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Lady Verity
July 22nd, 2008, 06:00 PM
Is anyone else watching this on BBC 3?

Some pop star is hosting a documentary about where real hair extensions come from. They haven't even got to the poverty and the chance that it's clipped from corpses yet, and I'm already disturbed.

They've gone down to the cellar of a top salon where wealthy women have other people's hair glued onto their heads for thousands of pounds. Disembodied ponytails are kept in what looks like wine racks. They're talking them out and feeling them, going "ooh, what lovely texture this one has...", "this one came from Russia...", "this was probably from a nice young girl", etc.

I am...creeped out. shudder:

One woman just said she glued on her extensions because Rapunzel had long hair and all the shampoo adverts involve long hair.

I want to clutch my hair and run away. :(

Áine
July 22nd, 2008, 06:08 PM
Yes, I saw that. I also love how she is wearing those fabulous leather boots (for which animals have died) while talking about the trafficking of human hair. I may be e-jumped for this, but those girls and women can indeed grow their hair back. I don't condone the coercion, theft, or grave robbing that goes on to supply the demand for extensions, but at the same time, hair is a renewable resource. Though, I do agree it is sad that some ladies give up their "crown" so that other vain women can wear it and throw it away at will.

flapjack
July 22nd, 2008, 06:26 PM
I have mixed feelings on this as well.


From what I've read, a good majority of it seems to come from Russia/Eastern Europe.

Pegasus Marsters
July 22nd, 2008, 06:34 PM
I have to watch this one... is it on BBC Iplayer?

VanillaTresses
July 22nd, 2008, 08:08 PM
It is on BBC IPlayer, but if you are outside the UK then you will not be able to view it. I found a transcript of it here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/textbased/femail/article-1036155/Why-Ill-wear-hair-extensions-pop-star-Jamelia.html

I had read a similar article within the past year. It is very interesting to see the "back story" on how this industry. Creeperific.

Pegasus Marsters
July 22nd, 2008, 08:11 PM
Yay! *skips off to Iplayer* (I swear, Iplayer is the best thing since sliced bread!)

lawyermom
July 22nd, 2008, 09:59 PM
wow. that is just significantly icky. and very sad.

Pegasus Marsters
July 22nd, 2008, 10:17 PM
Okay, I just finished watching this and for those who didn't see it, I'll break it down.

There was no evidence that the hair comes from prisons or corpses. That's not to say that some of it doesn't, but Jamelia didn't find evidence of this.

She found that the expensive hair coming from India, the kind of stuff she would wear, often comes from temples. Women in India will shave thier hair as an act of praise or thanks to God. One woman shaved her hair to thank God for helping her daughter recover from a serious illness. She said that the hair will grow back, but she cannot replace her daughter and to give her hair was a sacrifice she was willing to make. 25% of hair from India comes from the temples. The other stuff, the sort to be found for about £5 a pack comes from slightly more disturbing places... infact, it is sometimes quite literally picked from the rubbish after a woman extracts it from her hairbrush.

Now wait a minute. I hear you all going "EEEEWWW!" The hair is washed, processed, combed, etc etc, before it makes it anywhere near us. It's probably cleaner than the hair on your own head by the time it's packaged and shipped to the UK. And the sale of that hair makes a huge difference to the people sorting and selling it. These are poor families who rely on the sales of this hair to allow them to eat and live. I personally shuddered a little at the idea of the hair coming from the rubbish tips, but then you need to think about the fact that if we all started boycotting the fake hair these poor people in India would make no money and would have to find new jobs. One man said his family have been working the hair trade for 3 generations and he would not know how to do anything else if he couldn't do that.

It's an interesting dilemma... on the one hand, the ish factor of the fact hair came from a rubbish tip. Then there's the fact that without someone buying that hair those people will not make any money.

Of course, if you're that phased... buy synthetic... or better yet, grow your own ;)

lawyermom
July 22nd, 2008, 10:56 PM
This is TOTALLY OT Pegasus Marsters, but I clicked on your princess banner, up comes the Rick Astley video, and well, all I kept thinking was "Rick. What is up with the mom jeans?!?!?"

Pegasus Marsters
July 22nd, 2008, 11:31 PM
This is TOTALLY OT Pegasus Marsters, but I clicked on your princess banner, up comes the Rick Astley video, and well, all I kept thinking was "Rick. What is up with the mom jeans?!?!?"

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh dear :lol:

Riot Crrl
July 22nd, 2008, 11:44 PM
I just purposely rickrolled myself. That was thoroughly enjoyable. When my hair was blonde it used to look kind of like the dancing girl's on the right who never got a closeup.

Pegasus Marsters
July 22nd, 2008, 11:59 PM
I just purposely rickrolled myself. That was thoroughly enjoyable. When my hair was blonde it used to look kind of like the dancing girl's on the right who never got a closeup.

