What is remy (or remi) hair?
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Similar to virgin hair, the term "remy" is now widely used and unfortunately, also used inappropriately or inaccurately.
Strictly speaking, remy or remi hair, is hair that has been remitted in Hindu temples. Some women in India and other regions practice tonsure. Tonsure is a religious practice associated with Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism whereby the devotees shave their heads as a demonstration of their religious devotion.
Today, the definition of remy has been broadened considerably and can include the following :
1. Indian hair gathered by a variety of methods, including fallen hair. Fallen hair is hair that is not collected directly from the hair donor, but rather is collected from hair brushes and refuse.
2. Hair possessing cuticle layers that are aligned or removed.
It's important to remember that hair can be remy, but not virgin. That is, the hair could be sourced from the temples of India, but processed chemically or mechanically. And it works the other way as well. Hair can be virgin, but not remy. Hair collected may have its original physical properties intact, but the hair has been collected in such a manner that the cuticles are not in alignment or removed altogether.
___ ___ ___
Similar to virgin hair, the term "remy" is now widely used and unfortunately, also used inappropriately or inaccurately.
Strictly speaking, remy or remi hair, is hair that has been remitted in Hindu temples. Some women in India and other regions practice tonsure. Tonsure is a religious practice associated with Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism whereby the devotees shave their heads as a demonstration of their religious devotion.
Today, the definition of remy has been broadened considerably and can include the following :
1. Indian hair gathered by a variety of methods, including fallen hair. Fallen hair is hair that is not collected directly from the hair donor, but rather is collected from hair brushes and refuse.
2. Hair possessing cuticle layers that are aligned or removed.
It's important to remember that hair can be remy, but not virgin. That is, the hair could be sourced from the temples of India, but processed chemically or mechanically. And it works the other way as well. Hair can be virgin, but not remy. Hair collected may have its original physical properties intact, but the hair has been collected in such a manner that the cuticles are not in alignment or removed altogether.
Why is it important that cuticles are aligned? (And what are cuticles?) The cuticle of the hair is a hard, shingle-like layer of over-lapping cells some 5 to 12 layers deep. If the direction of these shingled layers is misaligned, these layers can rub against one another causing friction that results in tangling and matting. Even worse than misaligned cuticle layers? Cuticle layers that have been removed altogether, leaving the cortex exposed. Initially, due to a silicone and bleach treatment, the hair will perform wonderfully. But ultimately, the cortex cannot remain intact exposed, resulting in a complete entanglement of the hair.