How to Test the Quality of Unprocessed Virgin Hair Weave?

It’s unfortunate, but true: sometimes, the unprocessed virgin hair you get in the mail are sometimes not always what they seem. Some companies may--knowingly or not--sell processed or non-virgin hair, or sell hair that claims to be from one region but is actually from a different source entirely. In some cases, they may even sell artificial hair while claiming it’s 100% human hair!

Thankfully, there are ways you can test the quality of a weave you’ve received in the mail or purchased from a shop. If you want to find out whether or not the unprocessed virgin hair weave you receive is actually high quality, check out the following ways to spot a dud.

Smell the hair to sniff out chemical odors
Whether it’s an unprocessed Brazilian hair weave or unprocessed Malaysian hair bundles, one of the simplest ways to spot processed hair is to give it a sniff. Actual unprocessed hair will not have much of an odor at all, and will simply smell “natural.” If the weave has a chemical odor, then it’s probably been treated with something.

Curl or straighten the hair with hot tools
Human hair will curl or straighten “normally” when you apply a hot curler or straightening tool to a section of your weave. If you want to check for fake hair, simply use one of our hot tools on a section and see how well it works. If it doesn’t work at all, or you can smell burnt chemicals, your weave is likely not made from human hair.

Wash the hair to spot chemicals
If the smell test was a bit muddled, you can always do the more sure test and give it a wash with some neutralizing shampoo in clean, clear water. If the supposedly unprocessed virgin hair ends up running out dyes or other chemicals in the wash, then it’s definitely been treated in some way.

Compare and contrast with an authentic source
If you’ve purchased a weave with a specific source--such as Brazilian hair weave--then you can always compare and contrast your piece with one that you know is authentic. You should look for details such as the normal texture, density and smoothness of hair from the specific source; you should also look for the normal colors of virgin hair from that specific region, as this can often be a tell-tale giveaway.

Ask for samples
This may depend on the company. If you are really concerned about the quality of your weave, ask the company for some samples of the hair they use before make a purchase. You can even perform these quality tests on the sample, so that you don’t have to buy an entire weave without being sure of its authenticity and quality beforehand.

A final note

In today’s social media filled world, you can often find reviews of specific companies online. When in doubt, look for a genuine customer review to find out what others think about their weave quality.