Sisterhood of the Traveling Hair
Your weave may have journeyed thousands of miles to reach your scalp.
BY: EVETTE DIONNE
Hair weaves bond women from different cultures and countries. It is a sisterhood of traveling hair.
Women love their hair. Always have. According to a Los Angeles Times article, extensions have been in vogue since the ancient Romans and Egyptians wore wigs made of other women’s hair. But, it wasn’t until the 1970’s that weaves became mainstream. Now, weaves are one of the most popular forms of hair expression. Hair weaves are durable and versatile. Black women can transform into Beyoncé in a matter of hours.
There are several kinds of weave hair. Synthetic is best worn in tropical environments because it won’t fall in humidity, according to Hairextensions.com. But, it melts when flat ironed or blowdryed. Human hair requires more maintenance, but is popular because it can be washed and flat ironed as if it were grown from your scalp. Indian Remy is top of the line.
If you’re buying Remy, your weave begins as a sacrifice. Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair showed hair being collected from Indian religious temples. In the Hindu culture, women cut off their hair as a spiritual offering in a 3000-year-old tradition called tonsure, according to hair weave wholesaler Old and Sold. Since hair is considered a woman’s most precious belonging, it is the ultimate sacrifice.
After Hindu women chop off their tresses, temple workers collect and store the hair in steel containers. Auctions for the hair are then advertised on the temple’s web site or in newspapers. From there, the hair is divided into five categories with separate prices. The most expensive category is Remy, which sells for as much as $160 per kilogram, which is enough hair to sew three full heads. A temple may sell over 3 million kilos of hair in a year for about $1 million.
The hair is then washed and packaged in bulk or wefted before being sold to wholesalers. Bulk or loose hair strands are sold for braiding while wefted hair is put on tracks to be sewn or glued to your scalp. Wholesalers sell the hair to beauty supply stores and it may be seen weeks later on the head of a Bennett Belle.
“I wear weave because I feel like it brings out the different seasons of my personality,” says Amber DeLoney-Stewart, a senior interdisciplinary studies major. She changes her hair based on her mood.
Approximately 65 percent of hair care revenue is made up from the sale of hair weaves according to the Los Angeles Times article. A Google search for Indian Remy produces hundreds of brands claiming to sell the straightest Remy for the cheapest price. Sold in bundles of tracks, which is what the hair is sewn onto to, from eight inches to 26-inches long, the hair can range from $50 a pack to more than $300 depending on the length and quality. Hair weaves can cost upwards of $100 when counting labor and the two packs needed for a full head. But, women still flock to the stores in search of the perfect Remy.
Senior Marshay Mack is an avid Indian Remy wearer. “My hair can’t look fake, so I only wear 100 percent human hair.”
Regardless of where your Remy is grown, once that price tag is popped off and that needle and thread bonds her hair to your head, it is yours. Own it.