Hair Extensions~Virgin Russian/European Hair~Custom Made Wefts
absolutely the best hair money can buy
If processing is so bad for hair why is it done?
All human hair has a cuticle layer similar to fish scales. When some hairs become turned in the opposite direction they will catch with each another, lock up, and cause the hair to mat. The reason so many companies have to sell processed hair is their hair is being mass produced in a factory setting. This is true for European hair as well as all other human hair. The commercial (non custom made) hair is put through a type of assembly line where it is worked on in stages. From one stage to the next it passes through many hands. It's at this time it is very easy to accidently turn some strands in the opposite cuticle direction. This is the basic reason the hair must be "processed" for cuticle stripping. When asking companies about "processing" many will say it is processed to "clean" the hair. Cleaning hair is very easy to do with a damage free deep cleansing shampoo. Stripping cuticle will not make the hair any "cleaner". The hair can be turned by anyone, even professional custom wig makers. This is why it must be washed and tested over, and over again, to be sure there are no tangles that will mat. This is an exacting process, time consuming, and no room for mistakes. At this point it would be much easier and more cost effective to strip off the cuticle layer. But, you would no longer be getting what you paid for! Custom wefts are unique in that each weft is made seperately. It does not come from batches of one color. Many of our wefts can take 10 colors of blending to match your color sample. Also, all our hair has been double drawn to ensure there are no split ends. After testing is complete it is finally time to hand tie hair onto the strings. If there has been a mistake and some of the hair has been tied with wrong cuticle direction it can make the entire weft unusable, and must be stripped, or thrown away. This is why it's so important to be able to test cuticle direction for yourself. Make sure you get what you paid for! Scroll down to see our tutorial on testing.
TESTING FOR UNPROCESSED HUMAN HAIR 1. The outer layer of unprocessed human hair is composed of over lapping scales arranged in much the same way as scales on a fish. On damp hair use approximately the thickness of a single spaghetti strand. Run your finger and thumb fairly rapidly down the strands of hair from roots to ends, it will travel quite smoothly. If you do the same thing in the opposite direction from ends to roots it will feel rough, and have a bit of friction. Don't get discouraged with this method, keep trying, you will begin to feel the difference after you've done it a few times. This test can also be performed on dry hair, but you must keep your fingers moist, this can't be overstated enough when testing on dry hair. On some hair it may feel like both directions are smooth. When this happens close you eyes and run your fingers going in each direction again. With your eyes closed you will be able to feel how one direction of the hair is slightly harder to run your fingers down smoothly. Remember, the smooth side is going down, the rough side is going up. The smooth side is what you will work with, as this is the direction of natural growing hair.
2. Use hair the size of a pencil for this method. With the hair damp vigorously rub the hair located at the top and bottom of the hair shaft. Use two hands together in a quick rolling motion. You will find the roots will adhere much stronger than hair on the ends. This test can only be preformed on bulk hair.
3. Some naturally lighter hair colors will have darker roots and lighter ends, which can make it easy to tell cuticle direction. Don't let this fool you, you can't depend on your eyes alone to tell direction. Processed hair has a silicone layer which makes it virtually impossible to tell the actual direction by feel. Usually this silicone layer is put over hair which previously had the cuticle stripped. Silicone makes the hair feel smooth to the touch in each direction. It is still a good idea to preform these tests before install to see the actual curl pattern, as some hair changes dramatically when wet.
4. Looking through a microscope is the most foolproof way of testing for processed hair. When under a microscope you'll be able to see if the cuticle has been smoothed down, as in the picture above. Although, for the extension professional it's much easier, and faster to give the damp hair a smooth side test. It is impossible to remove all cuticles from the hair without the hair decinagrating. This is the reason it will start to tangle as soon as the coating wears off, and the remaining citicle is exposed. The silicone layer starts to wear off right away with brushing, shampoo, and general wear and tear.
