3A?
5A? 7A? 10A?
A
majority of hairnistas who buy hair have had to contend with this
confusing grading system. The aim of this post is to demystify this
letter grading system, highlight the problems associated with it, and
finally opine on what to expect from different grades of extensions.
First,
grades such as 3A, 5A or 7A are actually short-hand for AAA, AAAAA or AAAAAAA respectively. These grades were designed to describe the quality of hair extensions on the basis of durability1, hair flexibility 2, bundle composition3. In the logic of this grading system, hair extensions that are of lower quality, that are less durable, less flexible, and that are composed of non-human hair materials such as synthetics and animal hair carry would be tagged with lower grades—usually 4A or less. On the other hand, hair extensions of the highest quality with high durability, high flexibility and made with purely virgin human hair would be tagged with higher grades—historically 5A or higher. Hence, the A-grading system intended to provide buyers and sellers with a straightforward measuring stick—which would eliminate any guess work surrounding what prices should be charged or paid for different quality hair bundles. Buyers, specifically, should find it easy to navigate the hair market and find the type of hair they wanted with the aid of this nifty A-grading system.
Problems with the Letter Grading System.
Despite
the straightforward design of A-grading, its practical use has been problematic. Although the system is almost universally
adopted, the A-grading system is not regulated. There are no laws, no
governments, nor governing bodies that regulate how manufacturers grade
hair extensions. Hence, the result is that the hair market is flooded
with subjectively graded hair. That is to say,
Manufacturer A might label one hair bundle as 5A while Manufacturer B
might choose to label that same bundle as 3A.
Many
crooks and fraudsters have taken advantage of this unregulated
situation—marking up low grade yaki and synthetic extensions as
quality high grade hair. Unfortunately, many get away with it
because these fraudulent vendors can sell with impunity. Only
defrauded buyers who raise their voices in complaint on YouTube or on
review sites can check the actions of these suppliers. Even then, there's not much these complaints can do as sly manufactures have
been known to change their company name in order to shed any
associated negative baggage.
Getting
the Most from the Grading System.
Despite being problematic, the use of A-grading does not seem to be waning for the
foreseeable future. Hence, we recommend that you know what to roughly
expect when purchasing different grades (given the assumption that you are
dealing with an honest supplier). Here's brief guide:
A
to 4A: Mixed Composition Hair
For
hair bundles ranked as 4A or less, the general expectation is that these bundles will contain a mix of human, animal, and synthetic hair materials. Examples of mixed composition hair includes yaki 'pack hair' or the 3 for $100 bundle deals found on e-retail sites. These mixed composition hair extensions will tangle within a few weeks—if not a few days—of installation because they contain synthetics and animal hair. They are also likely to bleed dye and will be difficult to curl. If you are on a budget and are willing to try the mixed composition hair, opt for 4A grade which is typically the highest grade among mixed combination bundles as it contains more human than non-human hair content.
5A-6A:
Multi-Donor Hair
For
5A-6A ranked bundles, the general expectation is that these bundles will contain only human hair but they will be sourced from multiple donors and will contain 'fallen hair'. (Fallen hair describes hair taken up from factory floors and used to fill out the hair curtain on the wefts.)
 |
| 5A Bundle |
With these multi-donor hair bundles, a significant portion of the bundles will be made up of short hair strands – which results in the bundles having thinner ends and inconsistent thickness throughout the hair curtain. We've attached a photo example of a 12 inch 5A multi-donor bundle in which the thinness of the ends is apparent due to the short lengths of hair strands in the bundle.
 |
| 6A Bundle |
For
hairnistas who are exasperated with hair bundles with thin ends, we recommend that they opt for the higher grade 6A multi-donor varieties which in our experience is characterized by comparably thicker ends .(See attached photo of 6A bundle). If thin ends are still problematic, it would be best to go further and invest in 7A or higher graded hair varieties.
7A and Above: One Donor Hair
The expectation for these hair bundles is that they would have been
sourced from one donor. The hair curtain will be thick and
consistent while the ends will be full. The hair should also be
soft and flexible: able to be dyed, bleached or flat-ironed without
permanently ruining the integrity of the hair follicles.
In this two-part Smart Hair Buy post, we set out to clarify some common place terms in the hair market. In part one of this post, we looked at definitions of remy hair and virgin hair.
(1) Durability refers to the longevity of hair bundle given
normal wear and tear.
(2) Flexibility
refers to how well the hair takes to being chemically manipulated
(bleaching, dying, other chemical processes) and mechanically
manipulated (heat styling). Flexibility is important because this
property determines, for example, if your
extensions will be irreparably damaged and unwearable after
bleaching. Flexibility also determines how far up the color chart
your hair can be bleached (which shades of blonde can you achieve
with your extensions?).
(3) Bundle
composition refers to the type or types of hair (human, animal,
synthetics) that are used to make up the hair curtain. Bundle
composition determines if the extensions are considered Yaki
(consisting of human and animal hair), Virgin Human Hair, Synthetic,
or Human Compatible Hair.
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