If you’re any bit familiar with hair extensions, you’ve probably heard of ones that use 100% human remy hair. However, with so many different identifiers out there, it can be difficult to tell everything apart. What is remy hair? To put it simply, remy hair is what differentiates the good hair extensions from the best hair extensions.
Using the Best Quality Hair
Just because hair is labeled as being “remy”, doesn’t mean that the hair is actually of the best quality; the source of the hair is very important in determining the quality of the extensions. Donna Bella uses human remy hair that has been sourced from India. These women have worked to grow long hair that has never been touched by chemicals, and they donate their hair to temples as both a social and religious service. The fact that the hair is “virgin” means that the base of the hair extensions will be of the best quality.
This hair is often referred to as “temple hair” because it is sourced from temples that receive their hair as willing donations. Some other sources might get their hair in terrible ways, including forcing or coercing women to sell or give away their hair or even assaulting women to get their hair. Nobody should be victimized just to obtain a product, and nobody should profit off of the victimization of any person. This is why Donna Bella works with temples that get their hair from willing donations; the profits then go into funding the temple and supporting its community.
The Difference Between Remy and Regular Hair
Remy doesn’t actually mean good quality; instead, it refers to the direction the hairs move in. Even the highest quality hair extensions with the best sourcing methods may not end up being remy hair. Remy hair follows the natural direction of human hair, with the root at the top, the ends at the bottom, and the cuticle layer facing down. Non-remy hair will often get frizzy or break when brushed because the hair is in different directions, meaning that some strands will be brushed against their normal direction.
The difference between remy and non-remy hair traces back to its collection methods. When hair is cut, it may either be bound and cut in gathered sections or allowed to fall and scatter across the floor. When the hair is scattered, it is collected in different directions, making it non-remy. Gathered and bound hair will stay in the natural directions since they’re not allowed to fall after being cut.
Finding Remy Hair
Because of the collection method, 100% remy hair isn’t actually all that common. You’re much more likely to find hair extensions that are made primarily of remy hair, but do still include non-remy strands. Generally speaking, this is due to the fact that remy hair is much more expensive and harder to come by. Because of this, many manufacturers will end up bulking up the hair extensions with synthetic or non-remy hair.
