Afrocare International Synthetic Hair Loose

Presenting our wide selection of top quality synthetic fibre hair extensions;Whether you are looking for dreadlocs, braiding hair, curly or straight, toyokalon or futura, you will find it all here.

Jumbo Braid has been a staple of the hair extensions world for decades used for making striking braids and fake dreadlocks. In some families, four generations have been buying the candy-floss-like bundles of synthetic braiding hair to make braids. Starting out as a product for the Afro-Caribbean market, the easy to braid synthetic hair soon spread to the rest of the world’s population, starting as a vacation hairstyle and gradually becoming more mainstream.

Until the early 2000s, there were two types of Jumbo Braid available, the Kanekalon KK Jumbo and the Super or PP Jumbo. (PP is Polypropylene) Kanekalon KK Jumbo is a patented product created by Kaneka Corporation in Japan. Kanekalon looks more like natural hair as it lacks the plastic shine of PP fibre, See More ...

Kanekalon is flame retardant and can be styled at 100° C. earning it the sobriquet, “hot water Jumbo”.

Being such a superior product, Kanekalon KK gradually began to replace PP in the marketplace. PP’s only real advantages were that it was cheaper than KK and many hairdressers were used to sealing the ends of braids by burning them with a naked flame and pinching the fire out quickly. This method does not work with KK due to its flame-retardant nature. PP-Jumbo later lost further ground as there was speculation that like certain flammable fabrics, it would be banned by the EU as a fire risk.

As these changes were taking place in the marketplace, Kanekalon gained another advantage as the alternative beauty industry started making beautifully coloured fake dreadlocks. The process of backcombing and steam sealing works much better with Kanekalon KK fibre and as such, a whole new market opened for it.

Kanekalon can still only be made under license from Kaneka Corporation and the genuine Kanekalon KK fibre is only available in a finite number of colours. Factories buy huge rolls of coloured fibre, each roll holding several miles of a single colour. This fibre is then crimped and cut to provide the hallmark bushy look of Jumbo Braid.

PP-Jumbo is enjoying a renaissance of late. International economics have made Kanekalon fibre relatively more expensive than PP and as factories run out of KK fibre, they are wary of buying new stock at the new, much higher prices. In addition, some Korean manufacturers are producing new variants of PP fibre in many new and interesting colours.

There is a lot of misinformation spreading about Kanekalon KK. This is not helped by the fact that in a poorly regulated industry, unscrupulous factories and distributors mark all Jumbo braid, “100% Kanekalon” regardless of whether or not it came from Kaneka Corp.

There are any number of explanations about why some of it is shiny or flammable or doesn’t seal in hot water. The usual excuse is to do with the dyeing process, some factories even call it “Kanekalon PP” but it is all fabrication and fiction, originating in factories in the Far East and spread innocently by many retailers and even 'experts'

Kaneka Corp. doesn’t make PP hair fibre and Kanekalon fibre is never shiny and always seals easily in hot water or steam. There are other fibres from the Kaneka corporation like Tyra-2 and K7 but there is only one Kanekalon KK

Concerned buyers should simply flame test a small amount of the fibre, if it flares, melts, drips or drops little fireballs then it is a potential fire-risk. If it is flame retardant, (burning reluctantly into a dry ash) then it doesn’t matter too much whether it is genuine KK or not, if you can’t seal it, at least it won’t hurt you …

If in doubt, always buy from a reputable seller. Of the selection of loose hair offered by Afrocare.com below, The Jumbo braid and the Monobraid in Natural and wacky colours are all genuine Japanese 100% Kanekalon KK fibre. Reduce text ....