Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by chris for hair on October 15, 2013 at 12:47am

Hi Laura,
The market has drastically changed with regard to human hair in the past 5 years. I think it is mostly because of the demand for extensions, but the bottom line is that human hair has become more valuable than gold. People are getting killed over getting human hair, it is very sad.
Add to this that the hair replacement market it totally unregulated, and there are many vendors that just outright lie about their products. This I find is true of my best vendors as well as many Chinese and Indian companies. Buying cheap hair is really a waste of money. Even the "best" pieces are not holding up well if clients insist on wearing 24 hours a day. I have seen pieces that were very expensive fall apart in 6 weeks. It is very sad, but the good news is that synthetics are getting much better than ever before.
The only company I trust right now to give really good hair, is Freedom (I am not a representative of this company but know their practices to harvest hair) and as you know they are very pricey. Another major company has come out with a "certified remy" line that should be good but again it will be in the thousands of dollars.
The problem will only get worse as far as human, and most good companies are developing their version of synthetic. I have talked with many companies about this and the prevailing opinion is that right now virtually all human hair is either Indian or Chinese. It may be marketed as something else but those vendors are lying. Since there is a variety of quality within those markets, finding good hair is not cheap.

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Permalink Reply by cathy clark on October 17, 2013 at 8:17am

Laura are you aware of the 2 companies in Brooklyn that many have posted about on wigsupport.com. Quite a few women have been very pleased with the Mazali line of human hair, that is used by Fortune Wigs, and others have been pleased with Milano wigs which uses processed EHH. Maybe check out posts on that site by using the search feature. With both companies you can get a longish wig for less than $1,000. Maybe you are used to going into a local salon to buy wigs, so I can understand being more comfortable doing that, but buying from these companies long distance seems to be getting easier.

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Permalink Reply by Rose Marie' on October 17, 2013 at 4:47pm

Hi

I believe what Chris has written here is very true...and may I also say she is not in anyway affiliated with Freedom Wigs...but her knowledge is extensive as she has been working within this market for many years. I am affiliated with Freedom Wigs.

I feel what Cathy has passed on in way of a possible solution for you is great as well. I really think this should be the price of processed hair wigs, especially if handtied or wefted. Both companies are obviously well liked within those on wig support and those ladies are worth listening to.

Freedom wigs are a medical wig designed for those with long term hairloss. The hair used in a Freedom wig is 100% unprocessed virgin human hair....this hair as Chris has explained is difficult to come by but also exceedingly beautiful and durable....that does not make in indestructible :)It is also expensive. For me it has always been worth the cost because of the longevity that my daughter has got from her freedom hair.

I've just returned from Ireland where I attended a conference...most at the conference wore Freedom wigs and I feel that I need to pass on that this wig makes an incredible difference to those that need long term help with their hairloss. Be thoughtful of your own needs...to get less than you need is not helpful.

Good luck with everything.

Rosy

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Permalink Reply by Laura on October 18, 2013 at 5:40pm

Thank you everyone for your feedback! Very informative. I have heard of Freedom but I suppose I will have to do some research on them. As with the synthetic. I spent the majority of my life in synthetic before I moved to human hair, obviously for the reason that I have the option to style it where synthetic refrained me from doing so, and that its lifespan seemed greater compared to my synthetics. I've made myself recently realize that my situation may never change, as I've lived with alopecia from nearly birth. And I want to become public about it within the next year. But it'd be so nice to have a good wig for when I just want to wear one even if I get to the point where wigs are a thing in the past for me. I didn't realize the options available now and the information you've told me so I really appreciate your input! Thanks guys :)

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Permalink Reply by Sue T on October 30, 2013 at 4:11am

I buy custom Chinese wigs regularly. I wear them daily and I go through 2 a year.  I pay  around $400 for the wigs which are  described as European hair. I don't know where the hair actually comes from. It's has tohave been processed as I can get any colour on their colour ring and clearly wouldn't be possible if the hair was virgin hair.  The hair shaft is finer than indian hair though and it doesn't develop the deep body wave that Indian hair does when it gets wet. Wherever the hair is sourced (I always assumed somewhere in Eastern Europe) it obviously isn't Itallian hair. Tangling and shedding and shedding aren't a problem though, except for areas where the lace is glued to the head, and with a thin skin perimeter the problem is almost completely eliminated by the fact because if measurements are correct it will grip firmly to your scalp without glue.

I agree with Chris in so far as buying from Chna is a minefield and I had my fingers burned on several occasions before I found a manufacurer that I could rely on. As for consitency, the only thing that I find inconsistent is colour variation but this is because I order wigs with different colour blends and highlights and there is a variation in the way that these are applied.  I would also agree with Rose Marie that unprocessed Virgin hair from a known source is always going to be the best. It's also going to be the most expensive by an enormous margin,  you are also going to be limited by the colours that can be supplied. You can dye the wig of course and I remember an earlier the thread where freedom customers were doing just that, but don't you then end up with processed hair?

I have no axe to grind and I don't represent anybody with a financial interest in pushing a product and to be fair to Rose Marie, I have never seen a Freedom wig and to be honest I could never afford one, let alone the pair that I would need to buy. However, I have yet to see a fiber wig that's as good as a "good quality" hand tied human hair wig or that will last without frizzing at the ends. In my experience wefted fibre wigs  do not move like real hair and the usual non gripper style elastication is hot and uncomfortable.

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Permalink Reply by Fuzzless on October 31, 2013 at 12:12pm

Hi Laura,

My insurance company pays up to $500 for a "full cranial prosthesis" per year.  You will need a prescription that says you need exactly that along with your diagnosis code.  Your receipt also should say "full cranial prosthesis".  If you are denied by your insurance, challenge the decision.

I have had 3 claims paid for new wigs and also a repair.

Good luck!!

Gina

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Permalink Reply by Lexi's Gam Gam on October 31, 2013 at 3:23pm

I buy HH customs from China, I have been buying from the same place since 2008, my is long as you can see from my picture, I pay about 400.00, ( this includes shipping)  I first went to the website and wasn't able to figure out how to order what I wanted, so I emailed. and was able to get what I wanted that way. So far it has worked for me....  Here is the website

www.junpengwigs.com  If I can help, please feel free to contact me  :)  

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Permalink Reply by delilah on February 14, 2014 at 12:39pm

This message is for Sue T and Lexi's gam gam or anyone that orders from China. I have ordered a hh topper with clips from china and am now interested in buying a full wig from China. I wonder if you could help me with what I should be asking for. My topper is hh, lace front with a silk top. I don't want to have to bond or tape. I see some of you use thinskin around perimeter. Would this stay on my head even if I have a lot of hair around the perimeter? Or should I be asking for a cap with clips/combs? Thanks for any help you can give me. PM me if you would like.

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