‘These silky locks, these beautiful eyes…’
‘Every time your hair flies, the hearts of virgins become restless..’
‘Oh soul with beautiful hair, unfaithful eyes seek me…’
Many poets and filmmakers have described the beauty of hair and locks in their own voices. After this, the groom and bride couldn’t help but compliment each other’s hair.
Although over time hair beauty has become more associated with women’s appearance, men’s hair also plays an important role in their beauty. But have you ever thought about what happens if your hair falls out?
Increasing age, diseases, lack of vitamins, proteins and hormones in the body or genetics. There are thirty-six reasons why men and women start losing hair.
However, there were some people in the world who adopted a method centuries ago to overcome the problem of baldness. That method was the hair wig. However, with time many new forms also emerged which people know by different names like hair patch, hair ornament, hair extension etc.
But people also have a lot of questions about it. For example, what are wigs or hair patches, how are they made, where does the hair come from, how safe are they, and many more questions.
In this ‘Baal Katha’ of mine, there is a solution to all your hair related questions and problems. So without delay, let us know the complete A, B, C, D of the fake hair. But before starting this ‘Bal Katha’, it is very important to know the history of the wig, knowing that you will be surprised to know how many centuries the wig has been an important part of human life.
History of hair wig
The history of wigs and hair extensions is quite old and interesting. It seems that having good hair was as important to our ancestors as it is to us.
The first use of hair extensions and wigs occurred in ancient Egypt, around 3400 BC. At that time, having long, thick hair on your head was considered a status symbol. At that time, men and women who held high positions, such as leaders, pharaohs (rulers of Egypt), and queens, wore wigs and hair extensions.
When we talk about Egypt, the photo of Queen Cleopatra comes to the fore. It is said of Cleopatra that she also wore hair extensions and wigs to make her hair appear thick, dense and braided.
Archaeologists have also discovered evidence suggesting that sheep wool was wrapped in Cleopatra’s hair to make it thicker. This is what the first hair extension was called.
Archaeologists attribute the invention of the wig to the Egyptians. At that time wigs were made from human hair, cellulose and sheep’s wool. It is said that they glued beeswax on their heads.
In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I suffered from smallpox, which caused her hair to fall out. After this she started wearing wigs. She wore a curly red hair wig popularly known as Roman style. It is said that he had more than 80 wigs.
Now comes the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. At that time, the wig trend had started to rise and in the 17th century, King Louis XIII of France was a trendsetter because he often wore wigs to hide his baldness. After this, in the 18th century, Louis XIV and Louis XV also promoted the trend of hair wigs.
In the 20th century, both men and women began using wigs for different hair styles. Little by little its quality started improving and today its form has changed in the market and 100 percent human hair wigs and extensions are easily available. They came to be known by different names such as hair patch, hair ornament, hairpiece, etc. Men and women use them to hide baldness, increase hair length, increase volume or style their hair differently.
hair business in india
In recent decades, along with the world, the hair care products business has grown and at the same time, the wig market has also increased. In 2021, the global hair wig business was worth Rs 48 billion, while it is estimated that by 2024 the hair wig market will be worth Rs 82 billion.
According to Statista, India was the second largest exporter of human hair in 2022, exporting hair worth around Rs 11.7 billion. Indian hair is exported to Burma, Italy, Singapore, Britain and Bangladesh. At the same time, India also imported hair worth 16.96 crores in 2022. From these figures one can guess how much the demand for wigs and hair patches is increasing in India and the world. Let us know now how wigs and hair patches are made.
Process of making hair patch.
To know the process of making wigs and hair patches, when we reached the Gemaria Hair factory in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, its owner and director Shashi Kant Tyagi explained the entire process to us in a very simple way. Shashi Kant explains: ‘There are a total of seven processes in hair manufacturing. In the first process we participate in a hair auction in which we buy hair. After this, the hair is packed into bags and arrives at our factory. After this, the tangled hair is separated from that hair through a combing process.
‘The matted hair is then separated according to its texture (straight, curly), color and length, which is called segregation. After this, the hair is sent to wash, where it is thoroughly washed and then dried.
‘After drying the hair, the head is fixed (cutting the ends of the hair evenly). After this, the same hair is used in different ways. From these, hair wefts are made that are used in wigs and hair extensions. They are also used in hair patches and wigs.
Where does hair come from and what is its value?
Company director Mani Tyagi spoke about the wigs and patches used in the Indian market: ‘Our hair comes from the temples of South India because it is considered the best there. The price of hair starts between Rs 9,000 and Rs 10,000 per kg, depending on the length, and goes up to Rs 58,000. We make wigs with hair patches for men and hair toppers and extensions for women. Hair patches and ornaments are made the same way, except using different lengths of hair. The length of the hair on the hair patch ranges from 4 to 10 inches and the length of the hair on the top of the hair ranges from 10 to 30 inches.
Mani further explains, ‘The wigs used in the Indian market are high-quality wigs. It is made by hand from monofilament fabric (resistant, flexible and durable fabric). It takes 7-8 days to make a wig and only one person makes it.
What do doctors say about hair patches?
Dr DM Mahajan, senior dermatologist at Apollo Hospital, Delhi, says, ‘Hair patches are safe. But for this it is also important to know that it has been purchased from a good supplier and that it is made with good material. There should be a hair patch that fits your skin and does not harm your skin at all. A hair patch that needs to be removed and applied daily is safer than a hair patch that needs to be applied for a long time because leaving it on for a long time can also cause infection under the hair patch.
Dr. Gaurang Krishna, dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon in Delhi, says, “Applying hair patches is safe, but we have observed that people who use hair patches for many months or years may suffer some damage to the hair. skin or even in old hair. be damaged, so keep removing the hair patch from time to time and cleaning it. Applying hair patches with tape and glue is safer because you can focus on the scalp.
Interesting facts about hair wig.
Wigs and hair extensions have been worn in India since ancient times. Historians say that at the court of the Mughal emperors, men often wore wigs in the 16th and 17th centuries, which were considered a symbol of status and prestige.
The wigs worn by courtiers of the Mughal Empire were decorated with gems and ornaments. These wigs were also made from real hair. Gradually, its trend increased and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, women in India also began wearing wigs to make their hair appear thicker.
Now gradually hair wigs came into films and in the 1960s and 1970s, heroes and heroines started wearing wigs in Indian cinema as well. This was the only time wigs gained momentum and common people in India also started knowing about it.
Emma Tarlo, Professor of Human Sciences at Goldsmiths, University of London and author of the book Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair (2016), says: ‘When the Manchu dynasty was overthrown in China in 1912, an order was issued that men They would have to cut their braids. The braids of those who had not cut their braids were forcibly cut off. In such a situation, in the 1960s, the hair business in China again began to suffer losses because at that time the United States had banned the so-called “communist hair”. This was the time when Indian hair became very important to the industry. Since then the hair business has grown a lot.
