I realised I mentioned Remy hair in my last two posts but didn’t actually explain what Remy hair is. Most people who are into hair extensions will probably already know but if you are new to them you may still be a bit confused by all the hair extension terminology.
Remy means that all of the hair cuticle’s on the strands of hair on your hair extensions are all facing the same direction like the strands of your own hair does. Remy hair has been cut off of the donors hair with a hair tie around it so that when it is sent to the factories they know which way the hair strands are supposed to be facing because the hair from the donor is kept in the natural direction by the hair tie.
Non Remy means the cuticle’s of the strands of hair on hair extensions aren’t all facing the same way because this hair has usually been cut off of the donor and thrown in to a bag without anything tied around it or it has been collected off of the floor. So when this hair is sent to the factories they don’t know which way the strands are supposed to be facing so the non Remy extensions are made with the cuticle’s of the hair all facing different directions.
Why is this a problem?
If the cuticle’s on the strands of hair are all facing different directions this is what causes your hair extensions to tangle and matt up because the cuticle’s are rubbing against each other causing frizz, tangles, and matting. Now all hair no matter how good it is will have some tangling just like your real hair does but if hair extensions are non Remy the tangling and matting up are extreme and it happens constantly, you brush them out and 5 minutes later its tangles again so you have to keep running your fingers through it or take a brush in your bag everywhere you go. But essentially you are back combing the hair every time you brush it because it is being brushed in the wrong direction like the way you do when you back comb or tease your own hair which is why non Remy hair matt’s up so badly even after being brushed.
Beware of acid bathed “Remy” hair
Some companies… mainly clip in hair extension companies which I have made clear in a previous post I think are the devil, They say their hair is Remy and technically it is. However instead of putting all the strands of hair in to the same direction which takes a bit more time and costs a bit more money for them to make they cut corners by acid bathing non Remy hair which removes a layer of the cuticle from the hair so it won’t tangle up so much.
but the acid bath processes severely damages the hair and keep in mind all hair extensions start off a very dark brown or black colour so the companies have to bleach the hair then dye it. So combined with the acid bath the hair is now very compromised and will tangle and matt up because it is damaged, weak and brittle because a layer of the cuticle is now missing meaning this hair isn’t going to last long through heat styling and daily wear.
How do I know if i am getting Remy hair
Companies usually say if their hair is Remy. If it’s not Remy they don’t clearly state it’s not but they all so don’t say it is Remy either so if you don’t see the word Remy on a hair extension companies packaging or website avoid them.
Avoiding acid bathed cuticle removed “Remy” hair extensions can be a bit harder as it will still say it is Remy these are what you should look out for so you don’t get acid bathed hair.
- Acid bathed cuticle removed hair these days is usually only used for clip in hair extensions or the really super cheap weaves you see at the beauty supply store or on Ebay y’know the ones that cost £40 for 120 grams of hair.
- Look how long the company says their hair will last if its anything less than 5 months it’s probably acid bathed hair.
- Read as many reviews as you can on the brand you are looking into purchasing from if you see people complaining of extreme matting and tangling it’s probably not Remy
As I said acid bathed “Remy” hair is usually only used in clip in hair extensions or the really cheap extensions on Ebay always do your research and go with brands that are well respected by hair dressers. If you still want to wear clip in’s i have a blog post all about how you can make your own out of professional grade weaves and save money here.
I hope this was helpful for anyone who was unsure what Remy means. I’ve had my fair share of non Remy hair extensions in the past and let me tell you it is a nightmare to deal with so I hope I can help save some of you from ever having to go through wasting money on bad hair.
Heidi x
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