HEY! Someone tell the mods I didn't mean to hijack THIS thread XD

Oh dear. XD

Kuchen
July 23rd, 2008, 03:19 AM
I saw it and thought it was good. Jamelia tracked down a woman in India who was possibly, possibly the source of some hair extensions she wore to present the National Lottery. This woman's daughter had been ill, and giving up her hair to the temple had been a gesture of thanks. They bonded over being a mother, and having daughters, and Jamelia told her that she had given her her beauty for the lottery show. Both seemed very touched by it, and the Indian lady seemed undisturbed by it all, and delighted by the way things had worked out.
I think getting too angry about "temple hair" would have been a little patronising to the believers who donated their hair for spiritual reasons (and the proceeds fed the poor in their neighbourhood), so they achieved a nice balance.

I dunno. If those women wanted to give up their hair for aesthetic, financial or spiritual reasons it's sort of up to them. Be nice if those girls in Russia saw a higher percentage of the final price though.

Pegasus Marsters
July 23rd, 2008, 12:23 PM
I saw it and thought it was good. Jamelia tracked down a woman in India who was possibly, possibly the source of some hair extensions she wore to present the National Lottery. This woman's daughter had been ill, and giving up her hair to the temple had been a gesture of thanks. They bonded over being a mother, and having daughters, and Jamelia told her that she had given her her beauty for the lottery show. Both seemed very touched by it, and the Indian lady seemed undisturbed by it all, and delighted by the way things had worked out.
I think getting too angry about "temple hair" would have been a little patronising to the believers who donated their hair for spiritual reasons (and the proceeds fed the poor in their neighbourhood), so they achieved a nice balance.

I dunno. If those women wanted to give up their hair for aesthetic, financial or spiritual reasons it's sort of up to them. Be nice if those girls in Russia saw a higher percentage of the final price though.

Those who donate it and it does things like feed the poor, that's fine by me. I do agree that the girls in Russia though, who sell their hair, should see a much higher percentage of the final price.

burns_erin
July 23rd, 2008, 01:40 PM
You know, while there is a whole ick factor to the process, there also appears to be an assumption that is is women who are doing it and that it does not occur in developed areas. Which I know is not true, my father once sold his hair to a female singer who shall remain nameless. He had apparantly been considering cutting his hair anyway, and while living in California was spotted by said singer and propositioned for his hair, which he sold for quite a sum. He thought it was quite hilarious that someone was willing to pay so much for something he was going to throw away. One man's trash being another's treasure and all that.

The idea of fair trade extensions is something that is interesting to contemplate though.

eresh
July 23rd, 2008, 01:53 PM
.. infact, it is sometimes quite literally picked from the rubbish after a woman extracts it from her hairbrush.



Am I crazy that the first thing that came to mind was...
But what if the person with the extentions made from that hair murders someone and the DNA from that hair is left behind....
(If there is DNA left in those hairs after processing that is)
LOL I watch too much CSI and law&order SVU.

WritingPrincess
July 23rd, 2008, 02:00 PM
Ooh, Eresh, what an interesting thought. (Yes, I am slightly weird sometimes.)

FrannyG
July 23rd, 2008, 03:58 PM
This is TOTALLY OT Pegasus Marsters, but I clicked on your princess banner, up comes the Rick Astley video, and well, all I kept thinking was "Rick. What is up with the mom jeans?!?!?"
:rollin: You're too young to know that those weren't Mom jeans at the time. They were hot! :)

Anyway to the topic at hand, is it wrong that I don't find most of this terribly disturbing. If they were cutting the hair off of unsuspecting pedestrians, then I would be outraged, but there is nothing here that really outrages me.

Hatsumomo
July 23rd, 2008, 04:03 PM
I hate to admit it but I've got an entire drawer full of extensions and I've got no idea where any of them originally came from. After reading the article, I'm a little weary but I don't think it'll stop the majority of wearers.

There's the same moral dilema as the recent Primark issue. What happens when we take the moral highground and dump these companies because of the shady dealings involved? The people at the bottom are the biggest losers even if they earn the least.

Pegasus Marsters
July 23rd, 2008, 04:30 PM
Am I crazy that the first thing that came to mind was...
But what if the person with the extentions made from that hair murders someone and the DNA from that hair is left behind....
(If there is DNA left in those hairs after processing that is)
LOL I watch too much CSI and law&order SVU.

Yes, you can find DNA from the hairs after processing. Even after the hair has been processed they can get your DNA from it and tell where the person came from and what thier diet was. How cool is that?!


I hate to admit it but I've got an entire drawer full of extensions and I've got no idea where any of them originally came from. After reading the article, I'm a little weary but I don't think it'll stop the majority of wearers.

There's the same moral dilema as the recent Primark issue. What happens when we take the moral highground and dump these companies because of the shady dealings involved? The people at the bottom are the biggest losers even if they earn the least.

I hear ya... Moral dilemmas suck :(

mira-chan
July 23rd, 2008, 04:30 PM
:rollin: You're too young to know that those weren't Mom jeans at the time. They were hot! :)

Anyway to the topic at hand, is it wrong that I don't find most of this terribly disturbing. If they were cutting the hair off of unsuspecting pedestrians, then I would be outraged, but there is nothing here that really outrages me.

