Why, you ask?
I don’t think you should limit yourself and wonder “what if“, so if you can swing it budget-wise, I recommend trying different fibers so that you can fully understand what works best for you.
I’ve done that.
Over the years, I’ve tried it all (or a TON of it).
And no matter how much I try human hair, I keep coming back to synthetic.
Someone explained it to me once: It’s like going back to an old lover….predictable and comfortable.
(Maybe some of you can understand this. I was married young so that phrase is somewhat foreign to me. I definitely would not want to go back to the boyfriend prior to my husband. He couldn’t spell or use grammar properly and for this reason alone, I knew it couldn’t possibly last. Plus, the last time we exchanged gifts he bought me film from the drugstore for a camera I didn’t own. #truestory #1999 #byekevin)
I’ll summarize below the video, if you’re a reader over a watcher (feel free to pop closed captions on in the video, though!)
Here’s a recap of the reasons I discussed in the synthetic vs. human hair showdown:
Heat
It’s soooo hot here in Texas, and I wear my hair up almost constantly for several months out of the year.
It seems a shame to mangle human hair up in my updo, so I prefer to do this with my less-expensive synthetic pieces.
Update: I’m working from home now, so because I don’t have to brave the heat going to and from my car to the office, I’ve been wearing my ThinHairThick NO CLIP topper. It’s so comfortable and easy! Check out my post about ThinHairThick to read more about it.
Sun
This goes along with the heat, but the sun can be brutal (no matter where you live!).
Human hair will fade and oxidize over time, so the color countdown starts ticking the second you open the box/walk out of the salon: you should expect to re-color over time to remove brassiness and refresh the color.
Of course, all of this equates to more cost.
Color
If you love warm and reddish tones, then there will be no shortage of options for you when it comes to human hair! Reddish is everywhere.
If you’re like me, and prefer neutral or cool-toned colors, ooof, that’s harder.
With synthetic hair, you can get it in every shade and color of the rainbow.
If you want to achieve ash/neutral with human hair, you might need to do a full color overhaul with an experienced helper hair colorist — there will likely be a lot of toning involved!
Out-of-the-box Woes
Human helper hair, right out-of-the-box, tends to leave a lot to be desired.
Sad, but true.
It’s often sent all-one-length and with no style or thinning.
Granted, synthetic hair can need thinning, too (in fact, it usually does!), but human hair is just about as blank of a canvas as you can get with hair.
You really need to have a vision to see the potential.
When I’m faced with color that’s not exactly right, hair that hangs in my face, the need to get it cut…the list goes on and on…I get overwhelmed and often just put it aside.
I’m not saying that’s the right thing to do, but I’m just being honest.
Which leads me to my last reason…
You Can’t be Lazy with Human Hair
From the get-go, human hair is just going to be more demanding than human hair.
You’ll need to customize it, in most cases.
It’ll take much more time to wash and dry it, style it, and touch up the style between wears.
You’ll need to actually CARE for it, by stocking up on special products and deep conditioners.
You’ll need to trim it over time as split ends are going to happen (so err with more length with human hair!), as well as re-color it to keep the color looking vibrant and fresh.
Good helper hair stylists and colorists are tough to find, but you’ll want to have a good one on-call.
And lastly, because human hair comes from a human (or, likely, several humans), no two hair pieces or wigs are going to be exactly alike.
If you fall in love with a human hair topper and go to re-order, you should expect there to be slight variations with the next piece…when hair pieces aren’t mass-produced and/or not sourced from the same individual, it makes sense this could happen, right?
As GORGEOUS as it is, I don’t want to spend time dealing with human hair.
I just want to watch Netflix.
So What Do You Think?
I know we have some diehard synthetic fans, as well as some diehard human hair fans! What’s your take on why you prefer one or the other?
Or, do you prefer both?
Let us know in the comment! Bonus points if you share your favorite piece.
