9 Amazing Facts about Human Hair in Wigs

A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for a periwig, making its the earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Some people wear wigs to disguise baldness; a wig may be used as a less intrusive and less expensive alternative to medical therapies for restoring hair or religious reasons.

In Egyptian society men and women commonly had clean shaven or close cropped hair and often wore wigs.

Kylie Jenner is a big fan of a good wig. Her glam room has a shelf dedicated to her many wigs. But if the hairpieces are made from real human hair (which is likely), they will cost thousands or even thousands of dollars. Surprisingly, wigs are expensive because Kylie Jenner is so obsessed with them and because there’s a huge demand for human hair all over the world. Price economics looked at this market in a feature article published this week. Here are some of the most amazing facts highlighted in the article.

1. Human hair is a very lucrative industry. The hair is so valuable that one gang even cut off the hair of a woman’s head. It is used for the production of hair extensions and wigs.
2. Most human hair used in extensions and wigs comes from India and China. Every five minutes, hundreds of barbers will shave the heads of a new client. This leaves “bloody scalps” and hairballs all over the ground. These strands can grow up to 30 inches in length and are sold at auction by the temple.
3. Although hair from the temple may be expensive at $700 per pound, it can still be sold at auction. The hair can contain “sweat, blood and lice”, which is what leads to it ending up in warehouses that “reek mildew or fungus.” 
4. A high-end wig can take days to create. Next, you need to remove any lice from the hair. The next step is to wash, dry, and dye the hair. The wig is then made.
5. Hair can’t be untangled from economics. This is true even today, with hair originating from China and India and being sold primarily in the United States, Europe, and Africa.
6. You can get up to $1,500 for long, blonde hair. This was according to one of the wig retailer. The hair was then made into a wig that cost $8,000.
7. Also, short hair is collected and sold.
8. People who buy wigs don’t care about where the hair is coming from. A minister in India responsible for textiles and commerce told The Guardian that they don’t know where the rest of it came from. Consumers don’t care about the mysterious origins of hair, and they want to know it’s clean.
9. Synthetic wigs are improving every year. This is because fewer hair donors, and China and India are stronger than ever before. Companies are finding new ways to create wigs and extensions that look just as great as real hair.