Hair is It

By Candace Lee and Lorraine Cochran

 

The human and artificial hair industry has grown by leaps and bounds since it emerged on the scene in the early 80s. The emergence of hair extensions and wigs today have become a staple in salons everywhere and are one of the most requested and costly products in salon environments. Depending on the hair enhancement service requested, extensions can easily range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. As you take a close look at the evolution of the human and synthetic hair industry, it is easy to see that these products have changed the way modern-day salons service clients and made a major impact in beauty supply stores across America. Dollar for dollar, hair is the most expensive consumable product in beauty supply stores across America and has changed the playing field for many beauty supply store owners, now evidenced by the huge Korean presence in the beauty and human hair industry.

 

This billion-dollar industry has had such an economic impact on the beauty industry that top celebrities have thrown their hats, and needless to say images, into the cash-cow known as hair extensions. Celebrities such as Jessica Simpon and Paris Hilton are two of the latest A-List celebrities to lend their famous faces to hair products. Due to their celebrity association, each of their hair extension brands quickly gained incredible market shares and are used in salon environments from coast to coast.  Perhaps, a degree of their success has to do with their likeness and the fact that America is mesmerized with celebrity images. Jessica Simpson’s hairstyle has been in the top three most Googled hairstyles on the Internet in recent years.  Extending beyond those that work within the industry, the once unheard of notion that someone regularly wore fake hair (that wasn’t a wig) has become commonplace, which is why Simpson’s presence within the beauty industry, both as a manufacturer and product, is notable.  Nowadays it’s rare to see a celebrity on television without the aid of extensions, and the fact that this is common knowledge with hairpieces readily available has been big for the beauty industry.

 

The acceptance of the usage of extensions and wigs to achieve a wide variety of styles and colors has meant billions to an industry that even in economic hard times hasn’t seen any notable signs of dwindling, proving that these embellishments are not just for models and celebrities.  To compete in hard economic times, hair companies have expanded their human hair brands to include a wide variety of artificial hair at a fraction of the cost of their more expensive human hair products. So, today consumers will find a wide variety of artificial hair that looks and acts like the real thing. Although cheaper, these brands tend to allow the consumer the freedom to experiment with a wide variety styles and looks. Thereby, often resulting in even greater sales.

The average woman perusing through the pages of any mainstream entertainment medium has taken note of the health and length that hairpieces provide and have clamored into salons for their very own enviable looks. But outside of the aesthetics they provide, how much do you really know about the materials and textures that make up the extensive range of hair on the market today?  Any research has probably left you asking yourself, what are the basic differences between synthetic and human hair?  How are these hair types distinguished?

 

Making it Believable
Health concerns notwithstanding, the most important feature of the best hair pieces is that they look real.  One hundred percent human hair, naturally more expensive due to its quality and rarity, is a mix of human Indian Temple hair which is the purest, and human Chinese hair, which supplies strength, making it the clear choice for the most benefits and freedom when it comes to wearing hair pieces.  On the other hand, synthetic technology provides competition due to cost effectiveness, but is often limited in styling options due to heat constraints that are not comparable to the service mainstream products grant human hair.  The materials that compose each type of hair lend to different benefits, making their usage a total matter of preference. There are several types of modacylic fibers used to create authenticity for synthetic hair, two of the most popular being Kanekalon and Toyokalon, which offer opposing benefits.

Kanekalon hair is commonly believed to be a mix of both human and synthetic hair due to its durability and realistic look in regards to color and texture, but actually contains no human hair.  It is more expensive than its Toyokalon counterpart, but most often lasts longer.  Toyokalon hair provides opposing benefits being softer and more manageable, however its color and texture does not look as natural.  Additionally, while heat of all types should be applied to synthetic styles sparingly, Kanekalon holds shape and reacts to heat better than Tokyokalon, making it the most commonly used of the two. 

Most of the celebrity wig and extension lines, such as the Raquel Welch and Jessica Simpson lines, used their own form of Kanekalon.  In those specific cases the type utilized is called Vibralite, but many manufacturers create their own versions of synthetic fibers due to its wide-variety of usages, including apparel, fabrics, toys and even industrial products like paint rollers and filters. 

Wide Variety in Texture
There are a wide variety of textures of synthetic hair, including Jumbo Braid, Silky (also called monofibre), Pony and Yaki, all of which refer to the texture of the hair. 

Hair is used for many styles from dreads to bone straight looks.  Jumbo Braid is the cheapest type of synthetic hair, some of which come as 100% kanekalon, while others don’t.  It’s kinkier and lighter than its counterparts, therefore is most often geared towards creating dreads, braids and other more ethnic looks. 

On the other hand, Silky, Pony and Yaki are created for use in loose extensions and falls, due to their sleekness and shine.  Silky is the best quality of the three and is considerably more expensive than the lowest end type (Jumbo Braid), with Pony being medium and Yaki being the lower end.  The quality of each is dependent upon its coarseness and reaction to heat.
The choice in texture depends largely upon the style you wish to achieve, as well as the nature of your natural hair.  Remember, everybody's head shape, hair thickness and texture is different. Therefore, the way you maintain your hair regularly, as well as how fast your hair grows will play a huge part in your decision on texture.

 

Flipping through the pages of fashion magazines, trade magazines and tabloids you can't help but notice the large array of choices that the everyday woman has when it comes to creating a hairstyle that is an extension of their personality.  Beyond price points and celebrity imaging, human and synthetic hair are vastly different.  However, it’s this diversity that has made it the unstoppable craze that it is today.  This multibillion dollar market has become the industry exemplar of multiculturalism and its reach will only get farther as it continues to cater to women everywhere for years to come.