I bought my first human hair topper in July 2017. It was amazing! A lot of hair! So nice to touch! And each style I gave it lasted until the next wash. Around February 2018 it started to frizz a Well, I gave that hairpiece a hard time! I used curling irons a lot and not carefully.(I had missed styling my hair because I used synthetics until that time) So it was something that was expected. I got the same human hair topper on May. I wore it right out of the box! The feeling was great until after the first wash! It started frizzing immediately! I had made a promise to treat my new HH topper with care to avoid that. I used the proper products and did everything as I should. But it was as if I did not do anything. So, I am thinking of going back to synthetics. Less cost, less time, less stress. I really loved my human hair piece, if it was guaranteed that I will get a piece like the first one I would definately go for it! But I cannot afford having the same luck as I did with the second topper.
OH no, that’s such a bummer!!
Hi
New here, synthetic cannot be heated at all correct? So does it always hold its curl? and how do you wash it when needed? Thank you
I’m sorry that I missed this! You can use low heat to help keep it soft. I wrote a post about this tool to keep synthetic hair soft. But, it shouldn’t be curled or flat-ironed as it will turn crispy. For washing, use a shampoo formulated for synthetics and follow with a good leave-in conditioner. If you find it needs more help getting soft and swishy and is feeling crunchy, you can soak it in a combination of water/apple cider vinegar (like 4:1 ratio) and follow with a good rinse-out conditioning product like Silicon Bambu (post here about my favorite condition for synthetics).
Hi, which topper do you wear? Thank you.
Hi! Top Style – Synthetic by Jon Renau in color 10H16. 🙂
I was wondering how you prevent traction hair loss. You have many toppers, I have to start thinking about buying one myself because of hair loss but have heard of hair loss from the clips in hair pieces. How do you prevent it? You have been successful preventing it, what do you suggest to one frightened of traction hair loss? Thank you for any advise. ?
I haven’t been successful, but that’s largely because I don’t mind the bald spots. 🙂 I have a blog post on this – makes sure to glue or sew in extra clips and rotate their usage: Traction Alopecia from Clips
I am mustering up the courage and determination to wear hair. (Thank you, Mary Jo, for expressing those feelings. It is exactly how i feel). I am having a difficult time, particularly in choosing a color. I am looking at synthetic hair. It was mentioned in your site of using Batiste tinted dry shampoo to remove shine. Does the tint make a big or little color difference on synthetic hair? Seems like a synthetic wig looks very different depending on the lighting . Any advice..i could really use it.
Thank you!!!
It’ll make a tiny color difference, but it washes out. I’d definitely try to get as close to a color as you’re thinking you need, rather than possibly relying on dry shampoo to change it (not sure if that’s what you are hoping, but wanted to call that out!).
I am terrified to try synthetic hair because I have seen so many people that it is obvious it is not their hair. The exception is to you, your hairpieces look so natural and beautiful on you. I just don’t want to waste my money and then someone say, hey are you wearing a wig. I guess that’s the whole idea of this hair wearing journey! I wear real human hair pieces from Follea and another 3,000 piece. I have just recently ordered a human hair topper from uni wigs for about 325.00, so I am hoping I have found something that is more affordable that looks just as natural.
Let us know what you think of the Uniwigs piece. 🙂 How do you like your Follea?
I prefer human hair because I can’t seem to get a good match in synthetics. I must admit HH requires time and some expense. I’ve purchased several pieces of the same color and length in order to have a “fresh” piece every few days. I’m not “out”, as many of us make this choice for a myriad of personal reasons, so it has taken me almost a year to perfect my care and styling routines. Since I’m a retired school psychologist, I have more time than many of you to do maintenance. Wearing hair, whether it be synthetic or human, full wigs, pieces or toppers, requires courage and determination. i so admire and encourage all readers to continue on this journey. Thank you, Lauren, for enlightening us on many topics and approaching sensitive issues with candor and respectfulness.
“…requires courage and determination.” I love that!
I am fairly new to toppers. I have found that the Clair uniwigs in natural black is a perfect match for my hair. If I could find a synthetic that matched my hair perfect, I would try!
That’s great, Bobby! Have you looked into the 1B shade from Jon Renau? That should be close to a human hair natural black.
Hi Lauren. Are you wearing wigs now or still toppers?
Still toppers 🙂
What topper are you wearing in this post! It’s beautiful. I would like to order a synthetic as I’ve always worn HH. My local wig store is not helpful at all.
