As the raw hair and hair prosthesis market is unregulated, there are many terms that are used and misused. When searching for wig stores in Miami that sell human hair wigs, it’s useful to understand some of these terms. One of the most commonly misunderstood terms I have encountered in my years of making wigs is “raw virgin hair.” To be fair, often vendors of hair and hair prostheses don’t know themselves what this actually is, nor do they necessarily have the skill or experience to determine the difference.
The process of collecting hair…
Hair is collected in many different settings today. It can be bought from individuals who wish to profit from their luxurious locks or even bought wholesale from Hindu temples in India. Temples sell hair donated by congregants to raise money for temple expenses. Many years ago, when nunneries were a normal site throughout Europe, wigmakers would go from nunnery to nunnery, purchasing hair from nuns, who would then give the proceeds to the church.
So what makes virgin hair not virgin?
This is a question that may very well have two answers. Because raw hair can easily be sold multiple times before it ends up in someone’s hairpiece, it’s often difficult to know what happens to that hair from the time it is cut to the time it is made into a prosthesis (human hair wigs or human hair toppers).
For hair to be “virgin,“ its cuticle must be intact. This means that no chemical processing was performed on the hair to remove the cuticle. To use this type of hair, the root and tip must always be kept in place (aligned); otherwise, extreme tangling will render the hair unusable. So cuticle intact hair is, for all intents and purposes, “virgin.” However, what if that hair has been dyed? Can we still consider that hair virgin? Also, how was that hair dyed?
Many factories use fabric dyes and extremely harsh bleaching processes to achieve a more Caucasian-looking hair (Chinese or Indian). I’m of the opinion that if hair is not in its original state, unaltered from the time of cutting, it is not truly virgin. We could say that all virgin hair has its cuticle intact, but not all hair with a cuticle intact is virgin. There are very few places to buy wigs in Miami that are so exacting in their standards, so it’s well worth it to thoroughly research multiple salons before making your choice.
So why does the hair need to be completely virgin? Isn’t cuticle intact enough?
The straightforward answer is it doesn’t need to be completely virgin. In fact, I would say that if you’re on a very tight budget, slightly less than virgin hair might be a very good option when looking for human hair wigs or human hair toppers. Having made wigs for decades predominantly for white women, finding truly virgin Caucasian hair has always been a priority. I know that completely virgin hair will take any salon service just like someone’s bio hair would. I am also secure in the knowledge that its natural texture will be dependable over time (perms are not actually permanent).
