What makes Remy, Single/Double Drawn, Raw, Indian, Asian, Russian and Virgin Russian hair extensions different from each other? And why does it matter? Well, it could be the difference between the swishy, glorious hair of your dreams and the tangled matted mess of nightmares.

​

REMY-

​

You’ll see the word remy pop up a lot when looking at hair extensions. It’s nothing to do with where the hair comes from, it just means all the hairs are running in the same direction – from root to tip.  By only describing hair as ‘remy’, the seller is being deliberately vague – they don’t want you to know what this hair is. Why is that? Either you wouldn’t buy it if you knew, or they couldn’t charge as much. Don’t get me wrong, you want remy hair... but look at it like this – all good hair is remy but not all remy hair is good.

  

SINGLE AND DOUBLE DRAWN-

 

Single drawn hair is washed and has the shortest hairs removed, or ‘drawn’ from the ponytail – it makes it easier to work with. Double drawn is a labour-intensive process where all the washed hair is drawn by the tips and trimmed to remove split or dead ends.  The hair is then drawn for a second time to remove the shorter hairs and sort it into the correct lengths.  All this work makes double drawn hair fuller, stronger and more luxurious. It’ll last longer than single drawn hair and look better too.

 

INDIAN AND ASIAN HAIR-

 

Asian hair is the cheapest and most available extension type on the market. As the texture is coarse, it has most of the cuticle removed in an acid bath. Why is that? To make it finer, like Caucasian hair. It is then treated with silicone to make it soft and shiny but this only last for a few washes and you will find Asian extension hair becomes dry and tangled within weeks of wear.  Indian hair is Caucasian, so it is usually finer than the most commonly used Asian hair. Because of this, it doesn’t need to be processed as aggressively as Asian hair It is naturally available straight/wavy/curly, in shades of black and dark brown. Because of the tonsuring practice which takes place in Hindu temples, there is a huge quantity of Indian hair available. Problem is, most Indian hair is exported to China, where it is mixed with cheaper Asian hair, and damaged by aggressive processing. It is a lower quality of hair, commonly sold by many large companies as it's easy to source.  If it’s been manufactured properly, it won’t tangle but it will dry out, look dull and be prone to split ends. So, don’t expect it to look ‘reasonable’ for any longer than 3-6 months.

 

RUSSIAN HAIR-

 

In the last few years, the market has been flooded with cheap "Russian" hair. The problem is, it’s not true Russian, it’s actually Asian. Until recently, extensions could be labelled as "Russian" which was just terminology for if it had cuticles intact, but it never was regulated to how many. The Chinese factories caught on and decided that if they left most of the cuticle on the hair, and processed it more gently, it could pass as "Russian". Why would they do this? It all comes down to money. They’re getting a great price for inferior hair, as are the salons and shops that sell it on to inexperienced and unsuspecting customers. So "Russian" hair isn't always true Russian.

 

LUXURY VIRGIN RUSSIAN HAIR- (RAW/CUTICLE INTACT HAIR)

 

The market is vastly made up of hair that is sourced and swept up from temple floors, drains, which then go through massive chemical processes to make them look and feel healthy. Luxury Virgin Russian or Raw hair is not sourced this way – it is from single donor's ponytail's and not highly processed or sorted like most extension hair on the market, so a much better choice.  It is NOT highly bleached /boiled or chemically processed like the others, the process often uses cold decoloring methods which means it is full cuticle, strong and healthy.  It’s the diamond standard of hair. Collected from the Western regions of Europe (Russia, Ukraine and Belarus), this hair is perfect as it has the same characteristics as western hair but tends to be stronger. It’s available in colours from light blonde to dark brown, and although it is usually straight, wavy textures aren’t uncommon. After all, virgin hair is a natural product, so each ponytail is unique.  If budget isn’t your priority, you won’t find better.  Luxury Virgin Russian hair can last for up to 1-2 years.  It's soft, strong and the best hair in the world.