How to Test If a Bundle Is Raw Human Hair

Raw human hair bundles are known for their natural, bouncy look, resistance to heat, affordable price, and long lifespan. However, the processed hair or synthetic hair is sold as “raw hair,” which makes the wig beginners not know what to do. If you also belong to these groups, don’t worry. The blog will list 9 easy ways to help you to determine whether the bundles are made from raw hair.

How to Test If a Bundle Is Raw Human Hair—9 Easy & Effective Methods

1. Appearance Test: Check the Natural Look of Raw Human Hair

The easiest way to identify raw hair bundles is to look at the hair’s color under natural light or artificial light. If it has subtle variations, then it is human hair. If the hair is even, flat, and uniform, jet black, and overly shiny, the hair may be synthetic hair or dyed human hair bundles.

2. Touch Test: Feel the Texture and Softness

True raw human hair bundles offer a soft, smooth, and natural touch. Fingers glide through the strands with a proper amount of resistance, distinguishing them from fakes that feel unnaturally hard or overly smooth due to silicone coatings. But watch out: once that silicone washes off, the hair gets dry and tangled fast. Real raw hair, whether it’s curly or straight, always feels flexible and moisturized, never rough or stiff.

3. Shedding Test: Check Strand Strength

Gently comb through the bundle from ends to roots using your fingers or a wide-tooth comb to observe the hair shedding and breakage. Raw human hair bundles have minimal or no shedding & breakage.

4. Tangle Test: See How the Hair Behaves

Raw human hair rarely tangles because the cuticles remain intact and aligned. After shaking or rubbing lightly, they will fall back into place naturally. However, no-raw hair or synthetic hair is easier to tangle with the same treatments.

5. Absorption Water Test: Observe Absorption

Spray a small amount of water onto the hair. Raw human hair bundles absorb moisture naturally, becoming slightly heavier and darker when wet. This is because real hair has a porous structure. Synthetic hair repels water, causing droplets to sit on the surface. Non-raw human hair bundles often undergo chemical processing, which will damage the cuticles, resulting in a slower absorption speed than virgin human hair.

Absorption water speed: virgin human hair bundles > processed human hair bundles > synthetic hair bundles

6. Water Washing Test:

The water washing test is a gentle and effective method. First, prepare a basin of warm water and add a small amount of neutral or sulfate-free shampoo, stirring gently. Then, completely immerse the entire strand of hair bundles in the water and gently move it back and forth for about 2 minutes, without rubbing or twisting.

White foam + clear water → The bundles are raw human hair.

Pink, brown, or yellow foam + cloudy water → The hair has been dyed, acid-treated, or coated and is not virgin hair.

What’s more, you can also observe the texture after drying hair: soft but not slippery, moisturized yet not dry, smooth with natural bounce, and neither stiff nor overly shiny. These features must belong to virgin human hair bundles.

7. Heat Tool Test: Check Heat Resistance

Using a curling wand, set the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and observe the differences. Virgin human hair bundles are like your own healthy hair, allowing for free restyling and long-lasting styles. Processed hair can also withstand heat tools, but it is often more prone to dryness and split ends. Synthetic fiber hair behaves completely differently, melting upon heating.

8. Burn Test: Observe the Burning Smell and Residue

The burn test is one of the most reliable, intuitive, and simple methods to identify pure human hair bundles. Carefully burn a few strands from the bundle. Real human hair, when burned, smells similar to burning feathers and forms soft, gray ashes that crumble easily to the touch.

Synthetic hair reacts very differently. Synthetic fiber bundles, when burned, smell similar to burning plastic, and the residue after cooling is hard.

synthetic hair bundles vs human hair bundles burn test

Burn Test: Synthetic Hair Bundles VS Human Hair Bundles

9. Longevity Test: Performance Over Time

After several wears, raw human hair bundles remain soft and full-volume even. Processed human hair bundles or synthetic bundles will lose their shine, become dry, and start to tangle even if they look good when you purchase them.

Final Words

With these 9 simple and effective methods, you can easily avoid being scammed and select raw human hair bundles in just a few minutes. Of course, you can also choose the BGMgirl Hair. With our own factory, we deliver salon-quality hair at direct-to-consumer prices—no middlemen. We contain hundreds of virgin human hair products: wigs (wear and go glueless wigs, half wigs, v part wigs, u part wig, headband wig, wigs with bangs, etc.) and bundles (human crochet hair, ponytails, bundles, etc.). Choose us and embark on your journey to beautiful hairstyles.

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