Whether synthetic or human hair, no choice is universally better than any other:
it’s simply a matter of choosing a wig that is absolutely perfect for you.
The most common choice faced by women is whether to choose a wig made with synthetic hair, human hair, or a blend. Here we will outline some of the positives and negatives when it comes to the huge variety available in order to help you make the most informed decision. To start, let’s talk about what qualifies as synthetic, human, or blend hair.
Synthetic hair wigs are made with synthetic fibers. Technology these days have brought synthetic hair incredibly far along, so it can sometimes take a few tests to even determine whether hair is synthetic, human, or blended. This is good news because wigs made with synthetic hair tend to cost less, making it easy to switch between styles and colors without breaking the bank, but still offering a believable look. Most synthetic hair can be styled with curling irons and flat irons just as human hair, but each will have a temperature you won’t want to exceed. Typically, that is 400-450 degrees. Most hot styling tools don’t exceed that temperature, anyway, but if they do, they likely also have a gauge so you can set the temperature to an appropriate heat. Synthetic hair cannot really be dyed, so you’ll want to make sure the color you choose is what you’re looking for. Luckily, synthetic wigs are so common, depending on the maker and style, they come in every shade of the rainbow from jet black to natural black, to rich auburn, with and without highlights, with and without rooting, and even those fun and trendy colors (silver, pastels, rose gold.) Synthetic hair wigs also come in lace front or hard front, depending on the style and maker, as well. Lastly, some people choose to wear synthetic hair over human hair for ethical reasons.
You may be asking yourself: If synthetic hair generally costs less, and looks and feels a lot like human hair, then why consider buying human hair wigs or hair pieces? As close as synthetic hair can be to human hair, if you’re looking for a truly believable and very long lasting human hair wig, or if you’re looking for a slightly lighter weight or slightly more comfortable head of hair for medical hair loss, human hair is perhaps the better option.
With a human hair wig, you can generally color, bleach, or even bring your wig to your trusted stylist to create or replicate any kind of hair you desire. Depending on whether or not the hair has been treated with Remy (we will post more about this soon), a chemical treatment that makes human hair extremely soft and supple long term, raw hair can be fun to change up and customize. Human Hair wigs tend to have a longer life than synthetic hair, especially for longer or curly/wavy styles, because it is natural hair which at the most basic level is designed to do what hair does. While synthetic hair wigs, particularly longer and those with any type of curl, can be harder to control or maintain over time, human hair wigs can generally be washed and brought back to life. Trimming those bigger synthetic styles can help extend the life of a wig you love, and can be fun, but if you know what you want, and you want it to last, human hair may be your best option. Human hair wigs, like synthetic, come in a huge variety of styles, lengths, and colors. A “human hair blend” wig is exactly what it says. These are made from a blend of synthetic fibers matched to human hair. The blend certainly closes the gap between the two in look, longevity, and style, but also usually in price. This might be a good option for those who are looking to try the human hair wigs, but aren’t ready to commit full-on.
There is no universally “right” answer in choosing a perfect wig, whether it comes to synthetic or human hair, or a blend. There is only finding what is right for you!
If you have any questions about how to make your choice, our expert team is experienced with virtually every kind of wig available, and we are more than happy to help you decide.
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