Raw hair is the most purest and natural form of hair available on the market.
There are a few ways to tell if your hair is raw.
First, SMELL your bundles. I know, this sounds crazy, but trust me, Raw hair shouldn't smell like anything, or rather, it should smell like shampoo and conditioner. One thing it should NOT smell like is chemicals or corn chips!
Next, TEXTURE. Your Raw hair bundles should not look uniform. They should never appear as if they were purposely constructed in a tight "man-made" wave pattern. Although your Raw hair will have some defined wave patterns, it will appear life-like and realistic in appearance. You should not see a harsh "S" shape or tight curls. Hair should be free and behave like natural hair.
Next, take note of the LUSTER. Different origins will have different levels of luster, but never will Raw hair have the appearance of high luster, plastic, barbie doll dream house hair! Raw hair can range from low to medium to a high luster, but never have a plastic, processed look.
Next, look for FILLERS. Filler hairs are hairs that are incorporated into the hair to give it bulk and appear to be fuller. Filler hairs are usually synthetic pieces of hair incorporated into the bundles and many times are a different color than the entire bundle. Many times you will find grey hairs in your Raw hair bundles, and that is totally ok because this is an indicator that the person that donated the hair had a few gray strands.
Take note of the ends of the hair. If they are thick, healthy-looking and have a very realistic appearance, that is also a good sign that the hair is raw.
Hold the hair up to the light. Raw hair should be translucent, while processed hair will be opaque.
Next, run your fingers through the hair. Raw hair should feel smooth and silky, while processed hair may feel dry and straw-like.
Another way to tell if your Raw Hair is "real", you can attempt the Burn Test.
Take a lighter or a match and gently light a small sample piece of the ends of the hair. If it is Raw Hair, it'll burn, and turn into ash and have a "funny" smell. If it burns black smoke and turns sticky when cool, and has a plastic or chemical smell, it is NOT Raw hair.
Just like your own hair, if you were to burn the ends, it would develop a small, curly burnt end and when pressed between your fingers, will mash into ash. That is the same look you should get when burning a small sample of your Raw hair.
Also, another way to determine if your Raw hair is real is to examine the strands of the hair. You will run your fingers down a strip of hair, and then run your fingers in reverse up the shaft of the hair. If you feel resistance when running your fingers in reverse, that means the cuticles are still in tack, and that is extremely important. If running your fingers in reverse has a smooth flow, then that means the cuticles have been removed, and although the hair looks great, it will not last very long at all.
And finally, curl your hair, or apply some type of heat to it. Raw hair can typically withstand up to 45o degrees of heat (WE DO NOT RECOMMEND USING THIS MUCH HEAT TOO OFTEN ON YOUR RAW HAIR) If you apply hair to the hair at this temperature and it melts, or starts to burn....yep you guessed it...it is NOT Raw hair!
Now there are plenty of other way to tell if your hair is actually Raw hair but the steps above are immediate way, that upon receipt of your hair, you can quickly tell what you are working with!
We hope this blog was not only a joy to read, but also educational.
Thanks for reading! 💋
