You find that the hair you’re buying only lasts one or two washes.
Later, it starts feeling like steel wool, tangling, and becoming unmanageable, you could actually be dealing with a hair blend.
Some manufacturers blend synthetic hair with human hair to cut costs and boost profits.How can you ensure you’re getting 100% human hair and not a synthetic blend?
Okay, I’m going to share you 6 simple ways to test.
How to test human hair
Remember the ‘burn test’—your go-to for verifying hair authenticity.
Cut a small section of hair and burn it safely. Genuine human hair will burn quickly, producing a distinct, papery ash and smell. If it shrivels, melts, and smells like plastic, you’re dealing with synthetic or processed fibers.
Heat styling is where human hair truly shines. It handles curling irons and straighteners like a pro, maintaining its charm through each curl. Synthetic hair, unfortunately, doesn’t enjoy the heat as much. High temperatures might leave it shriveled and less lively, akin to trying to cook gourmet meals in a toaster oven—not a match made in heaven.
How to test human hair
Visual and Tactile
When it comes to looking at and touching the hair, synthetic and human hair are like night and day. Human hair, with its natural luster and softness, flows gracefully, echoing the gentle fall of leaves in autumn. Meanwhile, synthetic hair can appear overly glossy and somewhat rigid, resembling that one crunchy leaf you step on thinking it’ll be satisfying, but it’s not.
Moreover,rain, shine, or a dip in the pool, water interaction is a tell-tale test. Human hair embraces moisture, staying soft and supple. Synthetic hair, however, turns heavier and less flexible,
Washing days are revealing: synthetic hair takes on water but retains shine temporarily, whereas human hair remains its fabulous self, enduring washes and up-dos without losing its glow.
Furthermore,tangling is another tale. Human hair gracefully untangles with a brush stroke, while synthetic locks seem to stubbornly cling onto that tangle party. The top complaint I hear about synthetic wigs is their tangling aspect.
Finally,the bleach test seals the deal.
Usually when you bleach hair the synthetic fiblers will not bleach.Real human hair should withstand a bleach test without losing its luster and curl. Try a small bleaching attempt and wash away the color to see if the hair remains intact. If so, congrats, you have genuine human hair!
Conclusion
I suggest do it for every single wig that comes in, because you don’t want synthetic blends.
So next time you get a wig, especially if the price is too good to be true, just do a test.
Maybe it’s 100% human hair and you just got it at a good price. Or maybe it’s synthetic hair, maybe it’s a blend, the wig probably won’t last you very long.
Helpful link: synthetic vs human hair wigs