Hair Care

The Real Story Behind Where Your Hair Extensions Come From

A salon owner travels around the globe to learn about the origins of hair extensions

by Hayley Mason | 1 COMMENT

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Selling for Survival in Cambodia "Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is dusty, developing and rife with suffering, yet culturally rich and bustling. In this desperately poor country, women sell their bodies, their hair and sometimes their daughters to put food on the table. Even my hotel was a reminder of the desperate circumstances here, with a sign that read, 'Please do not participate in the sex trade.' One Cambodian woman told me, 'I'll sell my hair before my body to feed my family. My hair grows back.'

"About 45 miles outside the city, I visited a village where women cut hair to be sold as extensions. There were about 80 families with little to no food, clothes or electricity. I saw only one man, and when I asked him to show me his wife, he responded by pointing to a group of women. Women between the ages of 18 and 60 lined up to sell their hair (the women made it very clear they don't cut the young girls' hair), receiving 20,000 to 33,000 riel (about $5 to $8) in exchange. Every four to six months, a collector comes to the village to purchase the hair.

"One woman with a short bob cut came up to me said through my translator, 'I don't feel pretty with short hair.' I took off my hat and showed her my short hair. I said through the translator, 'You're certainly one of the most beautiful women I've met.'

"I left Cambodia with a mix of emotions, finding comfort in having a business that offers these women help but sad for the poverty they experience."

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