Human hair trade soars on celebrity culture
Talk about a crime wave.
Discerning thieves have decided that high-end human hair is now a worthy target, forcing some hair retailers to take precautionary measures.
High-quality human hair retails for as much as $200 per bundle, with the average individual needing two to three bundles to complete a hairdo, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
And prices are rising as the growing desire for the glossy, long locks of celebrities has driven demand for hair through the roof, according to e-commerce site Alibaba.
A series of smash and grabs at beauty-supply stores across the U.S. has resulted in thousands of dollars in hair being stolen, driving up prices even further.
It's clearly getting to be a tough business. Interested in getting in on the action? Check out this site to see what the competition has been up to. And here are a few more tips to send you on your way.
Keep in mind, however, whether it's been shorn from Eastern European or South Asian heads, much of the human hair that hits this continent is gathered under dubious circumstances and has likely done a stint in enormous processing plants which human and labour rights organizations label illegal and exploitative.
Better yet, why not make a donation through Locks of Love, a program that provides hairpieces to needy children undergoing cancer treatment.
Is this exploitation? Have you ever sold your hair? Would you be interested if there was an easy way to do it?
By Gordon Powers, MSN Money
Posted by: Jean | Sep 21, 2021 4:58:56 AM
Watch the documentary 'Hair India'. Just more exploitation of the white class over extremely poor people who can't afford healthcare, and rich Indian culture expoiting it's own. Most of this hair comes from temples where devotees have it cut off as a gift to their Gods, the Pundits sell it to wealthy foreign exporters, and it ends up woven onto the rich and famous. They are told it is 'spiritual' hair from India, not hair from a kid who is going blind and walked for days to a sacred temple hoping to have his eyes miraculously healed. What lengths some people go to weaving their stories.