How Wigs Are Made From Donated Hair | The Making Of

Posted on 16 February, 2020
Hair Accessories
By Anonymous

Most people are familiar with the idea of hair donation but don’t know the labor-intensive and expensive process behind making a real-hair wig. A lot of the sorting and sewing are done meticulously by hand and can take hundreds of hours. We followed Hair We Share, a nonprofit that turns donated ponytails into wigs, through the process of transforming donated hair into realistic wigs for people experiencing hair loss.

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What you're seeing is 200,000 ponytails of human hair. Combined that's at least 25 miles of hair. Dean Riskin. The hair is just busting out all over the place., Too much. Narrator. All these ponytails are donated., But not all of them will be made into wigs.. In fact, many get eliminated at the beginning of the wig-making process. Suzanne Chimera Can not be used.. So it's a shame that these people donated their hair and they thought that it was gon na do something nice for somebody., But it's not usable. Narrator. So how do they decide which ponytails to keep and which to toss, And once hair makes it through inspection? How does it go from this to this? Cutting the hair is only the first step of the process and perhaps the easiest. From there workers perform over 50 hours of manual labor to transform the single ponytails into full-fledged wigs.. This can take four to six months. Hair We Share is a nonprofit that provides free, wigs to people with hair loss due to a medical, condition. Suzanne, So most people when they think hair loss, they think cancer. We're way more than that.. In the last month, we've serviced a motorcycle accident, domestic violence and two burn victims. Narrator Its cofounders, enlist the help of 20 volunteers to sort through the abundance of donations at their New York headquarters.. The donated hair is sorted into categories of color, texture and length. Suzanne. One more. Nope, that's brown., Narrator Sorters measure the hair to make sure it reaches the minimum length of eight inches.. Otherwise it can't be used. Suzanne. The length doesn't need to be exactly the same. If it's 3, 4 inches even 6. Inches is fine, just not 2 feet and 8 inches. Narrator. In addition to hair. That'S too short a lot of other things: disqualify donated hair like hair, that's highlighted tangled or just has unnatural colors. Suzanne. This is a big problem. Like this cannot be used.. It cannot be used. Because the hair is not tied together in a rubber band and it's reversed. It will tangle.. So it's not usable.. The post office has rollers that the mail goes through and if it's in an envelope, that's just a regular envelope, it gets torn. And the hair gets caught in the rollers.. And so unfortunately, this is beautiful, blond hair which we're always in need of. But we just can't use it.. This came to us wet, so we appreciate that the person washed their hair, but it needed to be dry before they sent it to us.. This is now molded and it smells bad and it just cannot be used. When we can't use hair. Unfortunately, we discard it.. We have tried to find companies that will use it to clean up oil spills and any of the companies we've contacted said that they're getting too much hair.. So I'm gon na put one together now: OK Yeah, so this is black., So watch. Watch., No yep. We can call this black. Narrator. The hair is sorted into eight colors. Suzanne. When I look at hair, I see 40 colors.. I don't see eight hair colors. Once the hair's all mixed together, you're, not gon na know if it's light brown or medium brown. And we all have more than one color in our hair. So it's perfectly fine. Narrator. It takes six to nine ponytails to make a single wig.. Those of similar color texture and length are packaged together and sent to Hair. We Share's manufacturer. There, the ponytails go through a hackle to evenly blend the hair and remove any uneven or weak strands.. During this stage, anywhere from 10 % to 60 % of the hair can be lost depending on its strength and health.. But what is left is smooth, blended, hair.. The freshly hackled hair is then pressed into a holding card with tiny metal pins to ensure it doesn't get tangled again. Part of the hair is sewn into wefts, which are then sewn onto the sides and the back of the wig cap. The rest of the hair Strands are ventilated by hand.. This is what makes the wigs look. Realistic. Small strands of hair are pulled through the cap with a hook one by one.. This is an extremely meticulous process that can take up to 10 hours per wig. After the last strand is ventilated. The manufacturer sends the finished wig back to Hair. We Share where it is washed and styled., But not all the donated ponytails are guaranteed to make it to a manufacturer. Even if they're perfectly usable. Dean, The ponytails cost us nothing because they're shipped to us., It's all labor-intensive.. Unless we have the financial donation for this year, we won't have enough money to create 3,700 wigs.. Those ponytails have to sit in inventory until they're sponsored or funded. Narrator, But for the hair that does get made into wigs, it finds a new purpose with a recipient. Kristen Berggren. You know, I'm just excited. Excited to get the wig.. Oh, it's lovely. Hairdresser Looks beautiful. Kristen It is.. I can't even believe it's not my hair.. I got used to being bald but honestly putting the wig on and having that beautiful .... Just this hair makes me feel a little bit like my old self., Which is a blessing

Comments

Latisha: It’s actually so disappointing that not all of the hair makes it into wigs. So many people grow then cut their hair just to donate it.

