good Indian Temple Hair will cost a bit more to buy, but will be worth the investment.
Then we move on to European hair.
This can mean it is collected from countries within the EU; a massive area with a lot of countries in it.
However not many where people cut their hair off and sell it! Consequently we are narrowing down the availability already.
Again texture wise this is much more suited to Caucasian hair, however you will find that countries where hair is available from for example Spain will also be in the majority of dark colours.
We need to also bear in mind that companies will label their extensions as e.
g.
'Spanish Hair' when actually the hair has been sourced from China, but processed in Spain, giving its apparent 'Spanish' origin! Russian Hair is another origin of hair where supply is extremely limited and consequently cost is high.
This is because a lot of time and money has to be spent travelling through isolated Russian villages finding hair donors.
Russian hair is classed as the finest best quality hair suited to Caucasian hair that money can buy.
Please note the last section of this sentence; this is hair is from one of the most expensive origins.
Russian hair comes in a variety of natural colours meaning the need for dying and bleaching is limited if not non existent.
It is also renown for being soft and silky to touch therefore doesn't really need any processing so there are no problems with drying or matting after washing.
Again we must watch for these companies that will use only a percentage of Russian Hair in their extensions and sell as Russian hair and companies claiming their hair is Russian, when actually it has just been processed in Russia and nothing else.
So, to conclude, the second statement in our Hair Extension Article Series; What Do You Know About Hair Quality? Chapter 2 is; 'The texture best suited to Caucasian Hair, regarding hair origin is Russian Hair.
This hair is very expensive and hard to find.
Buy using a good hair Extensions Technician, we can use blending techniques to disguise the texture of other coarser hairs e.
g.
Chinese.
Textures and Hair Origins are all to do with personal preference and must be analysed carefully.
' Please read my other Articles within the Hair Extension Article Series; What Do You Know About Hair Quality? To start piecing together the whole story about what to look for in Hair Extension Qualities.
We all know just how popular extensions have become throughout the world and, with the demand for them getting more and more everyday, the extension market is becoming very saturated, rapidly.
More and more manufacturers are skimping on quality, as the price of natural human hair rises.
With new competitors appearing throughout the market everyday, all retailers are feeling the pressure to perform.
As with anything, the price that you pay for your extensions will generally reflect in the quality of product that you receive, however the extension market is renowned for being a highly unregulated, so this cannot be taken as gospel.
This series of articles is designed to educate you as a consumer, so you can make an informed decision about the type of hair extensions that will choose to transform your look.
Origins have nothing more to do with the quality of extensions that you will receive other than the texture; however this still plays an important part in how our hair extensions look.
We must also understand that companies will sometimes treat the hair using chemicals to change the texture, which can also affect the quality.
Everybody's natural hair texture is different and, although not imperative, it is a good idea to look at the type of extension origin in relation to the texture of your natural hair, before buying.
Lets look firstly at probably the cheapest and most readily available; Chinese hair.
This has a very coarse/ thick texture and comes in dark colours, mainly black.
With Chinese hair you have much more chance of it being put through a chemical process; manufacturers know that extensions are very popular for people with that of Caucasian hair so they will strip down the cuticle to make the hair resemble this texture.
Next we have to remember that with Chinese hair, any extension colour other than black, will have to go through some kind of colour stripping process to reach its desired colour.
This normally means some kind bleach product will be used, so again, especially with the lighter colours quality will be affected.
It has such a coarse texture, it is not well matched to the majority of Caucasian types of hair.
It is personal preference as to whether you are happy wearing this hair.
To give you an example; my hair is quite fine with lots of layers and, as I prefer a thicker, coarser look and my hair extension stylist is very good at blending I do not see much of a problem using Chinese Extensions.
I reiterate that personal preference is key! So then we move up the scale to Indian hair.
Texture wise this is a much similar texture to Caucasian hair but will still have the same issues colouring wise as naturally it is found in very dark colours and blacks.
Indian Temple hair is hair that is sacrificed in temples throughout India.
It can be seen as a very good type of hair to use as long as it is not over processed.
Good Indian Temple Hair will cost a bit more to buy, but will be worth the investment.
Then we move on to European hair.
This can mean it is collected from countries within the EU; a massive area with a lot of countries in it.
However not many where people cut their hair off and sell it! Consequently we are narrowing down the availability already.
Again texture wise this is much more suited to Caucasian hair, however you will find that countries where hair is available from for example Spain will also be in the majority of dark colours.
We need to also bear in mind that companies will label their extensions as e.
g.
'Spanish Hair' when actually the hair has been sourced from China, but processed in Spain, giving its apparent 'Spanish' origin! Russian Hair is another origin of hair where supply is extremely limited and consequently cost is high.
This is because a lot of time and money has to be spent travelling through isolated Russian villages finding hair donors.
Russian hair is classed as the finest best quality hair suited to Caucasian hair that money can buy.
Please note the last section of this sentence; this is hair is from one of the most expensive origins.
Russian hair comes in a variety of natural colours meaning the need for dying and bleaching is limited if not non existent.
It is also renown for being soft and silky to touch therefore doesn't really need any processing so there are no problems with drying or matting after washing.
Again we must watch for these companies that will use only a percentage of Russian Hair in their extensions and sell as Russian hair and companies claiming their hair is Russian, when actually it has just been processed in Russia and nothing else.
So, to conclude, the second statement in our Hair Extension Article Series; What Do You Know About Hair Quality? Chapter 2 is; 'The texture best suited to Caucasian Hair, regarding hair origin is Russian Hair.
This hair is very expensive and hard to find.
Buy using a good hair Extensions Technician, we can use blending techniques to disguise the texture of other coarser hairs e.
g.
Chinese.
Textures and Hair Origins are all to do with personal preference and must be analysed carefully.
' Please read my other Articles within the Hair Extension Article Series; What Do You Know About Hair Quality? To start piecing together the whole story about what to look for in Hair Extension Qualities.
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