A couple days ago, the BBC news did an article called “The Salons That hope you can’t tell goats and humans apart”. Sam Piranty gave an in-depth account of human hair trafficking from start to finish and found that some of the human hair extensions* are often mixed with goat hair but marketed as human.
From reading the piece, the premise was that there is a lot of deception in this business and that what you might be buying might not be what you think it is. We talk about the weave business a lot, how huge the market is but also the fact that the cost of getting human hair is far greater than your dollars paid.
The moral aspect of human hair harvesting is always thrown around in the conversation as something that is rather inhumane but all is forgotten once packaged and put on the shelf in our local beauty supply story. From the article
In a tiny village in Hunan province, central China a man dressed in a white vest and shorts rides around the dusty streets on a rusty bicycle, shouting and ringing his bell.
I stop him and ask what he’s up to. “I’m collecting hair,” he says. “When I ring my bell women come out and I cut their hair. I make hair extensions*.”
I ask him how much he pays women for their hair. “I offer them a good price, but I need to make a profit,” he says with a smile.
The streets of the village are covered in hair drying beneath the scorching sun. Some of the hair is definitely human hair, yet the number of shaven goats wandering the streets suggests otherwise.
My first thought was to get on my high horse and say that is just gross. If you have ever been around a goat, you probably wouldn’t want their hair on your head. But then I look at that picture above, and I wouldn’t want any of it on my head to be honest.
When we talk about International trade, it’s hard to say that everything you get is legitimate, in the article one seller admits to using fake scales when selling hair to her traders because to keep costs low that have to do what they can to beat the system.
“We say it is Indian hair or Brazilian hair, but in fact it is normally Chinese hair or even goat hair. They never realize. This is the only way we can keep things cheap,” she says, adding that her customers always drive a hard bargain.”
Then when you ask the traders, do you know that you are purchasing goat hair? They say of course, the Chinese think we are stupid but we know.
“I laugh a lot when I go home and I know that the beautiful women of Kampala have goats on their heads.”
The fact is how would you know if you have a goat on your head? The truth is you won’t, the hair is manufactured in a way to make it unapparent to the naked eye. By the time it’s packaged you are just thinking you have the highest quality human hair possible especially since you paid top dollar.
Wouldn’t care. We already wear animal fur, skins, and soaps and scents from other animals. Why should the hair matter
People have been using animal hair and objects from nature for hair adornment for millennia. I would not object as long as the contents of the extensions were honestly disclosed.
They probably already do anyway…. lmao….
Wouldn’t be anything new
I really wouldn’t care as long as it curls well, lol
Right! I’m so glad!!
I don’t think this should be surprising to anyone at all. The hair trade is a business full of deceit and profit is the bottom line. It’s not a surprise I think our so called “human hair” is mixed with a lot of stuff including horse hair we really don’t know where it’s coming from that’s why using out hair is best!
Yuck
Human hair or gt hair all is hair is not a new thin
Hee hee me either, but it should be listed.
Yes! Absolutely!
Peak
Lol
I think the hair i bought from ALIEXPRESS is a goat hair 🙁
Lol
Nope! As long as it doesn’t tangle and holds a curl lol
I don’t know why people think they are wearing 100percent human hair anyways
Shouldn’t be much of a surprise anyway the hair is imported. You don’t know what people have done to it once it gets in your hands.
Did not pay for a human/goat hair mix. That is why I just wear my fro for now anyway.
Omg no wander why these women are nutty butty !
What the difference between a goat & a horse??? I guess the length… Carry on….
Goat hair is WAY finer like a baby soft fly away hair. It’s called mohair when processed. I use in making baby dolls
I couldn’t care less
I’d be mad. I paid for human hair, not goat hair, not lama hair , not horse hair , 100 percent human or give me a discount.
Goat hair is actually costlier. I buy it for making dolls and an ounce of mohair is $40.
Better say 100 percent goat hair in my weave pak!
I use mohair for my realistic baby doll making. It’s actually softer and finer and silkier than human so no, I would not care, but I also don’t wear weaves..
It’s not a fact of would you care it’s would you know.
