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Writer's pictureViolet

What is Remy Hair?

Updated: Oct 19, 2021



What exactly is Remy Hair? This is a very common question I get in my direct messages.


We’re diving into the facts about cuticle intact Remy hair, Remy hair, and non-Remy hair!

When it comes to talking about hair quality it can all be a bit confusing. In this series, you’re going to become hair quality experts and I’m going to do my best to make it simple for you.


Before we can get into comparing hair quality we first need to understand the characteristics of a single human hair strand.


Let’s start with the basics:

  1. A single hair strand has a root and an end, or more specifically, a root and a tip.

  2. Each strand of hair is covered in a protective layer called the cuticle. The cuticle surrounds the hair shaft, it’s the hair’s first line of defense against all forms of damage; it locks moisture into the hair strand, reflects light and determines the manageability and feel of your hair.

  3. If you zoom into a single strand of hair under a microscope the cuticle resembles tough, shingle-like layers that form scales which overlap, sort of like branches of a Christmas tree, going down the shaft from root to tip.

  4. Your own biological hair grows from your scalp with the cuticle all laying in the same direction.

You may be asking, WHY is this even important?


Non-Remy Hair

Non-Remy hair often referred to as “fallen hair,” is collected from the floor or hairbrushes, with no way to distinguish the root end from the tip end. Non-Remy hair can easily matt because of cuticle running in opposite directions (against each other), causing friction and tangling, which is also known as inversion.


Remy Hair

Remy hair often referred to as ponytail hair, is simply gathered into a ponytail and cut above the hair band, ensuring that the cuticle – from root to ends are all lying in the same direction.

Now HERE’S where it gets REALLY interesting during processing, it’s a common practice for a lot of manufacturers to remove the cuticle from Remy hair to speed up processing time and/or to prevent tangling as a result of inversion – from hair that may have been gathered improperly or mixed during the making of extensions. But companies that opt to retain the cuticle on Remy hair during the processing stage, produce what’s known as cuticle intact Remy hair.


In Conclusion

Remy hair is technically hair that is gathered with the cuticle all facing the same direction and non-Remy hair is hair that is gathered with no way to distinguish the direction of the cuticle.


Cuticle intact Remy hair is Remy hair that is processed without removing the cuticle, which is considered the highest quality hair.


The only way of ensuring it’s truly Remy hair is to ensure the hair still has the cuticle intact.


Credit: Hair Extension Magazine

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