What is a “virgin” hair extension?

Virgin hair extensions simply mean hair that has not been chemically dyed or processed. This is extremely important to the health of the hair strand as the traditional lightening process for hair using bleach, strips the cuticle from the hair. The cuticle of your hair looks much like roof tiles when you look at it under a microscope. These ‘shingles’ give the hair its shine and are responsible for protecting the inner core of the hair shaft which is where the hair holds its strength and shape. In short, if you want beautiful hair, the health of your cuticle plays a large part.

Testing virgin hair for hair extensions

The process of maintaining absolutely pristine virgin hair at Great Lengths starts with testing each and every batch. As donors give their hair willingly at the temples, we must ensure that the quality is intact. One compromised batch of hair could compromise thousands of heads of extensions. To test the hair each bundle undergoes two tests. The first test is to examine the elasticity of the strand through a tensile testing machine. The second is to examine it under an electron microscope.

How can you tell if you hair extensions are virgin?

Unfortunately, looking at hair extensions with the naked eye will not give you answers as to whether or not your hair extensions are of virgin quality. Many brands will claim they have virgin hair extensions, but may not. They may coat the hair extensions in silicones to give it temporary shine and the feeling of being healthy. However, after a few washes most silicones will wash off leaving the hair extensions to tangle and matt.

Great Lengths quality

The testing takes time to monitor our Great Lengths hair extensions, but it’s integral to maintaining the absolute best quality hair extensions worldwide. We must start with the very best raw material to give you the finest quality product. Great Lengths hair extensions are never processed with bleach to lighten the hair and are coloured using a Cashmere dye. This ensures virgin quality on even the lightest blonde extensions. Keen to see the process of lightening we use? Read on about our chemical-free process here.

If you are interested in having a consultation on Great Lengths hair extensions, please visit our salon locator here. We supply the best hair extensions to Australia and New Zealand. From Sydney to Perth, Adelaide to the Gold Coast, Melbourne to Brisbane we have the highest quality extensions at the very best salons.