It is the only marketable human product in the world. Hair, whether it comes from India or China, has crossed borders for decades, ending up on the head of adepts of all kinds of headdresses.
"Do you want to do your hair? "At the exit of the Parisian metro station Strasbourg-Saint-Denis, the touts of hair salons are hard at work. For once, we won't give them a categorical "no", but we will follow in their footsteps towards the Château-d'Eau metro station. Styling is not on the agenda: if we are on the way, it is to unhair the secret of where human hair extensions come from.
Very quickly, we push open the door of a certain Mr. Baradji's shop. Boots of straight hair, brown or blonde, displayed on the storefront, come in all lengths. “Brazilian”, “Indian”, “Cambodian”, “Malaysian” and even “Peruvian” wigs, we read. All wholesale Brazilian hair vendors can be found online. In front of the counter, tickets spout out. Clients with impeccable weaves seem in a hurry to replenish their personal stock.
This is the case of Tiguida, a young woman in her twenties who, for a wedding, would like to treat herself to Brazilian hair. "I want blondes for a change of style, they look great with my fair skin. After the wedding, I'll switch back to brown for work. It’s more discreet, ”she slips, crumpling two 100 euro bills that she is about to hand to Mr. Baradji. Obviously, she's not here to afford junk.
Sacrifice to the gods
In a few sentences, the manager more or less pointed out to us the very first step of the human hair trade route, between India and China.
