Hair Extensions: The 2011 Spike

The 2011 Spike

Hair extensions continue to be very popular. This interest started to increase significantly in the late 1990s but increased even further over the last 7-8 years. Hair extensions were once an extremely private practice among women. That has changed in part due to the ever increasing acceptance of hair extensions, especially among celebrities. There are many types of extensions. including clip in, micro link, fusion and tape-in and weave-in extensions.

The last decade has witnessed a marked increase in the sale of hair extensions. In the United States alone there has been a 30 % increase in the number of salons offering hair extensions.

As one can see in this “Google Trends” search, interest in hair extensions saw a major peak in 2011 and this interest still remains strong to the present day.

China continues to be the number one supplier of human hair for wigs and extensions followed by India. The 2011 spike was not only in Google trends but in a reality in the hair industry. Between 2009 and 2011, China reportedly tripled its imports of Indian hair. The market for hair extensions is greatest in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and South Africa.