Hair extensions are big business, and as more and more people have extensions put in their hair, the debate over whether natural (human) hair extensions are better than synthetic extensions continues to rage. Whilst some people do not care about the provenance of the MyNaturalHairExtensions that they wear, others are very concerned about the ethical issues that surround all types of extensions. There are pros and cons to both natural and synthetic hair extensions.
The first time that some people decide to get extensions, they may be a little squeamish about considering having real human hair put in, but the truth is that real human hair looks better and feels more natural than most synthetic alternatives. It looks and behaves like natural hair, because it is natural hair.
However, due to the time and effort that goes into growing human hair, it will be more expensive than the synthetic alternatives. As with almost all saleable commodities these days, some human hair extensions are "ethical", and some are "unethical". One method of collecting human hair involves placing collection boxes in households, in areas such as the bedroom or the bathroom, where a lot of human hair falls out naturally.
Suppliers are also given special brushes which will safely collect hairs that are naturally shed as the user brushes their hair. The average human head naturally sheds about 50 hairs or more per day, so by the end of a month, there can be a lot of naturally shed hair in the collection boxes. Suppliers are then paid each month by weight. As long as the suppliers are paid a fair amount, this is a very ethical way to get paid for a natural product, because it is sustainable. It is not in the interest of the supplier to remove all their hair at once, because they will then not have anything to sell next month.
It is a good way for some families to make extra money on the side, and many hair suppliers will have an ordinary day job as well. All "ethically sourced" hair is cleaned and treated before it arrives at the hair salon, so it is safe to use. If you find natural extensions which seem to be very low in price, ask about their provenance because they may have been unethical sourced.
Synthetic hair extensions may be more appealing to some people who do not like the idea of using natural human hair. These extensions are also less expensive than natural ones. However, even the highest quality synthetic products do not look or feel as good as natural ones, and they do not behave in exactly the same way, so they can be harder to style for people who are not familiar with synthetic products.
Cheap synthetic products can look terrible, and some of the lowest quality extensions cannot be styled using heated styling tools, because they are not heat resistant. Many people do not remember this, and can end up ruining their extensions and their styling tools!
raul