** These instructions are intended solely for persons with knowledge of virgin hair **
1 comment:
Hair Extensions~Virgin Russian/European Hair~Custom Made Wefts
absolutely the best hair money can buy
If processing is so bad for hair why is it done?
All human hair has a cuticle layer similar to fish scales. When some hairs become turned in the opposite direction they will catch with each another, lock up, and cause the hair to mat. The reason so many companies have to sell processed hair is their hair is being mass produced in a factory setting. This is true for European hair as well as all other human hair. The commercial (non custom made) hair is put through a type of assembly line where it is worked on in stages. From one stage to the next it passes through many hands. It's at this time it is very easy to accidently turn some strands in the opposite cuticle direction. This is the basic reason the hair must be "processed" for cuticle stripping. When asking companies about "processing" many will say it is processed to "clean" the hair. Cleaning hair is very easy to do with a damage free deep cleansing shampoo. Stripping cuticle will not make the hair any "cleaner". The hair can be turned by anyone, even professional custom wig makers. This is why it must be washed and tested over, and over again, to be sure there are no tangles that will mat. This is an exacting process, time consuming, and no room for mistakes. At this point it would be much easier and more cost effective to strip off the cuticle layer. But, you would no longer be getting what you paid for! Custom wefts are unique in that each weft is made seperately. It does not come from batches of one color. Many of our wefts can take 10 colors of blending to match your color sample. Also, all our hair has been double drawn to ensure there are no split ends. After testing is complete it is finally time to hand tie hair onto the strings. If there has been a mistake and some of the hair has been tied with wrong cuticle direction it can make the entire weft unusable, and must be stripped, or thrown away. This is why it's so important to be able to test cuticle direction for yourself. Make sure you get what you paid for! Scroll down to see our tutorial on testing.
TESTING FOR UNPROCESSED HUMAN HAIR
1. The outer layer of unprocessed human hair is composed of over lapping scales arranged in much the same way as scales on a fish. On damp hair use approximately the thickness of a single spaghetti strand. Run your finger and thumb fairly rapidly down the strands of hair from roots to ends, it will travel quite smoothly. If you do the same thing in the opposite direction from ends to roots it will feel rough, and have a bit of friction. Don't get discouraged with this method, keep trying, you will begin to feel the difference after you've done it a few times. This test can also be performed on dry hair, but you must keep your fingers moist, this can't be overstated enough when testing on dry hair. On some hair it may feel like both directions are smooth. When this happens close you eyes and run your fingers going in each direction again. With your eyes closed you will be able to feel how one direction of the hair is slightly harder to run your fingers down smoothly. Remember, the smooth side is going down, the rough side is going up. The smooth side is what you will work with, as this is the direction of natural growing hair.
2. Use hair the size of a pencil for this method. With the hair damp vigorously rub the hair located at the top and bottom of the hair shaft. Use two hands together in a quick rolling motion. You will find the roots will adhere much stronger than hair on the ends. This test can only be preformed on bulk hair.
3. Some naturally lighter hair colors will have darker roots and lighter ends, which can make it easy to tell cuticle direction. Don't let this fool you, you can't depend on your eyes alone to tell direction.
Processed hair has a silicone layer which makes it virtually impossible to tell the actual direction by feel. Usually this silicone layer is put over hair which previously had the cuticle stripped. Silicone makes the hair feel smooth to the touch in each direction. It is still a good idea to preform these tests before install to see the actual curl pattern, as some hair changes dramatically when wet.
4. Looking through a microscope is the most foolproof way of testing for processed hair. When under a microscope you'll be able to see if the cuticle has been smoothed down, as in the picture above. Although, for the extension professional it's much easier, and faster to give the damp hair a smooth side test.
It is impossible to remove all cuticles from the hair without the hair decinagrating. This is the reason it will start to tangle as soon as the coating wears off, and the remaining citicle is exposed. The silicone layer starts to wear off right away with brushing, shampoo, and general wear and tear.
** These instructions are intended solely for persons with knowledge of virgin hair **
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