Table of Contents
Introduction
It is a multi-billion industry out there which comes from the hair which we cut off every now and then. Beauty salons often are the hubs for hair collectors who buy them for as cheap as Rs. 3000/Kg and sell them to hair extension manufacturers for Rs. 4000 - Rs. 5000/Kg.
India is a great hub for wholesale weave hair extensions and many temples like the Tirupati temple in Tirumala, or Velankani Church in Tamil Nadu add to this multi-billion industry. It brings in about 7 million dollars in revenue to the Tirumala temple by selling hair alone. Many devotees shave off their head in these religious places and hair collectors collect them and sell them to hair extension manufacturers.
Sourcing for the hair industry
The hair industry is not an organized one. Often the hair comes from women in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, China, Somalia and other poor or developing countries. The owner is paid a few dollars/rupees/bhat and the final product is sold in thousands of dollars.
The wig manufacturing industry makes a lot of profit as there is hardly any investment for procuring the raw materials. Most of the Indians have black or dark brown hair. The same goes for the hair color in most Asian and African countries.
Wig and hair extension manufacturing companies often dye these hair to blonde, light brown, burgundy, pink and all the popular colors. Price of weave hair extensions in the U.S will be anything between $1500 to $3000. Celebrities pay even higher prices for long hair extensions which may even go up to $50,000.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlZ1SWLBfPE
Famous celebrities who wore hair extensions
Hollywood celebrities seem to be cutting and growing hair in record time. You might be wondering how they keep changing hair color without damaging their hair strands. Well hold on. In reality they are using hair extensions and hence it does not impact their natural hair.
Let’s look at some of the popular celebrities who used hair extensions at various red carpet events and in shows and movies.
- Kourtney Kardashian
The Kardashian clan is known for putting pictures on Instagram for various fashion style and hair style changes. A few months back, the grapevine was buzzing with the news of Travis Barker chopping off Kourtney’s hair. Well in reality it was just her extensions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=iREda7zj_TU&feature=emb_logo
- Ariana Grande
The American singer, songwriter, and actress Ariana Grande is known for her signature long ponytail, however, people close to her know that it is just hair extension. She even keeps changing her hair color from brownish blonde to dark burgundy quite frequently.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYwiojDphEx/
- Jennifer Lopez
The American singer, actress, and dancer J.Lo sports her long blonde curls often on screen and in the events. She owns a myriad of hair extensions and wigs in her dressing room.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ59DwIjhYE/
- Lady Gaga
The American singer, songwriter, and actress Lady Gaga has displayed the most colorful assortment of hair in her videos and on stage. From yellow to pink to orange, she hardly left any color in the spectrum untouched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaQ6Xhwnlhw
Many other Hollywood stars like Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé Knowles, Rihanna Fenty, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Kim Kardashian and many others use hair extensions on a regular basis.
India- The best hub for hair brokers
Hair extension manufacturers in the U.S heavily depend on the Indian population for hair extensions. Weave extensions for black hair are the easiest to find. The quality of hair is very good in India, and it is available in huge volumes. There are trusted companies like Tirumala hair who are capable of meeting the demands of the hair stylists and wig manufacturers in the U.S and other European countries.
Hair extensions made from Indian hair lasts between 8-12 months if maintained properly. ‘’Virgin remy’’ the most sought after type of hair and it is easily available from the temples in India. People here do not perm or dye their hair, and hence this good quality hair can be collected from a single donor to manufacture the wigs and hair extensions.