Sizzy Lizzy: imagine donating your hair, knowing that you’re doing it for a good cause, just for it to get discarded.

Y.R: Ok it’s awesome what they do with donated hair, but they need better people to cut the hair and style it. The wig the woman in red was doing was not cute.

sovintageful: Really hurtful to see how dismissive that man was of the donations. "It costs us nothing..." It certainly costs us, the prospective donors, a lot! I grew out my hair for 3 years and cut it today to donate it, but unfortunately it got tangled and I won't be able to donate it. I was absolutely devastated until I saw this video and realized that even if my hair was in perfect condition, my donation would be so unimportant to them. I'll grow my hair out again but I will never consider donating it again.

Atticus: Most of the wigs look like Karen’s hair. They need better stylists. I feel very bad for saying this but it’s true.

Itz_Hennesys Lopez: When he said ponytails cost us nothing I was in shock. People grow their hair just so they can donate it and he said they cost nothin

Kendra Beauty: “This is what makes the wigs look realistic” Girl where!?

Layla Lavender: I was so hopeful, then they put the wig on the woman and it looked SO BAD

AdorkableAmanderz: honestly the owners of this company seemed annoyed AF and agitated...this literally made me irritated-watching this

Eggy Love333: I’ve donated my hair twice now and now that I know that it’s probably gonna end up in the garbage, there will not be a third. That’s super disappointing.

Aarian Malhotra: They should provide training for people who initially cut the hair of the donors so people don’t donate all their hair just to be thrown away.

xoxogossipgirl: I think that hairdressers or the ones in training should also be taught a bit regarding this subject or adress it to the client. A lot of people cut their hair and donate it and it ends up not being used at all and maybe hairdressers could learn whose hair makes the cut and whose doesn't

Rosette C P: « I can't even believe it's not my hair » come on girl it’s look like 10 dollars synthetic wig

TheAGcollector101: I'm glad they addressed some of the problems with hair donation, I wish more people knew about them

borahaechan: It’s unfortunate that a lot of the hair gets thrown away.

XHollisterBabyXx: Dude, can someone give credit to the people that take the time and patience to make these wigs.

Holaniños: I donated my hair and I cut of 13 inches and it wasn’t hilighted or dyed and it was good but they said it couldn’t be used

Laila-Grace Amaré: Those wigs... oh no... I appreciate what they’re doing but come on... those are a mess.

Andrene Beauty: I would love to take the hair that’s being discarded, it can definitely be put to good use and rejuvenated!

jay: They need to work on styling... that wig looked like a helmet on that poor woman

Soph Gily: I donated 18 inches to the uk princess trust before I had my brain surgery and it made me so happy

CatherineZ: I'm surprised that they discard some hair just because of colour. If everything else is fine, just put it in miscellaneous pile sorted by length and structure, and DYE the hair at some point! If I had to get a wig, I'd love a pink wig, for example. It's already a wig, why not?

jukodebu: And now suddenly everyone realizes that working with wigs is a skill and not just any stylist can do it

Kuwkay: They need to make some natural looking lace front wigs

AdorkableAmanderz: Is it just me or does the lady giving the tour just seem annoyed AF with her job?

Shelby Lee: I donated my hair to Hair We Share about a year and a half ago. They made my hair into a wig☺️

Sera the Educated Feline: I had hair that was over a metre long until last September, when I got most of it cut off to donate (my 2 year old cousin was devastated), hopefully some little girl get the Rapunzel-like hair I cherished as a little kid.

cj222100: Very interesting, I've donated my hair twice, & I'm glad I was so careful when I packed it for shipping! Always wondered what the process was after I sent it away!

