How to Tell if Hair Extensions are Good Quality (2024)

Hair extensions have developed into a beauty solution and a means of achieving thick, gorgeous hair to enhance one's appearance. Due to the rise in demand for good quality hair extensions, many businesses have started to claim they use the highest quality hair when in reality their hair extensions are made from animal hair or synthetic hair.

Are you interested in purchasing hair extensions but concerned that they won't be of high quality? At The Lauren Ashtyn Collection, we want to help you distinguish good quality versus low-quality hair. Here are a few ways to tell if your hair extensions are good quality.

The Origin of Your Hair Extensions

How to Tell if Hair Extensions are Good Quality (1)

The best indicator of high-quality hair extensions is their origin. You must first determine whether the hair extensions you have are made of real human hair or synthetic hair. These hair types have various origins and make-ups, which affects their quality and cost.

In comparison to synthetic hair extensions, human hair extensions will always look more natural, silky, and smooth. Synthetic hair extensions contain no human hair at all and are created from a variety of synthetic materials like plastic, acrylic, or nylon – which can make your hairpiece stiff and noticeable.

Although there are various grades of human hair depending on how the hair was gathered, handled, and sorted, Remy human hair is the best quality hair extension because the cuticle has been preserved, not stripped, and aligned in one direction.

How Can You Tell if the Hair is Synthetic or Human?

Appearance

Synthetic hair is frequently silicone-coated to give it an excessively shiny finish that can be washed off quickly and is then left with an unnaturally dull color. The opposite is true for human hair, which always remains shiny, silky, and smooth.

Touch

Synthetic hair feels rough, frizzy, and dry to the touch. Even brushing it or running your fingers through it is challenging. On the other hand, human hair is smooth from top to bottom, making it very easy to brush and style.

Heat

Synthetic hair can't handle the heat from hot styling tools like a straightener, curling iron, or blow dryer. The heat can significantly damage the hair, and the numerous treatments the hair has undergone may leave behind a chemical or unpleasant smell.

Human hair extensions offer the most versatility because they are not dyed or treated with any chemicals, allowing you to style them just like your natural hair. But as with your natural hair, always remember to use a heat protectant.

How Can You Tell if Your Hair Extensions are Processed or Unprocessed?

Another way to tell if hair extensions are good quality is by identifying whether or not the hair extensions have been processed. Processed hair, also known as non-remy hair, refers to mixed donor human hair that has been gathered from various locations. This hair is frequently of low quality and requires heating or chemical treatment. Unprocessed hair, including virgin and remy hair, still has its cuticle intact and has not undergone any chemical processing.

Here are two ways you can tell if your hair extensions have been processed or not:

By appearance

Human hair extensions that have not been processed will be flawless and have a natural shine from root to tip. Contrarily, chemically processed hair will look frizzy and tangle excessively after washing. If your fingers get tangled and there is a lot of shedding, this is a sign the hair is processed and of poor quality.

The cuticle test

By examining the cuticles, you can determine whether or not your hair extensions have been processed. Real virgin hair is defined as having cuticles that run in the same direction from root to tip. If the cuticles run in different directions, it's non-Remy hair and of much lower quality.

You can test this by picking up a few hair strands and running them through your fingers. The resistance should be greater going up than down. If there is no resistance, the hair is either synthetic or has undergone chemical processing.

Additionally, unprocessed hair has white scales, whereas hair that has undergone chemical or dye processing has a brown or black hue.

Where to Buy High-Quality Hair Extensions

If you want gorgeous, silky, long-lasting hair extensions, never opt for low-quality hair. When you’re searching for the best quality hair extensions, look for a reputable retailer with excellent client testimonials, such as The Lauren Ashtyn Collection.

We only sell wigs and hair extensions made from the finest, 100% human European Remy hair. We make sure that every one of our hairpieces will provide our customers with years of beautiful, stunning wear.

Are you ready to invest in the highest-quality hair extensions? Shop our extensions today!

How to Tell if Hair Extensions are Good Quality (2024)

FAQs

How to Tell if Hair Extensions are Good Quality? ›

The cuticle test

How do I know if my extensions are good quality? ›

Comb your hair extensions with your fingers, if the hair feels silky smooth to touch and separates with ease and little to no shedding, this means the hair is high quality. However, if your fingers get stuck in tangles and find your hands covered in lost strands, this shows the hair is made of or with low quality hair.

