Hello Beautiful and thank you for taking the time to educate yourself before investing in Hair Extensions. You are saving yourself potentially thousands of dollars and the heartache of ending up with not so good hair.
With the amount of hair out there in the world right now, and being that I have been on my own search for the best for years, I figured it was time to blog about my findings. So here we go.
It is soooooo important to understand hair quality and where it comes from if you wish to have an amazing experience with hair Extensions.
There are 3 main types of Quality Remy hair in the market today:
1.) Asian Full Cuticle Remy
2.) Indian Remy
3.) European/Russian Remy
Asian hair has the largest Diameter making it the most durable and longest lasting, Indian the second largest and is also durable, and European the smallest. Fine Asian hair is actually the most expensive (expensive meaning it costs the most for the supplier to purchase compared to other types). *Real European is the Second most expensive, and Indian Remy is the least (in the category of Quality Remy Hair. There are lots of other hair types that are cheaper, but they are cheap, have been soaked in an acid bath, are mixed with animal hair and thread; even if it says 100% human, and will tangle and pull your hair out... NOT Worth It. Being that we only care about luxury quality ;) this is all we will talk about here).
*I state REAL European because a lot of companies are misleading in their advertising, in that their European is a "style" and is not actually European hair from European Countries. Be sure to ask specifically.
Textures:
Chinese Asian hair is the thickest and is usually too straight, too shiny, and too thick to match most hair textures.
For the sake of this blog we will only talk about Asian hair from the lower parts of China, as it is smoother Asian hair, and blends beautifully with all hair textures. 90% of hair from Asia is not suitable for most hair extensions wearers for a myriad of reasons; Quality control being one of them.
Full Cuticle Asian Hair (from the lower parts of Asia) is durable, smooth, naturally shiny (not fake shiny), and lasts so long that you can wear our hair for up to 2 years; with proper care. You can allow this hair to air dry and it is still amazing. You can be in humidity, and it is still amazing. It holds a curl, looks the most natural, and, you guessed it, Feels Amazing like a waterfall showering you with amazingness.
Indian Remy hair tends to be frizzy, which is a pain in the butt, if you live in or travel to climates that are any type of humid. Once you experience the high quality Full Cuticle Asian hair, you will not want anything else; that's what happened to us here at Hair Philosophy. I used to be all about Indian until I experienced the Full Cuticle Asian. This is why I decided I needed to make it into a product, so other stylists could bless their clients with it, and really expand their creativity and the quality of their work.
There has been a lot of hype about Indian Remy hair but not all Indian Remy is the same. Most Indian hair frizzes and doesn't last long; which is why name brand companies have you replace the hair every 4-10 months. Plus, when you wear this hair you must style it, it is rare that you can go without doing so. The texture is curly and being that the hair is all mixed in together, you do not get an even curl pattern, which causes more frizz.
European Remy is smooth and feels amazing, but thin in diameter which causes it to tangle more easily and requires you to need a ton of hair to make it look thick and long, rather than stringy and long (and I haven't found it in tape in form or cold fusion, anywhere. Even if I did, the tops would be inferior and the tape would most likely be "gummy" and too sticky). I also love Real European Hair, but there are not many European women who don't color their hair, grow it long, and want to cut it all off to give away. Full Cuticle Asian hair is the hair type I use for my Russian clients, because it matches their texture and they can wear it for a lot longer, plus our tops are the best there is ;) hair flows out of the top and rooted in color so you can't see them, even in blonde hair.
When hair gets tangly: you are risking your natural hair. The pulling while brushing the tangles out is causing extra tension on your natural hair, and will lead to hair loss. If you have quality hair and it begins to tangle, you just need to purify with a sulfate free detox shampoo and masque it with a keratin masque. If it is due to hair quality: take it out of your hair, asap.
This blog is just about hair Quality and the different types. Remember in my last blog "The Truth About Hair Extensions"? I go over all the other reasons why you should take the tops and attachment sites into consideration, when choosing a hair extensions method to go with (if you want to have a great experience, and have your own hair grow stronger). Remember, most stylists are trained in only one or two types, from one or two hair extension companies. Unless they got lucky and "hit the jackpot", I would do my own research before choosing a company to go with. Early in my career I believed the hype and marketing of some "Big name brand" hair extensions companies and I had to learn the "hard way", that a lot of it is propaganda; being that all hair extensions companies were created by men in the import/export industry, it makes sense how and why this would be the case. Hair Philosophy is the only Hair Extensions company that has been created by Actual Salon Owners/Master Hair Extensions Artists who are "on the ground" working in the field. There is a myriad of reasons why we choose the hair we choose. The most important being the happiness from our clients, knowing their hair extensions are the most undetectable, the longest lasting, the most natural looking, and are not going to compromise their natural hair. Beauty at its Finest.
I hope this information helps you make a beautiful choice when getting Hair Extensions.
Ps. Bohyme Gold is also a brand of Asian hair. They have amazing quality and this is the reason they have been leading the consumer market for decades, and still running (Love the Hair, Dislike their tape tops, and their tape isn't great, it doesn't hold, and the tops are shiny so you can clearly see them in the hair). EasiHair Pro is a blend of Asian hair as well (love the hair, dislike the tops), their hair quality is good. Even the "Hair Shop" has a brand of Asian Hair that they deem as their finest "luxury" hair and is their most expensive hair (they do not have tape or cold fusion in Asian; WE DO! Even if they did have tape in hair, I wouldn't use it, their tape is the gummiest there is, and their tops are too heavy. Plus their hair is sewn over the top of the base which causes the hair to be going in opposing directions= matting at the top= nightmare).
Note: We use a Cold Water technology to lighten our hair slowly and purely. This is why even our blondes stay smooth and last for so long. This technology is leading edge and currently we are the only company who offers it (with our custom designed tops). Most manufactures use a lightening process that lifts the hair too fast, which results in shorter life span breakage, tangling, and frizziness.
Note: We use a Cold Water technology to lighten our hair slowly and purely. This is why even our blondes stay smooth and last for so long. This technology is leading edge and currently we are the only company who offers it (with our custom designed tops). Most manufactures use a lightening process that lifts the hair too fast, which results in shorter life span breakage, tangling, and frizziness.
xo!
Randina
Owner/ Founder
Hair Philosophy "Inspiring The World Through Beauty"
La Jolla, CA
Our Asian Hair