I'm trying to figure out a way to make the hair look more realistic in sunlight or bright lit conditions. I find that some strands of hair reflect the light in an almost sparkly manner. Anybody have some good advice? maybe choose a different kind of hair?

I'm only asking this because I have a wedding next year and I'm dreading the outdoor pics. Any help would be great.

Yes the hair tends to look a bit like plastic in some lights. I find styling product to be my best friend. I would never go out without anything in my hair. Once some product is in there it looks good.

That is very strange. Why should the hair look like plastic in any light conditions? It is actual human hair no? Nonetheless, this is something I have never experienced.

This is just my hypothesis and not based on any scientific knowledge but here goes anyway:

The hair is a shaft that light can pass through and along.
But your real hair has one end sunk in to the scalp, unlike replacement hair which has both ends exposed to light, which can then pass all the way through it, like an optic fibre thread.

The light refraction makes it appear different to your real hair.

Was that a load of rubbish or perfectly plausible?

HairFanatic

Using some sort of product will definitely help.
There are lots that matt the hair and even more that gloss it.
The trick is judging how much to use on your own hair and how much on the replacement hair.
If you play around with using different amounts, you'll soon get know what works for you.
Remember your natural hair is constantly being fed oils etc which the replacement hair doesn't benefit from.

Is this a color issue? Does this phenomena only happen to lighter shades? Because I wear 1b and have checked my hair under every light source I can think of...fluorescent, halide, hps, incandescent, sunlight etc and I have to say I have never noticed the hair looking plastic or sparkly. Are you guys serious?

Hi Guys,

Most of the hair I've gotten over the years has been of pretty good quality. I've never noticed anything "plastic" or "sparkly" about the replacement hair. I've had some units that looked "shiny", but most of the units I've received in the last couple of years tend to look what I'd call "dead", no shine at all.

From research I've done on how most hair systems are made, they strip the cuticle layer off the hair with an acid bath, which leaves a little of the cuticle, but mostly just the cortex. The cuticles on the hair are kind of like the scales on a fish, they overlap, in a certain way, hence normal shiny hair.

After the cuticles are stripped (this is what keeps the unit from tangling) the hair doesn't reflect light the same way anymore.
I think this is what you are noticing. There are several different kinds of Hair Coats they use in the factories to try to match the level of shine to what they see in the hair sample you send in. If you're not happy with the way you hair looks talk to John about which of the Hair Coats would give you the best results on your next order.

Thats a BRILLIANT answer rscout!
It makes MUCH more sense than my theory.