The Benefits of Fiber and Human Hair Extensions For many of us, hair extensions sound like a novel thing, a new innovation of the modern world. The fact, however, is the practice of wearing fake hair has been around since the days of Ancient Egypt. In this century, the fashionability of hair extensions has risen and ebbed from time to time. In the 1940s, when long hair became the "it" thing to have, the demand for extensions increased even though artificial hair in those days was easily damaged and extensions for real hair were more expensive than they are nowadays.
As the technology for making artificial hair has improved - and as more celebrities admit to wearing them - the demand for the product is surging again. Now there are two types of hair extensions - one is made from artificial fibers while the other is made from real human hair. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Artificial hair is made from a variety of synthetic fibers, most commonly kanekalon, toyokalon, and polyester. Kanekalon got its name from the Japanese company that manufactures it: Kaneka. It comes in more than 100 colors, is flame retardant, and can be curled easily using a regular curling iron, using very low heat. It is very light and durable, and looks very natural.
Toyokalon also got its name from its Japanese manufacturer, Toyo Chemical. Like kanekalon, toyokalon is also heat resistant. In addition, it has a natural curl at the end. Toyokalon is a soft material that is easy to style, but it looks less natural than other types of extensions. Because of this, it is less often used for everyday wear and is more often utilized for costumes. Polyester is one of the most inexpensive materials used for artificial extensions. However, unlike other artificial hair loss fibers which are silky in texture, polyester has a plastic-y feel.
Unlike artificial hair extension fibers, which are generally colored and styled in the factory, hair extensions made from real hair are very versatile: it can be washed, blow-dried, dyed, and curled without much damage to the strands. Of course, as you have probably guessed by now, the biggest disadvantage of extensions made from real hair fibers is their price. Depending on the length, the cost is 3 to 4 times higher than synthetic fibers, so if you're not planning to use your hair extensions for a long time, choosing real hair fibers would be impractical.