Bundle Hair: Another name for cuticle hair. One
hair company in New Jersey explained it this way:
“Bundle hair is kind of a nickname of unprocessed
hair. When people started to sell unprocessed hair,
hair was bundled in a plastic bag. Therefore people
started to call it bundle hair.”
Brazilian, Peruvian, Malaysian: These terms can
be confusing because they don’t mean that the
hair you are buying actually comes from Brazil,
Peru, or Malaysia. In fact, they almost certainly
do not. Brazilian, Peruvian, and Malaysian are
all mostly used as marketing terms, although this
does not render them meaningless. They refer to
different styles or textures, created to mimic the
hair of ethnic groups from the countries for which
they are named.
Indian and Chinese hair: You may not see hair
advertised as Indian or Chinese, but you are
almost definitely purchasing hair from one of these
countries. Chinese hair, especially, is very thick,
and this makes it ideal for processing into wigs and
extensions.
Flame retardant: Any material that is flame retar-
dant (hair or any other substance) will be slow to
catch fire. It doesn’t mean that it can’t burn but
that it will be resistant to catching flame. Flame
retardant hair is usually synthetic hair you can curl
without first having to dip in water, as with some
synthetic styles. It’s meant to mimic human hair,
so you can use a curling iron on it. Flame retardant
also means it won’t melt. (Some synthetic braid-
hair is burned or melted at the ends to seal the
braid.)
Yaki: A Japanese word meaning steamed. Hair is
steamed while being pressed firmly under a net.
Ms. Smith: “The net creates a ‘crinkle’ effect that is
meant to mimic the coarse and dry feel of African
American relaxed hair.” It has nothing to do with
the animal, yak.
High Quality Hair vs. Low Quality Hair: Quali-
ty of hair can be determined by referring to three
characteristics—thickness, consistency, and pro-
cessing. The thicker hair is to begin with, the better
it will stand up to stripping, coloring, etc. Consis-
tency refers to a strand’s consistency in thickness
from top to bottom of each strand. As humans, our
bodies don’t always produce hair at the same rate
and thickness depending on health, nourishment,
etc. This causes inconsistencies in our strands.
Processing refers to the quality of products used
and time taken to process hair when stripping out
layers, coloring, etc.
For example, companies who use industrial grade
acid to strip outer layers are able to produce
processed hair more quickly but end up with a
lower-grade product. Companies who use a product
like apple cider vinegar to strip outer layers must
be more patient, used more man- power, and will
often charge more for a higher-quality product
made using gentler materials. This also applies
when it comes to coloring hair. Companies like
Great Lengths, who sell higher-quality products,
use a process that takes time and can’t mass-
produce their extensions, but end up with more
natural looking color which costs more.
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