The sight of gorgeous Indian models hiding their faces while their long, cascading locks of shiny black hair take centre stage is something of a given on Indian TV. It is surprising to note, however, just how far the obsession with our hair really goes. Spoiler alert—our locks are coveted all the way across the world, and then some.
As bizarre as the export of human hair sounds, the business is absolutely booming in India where it averages out at a Rs. 2,000 crore industry (as per The Dollar Business, July 2015). The Western world (read: America, Canada and several European countries) constitute the main markets for this export, but India’s export of two thousand tonnes annually (as of 2012) is divided. Along with shipping human hair to the above-mentioned countries, India also sells its top-notch product to Rangoon, where they purchase the raw material to be converted into weaves and wigs, as well as Africa, another massive market for this organic product. In January this year, Godrej Consumer Products in India even announced their plans to acquire the South African-based company Friska, who specializes in a wide range of quality hair extensions.
India’s straight Human Hair