I don’t think I will bother with human hair ever again…. I love the cool icy pale blonds with subtle highlights and low lights which are hard to achieve in human hair….I get compliments from strangers who ask ” who does does your hair color, it’s beautiful? ” So, I’m sticking with synthetics!
Oooh yes, I tend to like those shades on me, as well.
I am loving my new human hair piece for wearing down and for curling and wearing in different styles, but there’s nothing like the ease of my synthetic!! Pop that puppy on and go, no styling or time required. Milan and I will always be in love.
Hi! Excuse my english, I am a french speaking woman. 🙂
I wear a topper for about 8 years now. I tried one with synthetic but it is long and always has knots in it! It drives me crazy to come for an hour!
I have had maybe six different natural hair topper but one at the time and I wear it everyday and nights because I donc clip, I shave on the top of the head and use white double face tape. Before I used glue but just tape is so much comfortable and I can take it off more often to wash.
You are right that we need to color it once in a while. But I find it a lot more natural. Even my sons don’t know that they are not my real hair! 😀
Haha, love how you fool the boys in your life!
I wear both synthetic and human hair toppers, and the funny thing is, I get way more comments about how much they like my hair when I wear the synthetic! I think it lays so smooth and perfect, that people are amazed at how good it looks. I agree the synthetic is cooler and definitely my go to for summer. I like synthetic for the throw on and go factor. I keep the human for when I want to change it up and have some curls or waves.
Twins! I agree with your comment 100%.
Human hair! I think I just needs to go with what u feel more comfortable in!! Lauren you work your synthetic so well not like the peeps I see at the grocery store… not always good
Oh no! Too much synthetic shine in the product aisle? Haha. And YES, definitely go with what you are most comfortable in.
I tried human hair, but after the check wash, my HH pieces get all frizzy and nothing I do ever seems to be able to make them smooth again. And, they are so time consuming. To have to straighten them every day. So, I definitely prefer synthetic. They are already styled and ready to go (at least my favorite ones are). I don’t think the synthetics last as long, but so worth it.to save so much time.
Soooo glad you do the check wash, Teri!
I agree with you about having both human hair and synthetic in my hair closet. When it comes right down to it, I prefer the human hair by far. I’m willing to do the work and spend the money to get the cooler tone, and the cut, and the style, and all that jazz. Why? Because I just feel like synthetic looks like synthetic. And I’m the first to admit that I could probably find a better synthetic than the one I have (JR topper, “Top Secret”) but I actually like that piece.
I like the colour (10/16) and I like the style and cut. And I wear it up, only. With a bandana to hide the rim because the rim is so damn obvious. I wear it on weekends, I wear it to work out, I wear it to grocery shop. I wear it when I don’t especially care.
But when I’m going to work, or out with people where I really want my hair to real and natural and for no one to suspect a wig, I wear my human hair pieces. Always. I have a Flora topper, a Milano ponytail, and a Milano Secret wig, all the same colour, cut, and so forth. I wear them interchangeably. I just can’t bring myself to wear a synthetic piece to work where I know I’ll be sitting under a fluorescent light and shining like a light. Can’t do it.
That’s my opinion. 🙂
I love it, thanks for sharing!! So great you have all your pieces in the same/very similar colors.
Lauren, can you wear synthetic hair 24/7? That’s the only reason I’ve stayed with human hair- because I was told it lasts longer when you wear the helper hair day and night.
However… I’m getting mighty tired of trying to get the snarls out of my human hairpieces (and they’re only shoulder-length). If synthetic hair works better for that, I might give it a try!
When you say 24/7, do you literally mean also to bed? You can wear any hair to bed (technically, but it’s not exactly recommended due to 1) the wear on the piece, and 2) the tugging on your scalp, assuming you clip.
If you mean, “can you wear synthetic everyday”, then yep, for sure! I do. 🙂 I currently reserve my human hair for special occasions. That may change over time, but for now, I tend to lean towards synthetic.
Is your human hair remy human hair?
Ever since I got my Hh Highline toppers I rarely wear synthetic anymore. Occasionally I will wear heat defiant hair in an up do to work, when it’s hot though.
Beautiful pieces, aren’t they?