7 Things to Look Out for When getting Your Raw Hair

So, you are probably here because you have heard so many good things about the quality of raw hair and you’re eager to try it. Well you are definitely on the right path because, Sis- Once you go Raw, there’s no going back! I mean think- a hair extension that can hold a curl for at least 4 weeks and also stays bone straight when you want it to!

I feel like you need to know the difference between raw hair and virgin hair before I move on to tell you the 7 things to look out for. The simple difference between raw hair and virgin hair is that Virgin Hair is steamed processed to achieve different textures, such as, deep wave, body wave, loose wave, water wave, kinky curly, pixie curl, funmi curl etc but raw hair on the other hand has not been processed AT ALL so its common 3 textures are straight, wavy and curly just as it has been cut off from the donor. There are however other differences which you can find here.

Now what should you look out for?

1. The Origin of the hair.

Knowing where your raw hair is from is major key and you should ask your vendor. Although, most hair donors are from India, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Burma; some so called raw hair are mixed with synthetic fibres from China. If your raw hair vendor is in from China, chances are that it is not raw hair.

2. The Amount of Donors.

Each bundle of Raw hair is collected from a SINGLE donor as seen in the picture below. Some vendors mix the hair- this is not to say it the hair becomes bad. But then all the strands of the hair will not be different. As you can see in the photo, the ages and the hair types of these women differ, therefore the hair won’t be uniform once they have been mixed. Make sure to confirm from your vendor that your raw hair is collected from a single donor and not multiple donors.

Hair donors

3. The colour of the Hair.

Check for a genuine natural colour of the raw hair. All of the strands should have a natural colour. Most donors hair come in milder shades of black and not deep jet black. Vendors call this natural colour – Colour 1b or off black. A softer shade of black however, is called colour 2.

4.The Hair Smell

Raw hair is from another human being like you so it should have a clean natural smell when you receive it and not the machine-made synthetic smell that most hairs on the market smell like.

5. The Texture of the Hair

Raw hair has a more coarse texture than most others on the market. If your hair is too silky, too shiny or too polished then chances are that it is not raw. Have you ever wondered why the curls you add to your virgin hair does not last more than a day or two? Well this point answers the question. The more coarse the hair is, the longer it will hold a curl. Below is a photo showing Dellahs Raw Hair after 4 weeks of curling with a curling wand.

Dellahs Raw Hair after 4 weeks of curling



6. The Hair Should be Double Drawn.

You want to make sure that the Raw Hair you’re about to purchase is Double Drawn. This means that the hair has undergone an additional process during sorting, where shorter hairs are removed by hand and not by a machine. Therefore, the hair is full and thick from top to bottom.

7. Weft Construction

This question will determine if you are about having a shedding problem in the future with your hair. Most times, double wefts are recommended to avoid shedding problems and always ensure that it is properly blended and doesn’t have gaps.

Good quality raw hair should be double wefted to secure the strands in place especially during brushing and washing. There should be no strands sticking out at the top and at the edges of the weft. Single wefted strands don’t last as long as double wefted strands, period!

Double Weft Construction

8. Healthy Cuticles

Raw hair cuticles are suppose to be intact and naturally aligned in the same direction which reduces the risk of matting and tangling. Processed hair may have fewer and possibly damaged cuticles. Run your fingers through the very gently hair from top to bottom and vice versa to check if the cuticles are intact.

Let us know in the comment section below if this was helpful.

Happy shopping dolls xx

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