There are two basic kinds of fibers used in hair replacement today: human hair and synthetic hair.
"Human hair" can be a misleading term. There are several sources, and quality varies greatly. First quality human hair is European, the most natural looking and feeling. It is rarely machine sewn and is most advantageous when hand tied into a custom hairpiece.
While all European hair is of premium quality, that which is secured from convents is considered superior. Its colors are natural and no chemicals have been added. For this reason, while all hair eventually fades, European is the slowest to do so.
In addition, due to its finer texture, European hair will hold its curl and retain a style longer than any other human hair.
Oriental and Asian hair are also classified as human. In fact, an advertisement claiming that human hair is used, often means it is one of the later two. If it is European, it will say that--so do not be fooled.
The Oriental and Asian fibers almost always require bleaching followed by tinting, thus resulting in quicker fading. Much more difficult to blend in with your own hair, their structure and texture very greatly from that of Caucasians. They are sometimes hand tied into a semi-custom piece, but their primary use is in machine-sewn stock pieces manufactured in the Orient.
n option to European or other human hair is a synthetic. Synthetics are used almost solely in machine productions. An exception to this rule, however, is grey hair. If gray is required in your hairpiece, chances are a synthetic hair will be used, even if it is a hand-sewn, custom made creation. Not only is long, grey, human hair scarce, it is also the most fragile and the quickest to oxidize.
As a result, a high-quality synthetic is a better investment when gray is needed.
One of the most impressive sources of grey hair is transformed is quite intriguing to watch. The desired amount of goat hair is boiled and processed until it finally turns into beautiful human-looking strands. It is totally undetectable in a custom-made hairpiece, and achieves a much better appearance than any man-made synthetic hair replacement.
Synthetics, however, are not to be undermined. In machine-made productions their worth is undeniable. Naturally, the best synthetic is a matter of opinion. Some prefer Dynel from Union Carbide, Kanekalon from Japan, Venicelon or Curlon form Italy, or others. While all synthetics have their individual advantages, many of the pros, including David Hansen prefer Elura form Monsanto. In fact, if a client declines the use of goat hair in his hair replacement, David's second recommendation for an impressive grey fiber is white Elura. Elura is heat resistant and can take the styling of a hot comb or blow dryer. It is, also said to
be structured closer to real hair than any other fiber. Perhaps this is why it does not have the "silky" or "buttery" feeling of cheaper synthetics. It feels like and performs like and performs like human hair .
Synthetics are quite advantageous if you are an outdoors man. True, they are not as impressive as human hair, but they are resistant to sunburn and fading caused by the elements. Having a synthetic as a second hairpiece will allow a man the freedom to enjoy the outdoors while his
custom-made hairpiece is safe at home, ready for the office and his indoor social life. If he gets the urge to jump into the pool, his synthetic won't tangle like human hair and it drips dry in just minutes.
Another advantage of synthetics? They are more readily available. Growing a head full of long hair can take a few years, whereas synthetics can be mass produced in a matter of minutes.
In spite of the advances made by manufacturers, however, some human hair shades remain too hard to duplicate with synthetic fibers. In addition, unlike synthetics used for women's wigs, men's synthetics do hot hold a style well. A woman's hair style can be baked into her wig before she receives it, but this is not suitable for man's hairpiece. His style is not finalized until the piece is actually on his head and styled together with his existing hair. The biggest disadvantage of synthetic hair, however, is the color appearance in sunlight. Under day light or bright scrutinization you can often observe a somewhat shiny and tricky color change.
If you deal with a reputable hair replacement stylist, you have no reason to doubt the quality of hair being used in your hair system. However, if you wish to test the authenticity of the hair further, a simple match test will tell the difference between human hair and synthetic hair. Simply cut out one small strand of hair from the hairpiece. A flick of your lighter will tell you if the hair is human or synthetic if you look for these characteristics:
1. As the human hair burns it gives off a pungent odor that is very much like that of burning chicken feathers.
2. Synthetic fibers leave very little odor as they burn. If you rub your finger through the burnt ash, you'll be able to feel tiny hard beads, prevalent even if only small amount of synthetic fibers have been blended with the human hair.
Some say that human hair will be on the way out as soon as synthetics can be perfected. Not so! I believe that if, when you speak of "human hair," they are referring to Oriental or Asian hair, than the possibility does exist, because some synthetics (such as Elura), are already superior. If they are speaking of European hair becoming obsolete, however, they couldn't be further from the truth. European is the best that money can buy . It can never be duplicated, because it is the real thing. As long as there are men who care enough about their appearance to order a custom-made hair replacement, European hair will continue to be sold as Number one.
David Hansen
Chicago IL
www.davidhansen.com
