As consumers, when we get our hair done in a salon, we put our trust in the stylist to provide quality because they make their living doing hair. However, just because you can provide and install hair extensions doesn't necessarily mean you know Hair extensions or what would be good for the client.

Hair extension terminology is something we live by in the industry, like a native language. If you’re new to human hair extensions or extensions in general, we understand that it can be confusing and overwhelming to understand hair extension terms and to identify which products best suit your needs.

This is why it’s important for customers to have some education on the things they purchase. We want you to have the capacity to follow along with the discussion, raise pruitive questions and most importantly know what you're spending your money on. 

From wefts to sets, Raw extensions and double drawn, there are a lot of words that might not make sense to you, may be widely misconceived, or may just be known as something else. To help you navigate your way, we thought we’d make a series to get you guys well versed in the language of hair. 

Here's lesson one.

WEFTED HAIR-

A weft is a piece of fabric that holds collected hair strands in place. It may also be referred to as a Track of hair and is typically the point of attachment for sewins, clip-ins and non full lace wigs.

Wefted hair extensions can come in two major forms: Hand Tied wefts or Machine Wefts. 

Machine wefted extensions are composed of loose strands of hair (bulk hair)that go through a multi-head sewing machine, which creates a curtain of hair with a seam (or weft) on top. The terms ‘machine double wefted’ or ' machine triple wefted’ refers to how many heads each strand passes in order to form the weft. This is often the most desired option as it ensures minimal hair fallout and the lack of manual labor is cost efficient.

Hand tied wefts are exactly as they sound. They are another form of weft created and finished entirely by hand. The art of being hand woven gives these pieces the attention they need to create the flattest wefts possible. This type of weft is the ideal choice for fine to medium hair but comes with the cost of durability. Hand-tied wefts come cut in sections instead of a long seam. Cutting of these wefts will result in the strands unraveling and creating major fallout, commonly referred to as shedding. If the seam ever needs to be cut, it must be sealed afterward to keep the weft in place. We recommend the sealing of any weft that has been cut; however, it is most important in hand tied wefts.

Since this method is manual, it can be on the pricey side.

Whether you are dealing with weaves, wigs or clip-in, the hair will always come in some form of a weft. 

Types of hair

REMY HAIR - 

The term remy is probably one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented terms of the industry. 

It's commonly used as a marketing ploy to lead clients into believing they are getting the purest and best quality of hair. When the truth is, it could actually be quite the opposite. 

Remy does not always mean that the hair is virgin, just as it does not guarantee every strand is human hair. 

All remy hair is human but not all human hair is remy

You can walk into any local beauty Supply store and see the term Remy plastered from wall to wall and on almost every pack of Human hair sold. Unfortunately, we all know, a lot of this “Remy” hair is mixed with synthetic hair and will not last more than a few weeks. Even if the packaging does not directly state that the hair provided is Remy, because it's in their brand name, most people would expect it to be so.

The hair may have been Remy hair at the time of collection, but most of these Beauty Supply Brands use harsh, old-fashioned or rushed manufacturing where the cuticles can become destroyed or misaligned in the process, rendering it non-remy.

 The real meaning of the term remy has very little to do with how good the hair may be, but rather a characteristic of the hair. Remy hair can come at all quality levels. The term Remy hair refers to the direction in which the hair strands are laying and the method used to manufacture the hair extensions. Remy means, all the hair cuticles are aligned, facing the correct direction and in good condition . 

True remy hair is collected via a controlled method known as the ponytail method. This method requires the donor's hair to be tied into a ponytail before being cut to keep the hair organized. This ensures that the collected hair will remain in one direction until it is wefted. 

Why is Remy Important for Hair Extensions?

When you are working with "Non-Remy" hair extensions, you may have strands of hair with cuticles going in both directions or severely damaged cuticles. The inconsistency in direction will quickly cause problems with your hair extensions. Having the cuticles facing the same direction will reduce the possibility of friction between hair strands and as such allows the hair to remain tangle free as the name suggests. Non-Remy hair typically has undergone some sort of chemical processing to smooth out the cuticles and make the hair behave for a few installs but usually doesn't last after 2-3 washes. 

VIRGIN HAIR-

Virgin hair is human hair that has not been chemically processed or enhanced. As one of the purest types of human hair, this hair has never been dyed, permed, bleached, or had any hash washes performed to it.  However, virgin hair is steam processed for texture. Steam processed means that the hair has been treated with hot water vapor to create sleekness or a consistent pattern. This is a proven technique that has no effect on the integrity of the hair or its cuticles as long as it is maintained properly.

All Virgin hair is remy hair; each bundle of hair is collected from a single donor, the cuticles are still healthy and intact and should not tangle or shed.

RAW HAIR-

Raw hair is 100% Unprocessed Human Hair. It is the Top tier in the hair market. This is hair that has never been altered by any form of mechanical or chemical processing. It is 100% Human and Remy hair, which means it is collected directly from its donor, washed, conditioned and then made into clip-ins, wefts for wigs. There are 3 textures for this type of hair which are Straight Wavy or curly. Anything more would be a steam processed texture and not Raw hair.

SINGLE/DOUBLE DRAWN-

Single and Double Drawn refers to the fullness of the hair. Before a weft of hair can be made, The collected bulk hair undergoes a process, known as drawing. Drawing is the process of selecting hair at same or similar lengths to ensure the final piece will maintain fullness from the weft to ends. With Double drawn hair, the process is completed twice; leaving the extensions almost as thick at the ends as they are at the wefts. Double drawn extensions are most desirable as they look luxurious. However, in many cases they are not single donor bundles.

BUNDLE-

The common term "bundle of hair" refers to a single weft hair extension piece that is long in width. The standard weight of Virgin hair bundles is 3.5 oz or 100 grams. But can vary slightly. Occasionally you may come across a supplier who offers Virgin hair in 4oz bundles, as you would see in Beauty Supply hair. However, this is very rare. The common lengths of bundles range from 10" - 32" long. No matter how long the length is, the weight will remain the same. Because of this, You will notice as the length of the hair increases the width of the weft or the fullness of the bundle may decrease. 

Typically when purchasing virgin hair, it will come will the weft rolled around itself with a ribbon around it making it look like a bundle of hair. This is how our inferior collection will arrive. Our Elite collection will come folded around itself, with zip ties holding it in place.

LACE CLOSURE-

Lace closures are u-shaped hairpieces where individual hair strands are tied on a lace fabric to close off your wig or finish a protective sew in. They can come in many different sizes. The most common sizes are 4x4”, although we've seen some as big as 7x7” and as small as 2x4”. The idea of a closure is to fully cover the top section, allowing you to have all of your hair braided up, away from heat and constant manipulation or to give a better finish than you could have with your natural hair. For better blending against the skin and durability, there are several different types of laces. These options include; french lace, swiss lace (which can be a variation of brown laces or transparent) and HD lace. They are also available in different styles which include the three-part, free part, and middle part. Three-part closures allow you to part the hair in three different ways while the middle part closures only give you one style option. Free part, however, let you part your hair however you wish to. A free part closure hairpiece is more preferred because of the versatility it offers. 

A frontal serves the same purpose. However, it is typically 13x4” and covers the top of the head from ear to ear. The tip of the frontal is all lace material, which normally gets trimmed slightly before the hairline and glued down, so it’s extra secure. However, there are  quite a few new methods of installation that don't require glue. Frontals provide the utmost versatility.