Why is ethically sourced hair and fair trade important ?

SHOCKING TRUTH WHERE UNETHICAL HAIR IS SOURCED FROM....

Behind the hair extensions lying on your dresser, or hanging heavy on your head, is a decision. A decision made by a woman to battle poverty, feed her family, and better her life. That hair has seen years of experiences somewhere in the world. It’s been brushed and tended to, admired and loved.

Yet, the person who grew it for you, may have only been paid a few dollars for it.

That’s right, those 40cms of long luscious hair that you paid hundreds for, were cut off the head of a woman desperate to feed her family that week, and down to the last resort. If not a woman, a young girl exploited and abused. This is the reality on the other side of the hair exchange, whilst you sit comfortably with your full head of hair.

“There’s no shortage of stories of women and children being attacked for their hair — robbed by gun or knifepoint in Venezuela, India, South Africa, Ukraine, Myanmar, and elsewhere — and held down as thieves forcibly cut off their ponytails. Without required traceability, the door is left open for this to happen all over the world by criminals hoping to make a quick buck on virgin hair.”

Every year over 18 million devotees visit the Venkateshwara Temple, at Tirumala in the south Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. For those devotees who make the journey to pay their respects to an incarnation of Vishnu, nothing could be more sacred or give them more joy. Every day, 12,000 of these pilgrims offer their hair as a sacred act to Vishnu, an act of thanks to be blessed by the deity who above all protects and sustains all that is good in society. At temples all over India, this hair is lovingly gathered and becomes the greatest, most beautiful hair in extensions, weaves and hairpieces to give confidence to women the world over. The return? The proceeds paid to the temples are reinvested into the community… Helping to fund schools, offer nutritional services and even to open medical clinics. This hair is sourced ethically. A gift of love… And of thanks.

But in a booming global market, the big business of hair extensions has created an equaling booming black market. Hair unethically sourced, even marketed as “Indian”, but in fact originating in China or Russia... Hair that is often mixed with synthetic hair or even animal hair! This hair often found cheaply online…found on Craigslist and eBay…even beauty supply stores is sourced from China, Russia, Ukraine, Peru and Brazil. The origin is grim...

Here are ways to identify if the hair is ethical and real!

1. SMELL

Hair that has fallen and is dead has a smell of acid and silicone that's easily recognizable

2. CUTICLE INTACT?

Virgin hair is not chemically processed, and by definition must have the cuticles present on the hair. If you check for cuticles and the cuticles are not present, know that the cuticles have been stripped from the hair usually from an acid bath. How to tell? The feel test! Run your fingers up and down the hair shaft. The hair strand should feel smooth going downwards towards the direction of hair growth, however you should feel some resistance as you move your fingers in the opposite direction. This resistance signifies the cuticle is present and has not been stripped.

3. IF IT ACTS LIKE FAKE HAIR IT IS....

Remember that REAL human hair has the same properties as your own. For some unscrupulous dealers, synthetic hair is mixed in with real hair to save costs and maximize profit. There’s an easy way to tell…simply observe how the hair reacts. If you are styling your hair with a flat iron and notice a burning plastic smell… There is synthetic hair mixed in. Likewise, if you wet curly or kinky hair extensions they should acts the same way real hair will. Wet them…see if the curls and kinks come back fully when dried. If they don’t… Fake hair is mixed in. The last way is simply by observing the shine. Real human hair is shiny… But it never shines so much that it looks plastic. The look should be a pearlescent shine... Not a mirror reflective one. If the strands look more like fishing line than your own hair… It’s fake.