They’re the hottest fashion accessories. Celebrities like Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton flaunt their extensions. Meanwhile, pop star Jamelia stirred a debate when she asked, ‘Whose Hair Is It Anyway?’ Temples in South India are having hair auctions.
Women in villages are willingly sacrificing their long hair, which are then exported overseas at a huge price. Says Kamya, a housemaid in Delhi, “It has now become a common practice in our village for women to get their hair shaved off. We are either forced or blackmailed to sacrifice our hair. We don’t know what these people do to our hair. I have heard that they sell them off and make huge money out of it.”
In fact, The Guardian reports, “Today, Indian hair extensions can be seen on everyone from the England footballer’s wives parading their way around Germany to the actress Samantha Morton who wore 'temple hair' extensions from Tirupati in the film Enduring Love”.
Exporter Ajendra Pratap Singh of Mahendra Exports agrees, “Temples of South India are the major sources for human hair in India, but even villages of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have become good suppliers of ‘human hair’. In the last couple of years demand for human hair has increased manifold.”
Though China is a market leader in terms of hair business, Indian hair fetches high revenues and is highly sought after because of its resilience and strength. The prices are such that the business seems to be lucrative. Longer hair is much sought after and sells for nothing less than Rs 15,000 per kilogram.
Exporter Dhamendra Kumar of Virgin Hair Extensions says, “Though China is the major exporter of human hair, but they collect the raw material from India. Temples in down South are the major supplier for ‘human hair’, and so are the states of Rajasthan, UP and Punjab. The demand is expected to raise more.”
While cosmetic surgeon Dr Tejinder Bhatti says, “Hair business has become a million dollar business in India, as well as abroad. Surgical Hair Transplant is the best way to cover the bald patches. It’s no more a taboo, as people now don’t hesitate to get their hair transplant done. And hair extensions are really in vogue.
Hair extensions, which are attached to real tresses with glue, can make women go bald, skin experts have warned.
According to researchers from American and Italian universities, the hairpieces, favored by celebrities such as Paris Hilton, can lead to thinning hair and even permanent bald patches.
Dermatologists say the extensions put too much tension on hair roots. Experts say the extensions put such tension on follicles in the scalp that they can become inflamed causing hair to fall out - a condition known as traction alopecia, reports the Daily Star.
The study has been published in the British Journal of Dermatology. Fears over the growing use of extensions first hit the headlines two years ago, when Victoria Beckham was photographed with a sizeable bald patch after years of sporting false hair.
Kate Winslate, Christina Aguilera, Heidi Klum and Britney Spears have also all been spotted with thinning hair after using extensions. Now experts are calling for a ban on the extensions. Hair specialist Barry Stevens from the Trichological Society said: “This is a very real problem. Hair Extensions should be banned.
“I’ve had people in tears at my clinic over this. The extensions can destroy the follicles so that hair cannot grow back.”
