Women cash in on surging hair market

Rawalpindi’s streets buzz with newfound hustle as demand for women’s hair surges globally

RAWALPINDI:

As the global demand for wigs surges, the market for women's hair, collected when combing, has witnessed a remarkable rise in demand and price in Pakistan too. Over the past week alone, the purchase price of this hair has escalated by Rs2,000 to Rs10,000 per kilogramme.

Streets in Rawalpindi and Cantt echo with the voices of hawkers buying these strands of hair. With the value attached to these strands, women no longer discard them into drains or waste bins; instead, they carefully preserve them and sell them. Selling these strands now earns women anywhere from Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 every three to four months.

Moreover, beauty parlours in the twin cities have also tapped into this lucrative market, earning an additional income of Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 monthly by collecting these strands. In households with multiple women, this additional income has become even more significant.

The buying and selling of combed hair has evolved into a regular trade in the twin cities, with these strands being collected and exported to China twice a week. Chinese companies eagerly purchase this hair for Rs18,000 to Rs20,000 per kilogramme.

Qasim Idris, a hawker, said: “We buy only hair that shed naturally during combing. We don’t buy or sell clipped hair. These strands, destined for China, serve as the building blocks for the latest wig designs, commanding high prices in markets across Pakistan, India, China, Europe, the Middle East, and America.

Muhammad Kamran, a customs clearing agent, attests to the burgeoning business, highlighting its contribution to the country's foreign exchange reserves. This trade, which took flight in 2019, has seen a significant increase in participants and prices, cementing its status as a lucrative enterprise.

The price of a wig made from hair ranges between Rs50,000 to Rs250,000. When it comes to exporting hair to China, India ranks first, Pakistan second and Bangladesh third. This shipment of human hair is now giving foreign exchange to the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2024.