Selling Hair

By Steve Gillman - Updated September 2014

I decided to research and write this page on selling hair after reading about hair thefts around the country. That's right, the news magazine This Week reported in May 2011 that a thief in Houston stole $150,000 worth of human hair from a salon that does extensions and make wigs. He took a couple big bags of "Remy" hair, which is the most durable and silky kind and typically comes from women in India. Apparently this is becoming more common.

(Flickr photo by Peter aka anemoneprojectors)

Other recent thefts include $10,000 worth from a San Diego salon, $85,000 worth in Missouri City, Texas, and hair valued at $60,000 San Leandro, California. A theft in Dearborn, Michigan resulted in the owner of the beauty supply store being killed.

Obviously there is money in that pony tail if you have one. But how do you cash in? There are a couple ways. One is to sell to a company that directly buys your hair. One example is WeBuyHair.com.

You are likely to make more if you list it for sale on a site where people bid on it. You can see what your type of hair is worth by browsing through the listings to find those that are most similar. There are all sorts of factors that influence price. It is better if you have never dyed it, don't wash it too often, keep it covered, and so on. Some sellers even list the vitamins they take.

Now for the bad news. You will generally need to have ten inches of hair to get any decent price, and it can take almost two years to grow that much, so you won't be able to cash in too often. Of course growing hair is not difficult work, but obviously selling your hair is not going to be a regular income source. It is just a quick way to raise some money if you are willing to chop off that ponytail. And as one writer on the subject says, it is "less painful than selling any other body part."

What's Your Hair Worth?

What is referred to as "virgin hair" (no chemical treatment) is the most valuable. Longer hair gets more of course, as does hair that has some natural shine to it. Younger might be better, but in looking at the listings for sale on one website, I did see this: 17" mostly pepper, little salt, European hair, weighs 5 ounces; virgin hair – never colored, last perm done when 16, now 60! She was asking $681.

In looking at websites direct buyers it became apparent that the higher prices are found on the sites where you accept bids. One company paid just $10 per ounce for hair, for example, which would make the woman's hair mentioned above worth just $50.

Some other listings I found included:

• 10-12 inches dark brown; $600
• 12" thick, dark blond, Scandinavian; $1,000
• 15 inches wavy brown, healthy lifestyle and diet; minimum bid $750

Of course another way to make money is to sell other people's hair. For example, you could convince your friend with the long blond ponytail that she would look better with short hair, then buy the hair from her for $50 to resell for $1,000. If you have a few friends with long hair you might have a temporary business doing this!

Seriously, though, if you know someone who works at a beauty salon you might make a deal to buy any long hair cut off.

Four Steps to Hairy Profits

1. Grow your hair.

2. Take photos.

3. Cut it off.

4. Sell it.

Best Place to Sell Your Hair?

You could try advertising your hair on Craigslist or other free classified ad sites. But the easiest way to get top dollar is probably to use one of the hair sales platforms online. The biggest at the moment seems to be Hairwork.com. You'll almost certainly make more money selling hair on an auction site like that.

If you liked this page please let others know with one of these...

Other Relevant Pages

Fast Ways to Make Money

Odd Ways to Make Money