Want an instant hair makeover? – hair extensions are a perfect solution. Hair extensions come in multiple variants. To a great extent, the quality of these extensions depends upon the material it is made from. These extensions can be either synthetic, i.e., made from nylon, acrylic or polyester or natural, i.e. made from real human hair, also known as ‘Remy hair’. The parameters to judge the quality of both kinds of human hair extensions are different. Today, we will talk about how you can judge the quality of Remy hair extensions:
- Looks too good to be true: The easiest method to determine hair extensions’ quality is by observing them. If the extensions are too shiny and they don’t feel soft while you touch them; they are not the one. Good quality human hair always feels soft and never appears “excessively shining”. This is because fake hair, as well as low-quality human hair always have a chemical coating on them to make them appear extra good and glossy.
- Thicker in the middle, thinner in the ends: Low-quality hair usually consists of less amount of longer hair in the bundle. This results in a lack of width consistency, and hence, the hair extension is always thinner towards the ends especially towards the bottom. A good quality bundle or extension will majorly consist of 70-80% hair strands of maximum length. These are also called as Single drawn hair extensions. They taper towards the bottom almost like your natural hairline at the back. However, best in the class are Double drawn hair extensions that has 100% hair strands of the same length.
- Experiment washing: Take a bundle of Remy hair and wash them with plain water. High-quality Remy hair extensions which are made from natural human hair tend to get back to its original form. Good quality extensions will not lose any color or any curls. With each mild shampoo wash, they generally get better and smoother just like your original hair. Whereas, low-quality hair extensions will get coarse and lose the shine. This is because low-quality human hair is coated with chemicals to make them appear shiny, bulky and textured.
- Light them up: Yes, you read it right! Pull out a few hairs or cut a short length of the hair extension. Now, start burning them from one end. The real human hair will tend to burn very quickly and produce a specific smell. Whereas, low-quality synthetic hair will burn slowly and produce a plastic-like burning smell. This is a clear indication whether the hair extensions you purchased are natural and high-quality or otherwise.
- Bleach to reach: Another test for 100% virgin natural human hair is bleaching. When you bleach the whole extension or a strand of it, it will give you one of the two results: Either it will still look soft and silky or become dry and tangled. If the hair’s quality depreciates after bleaching, they are low quality or fake and vice versa. Also, the effect of bleaching will not be uniform everywhere. At most it will give patchy bleaching effect at different places. Only Remy hair, being the real hair, gives you the consistent effect on bleaching or coloring.
- Get them on the weighing machine: A full bundle must weigh about at least 100 gm or 3.5 oz. If the extension weighs any lesser, you’re stuck with a low-quality extension. Heavier is always welcome. Only acceptable variation in size is +/- 5%, not more than that.
- Observe the shedding: Another sign of low-quality hair extension is excessive hair shedding. Some natural shedding is always permissible just like your natural hair, but excessive hair shedding indicates that the quality is not up to the mark.
- Check for tangling: In the Virgin Remy hair, the protective sheath called as Cuticles on the hair strands is intact and aligned in one direction. Since, the extensions come from a single donor the hair is very soft, smooth and easy to comb. However, when the hair extension is made from different sources of hair mixed together, the cuticles are not aligned in the same direction causing the hair to tangle while combing.
- Arm up with a curler or a straightener: Another strong sign of high quality natural human hair extension is that it straightens and curls very nicely. They will never take up extra efforts to get in the shape that you like. Hence, if they’re consuming a lot of time to satisfy you – they are not what you thought them to be.
- Feel the hair: When you run your finger through the Remy hair bundle, it will feel very soft. Try to pull it a bit and it will not break easily. On the other hand, the fake Remy hair will feel frizzy and it will break even on slightest attempt.
We, at Tradesutra Hair, encourage everyone to put the hair extensions to all the quality tests possible and always happy to answer all the questions you might have. It is also very important to perform good after-care of such extensions to increase their lifespan. With good care, the Remy hair is known to last up to 3 years or even more. Top Hollywood celebrities like Kardashians are a big fan of Remy Hair procured directly from India as they are aware of its high-quality. Now you can judge the quality of real Remy human hair, wear them confidently and get ready to handle all the admiring glances coming your way.
