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 Wiggywigs.com site, the
first wig vendor from Eastern Europe selling only human hair wigs
directly to the western markets on the Internet.
» left by JH from Toronto (2 years 157 days ago.)
This entire article has quite the racist tinge to it. According to the way the author describes it, Asians might as well be thid-rate livestock. I wonder whether the author has ever considered that the efforts to westernize Asian hair, and to change their nature is at fault, rather than the hair itself. I find how the author makes caucassians the norm to be fitted by other ethincities very distasteful. Respond to this comment
» left by Steve (342 days 22 hours ago.)
This article is disgusting. Has he ever considered that Asian hair grows at a faster rate than Caucasian hair? Rituals? Rites of passage? Is he joking? I mean that must be the worst joke in the world. Whoever's writing this mess obviously views Asians as second tier to Caucasians. Respond to this comment
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