Author: Jenna White | San Francisco Hairstylist
December 4th, 2020
December 4th, 2020
Myanmar is a leading source of human hair, and part of a delicate network that services the global demand for products like extensions and wigs. According to CNN, much of the sourced hair from Myanmar is sold to China, put through manufacturing processes, and then exported to the west. Check out CNN's Google AMP Story on this here.
Myanmar, or Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. There is no official religion there, but Theravada Buddhism is the most popular, with 88% of the population practicing it according to Wikipedia. The country is also one of the more economically disadvantaged areas in the region. In 2018, the average annual income per capita was just $1,140 (USD) according to The Straights Times. One of its most coveted exports is Burmese hair. Aye Aye Thein, a woman interviewed by CNN who cuts hair for a living north of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, shares that "Myanmar hair is the softest, most sought-after hair in Asia". This leads to many women (and men) selling their hair to generate more income, particularly during certain times of the year when cutting your hair is part of a religious celebration.
If you Google "Burmese Hair" you'll quickly find it is widely advertised, just as Aye Aye Thein had said. Besides seeing this hair type branded as "Burmese", it is also advertised as:
The hair pieces are frequently brunette in color, and come in straight, wavy or curly textures. Online retailers like Alibaba have "showrooms" where Burmese hair can be found. There, some of the sellers proudly promote that 90% of their sales are from North America within the product's description. They are typically catering to wholesale buyers, and require purchases of ten or more wefts. Their prices range from $15 - $105 per weft, depending on length and texture of the hair.
Burmese Traditions
There are twelve months in the traditional Burmese calendar, and twelve corresponding festivals. Most of the festivals are related to Buddhism, with the most well-known one being a four-day celebration of the coming Lunar New Year in April called Thingyan. During this celebration, it is not uncommon for women to cut their hair, which they can then choose to sell.
In addition to Thingyan, other customs and traditions that influence their decision to do this are:
Route to the West
According to World's Top Exports, in 2019 Myanmar was within the top five countries with the highest value of exports in human hair. In the same year, they also posted a -85.4% decline in exports of human hair. The fastest growing human hair exporters were Thailand (up 24,850%), Hong Kong (up 3,686%), U.K. (up 923.7%) and Brazil (up 598.1%).
Clearit, an online customs brokerage and clearance service, published a blog post in March of 2019 titled "A Hairy Situation: Importing Human Hair" where they shared that there aren't many restrictions on the sale of human hair in the United States. It can enter the country unprepared and uncleansed, with ports in Newark and Savannah Georgia being the main points of entry. The website ustradenumbers.com reported that in September of 2020 alone USA imports of human hair (wigs and other products) totaled over $110 million.
Myanmar, or Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. There is no official religion there, but Theravada Buddhism is the most popular, with 88% of the population practicing it according to Wikipedia. The country is also one of the more economically disadvantaged areas in the region. In 2018, the average annual income per capita was just $1,140 (USD) according to The Straights Times. One of its most coveted exports is Burmese hair. Aye Aye Thein, a woman interviewed by CNN who cuts hair for a living north of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, shares that "Myanmar hair is the softest, most sought-after hair in Asia". This leads to many women (and men) selling their hair to generate more income, particularly during certain times of the year when cutting your hair is part of a religious celebration.
If you Google "Burmese Hair" you'll quickly find it is widely advertised, just as Aye Aye Thein had said. Besides seeing this hair type branded as "Burmese", it is also advertised as:
- raw
- natural or unprocessed (no acid baths)
- virgin
- cuticle aligned
- remy
- tangle free
- coming from "one donor"
The hair pieces are frequently brunette in color, and come in straight, wavy or curly textures. Online retailers like Alibaba have "showrooms" where Burmese hair can be found. There, some of the sellers proudly promote that 90% of their sales are from North America within the product's description. They are typically catering to wholesale buyers, and require purchases of ten or more wefts. Their prices range from $15 - $105 per weft, depending on length and texture of the hair.
Burmese Traditions
There are twelve months in the traditional Burmese calendar, and twelve corresponding festivals. Most of the festivals are related to Buddhism, with the most well-known one being a four-day celebration of the coming Lunar New Year in April called Thingyan. During this celebration, it is not uncommon for women to cut their hair, which they can then choose to sell.
In addition to Thingyan, other customs and traditions that influence their decision to do this are:
- When women and girls become nuns, they cut their hair to demonstrate freedom from distraction and sacrifice (CNN).
- Art from statues and storytelling: there are many different depictions of Buddha, but commonly his hair is described as curly or hanging in ringlets, which he eventually shaves off as a sacrifice on his journey to enlightenment.
- The "weed of ignorance": hair is often used as a metaphor for illusion or ignorance, and cutting it off symbolically releases the individual from both frames of mind.
- Tonsure is the religious act of cutting or shaving your head. It is a fundamental part of many religions.
Route to the West
According to World's Top Exports, in 2019 Myanmar was within the top five countries with the highest value of exports in human hair. In the same year, they also posted a -85.4% decline in exports of human hair. The fastest growing human hair exporters were Thailand (up 24,850%), Hong Kong (up 3,686%), U.K. (up 923.7%) and Brazil (up 598.1%).
Clearit, an online customs brokerage and clearance service, published a blog post in March of 2019 titled "A Hairy Situation: Importing Human Hair" where they shared that there aren't many restrictions on the sale of human hair in the United States. It can enter the country unprepared and uncleansed, with ports in Newark and Savannah Georgia being the main points of entry. The website ustradenumbers.com reported that in September of 2020 alone USA imports of human hair (wigs and other products) totaled over $110 million.
Source: World's Top Exports
Human Hair as a Product
In California, extensions are commonly done with "wefts". A weft is a machine sewn fine “wefted” strip that is perpendicularly connected to a length of hair. These can be installed in multiple ways, some of which include being sewn in, taped, glued, clipped and hand-tied to the client's head. Before these wefts are shipped to places like the United States for use, the general manufacturing procedure is as follows:
To get a better idea of how the process works, check out this DIY YouTube video.
In California, extensions are commonly done with "wefts". A weft is a machine sewn fine “wefted” strip that is perpendicularly connected to a length of hair. These can be installed in multiple ways, some of which include being sewn in, taped, glued, clipped and hand-tied to the client's head. Before these wefts are shipped to places like the United States for use, the general manufacturing procedure is as follows:
- Raw material is sourced (i.e. hair is collected via Hair Traders)
- Portions of hair are weighed out in grams, each to be turned into a weft
- Hair is attached to a weft strip via a sewing machine
- Quality control reviews of the product are conducted
- The finished weft is washed and conditioned
- Hair wefts are combed to remove shedding
- Hair pieces (i.e. wigs) are constructed
- Hair is air dried naturally before being packaged
To get a better idea of how the process works, check out this DIY YouTube video.
