Human vs. Synthetic Hair Additions

If you are in the market for a wig, a topper, hair extensions or any type of hair addition you may wonder what the differences are between 100% human hair and synthetic hair.  You have the option to choose either type of hair and here we will lay out the pros and cons of choosing human hair versus synthetic hair for your hair replacement solution.

Human Hair

Pros:  The main benefit of human hair is that you can treat it like your own.  You have the flexibility to color and heat style it just as you would your own hair.  Human hair will best match the texture of your own hair and it offers an incredibly natural look.  It will also last longer; high quality human hair pieces tend to offer more longevity than synthetic choices. 

Cons:  A human hair addition will be a more expensive purchase than manufactured hair.  Also, there is more maintenance involved with human hair.  Not unlike your biological hair you may need to spend more time drying, styling, scrunching, straightening or curling human hair to get the look you desire.  There may be color variation with human hair as well.  Each hair addition you purchase will come from different hair donors therefore color may vary from time to time.  Lastly, you can have a bad hair day!  Human hair reacts to weather and it can become frizzy or limp depending on the humidity in the air.    

Synthetic Hair

Pros:  The main advantage of synthetic hair is its simplicity.  Often short styles can just be shaken and they bounce back to their original style.  This style retention makes the maintenance much easier compared to human hair.  This is important if you are ill or not feeling well.

You may need it steamed professionally on occasion to revive its original look but overall it will retain its style much longer than human hair, even in humid weather.  Depending of the style, length and type of synthetic hair you order it may be less expensive than human hair.  There are certain things that affect the price such as length, density and type of synthetic hair.  Images International will educate you about all your options when you are ready to move forward with a hair addition.  Recently a new type of synthetic fiber was developed which can withstand heat styling.  Synthetic hair is known not to tolerate heat, the fibers melt when exposed to high temperatures.  This new synthetic fiber is silky and resembles the fineness of human hair while also it can be styled using heat.  It is one of the most exciting advancements in hair wearing because it finally offers flexibility in wearing synthetic hair, not to mention it has a more natural appearance than regular synthetic hair. 

Cons:

Synthetic hair cannot be colored and synthetic hair pieces are far less versatile.  You will not be able to heat style traditional synthetic hair and even the high heat synthetic can get nappy with too much styling. 

Synthetic textures tend to have more shine which makes wearing hair more apparent and a mediocre quality synthetic piece will look like a wig.

If you’re struggling to decide which is best for you we encourage you to evaluate certain factors such as your budget, the type of hair loss you have, how often you’ll wear it and how much you like changing your look.

Synthetic pieces can be very budget friendly.  A high quality synthetic wig can look almost human and it requires far less maintenance which will also be kind to your wallet.  While human hair wigs are more expensive they can last longer which may turn out to be more economical in the long run. 

If you are experiencing hair loss which is temporary, as with cancer treatments, a synthetic piece may be just the thing.  It will last 4-6 months and will be easy to work with when you’re fatigued from treatments.  If your hair loss is a long-term issue then a human hair piece can last up to a year which may be a better choice.

If you’d like more information on wearing hair we invite you to schedule a free consultation.  Call us at (248) 540-0900 to set up an appointment.