How do I choose quality hair extensions? ›

Factors to Consider When Choosing Extensions

Hair Quality: The debate between virgin and processed hair is still on. We would recommend to go for 100% virgin human hair, where cuticles are intact and aligned, to guarantee the extensions mimic natural hair's movement and lustre, but also avoid matting and tangling.

How to tell bad hair extensions? ›

How can consumers tell if the hair extensions are fake or real? Burning a strand makes it easy to spot fake hair extensions. Natural hair will smell like burnt hair and singe as it slowly burns upwards. The smell is undeniable; when the hair is synthetic, it will melt and burn quickly.

What is the highest quality of hair extensions? ›

Remy human hair extensions are the best quality of human hair available to average consumer. Remy human hair extensions have been through some chemical processing and color treatments to become hair extensions. However, the cuticles in Remy hair are kept intact unlike other non-remy hair extensions.

What to look for when buying hair extensions? ›

5 Important Tips For Picking Hair Extensions
  • Choose Remy Human Hair. There are many types of hair on the market, usually falling into the categories of synthetic, non-Remy, and Remy. ...
  • Perfect Color Match. ...
  • Hair Texture. ...
  • Matching Hair Extensions to Personality & Lifestyle. ...
  • Professional Stylist Services. ...
  • Imagique Salon Suites.
May 10, 2019

What is the highest grade of hair extensions? ›

Grade 10A is the highest quality hair that you can buy, and it's also the most expensive. It's 100% unprocessed virgin hair from one donor with thick ends and strong structure. You can dye hair up to white color without much damage.

What are the worst type of hair extensions? ›

Microlink Hair Extensions

Although this method does not use heat or glue, if not installed correctly by a professional, microlink hair extensions can be damaging on the hair. The bead may be tightened too much, causing pressure and pulling at the roots, and if not removed properly, the hair can be pulled out.

How to tell if hair extensions are synthetic or real? ›

The Flame/Burn Test

This is the one foolproof way of knowing for sure whether the hair is real or synthetic; Pull a couple of long strands of hair out and hold them above a flame – make sure you use a lighter or an unscented candle. If the hair singes and burns upwards while smelling like burnt hair – it is real.

What is the biggest problem with hair extensions? ›

However, while these hairstyles offer a range of possibilities, wearing them can damage your natural hair and even cause hair loss if proper precautions and care are not taken. Because a weave or extensions often require women to wear their natural hair tightly pulled, this can be tough on hair.

What extensions do the Kardashians use? ›

obviously, Kim Kardashian has custom made wigs and extensions, but when she's not wearing the wigs, she wears this brand of extension. it's called sad hair, and they are beaded extensions. and it's all natural human hair.

What hair extensions do most celebrities use? ›

Keratin individuals are a favorite choice among celebrities seeking long-lasting extensions. The hair extensions are bonded to the natural hair using keratin, ensuring a secure and seamless attachment. With keratin individuals, celebrities can enjoy the freedom of styling their extensions just like their own hair.

What is the most damaging type of hair extension? ›

But be warned, Tape In Hair Extensions are very damaging. The pictures below from Gia & Co depicts the bald spots that tape-in hair extensions can cause. If you are adding a lot of length and volume, you are going to be adding over 5 ounces of extensions to your hair.

How do I find good extensions? ›

The best extensions are ethically sourced, chemical-free, and 100% human-hair. These strands of hair must not be treated with raw chemicals or have silicone added. Premium does come with a price tag, so you might need to shell out more, but the feel of the hair and the confidence you'll get will be worth it.

How to tell good quality bundles? ›

A clever way to test the quality of hair extensions is to determine the percentage of hair of the same length. If you see a lot of short hair strands in the bundle, it means the hair for this bundle is collected from fallen hair on the ground and not from a single donor.

How to identify good quality hair? ›

Hairdresser and founder of salon, Her Definition, Heather Dappah says ''High quality human hair will have a natural shine even after washing. It will also be thick, consist of minimal to no shedding and it can withstand being straightened with titanium plate straighteners.

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