Human Hair And Synthetic Hair: Distinguish In 1 Minute?

Confused between human hair and synthetic hair? Learn 3 quick ways to compare texture, appearance, and heat resistance to make the right choice.

Synthetic hair has improved in quality, but it still has key differences from human hair. This comparison will explore texture, appearance, heat resistance, water absorption, durability, and burn reaction.
The following article presents three rapid techniques to recognize the difference between human hair and synthetic hair that can be performed within one minute.

1. Key differences between human hair and high-quality synthetic hair

If you want to purchase hair extensions, you should understand the basic difference between synthetic and human hair which helps you make an educated choice.

1.1. Texture human hair and synthetic hair

The way hair feels to the touch is one of the first noticeable differences between human and synthetic hair.

• Human hair: It feels naturally soft and slightly coarse, and the individual strands vary in thickness. It also responds naturally to touch, and movement.
• Synthetic hair: Sometimes it is like the feeling of silk. However, these high-quality synthetic fibers are far from being able to reproduce real hair movement, but they are close.

1.2. Appearance

Under different lighting conditions, you can see a very different-looking human or synthetic hair.

• Human hair: The human hair’s shine changes under different lighting conditions. In natural lighting, it looks just a little bit matte, in artificial lighting it has a very reflective sheen.
• Synthetic hair: Artificial under bright light, high-quality synthetic hair is uniform and often overly shiny.

Human hair usually comes in natural shades which can be dyed, while synthetic hair maintains its original color and is hardly changeable.

1.3. Heat resistance

For people who adore curl, straighten, or blow dry their hair, how the hair responds to heat is an important factor.

• Human hair: As the name implies, human hair can be used with curling irons, straighteners, and blow-drying implements without causing too much damage. However, natural hair will still dry or break with too much heat.
• Synthetic hair: Standard synthetic fibers melt or frizz under heat. However, some high-quality synthetic heat-resistive fibers can withstand much lower temperatures but still don’t exhibit the styling full flexibility of human hair.

1.4. Water absorption

How hair reacts to water can help determine whether it is real or synthetic, as well as how it behaves when wet.

• Human hair: Human hair absorbs water. It is wetter, heavier, darker, and takes longer to dry when wet.
• Human hair loses its style when wet, while synthetic hair repels water and dries quickly.

As natural hair reacts to humidity, human hair reacts the same way – becoming frizzy or wavy while non-human hair remains unchanged in most cases.

1.5. Longevity & Durability

The lifespan of hair extensions or wigs depends on the quality of the material they are made from and whether they are taken care of properly.

• Human hair: The lifespan of human hair wigs and extensions can be 6 months or more. Washed, restyled, and colored.
• Synthetic hair: It typically lasts 2-6 months. The duration is associated with quality and care. After they are damaged, synthetic fibers cannot be revived.

Unlike synthetic products made from plastic-like fibers, human one consists of real strands.

1.6. Burn test reaction

The burn test is a simple and effective method to distinguish between real and synthetic products.

• Human hair: When burned, it smells like burnt protein (similar to burning feathers) and turns to ash.
• Synthetic hair: Melts into a sticky ball and smells like plastic when burned.

Human hair burns slowly and turns to powdery ash, while another melts quickly and hardens.

2. 3 quick methods to identify human hair and synthetic hair

If you are wondering if hair extensions are made from real human hair, this is how you can do three quick and simple tests at home.

2.1. The burn test

The test simply entails burning a small strand of hair to see how it responds to heat and smells. Follow these steps:

• Take some strands of hair and burn it carefully with a lighter.
• Burns slowly and smells like burning protein, then turns to ash, it is human hair. Burns quickly and produces a plastic smell, forming a hard ball, it is synthetic hair.

2.2. The texture & feel test

Running your fingers through the hair can reveal whether it’s real or synthetic. Follow these steps:

• Feel how it runs through the strands by running your fingers.
• Have a slight coarseness, natural movement, and react to moisture.
• It is synthetic hair if it feels ultra-smooth or slightly plastic-like, with a uniform texture. Human extension is better at resisting tangling than synthetic extension as it’s prone to clumping or matting.

2.3. The water test

The absorption and drying time of water sprayed on the hair can be used to differentiate between 2 types of extensions. Follow the guide:

• Take a strand of hair, spray a little water on it, and observe the reaction.
• Human hair absorbs moisture and becomes slightly heavier and darker.
• Human extensions take time to dry compared to synthetic extensions which dries practically instantly.

Conclusion

You should know the essential differences between human and synthetic hair to find the best one for you. Knowledge of the major distinctions between manmade and real hair will help you obtain wigs or extensions. Human hair is more long-lasting and more stylistically versatile compared to synthetic hair which ranks as a cheaper tangier option.