The Growing Trend: Hair Extension Theft

Happily long hair, especially by way of cheating extensions, is a popular trend and has been for quite a while now. Not so happily, theft of hair extensions is also becoming a popular trend.

Major cities are seeing a rise in theft, and even armed robbery, of salons and wig stores. Not for what’s in the cash register however, but for what’s displayed in the store itself… the hair. Suppliers can and have lost tens of thousands of dollars in just one crime-ridden hair grab spree, and at least one shop owner in Michigan was murdered in the process. Because natural virgin hair extensions are so terribly expensive (a set of hair wefts can cost hundreds of dollars depending on length and quality), it’s no wonder it has become a hot commodity among the more dishonest long hair lovers in society. Combine that with the hundreds you will pay a top stylist to attach them and it gets easier to understand why cutting out half the cost appeals to those willing to risk stealing them or have no qualms about buying them hot on the black market. The stolen goods are often sold locally, and on the internet on sites such as Craig’s List (it wouldn’t surprise me to find them on eBay, either).

Is the Hair on Your Own Head Next?

What scares me most about the ever growing popularity of the expensive trend of hair extensions and the crimes it is encouraging is something much more sinister. Women with long hair are actually being robbed at gunpoint of ponytails right from their own heads. Just recently incidents have been reported with some frequency in Venezuela. I personally know of a woman who had her ponytail cut off as she sat on a New York City bus a few years ago. If people here are willing to murder a shop owner to steal extensions, robbing the hair from a human head on the street can’t be far behind. Even worse, I’m afraid that the likely thieving mindset that it won’t be a high enough profile crime for the police to diligently pursue might not be entirely wrong, at least not until it happens with growing frequency. Afterall, no “real” damage was done, hair grows back, right?  Yeah, right. Personally, I don’t intend to wear my butt-length hair down during my rare treks to the city anymore, and certainly never in a ponytail or single braid, which would just make it easier for the unspeakable to happen. Just thinking about the possibility of this horror happening to me, remote as it likely is, makes me extremely queasy :/

Buying Extensions From a Trusted Source

You can find legitimate sellers of human hair extensions locally at licensed salons (and considering the potential risk of damage to your own hair as a result of wearing them, you definitely want to go to the highest-end salon you can afford). If you want to save on the hair wefts themselves and have them applied locally, but want to be relatively certain you are dealing with someone who came by them honestly, there are a few sellers on Amazon who have very good reviews… read them and do your research before you choose from whom to buy!

Filed under: Angst