Synthetics Vs Natural

Hairpieces can be constructed with human hair fibers, synthetic or a combination of both. Both human and synthetic fibers will have their own pros and cons as well as needs for maintenance.

Human Hair

Human hair wigs and toppers are generally created using Asian, Indian, or European strands. European hair being finer in density and typically lighter in natural color these tend to be the most costly and sought after. While hair from Asia is generally straight, hair from India generally produces natural wavy textures.

Often you will hear the words remy to depict hair quality. What this typically indicates is that the cuticle of the hair -or outer most layers- are all laying the same direction. This ensures less matting or tangling. Many brands now lean towards more gentle methods to process their fibers for consistent color. This keeps cuticles intact, while others will chemically process the hair and strip away the cuticles, replacing them with a coating for temporary smoothness and shipping. Hair that has been properly and safely altered is called 'Cuticle hair 'or 'Cuticle intact hair'.

Many brands of extensions and wigs will carry a variety of hair types. These vary from the ethnic background to color, lengths, and textures as well as the degree of processing. This also ranges from virgin hair that has been untouched by any chemicals and is fully customizable to processed remy of varying quality.

Synthetic

Modacrylic fibre I are formulated from petroleum products and are produced as very long threads mono filaments, which are then rolled onto spools. This is the most cost effective and efficient in the production of wigs. while modern technology has advanced , the production of modacrylics has dramatically improved producing more and more realistic results that resemble natural human hair. Shades are almost unlimited, so human hair colours can be closely duplicated. Synthetic hair is NOT heat friendly and the results are for easy low maintenace styles that do not require
use of styling tools. With the production being most readily available, these wigs are the most easily attained on all budgets. Synthetics can be as common as costume wigs for events to every day wear and functionality.

Heat Friendly Synthetics

Heat friendly Synthetic hair is a newer technology of synthetic fibres in which the hair maintains its shape and colour with little to no maintenance , however with the added bonus of being resilient to heat damage. While regular synthetic hair may become frayed or dull over time, heat friendly synthetics may be smoothed back to its original shape and textures with the use of warm steam or low heat tools and a careful touch. This type of fibre allows for reshaping should you wish to slightly alter the style of the unit. Much like other synthetics, heat friendly is incapable of being coloured and is designed to hold a fresh look for the entirety of its lifespan - while human hair would require a colour touchup over time.

How to tell if the hair is human fibres or synthetic?

If you're not certain whether a hairpiece is made of human hair or synthetics, pull out several strands and hold them over a match flame. A human hair strand will burn slowly and produce an odor. A synthetic fibre will either 'ball up' on the end (melt) and extinguish itself, or burn very rapidly while producing no odour.