Conducting a microscopic test to ascertain the chemical composition of a strand of extension hair is a clear-cut way of confirming the fakeness or realness of the product. The majority of us are unfortunately not holders of a forensic science degree and coupled with the fact that a microscope is not a household item the aforementioned test is therefore not such a feasible option.

In the textile industry the ‘fiber burn’ test is conducted to ascertain fiber content. The same principle can effectively be used for hair tests as follows:

1. Pluck single hair strands from different locations of the unit in doubt

2. Using tweezers to grip a single strand proceed to burn the same using a lighter’s steady flame. The use of matches is not applicable as this will cover the hair odor.

3. You are to keenly observe the produced odor, the embers and the burning flame.

Human hair fiber is protein in nature and will burn with an unsteadily shining flame which will cease to burn if the lighter is held away from the hair strand. The strand of hair will briefly burn, producing an orange flame and dark ash chars that turn to powder upon being crushed. The nature of the odor produced is akin to that of burning feathers or flesh.

Synthetic hair fibers may be of either polyester or nylon and each of these will burn differently.

Nylon fibers tend to burn rather briefly but hastily before melting. The flame produced has a sparkle to it and an orange tip and blue base will be observed. The ash produced resembles tough amber beads. The smell of the odor feels similar to that produced by burning celery or green vegetables on the boil.

Polyester fibers will simultaneously burn and melt quite speedily. The flame produced has an orange sputter and black smoke with a sweetish odor follows. Drips of sticky ash are produced and upon cooling the ash takes the form of hard black beads.

It is prudent to make separate fiber tests given that a piece may have a blend of synthetic and human hair.

How light affects hair selection

One question that is normally posed by many hair-buying customers has to do with the product’s shininess, a trait that many attribute to high quality, compared to ordinary scalp hair. Majority of the salons which purport to sell cuticle or virgin hair are indeed ethical but a slight percentage are confirmed to offer customers non-cuticle manufactured hair after a microscope test is conducted. Why does this fake product have more shine than normal hair? It all has to do with light reflection.

This schematic, (Csepluch, et al, J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., 44, 299 (1993), provides a good illustration of the numerous angles that line the surface of a hair fiber. The cuticles which make an overlap open at a 2-3% angle. It must also be taken into account that all individual cuticles have uneven surfaces. You should also appreciate that the angle at which a light ray reflects off an object is the same one at which it hit the object in the first place.

Given the cuticles’ uneven surfaces that all lay at an angle, thus creating multiple different angles, light reflects off these surfaces at equally multiple angles. This effect is known as light scattering and only a few labs around the world have the capacity to measure it.

The fact that non-cuticle hair looks shinier than cuticle hair may actually dupe you into thinking that the former is healthier – a mistaken conclusion arrived at thanks to a reflected light illusion. The non-cuticle fiber of hair reflects off light from a surface that lacks the cuticle angles already described – this may be equated to the manner in which a mirror causes light rays to bounce off. Look at your desk surface and observe the amount of reflected light that bounces off its smooth surface. If the same surface were to be broken into smaller pieces and positioned differently atop each other you can rest assured that the reflected light will be scattered and measure rather differently.