Unless goat hair looks better
Does goat hair come in 18 inches? Asking for a friend
LOL!
They been wearing horse all these yrs. Whats one more animal. Lol jkjk
Yes. It is false advertising. If the packaging says “human/animal hair mix” you can choose but otherwise you are being duped.
Why I prefer no weave at all. Yes because animals carry things that can cause us illnesses.
Ex. The lady that had larve embedded in her scalp because her hair came from a corspe.
THANK YOU! So unsanitary. Can’t believe so many people are saying they wouldn’t mind
cashmere comes from goats, why not add a little to hair extensions. People are looking out for their own pockets out there. With secret ingredients and recipes every where who knows what we’re consuming…oh fellow consumer.
Sounds like an urban legend…. before she used it, it had to be combed and sectioned off and so on…. someone would of seen eggs from a bug
Tacky
Its hair. People sell horse hair, SYNTHETIC hair, braid hair with yarn….soooo, who cares about the damn hair thing. Its a money maker. Wigs & ish has been going on for too long. Look at George Washington on a that dollar bill….
If it wasn’t advertised, lower in price, and free from diseases and lice (ticks and other creatures as well), then yes there would be several problems.
Lmao
I’m a natural girl…have been all my life!!!
And thats why I dont use human hair its just creepy this hair has been on somebodies head NOT COOL
If it holds curls ..i wouldn’t mind! Lol!
well i dont think people should care lol simply because you are wearing human hair on your head, so a little goat should hurt right hahaha
I wouldn’t care
I wish black ladies would invest in they own hair. Take of your real hair. They edges are missing all because of weaves.
I have all my edges and my hair reaches past my bra strap.. If it wasn’t for weaves I would not have been able to grown my hair soo fast and retain all my length.. But to each it’s own
Naaaaaaaaaaaa
As long as that goat hair doesn’t tangle or shed.. And I can wash, color, curl and flat iron I’m good… But that curl pattern on mr billy goat gruff is niceee
I have all my edges and my hair reaches past my bra strap.. If it wasn’t for weaves I would not have been able to grown my hair soo fast and retain all my length.. But to each it’s own
No
Nope lol I’ll be the first to rock my “Remi Goat”
NO! 🙂
No.
That goat has some beautiful curls. Wash it, dye it black, and sell me a bundle please.
LolL! In today’s world, NO,
❤️baaaa and bring it. Lol
I can’t. Id be too wrapped up in what the hair went through while attached to the goat. Eww yall are brave. Seems unsanitary to me
Jtfo at the comments
Hell no!
It’s hair….. either buy it or dont…. oh well
I use the hair I was born with. If I didnt have any. I would ware short hair. But everyone is different.
that goat has pretty hair lol
I would not wear it dont need too, also being vegan its wrong I feel.
yes.
I’m not going to lie when I saw the title I said “what?!” But as I read the article it made sense that those of us who wear weave could possibly have some goat in our hair. I’m a weave wearer but I have been thinking about transitioning out of wearing them so much because I want to dedicate more time to actually taking care of and wearing my natural hair. I think that if I wasn’t already thinking about transitionig out of weaves then I would care so much about the goat hair.
No one chats when animal skin is used in human clothing. I mean I’m not a weave wearer, but people need to stop coming with the anti-weave hysteria. And this is a general comment, not specifically aimed at Africland.
Lookin good! Mr.Goat. Ruff and stuff with your Afro puff!!
Those are pretty curls…..
Not me hahaha you all (goats) really too funny…
Them some nice curls lol
No
Why ask us women, we love our weave dumb ass. Don’t be made we look dam good in it… The question is would you wear the hair or not…..
We already have horse, what’s one more animal? Lets add some llama and sheep to that as well lol
And yet ANOTHER reason why I would never wear hair that wasn’t my own. Honestly I am shocked at the number of women in this response thread who are so desperate for weave that they said they would not care where it came from, be it man or animal. I bet half of them would still get it if they knew that the donor had to be beheaded in order to take the hair. SMH, the extremes people will go through to attach stuff to their heads that nine times out of ten looks fake anyway.