Today, the hair replacement industry (Including wigs, hairpieces and extensions) is a $5 billion market that is truly global in nature and like most supply chains includes multiple stages depending on the type of wig being made:
- Sourcing of Processed Human Hair Fiber
- Manufacture of Synthetic Hair Fiber
- Assembly/Manufacturing of the Wig or Hairpiece
A wig is assembled from various different components according to the wig designer’s specifications. The wig cap and the human hair wefts or fiber bundles or the synthetic hair fibers or wefts come together to form the finished product. A large amount of wig manufacturing or assembly takes place in China but some of the mhttps://lawigcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Wig-Colors-Who-do-you-want-to-be-1.jpgor wig labels have moved their wig factories to Thailand (Aderans) or Indonesia (HairuWear and Jon Renau)
Human hair fiber is generally purchased in unprocessed and unwashed bundles and needs to be sorted and processed before moving onto the wig assembly stage.
- Bundles from the auctions are unwrapped and sorted to ensure that foreign bodies (bugs) are removed, white or grey hairs are removed and that all cuticles in the lot run in the same direction. The hair will frizz uncontrollably during washing if the fibers do not run in the same direction.
- Washing and Disinfecting. All fibers are washed and disinfested and dried with specific care not oversoak, which will strip valuable oils from the human hair. Drying is usually outdoors for a couple of hours with particular care taken not to dry the hairs out and make them brittle.
- Sorting the Short Hairs. Using an apparatus called a hackle, the hair bundle is pulled through a series of spikes repeatedly in order to remove the shorter hairs (those less than 3”). Almost identical to the hackles used in the 15th century to sort flax and hemp, the hackles of the modern hair industry have not changed much. The hackle removes the short hairs which would cause shedding if left as part of the bundle. When complete the hair fibers in the bundle are then secured and tied with a string and then washed again.
- Sorting for Length. The dried bundles are returned to the hackle for straightening and the fibers are sorted into lengths using wire drawing brushes. Sorting for length is critical later for wig manufacturers to select certain fiber lengths for different styles.
- The human hair is processed by lightening the hair to the highest level prior to depositing textile-like hair dyes to achieve a specific color. Chemicals are used to first strip pigmentation from the fibers and then the dyes are applied to create the pre-defined colors. Once complete, hair fiber of the same or different lengths can now be combined or blended to the exact specifications of the wig maker.
- Silicone applied. The last step is for the human hair bundles to receive a fine layer of silicone before advancing to the next step. This holds in the color, the moisture and the smooth texture and will disappear shortly after early wear.
- Machine sowed into Wefts. In some cases individual fibers are used for assembly into a wig and in some cases wefts of human hair are used. What is a human Hair Weft? A weft is a thin strip onto which individual hair strands are attached. The strip lengths are sown up to 3 times for reinforcement and to avoid fiber shedding once applied to a wig cap. These wefts can be used on certain parts of the wig cap and are obviously faster and cheaper to create because they are machine made.
In most cases the human hair wefts and bundles are now moved from the hair factory to the wig manufacturing location for final assembly into finished products.
Coloring Options for a Human Hair Wig. (H3)
Customers want real life coloring options in their wigs in the same way as they want them from their colorist at the salon. Manufacturers have responded with a broad spectrum of color options for each of their human hair wigs and in some cases there can be 25-30 color options for each wig style. During the manufacturing process strict instructions are given for each color option and the blending of each to form the final bundle or weft used to make the final wig.
Ventilating a Wig Cap (H3)
A wig cap base is set onto a form (artificial head) and hairs are attached to the monofilament and lace front pieces of the wig cap by a procedure called knotting. The single, or “full V,” knot is the most common type of knot used and a wig maker will draw hair through the fine mesh with a ventilating needle and complete the knot to attach it. Knots are usually made with single hairs, while in the crown up to eight hairs may be knotted together. The process of knot tying on a wig is also known as ventilating. A full wig that is 100% hand tied requires 30,000 to 40,000 knots, which take a total of about 40 hours of tying.
If a certain part of the wig is specified as wefted, a series of wefts are machine stitched onto the ribs of the wig cap. The wefts are arranged horizontally, from side to side of the wig cap and stitched close together to forms rows of hair. This process is faster than ventilating a wig and wefted parts generally make up the back of the wig where parting is not required. If the style calls for layering then wefts with different lengths of human hair are added strategically to give the appearance of different hair lengths
The ventilated wig is lightly dampened by moving a wet comb through the hair and rollers or pin curls are added to create the desired curl patterns. Manufacturers have prescribed styling for each wig and the curlers and pins are applied by way of a strict plan to ensure consistency from one individual item to the next. Once the rollers are applied successfully, the wig is placed in an oven at low heat to set the curls. The rollers/curlers are then removed, the wig brushed by hand and then returned to the oven for a final setting.
Synthetic Hair
Synthetic hair like human hair is a polymer. It is composed of fine plastic fibers, manufactured to look like human hair. In its basic form, synthetic hair is made from low-grade acrylic that is heated and strung into strands to make individual hair fibers. The strands are then laced or tied into extensions and hairpieces. Over the last 20 years polymer science has advanced massively to create these synthetic hair fibers and enabled wig manufacturers to offer broader lines of synthetic hair products that can look and feel like the real thing.
Lower grade synthetic hair fibers can be found in costume wigs and lack the movement and texture of real hair. Additionally, the appearance of these fibers is waxy and plastic. Conversely, the higher grade, more sophisticated form of synthetic hair has texture and luster, and resembles human hair. The fibers range in type from straight to kinky/curly with coarse surfaces to silky/smooth surfaces. In some cases it is difficult to tell the difference — the denier (a unit of weight by which the fineness is measured) and texture are such that they feel almost like human hair. As a matter of fact, with some of the higher quality synthetic pieces, you would never know they were not natural human hair if you didn’t have the human hair right next to it to compare.
There are several types of synthetic hair wigs available although Kanekalon Fiber is certainly the most prevalent and popular for daily wear wigs and hair pieces.
Kanekalon Fiber.
The word Kanekalon comes from Japanese company ‘The Kaneka Corporation’, who created this synthetic hair, a modacrylic fiber made of acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride. They trademarked it as ‘Kanekalon’. It is now sold worldwide as one of the most used synthetic fibres.
Kanekalon® is natural feeling, lighter, softer hair with more natural body that is both flexible and comfortable. Wigs made from Kanekalon hold their shape and color better The lifespan of Japanese Kanekalon hair wigs is from 1 to 1.5 years, depending on care. The hair feels smooth and easy to comb and is suitable for daily wear. Considering the cost-effectiveness and lifespan of these wigs, Kanekalon Fiber wigs could be your best option. In general, synthetic wigs may be the best choice if you have a limited budget, have little time or capacity to provide homecare and maintenance or if your hair loss is a temporary condition. The mhttps://lawigcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Wig-Colors-Who-do-you-want-to-be-1.jpgor benefits are easy care, reasonable price, permanent color, easy styling and usually quick availability. Most synthetic wigs today are made with Kanekalon fiber that holds its shape and color
Mainly, synthetic wigs are made from the raw material Kanekalon or Toyokalon which is imported from Japan. This raw material is basically used for hair extensions, weaves, wigs and doll’s hair. Kanekalon comes in a variety of colors, styles and textures