Sadly, they do cut off unsuspecting pedestrians hair in Russia. Most commonly in public transport where it's crowded. It's common enough that people with braids tuck them into their clothes when in more crowded transportation. People generally don't report it to the police or media as it is socially discouraged (the police wouldn't do anything anyway). ... Don't get me started on that.. :rant:

I wouldn't put it past the hair collectors from cutting the hair of the dead in the least in Russia. :shake:

When I was in Russia two years ago visiting relatives, my grandfather oh so kindly offered to sell my hair if I cut it then. :disbelief Umm... no thanks.. He thought he was being helpful. :crazyq:

anna1850
July 23rd, 2008, 04:45 PM
Am I crazy that the first thing that came to mind was...
But what if the person with the extentions made from that hair murders someone and the DNA from that hair is left behind....
(If there is DNA left in those hairs after processing that is)
LOL I watch too much CSI and law&order SVU.

I believe they can only get the DNA from the root, which is why if they want a sample they'd make you pull a hair out rather than just using a shed hair.

But they can work out other stuff like drug taking, nutrition etc.

I did find the program very odd as I've never worn human hair extensions. One woman was paying £400/$800 every few months to get new ones put in. Why not just grow your own?

Jamelia seemed a bit naive generally, but I suppose with the lifestyle she's led she wouldn't have had time to think about these kind of things.

Pegasus Marsters
July 23rd, 2008, 05:07 PM
I believe they can only get the DNA from the root, which is why if they want a sample they'd make you pull a hair out rather than just using a shed hair.

But they can work out other stuff like drug taking, nutrition etc.

I did find the program very odd as I've never worn human hair extensions. One woman was paying £400/$800 every few months to get new ones put in. Why not just grow your own?

Jamelia seemed a bit naive generally, but I suppose with the lifestyle she's led she wouldn't have had time to think about these kind of things.

Oh, duuuh! You're right. They can only get DNA with a hair that's pulled out or shed, not one that was cut. >_< But yeah, they can tell nutrition and stuff.

£400 every few months is actually kinda cheap in the hair extension industry. Some people pay a grand every 2 months. EEP!

thankyousir74
July 23rd, 2008, 05:25 PM
*Slightly* off topic but do hair extensions hurt to put it? I once saw a show where a girl was crying from the pain

Pegasus Marsters
July 23rd, 2008, 05:26 PM
*Slightly* off topic but do hair extensions hurt to put it? I once saw a show where a girl was crying from the pain

The heck? No! It should never hurt to put in extensions. What the hell were they doing to her to make her cry?! O_O

thankyousir74
July 23rd, 2008, 05:28 PM
The heck? No! It should never hurt to put in extensions. What the hell were they doing to her to make her cry?! O_O

Maybe it had to do with the fact that they had to take them out? Does that hurt?

Pegasus Marsters
July 23rd, 2008, 05:31 PM
Maybe it had to do with the fact that they had to take them out? Does that hurt?

Only if they do it wrong O_O

thankyousir74
July 23rd, 2008, 05:37 PM
Eh I have no idea, the show was America's next top model. That show got my silly model fantasy out of my head, for I would never cut my hair for an industry. The make up is still pretty though :3

Pegasus Marsters
July 23rd, 2008, 05:39 PM
Eh I have no idea, the show was America's next top model. That show got my silly model fantasy out of my head, for I would never cut my hair for an industry. The make up is still pretty though :3

They must have been doing it wrong if it hurt enough to make her cry. God O_O

GlassEyes
July 23rd, 2008, 05:40 PM
:rollin: You're too young to know that those weren't Mom jeans at the time. They were hot! :)

Anyway to the topic at hand, is it wrong that I don't find most of this terribly disturbing. If they were cutting the hair off of unsuspecting pedestrians, then I would be outraged, but there is nothing here that really outrages me.
I'm inclined to agree.

GlassEyes
July 23rd, 2008, 05:41 PM
They must have been doing it wrong if it hurt enough to make her cry. God O_O

Actually, weaves hurt like hell. Yep.

Riot Crrl
July 23rd, 2008, 05:42 PM
Eh I have no idea, the show was America's next top model. That show got my silly model fantasy out of my head, for I would never cut my hair for an industry. The make up is still pretty though :3

It's the method. I only ever saw people on ANTM get weaves, even though some were only partials. They cornrow the real hair (has to be really tight) and then sew the tracks to the braids. The braiding is really pully and I'm sure the sewing is pully too.

thankyousir74
July 23rd, 2008, 05:46 PM
It's the method. I only ever saw people on ANTM get weaves, even though some were only partials. They cornrow the real hair (has to be really tight) and then sew the tracks to the braids. The braiding is really pully and I'm sure the sewing is pully too.

wow that sounds painful :shudder: I'd hate to feel my hair pulled back that tight urrrrgh >____<

Pegasus Marsters
July 23rd, 2008, 05:47 PM
Ahh if they were weaves then that explains it all!