Dyvia: The fact that they said they would "toss" it, just sounded bad to me, it's like someone donated their hair for nothing. No hate tho, it's nice that they make hair for people who don't have it

AGmarsen: I almost threw up when I read it as: "Hot wings are made from donated hair"

renata mitchell: A lot of love go ♥️ into making these wigs. I hope they bring a smile to the people who receive them

Sara Ling: they are very talented in making very nice realistic wigs, but they need to hire a hair stylist in the team

Sommie Flynn: The hook thing is called postiche and let me tell you,its a very frustrating skill to work at. You can very easily rip holes in your cap at the very end of your hairpiece and sometimes you need to start again depending on how bad the damage looks. I hated doing it at first but now I'm kinda glad I have the skill

probably not: I'm sorry but we may need a new narrator...

Sandra O.: Every single one of them should be wearing gloves

Gracie Shepard to the Max: This! Finally a video I cam share with my clients on what happens to their donated hair!

A dam gay: I used to have really long hair, I cut it all off about a year ago. I have extremely thick hair so they had to divide my hair in two braids. Both braids were 60 cm long and still pretty thick. I’ve dyed my hair so many times and it’s still healthy, so I think my hair was perfect for wigs! I currently have short hair (like not till my shoulders but even shorter) that my hair dresser has to thin. I hope that my hair was used! Gosh I sound old XD

ImNotVanny: I have donated my hair 2 time and I'm happy it is going to a good use

Jessica Deane: I donated my hair 11 inches of it!! I hope someone likes the natural ombre i had

Black White: 5:49 I'm sorry but that is one of the worst most obvious wigs I have ever seen.....

Hettie Petra: sorry but those wigs are plain awful they are so flat and weirdly shaped. I would rather be bald then have a wig that makes me look stupid.

Irish Hearts: If i knew how to make a wig, i would donate my time. :( its so sad they cant use all the hair just because they cant afford the labor

Elžbieta: I'm thinking of donating my hair-raising they're very long, since I'm in quarantine I can't do that now but this information really helped!!

Andrew Felton: All of these wigs asked to speak to the manager.

Karina Heiker Thomasen: After watching this I am scared to donate because I would be so disappointed if if just got thrown in the trash

Abby Mortinsen: I’ve donated my hair four times in my life and I’ve never heard of dyed hair being rejected.

Nico: This video just made me regret donating my hair because it kind of sucked lol

birth canal fluids: The people who are making the wigs are doing a really good thing. It's for a good cause and I think it's wonderful that they are doing it. But they didn't seem very happy. They just seemed miserable, and it showed in their styling. I can understand why they might feel like this, because they probably aren't paid.

Ofra Erez: It kinda makes me sad that so many women have donated their hair thinking it will end up making someone happy, not knowing it will never be used for that purpose.

Kat A: Why is this getting hate? SO much work goes into making these wigs that make people happy. Even if they're not the best, I'm sure if you went through an illness that made you lose your hair, you would be happy to get SOMETHING that reminds you of your old self. Be greatful for the hair on your head and clothes on your back, some people aren't as fortunate.

Lenalight: There’s no way I’m donating my hair only for it to be thrown out or used to soak up oil spills. Kudos to other donators, though and for the people that make the wigs. Huge respect goes to you all! ❤️

Ilan Farías: Kristen Berggren DESERVES a better wig

V: They should stop getting Karens to style those wigs...

SwiftStar Games: I donated enough hair to make a bob cut to an a line wig once. I still have the thank you note (I sent it to locks of love)

Mike Studmuffin: I'm donating my hair. I don't want these guys to just throw it away

Jane2856: I suppose you could use some of the dry discarded hair for birds’ nests? I don’t know how you would get it to them, but I’ve heard of people leaving their stray hair for birds or mixing it into soil in their garden

Treat People With Fucking Kindness You Dicks: I've donated my hair 3 times and all 3 times the person who got my hair in the wig wrote me a note

{ Hope’s World }: Wigs are so hard to make!

Skatejock21: There was a show called “how it’s made” in Canada and they showed how wigs were made

tom: I feel like some parts need to have some better parting / fading but I’m happy for them

Cat Craft: I sold over a metre of my hair to a wig company in london and they paid £70 for it.

shinyxeevee: I'm glad I'm not the only who thought that wig looked bad, like damn they didn't have to give that hair helmet. If they can take the time to thread the hair, they could of have least made a lace front for her

Salty Sarah Zechnas: My hair might be in there somewhere lmao I donated to wigs for kids. Locks of love and other wig places, make them the people who need them, pay for them

Ireland Gerlach: I’m have been growing my hair for 4 years now to donate it. It’s not quite long enough yet. But it’s kinda sad to think that I might go through all this trouble just for my hair to be sorted out and thrown away

Housewarmin: Please realize if you can donate your hair before you cut it! I’d hate to cut all my hair off, and they threw out my hair.

