I work in the beauty industry and I’m gonna tell you, I see new hair companies cropping up all the time. I don’t mean hair product companies, I mean hair companies that sell hair.
It’s a huge business. In the scheme of things, the growth of human hair companies is right after that of hair loss companies. Is there a reason for this?
Well, yes and no, sorry, yes.
Are hair extensions bad for your hair? To be frank, hair extensions rip folks’ hair out, so I would say, “Yes”. Wigs are a little better, but if they are worn constantly, they don’t allow the scalp to get sufficient air which can cause hair growth problems. And if you’re wearing the same one over and over, it breeds bacteria.
But all this is addictive, right? There’s nothing quite like getting the hair of your dreams in a one day process. Long, strong and straight…
Wait. Did I say this was somebody else’s hair?
Where Hair is Produced
That lace front you’re wearing is likely made from the hair of hundreds, if not thousands, of women who sold their hair to make it through the week or had it forcefully taken from them.
The hair industry is largely unregulated. Hair companies only know that maybe 20% comes from Hindu temples in India where the hair is donated for religious reasons. What about the other 80%? No one really knows. Rather I should say no one really wants to know.
Those tape extensions look really nice, don’t they?
How to Tell if Someone Is Wearing Someone Else’s Hair
Sounds stolen, doesn’t it?
Well, anyway, let’s break from the ethics for a minute and get straight to practicalities.
Black women. Most have hair that in its natural state is thick and short. When straightened, it becomes thin – more so over 30 years of age. There are exceptions, of course.
White women. Hair grows longer but tends to get really thin around 30 years of age and over. Naturally, there are exceptions.
So all these people over 30 – black or white – who are sporting bouncy, voluminous locks are probably wearing somebody else’s hair.
But before we say, “Do your thing, girl,” let’s look at the consequences.
Bald spots.
The consequences are baldness, baldness, and more baldness. I hope I’m being clear. Anything that weighs on and pulls in your hair follicles is going to eventually pull out your natural hair from the root.
Constant pulling also causes inflammation inside the scalp. Inflammation fosters permanent hair loss because the hair follicles die under its pressure.
From Weave to Wig
So now it’s permanent wig time to hide the bald spots.
Unless you have a Hollywood supply of decent human hair wigs – please, really, no synthetic hair – you’ll be wearing the same two or three choices. Considering the way wigs are woven, there is really no way to get them thoroughly disinfected without ruining them. So you’re looking at breeding bacteria, fungus and more complicated alopecias.
Just say bye-bye to healthy hair period.
Is anyone listening?
Hair and Beauty Consultant 