Selling Hair
By Steve Gillman
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.
Recent thefts include $10,000 worth from a San Diego salon, $85,00
worth in Missouri City, Texas, and hair valued at $60,000 San
Leandro, CA. 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.
How do you cash in? There are a couple ways, and you'll find
two resource below. One is a company that directly buys your
hair, but 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."
How Much Can You Make?
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
Ways to Make More | Related Opportunities
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Well, you could convince your friend with the long blond pony
tail 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! If you know someone who works at a beauty salon you might
make a deal to buy any long hair cut off.
Qualifications / Requirements
Hair.
First Steps
Grow your hair. Take photos. Cut it off. Sell it.
Resources
http://www.bloombrook.com
- This is an example of company that buys hair directly. This
one prefers that it be at least 12 inches and "has not been
dyed or permed."
http://www.hairwork.com
- You'll almost certainly make more money selling hair on listing
or auction sites like this.
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