How to Spot Fake Hair Extensions in 3 Easy Steps

While some people prefer hair extensions that use real human hair, others might prefer synthetic (fake) hair. But how can you tell the difference between fake and synthetic hair and how do you know if your hair is good quality?

You can test the difference between synthetic (fake) and real hair by using the burn test. Fake hair feels like plastic, has an unnatural shine, and the hair melts like plastic when it’s burned. To test, burn a few hair strands. If the hair melts, it’s fake; if the hair sizzles and pops, the hair is real.

However, you should do more than just the burn test.

Some companies resort to dirty tricks like mixing animal hair or synthetic hair within hair extensions. So keep reading to make sure you know what hair you’re getting before you waste your hard-earned money.

Before we get into the tests, you need to know the difference between fake (synthetic) hair and real human hair so that you can easily spot fake hair.

STEP 01. Know The Difference Between Human Hair Extensions, and Synthetic/Fake Hair Extensions

In a nutshell, there are 3 types of hair extensions:

Remy hair extensions: This is the highest grade and preferred choice of human hair extensions. Remy hair still has the cuticles completely intact, which is why this hair is sometimes known as “Cuticle Hair Extensions.” Unsurprisingly, it’s also the most expensive. A full head of hair will cost you around $1000 to $2,500. But it’s worth it! Simply because this hair type will last you for over a year.
Synthetic Blend: To lower the cost, a lot of companies would mix real hair with synthetic hair to create a mixture of the two. This practice is fair as long as the company is honest. Some people that can’t afford Remy hair might prefer this blend. However, A LOT of online companies market synthetic blends as real human hair. So be careful when shopping online.
Synthetic hair extensions: These are hair extensions made from realistic-looking plastic fibers. They would cost you between $150 to $300 per full head of hair, which is a lot cheaper than Remy. However, they will only last you between 1 to 3 months depending on how much you style them.

PRO TIP: DO NOT use heat or coloring products on hair extensions that contain synthetic hair if you want them to last. This could disintegrate them within 5 minutes!

Now that you know exactly what they are, here are 5 general differences between the different hair types that will help you spot fake hair.

	MADE FROM:	STYLING:	COLORING:	TEXTURE:	LONGEVITY:	PRICE/FULL HEAD:
REMY HAIR EXTENSIONS:	Real Human Hair	Styles just like natural hair. Even with heat.	It can be colored.	Feels like real hair.	Over a year or more.	Around $300 to $600 per pack.
MIXED HAIR EXTENSIONS:	Synthetic & Real Hair Mixed	Can’t style with heat. It will melt.	Chemical process melts hair.	Feels like plastic. It doesn’t feel natural.	From 1 month to 3 months.	On average $150 per pack.
SYNTHETIC HAIR:	Different	Can’t style with heat. It will melt.	Chemical process melts hair.	Feels like plastic. Doesn’t feel natural.	From 1 month to 3 months.	Roughly $5 to $60 per pack.

Just knowing how hair might equip you with what you need to know to spot fake hair straight away. If not, here are our best tips used by professionals in the industry.

STEP 02: If You Can Get Your Hands on the Hair Extensions, Do These Tests

You can get your hands on the hair? That’s perfect! Your chances of being scammed have been reduced by a lot.

You haven’t ordered your hair extensions yet, or you can’t get your hands on them? Jump to step 03.

Here are the best physical tests you can do on your hair to make sure they come from a real human.

Test 01: Try the Burn Test

One of the best ways to identity artificial or fake hair strands is with the burn test.

Before Getting Started

This process requires the use of a lighter.
BEFORE you go out and burn the full hair extensions you’re trying to test, first cut a few strands off of the hair. You’ll hardly notice that it’s gone.
If the hair is still in-store or a beauty parlor, ask the owner if they can perform the test for you. If they’re not hiding anything they should be more than happy to help.

Here’s How to perform the test:

Cut off a few strands of the hair you would like it a test.
Burn it with a lighter from the bottom.
If the hair frizzles up, burns fast and ashes, it’s highly likely that you are dealing with real human hair. You should actually be able to hear popping.
If it’s hard to burn, burns slow, and it doesn’t ash, you are dealing with synthetic hair.

Here’s a video on youtube that shows exactly what you can expect when burning real hair vs fake hair.

Test 02: Use Your Eyes; Here’s what to look for:

Some people have a keen eye and are very familiar with hair extensions, so they will instantly be able to determine the difference between synthetic and human hair.

For those who are new to the hair extension world, it might not be so easy to differentiate between the two. But I’m here to help. Here’s how you can quickly spot the difference.

Before getting started you’ll need:

Hair that you know is real to compare the hair in question to.
And of course, you’ll need the hair extensions you’re trying to test.

Here’s How to perform the test:

Start by placing several strands over the palm of your hand.
Look out for; Imperfections, natural ridges, and shiny texture.
If the hair has natural imperfections, ridges, and has a very light tone, chances are you have real human hair.
If the hair looks too perfect, feels unnatural like doll hair, or is too shiny or glossy, chances are its synthetic hair.

Test 03: Use your sense of touch. Here’s what real hair extensions feel like:

This one may seem simple, but it always surprises me how some people don’t do this.

Just feel your own hair, does it feel soft and have a natural feel? Of course, it does and so should real hair extension that is made from human hair.