Rachel Kim: I feel bad for the people who had their hair cut off to be donated only to have it thrown away

Emily Fernandez: It’s sad how people cut their hair for donation, but this company just throws them away

natalie: i donated my hair when i was younger. i had long ass virgin curly hair and donated it in a braid that i let dry for over a week before sending. i rly hope it got made into a wig lmao

Alejandra Jorge: Holy shit people, they are spending 10 hours doing a wig of their time, even though you might think "they are not doing enough" or "well enough"they are volunteers. Doing it for free. Can we be more forgiving and less inquisitive?

Lusciouspinkbarbie Channel: God bless them bc seeing all that hair broke me. I couldn't do it lol. And I do hair lol.

unicorn skull: I'm so glad I donated 14 inches of my hair

wath: inspiration 100? Isn’t it cool how they use DONATED hair to do this? Must be a while

Julie Butler: Everyone needs to see this. First, why aren't salons telling donors before the cut only the best hair will be used? Second, they get so much hair--if there's not enough money the wigs don't get made. Even if only young girls with long, healthy, unprocessed hair donated, I think only a few wigs are completed due to costs

Severus Reee: I mean, I am a guy that even if all my hair gets cut off, it grows back within two weeks so I guess doing this would be an option

DEEPIKA T: They can absolutely make Bob cut wigs from short hairs.Why do you discard those short hairs?also why do they discard natural hair color wigs?I didn't get that point

Bluevfx: i literally cut my hair recently and donated it i really hope it doesn't go to you guys

•Itz Emily•: My grandma has cancer, I remember all her hair fall out so she got a pretty wig, she passed away a long time ago

Happy Crab: My hair grow really fast so I always thought to donate my hair,my friends told me my hair is OK/good because it is really black but there's a part of me that tell me my hair is not good enough to be a wig.

Sara The Cow: A lot of what they said about “some hair doesn’t even make it to the manufactures” and things like that, is really discouraging me to donate. I have a hair as long as to my lower back.

Tish Smiddy: Thank you for sharing

ROKITA: When i turn old im going to donate my hair someone will have one of my rarest hair from all times a red hair

T M: Wow this video is amazing

Khairuzzad Al Hikmah: 5:48 she transformed from a Kristen to a karen

Flick Drumming28: Me when I was a Kid mom told me that it is impossible for a person to count our Hair Me seeing this Woman stitching a hair one by one... Me : maybe this woman knows how many hairs does people have..

None Ya: Im surprised that there is ppl out there that donate the hair usually people just price gouge the ppl that need them ><

Blossom Tv: I'm happy now! I donated a few years ago to locks of love! I'm pretty sure it was usable too. Now I get to know!

c frick731: Just to let y’all know these wigs, people will than take to a good hair dresser and get them styled to their liking.

Cobalt Ocean: Would donate my hair but it's a mix of muddy blonde and strawberry blonde Tends to get lighter in the summer

Madison Thompson: This is another reason why I’m never donating my hair

nakiamohrr: So I always thought they used the hair no matter what BOY WAS I WRONG

Ilinca Hartman: Yeah, not sure they're going to get that much hair donated to them now, they made this video very dismissively.... I know I wouldn't want my hair donated to them now

Marti Vincze: This video is very discouraging for anyone who would consider donating hair. 1. There is way too much donation 2. Not all hair will make it to a wig even if it's suitable 3. Not suitable hair is not needed either to clean up oil spills because there is too much donation there too 4. Wigs are not made because of lack of funding. So disappointing.

Mrs Unknown: I want to donate my hair... but, most of the freaking hair isn’t used?!?! ( I mean by when she said some of the hair isn’t useful ) like WHAT?????

no name: Literally just got done donating all my hair lol I’m a bald girl now but at least I know it’s doing something good (:

Loui&Me: I wanted to donate my hair, but now...

Myeheheh: So is there other types of wigs other than human hair made wigs? ;-;

chonko : Maybe, I should have donated my hair. Because it was long and healthy since I wash it a lot and it didn't have any tangled, But the country I lived in doesn't have any of those So someone could have long black hair.

Jennifer Lee: Everyone seems so angry and careless there, especially the lady in the red shirt

Mona O'Leary: I could never do that i cant even deal with my own hair

Elizabeth Callan: Do they help thyroid conditions? And if so do they have Afro texture hair to match my original?

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