HAIR extensions are hugely popular and give anyone - from Hollywood A-listers and reality stars to ordinary parents and students - instantly thicker, longer locks.
But before you spend your cash, there's a grim side which you need to know about.
Do you really know where your extensions come from or worse still, what horrors could be lurking within the strands?
Shockingly, experts say some 'budget' types are actually gathered from discarded hair found on floors and even inside bins.
So-called “human hair”, flogged for as little as £20 online, is likely to be weak, mismatched and have been sourced using exploitative practices.
And some products may not be properly cleaned before they are sold and shipped to the UK - meaning they could arrive “contaminated”, according to consultant trichologist Eva Proudman.
Speaking exclusively, Eva, founder of UK Hair Consultants, explains: “Hair doesn’t come like it’s your hair on your head. You can have nit shells in it, it can be contaminated with oils, it can be really dirty with dust debris and skin cells on it.
“When you put it under a microscope there’s all sorts you can see.”
One stomach-churning image captured under Eva’s microscope shows how she found a nit and nit shells in ‘human hair’ extensions she was recently asked to test for quality.
“There will be people that would be horrified by this,” Eva continues. “But then there will also be people who probably trust when they're told that the hair is ethically and properly sourced when that might not be the case.
“It’s not regulated in any way.”
Most affordable human hair extensions come from city drains
Hiara Extensions, TikTok
It comes after a viral video - which clocked up over 500k views - claimed that in India hair is pulled from drains then processed and made into extensions to be sold overseas.
The clip, shared on the official TikTok account of US firm Hiara Extensions in October, shows swathes of black hair being bundled into bags and processed into sleek headpieces.
Alarmingly, A voice over on the video claims that “most affordable human hair extensions come from city drains [...] and plug holes.”
It continues: “[Workers] clean and treat this hair, making it look nice and shiny [...] this is the only reason human-hair extensions are still affordable, otherwise they would cost thousands”.
More than 10,000 have commented on the claims in the clip, with one disgusted viewer writing: “That’s why I don’t wear cheap extensions.”
But many others praised the alleged repurposing of discarded hair, with one insisting: “I think it’s a great way to reduce waste.”
Eva, a hair and scalp specialist with over 20 years’ experience, says: “I’ve not heard of it being pulled out of drains, but I’ve heard of it being picked out of rubbish bins and bags for [extensions].”
She has also tested supposed “human hair” in European towns like Bologna, where sellers asked her to leave “because they knew the hair was not what they were claiming it was.”
The demand for long, thick locks - the clip in safer authentic type of hair extensions cost around £300 - has been growing since the early noughties but has exploded in recent years as products have become more affordable.
The hair-extension market rose from around £2 billion in 2022 to be valued at around £2.1 billion in 2023. In the next ten years it is expected to be worth almost £4 billion.
Much of the hair that makes extensions that are sold in the UK is sourced across Asia and Europe, according to Eva.
The best-quality is remy, a term used to describe human hair with the cuticle - the outermost layer of the hair shaft - still intact and facing the same direction.
Merchants will go around and sweep up hair from barbers, pick them out of hair brushes and get it wherever they can get it."
Eva Proudman
“Hair merchants bid and pay the money and buy the hair in a raw state,” Eva explains. “They will buy pony tails that are tied at the top so the roots are together and the tips are all together.”
Cheap sets tend to be made from non-remy hair - also known as “cuttings and sweepings” - which comes from multiple sources.
“Merchants will go around and sweep up hair from barbers, pick them out of hair brushes and get it wherever they can get it,” Eva adds.
“Generally the hair is all mixed - it’s not not root-point correct, where it’s tied like a pony tail with the roots at one end and the tips at the other.
“They tend to take the cuticle off, and the cuticle is what gives its hair its outer strength - if you take it off it makes the hair very weak and it won’t last.
“You can also get a mixed-root point, where you’ve got some with the roots up and some with the roots down. That hair will knot and tangle and is really not good quality.”
Huge demand for human hair has driven the risk of exploitation within the industry, with reports of women being drastically underpaid for their hair or having it forcibly removed.
...hair is a finite commodity and the demand for it has gone through the roof. Like with anything, there are people out there who will source however they can because it’s a commodity that’s wanted and it’s a commodity that’s traded all over the world."
Eva Proudman
Eva says: “When I was actively involved [in a salon that did extensions] we had an ethical agreement with our hair supplier - we knew what temple he bought from, we knew he only bought Indian remy, we knew the proceeds went back into the community.