Here’s what synthetic hair feels like:

Hair extensions that are made from synthetic hair strands will have an unnatural plastic and smooth feeling. You will also be able to see the plastic strands, as they will have a very shiny texture. If you know what to look for it will be easy to spot a fake hair extension.

Test 04: Check if it’s a synthetic blend:

As mentioned before, some manufactures will mix real human hair and synthetic hair, in an effort to avoid detection. This type of hair might be hard to detect especially if you are new to the hair extension world.

They might burn, feel and look similar to real hair. So how can you spot the difference in this case?

Here’s what to look out for:

In this case, you will need to pay close attention to the cuticle placement, (which is the overlapping scales made from dead cells that cover the hair shaft,) which should be the same “way up.” Fake hair will typically fall out of a collection of hair strands in clumps with glued ends.

So in short if you notice different cuticle placements, chances are it’s mixed hair.

Test 05: Run Your Hands Up The Hair

This test is quite quick and easy to perform. Simply hold your hair upside down, and run your hand over it downwards.

If the hair clumps as shown in the picture above, the hair is natural.
If the hair doesn’t clump, it’s synthetic. The reason why fake hair doesn’t clump is that the silicone makes the hair surface unnaturally smooth.

That’s it for tips that can be used if you can get your hands on the hair extensions. However, chances are that you’re probably ordering the hair online. If that’s the case don’t worry, there are at least 8 things to look out that will drastically reduce your chances of ordering fake hair extensions.

STEP 03: Ordering Hair Extensions Online, or Can’t Get Your Hands on them? Do This!

You can easily spot fake hair extensions online before even ordering them. But this process can be a bit more difficult. Simply because you can’t feel the hair before you buy it. On top of that, they might not send you the same hair that you see on the pictures.

That being said, here are important steps you should take before buying hair online.

TIP 01: Check the price.

You won’t be able to get real human hair extensions for like $50. So if it seems to cheap, you’re probably buying fake hair even if it’s advertised as 100% real human hair.

Here’s a range of prices that you should expect for hair extensions:

Remy hair extensions: $300 to $600 per pack.
Synthetic Blend: Around $150 per pack.
Synthetic/fake hair extensions: $5 to $60 per pack.

These figures obviously vary heavily on length and company. However, they should give you a general idea. For example if you find Remy hair for $50, you know it’s more than likely fake hair or a synthetic blend.

TIP 02: Buy from a reputable company.

You’ve seen these. They’re on forums, you’ve heard friends and colleagues chat about them, and they have great reviews. These companies are popular for a reason, they sell what you order! If you order high-quality hair extensions, you’ll get them. The only drawback is they’re usually expensive.

TIP 03: Ask your friends where they buy their hair from

An easily overlooked tip. Simply post on your FB and ask your group of friends where they get their hair extensions from. There’s nothing more effective than getting a recommendation from a personal friend that can vouch for the company.

I can’t stress this tip enough. If you do this tip alone you’ll cut down your chances of being scammed by 99%!

Tip 04: Ask for samples before placing an order

If it’s a good company they will send hair extensions samples. This might cost you a few dollars to pay for shipping, however, it’s well worth it. It’s better than spending hundreds or sometimes even thousands of dollars for hair extensions, right?

What if they’re not willing to send hair samples? If they don’t, this is a major red flag. I would walk away completely and find a different company that will.

TIP 05: Check trusted 3rd party review sites

There are DOZENS of third party review sites that allow customers to review online companies. The best part? The company has no control over these reviews. If an online hair extension company is scamming people with fake hair extensions, they WILL get a lot of negative reviews on these sites.

Here are the 3 of most trusted review sites you can try:

TrustPilot
Google business – simply google company name.
Yelp

INSIDER TIP: Don’t rely on reviews on their personal website. It’s so easy to fake these days. And if you can’t find the site you want to buy from on any 3rd party review sites, I would probably walk away.

TIP 06: Order and pay for your hair extensions with a Credit Card

This might be an odd tip for some people. However, did you know that ordering with your credit card is the SAFEST possible way to do online shopping?

Credit card companies are extremely good at giving you a refund if you’ve been scammed. In fact, in 99% of cases, your credit card company will refund you. This includes if you didn’t get what you ordered.

So go ahead and order the hair, perform the tests above and if it fails, let your credit card provider know. They will refund you in full!

TIP 07: Stick to your original supplier

If you buy hair extensions frequently and you are happy with the quality of hair that you get from them, then why change it? You might be shopping around for better prices. However, if you find a supplier that’s cheaper, it’s probably because the hair is well…cheap! Generally speaking, you get what you paid for.

TIP 08: Buy from a hair salon

Hair salons are a great place to source hair extensions. This is because they have a reputation to keep. And they have a physical address where you can find them.

Imagine if they sold fake hair to hundreds of customers over the counter. There would be a lot of unhappy people giving them a visit frequently! They simply wouldn’t last very long.

Conclusion:

That’s it. We’ve covered how to test the hair if you can get your hands on it, and we’ve covered how to test the company before ordering hair extensions online. This should fully equip you with the tools you need to NEVER get scammed.

Just make sure you go over the steps and don’t get lazy. These tips if followed could literally save you hundreds of dollars. Good luck!