“But I am aware that hair is a finite commodity and the demand for it has gone through the roof. Like with anything, there are people out there who will source however they can because it’s a commodity that’s wanted and it’s a commodity that’s traded all over the world.
“People will sell hair and not be paid what it’s really worth.”
Consultant clinical and forensic trichologist, Professor Barry Stevens, warns that “in some cases hair is farmed from poor or peasant populations” across Europe and Asia.
Prof Stevens, founder of the Hair Specialists, explains: “I have been asked to test hair and see if it is actually real and in a number of cases, found only 30% real hair and some nylon hair. But people had been sold it as human hair.”
He also warns consumers of the risk of traction alopecia when fixed extensions are fitted too tight or on hair that is too weak to hold them.
“When these things are pulling on your hair and knots develop and you move your head during the night, areas of stress can develop and so often they fall out or hang on by a few hairs,” he adds. “Traction alopecia can be permanent.”
I've no idea where the extensions came from, I trusted the hairdresser because I assumed she'd know what she was doing. But she never told me what type she was using and, on reflection, they could have come from anywhere."
Elizabeth Rose
Sales consultant Elizabeth Rose explains how she is still attempting to grow her locks back after glue-in extensions fitted eight years ago caused clumps of her natural hair to fall out, leaving bald patches.
The 29-year-old had hoped for glossy results when her self-employed hairdresser glued in a full head of extensions to her shoulder-length curls, costing £350, in November 2015. And the stylist assured her extensions would not damage her hair.
But Elizabeth says: "I've no idea where the extensions came from, I trusted the hairdresser because I assumed she'd know what she was doing. But she never told me what type she was using and, on reflection, they could have come from anywhere.
One time I was in the office talking to a colleague when she suddenly said, ‘oh my god your hair has fallen out’."
Elizabeth Rose
“I had seventy ‘strands’ fitted and within about two weeks at least seven of them had come out. They were glued to my actual hair so when one fell out it would pull chunks and chunks out with it.
“One time I was in the office talking to a colleague when she suddenly said, ‘oh my god your hair has fallen out’. She reached out to touch it and a load of hair fell off in the middle of work, which was so embarrassing. It felt like my hair completely disintegrated.”
Elizabeth returned to the hairdresser who agreed to remove the extensions. “This woman basically tore out all my hair because the glue was stuck to it,” she explains.
It made me really self-conscious. Even now my hair is still recovering.”
Elizabeth Rose
“She brushed it like a maniac and I could just see tufts of my hair coming out. It was awful. She blamed the result on the fact I hadn’t left the extensions in long enough.
“It made me really self-conscious. Even now my hair is still recovering.”
Elizabeth now has regular trims to try and encourage growth. When she wants a longer look, she uses a ‘halo’, where strands are attached to an invisible wire that is hooked over the ears, to avoid pulling on her natural hair.
Even celebs aren't immune to hair extension complications including Naomi Campbell and Vicky Pattison who have revealed previously the damage caused to their scalps after years of wearing them.
Supermodel Naomi, 53, previously said: "I do take more care of my hair now, because I lost all of it with extensions.”
IF you have hair extensions at a reputable salon taking care of them will ensure they last longer, whilst protecting your natural locks. Here's the golden rules according to Racoon International...
TV star Vicky, 34, had her own blood injected into her scalp in an attempt to restore hair growth after suffering traction alopecia partly caused by extensions.
Yet trichologist Eva believes demand for extensions is going nowhere.
She has advice for those looking to lengthen their locks with extensions - and urges consumers not to buy cheap products from online platforms.
“You don’t know what you’re getting, you don’t know where it's from and there’s no regulation,” she adds.
“The PR and advertising can make it sound great - but I can tell you quality hair is probably a couple of thousand pounds a kilo, so if you’re buying it as cheap as chips online, it’s probably not going to be quality or ethically-sourced.”
She says women should instead seek reputable firms and specialists - her suggestions being Racoon International, where she previously worked, or Great Length - because both source ethically and have quality products.
“Look at the company, ask them where the hair is sourced from and if they have a policy,” she says.
“Look for a stylist that gives you a full consultation before agreeing to give you hair extensions, to make sure you’re suitable and that you understand what you’re getting and how to look after it.
“Any decent stylist will be prepared to tell you that - if you are somebody who doesn’t blow dry their hair, doesn’t take care of it and only washes it once a week - perhaps 20-inch hair extensions aren’t for you.”
