Fake hair is fun, but also a little mind-boggling. First of all, there is so much of it. When it comes to buying of any kind of fake hair (whether it’s braiding hair, clip-in extensions, or a full set of bundles for a weave) there’s a lot to consider. Is the texture right for you? And what about the length or the color?
Let’s be real: no-one wants to wind up with a helmet-head wig (Nicole Kidman in Big Little Lies springs to mind), or even worse, rocking a limp, wilted, plastic-y wig because you clicked on the first thing you saw on YouTube. Right now, fake hair is better than ever before — and we know it’s an investment both financially and personally. So we’re taking the guesswork out.
Ahead, we consulted with some of beauty and haircare’s biggest and most respected names to get to the real root (pun intended) of the best of the best when it comes to wigs, weaves, extensions — and any kind of hair you might be looking to purchase.
Read on to gain length, volume or to simply try out something new.
Meet Our Beauty Innovator Award Expert Panel
Larry Sims
Sims is a celebrity hairstylist and co-founder of Flawless by Gabrielle Union. His list of celebrity clients includes Gabrielle Union, Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah, David and Victoria Beckham, Christina Milian, and Mary J Blige.
Tamika Gibson
Gibson has been a hairstylist of over 25 years and is CEO of Bold Hold Lace Products, as well as a hair educator.
Laura Rugetti
Rugetti is a celebrity hairstylist, extension specialist and founder of The Beauty Can salon. Her list of celebrity clients includes Noah Cyrus, Emily Alyn Lind, Delilah Hamlin, Amelia Hamlin, and members of the Housewives franchise, such as Lisa Rinna, Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, Denise Richards, Tamra Judge and Kathy Hilton.
Brittney Ogike
Ogike is founder of BEAUTYBEEZ, a modern beauty supply store featuring the best in haircare, beauty, skin-care, wigs and extensions created by and for Black women and women of color in Los Angeles.
Marquetta Breslin
Breslin is a licensed cosmetologist, master wig educator and author, founder of the American Wig Association, co-founder of Breslin Media Group, LLC, and owner of EZRA Hair & Wigs.
Amanda Mitchell
Mitchell is Refinery29’s Senior Beauty Writer and Stories Creator.
The Beauty Innovator Awards, Hair Edition
Best Human Hair Company: Indique Hair
Endorsed by: Marquetta Breslin
“Indique has superb quality hair that I absolutely love. Its textures and customer service is amazing.” — Breslin.
Runner-up: SL Raw Virgin Hair
Endorsed by: Amanda Mitchell
“I’ve never been lead astray by SL Virgin Hair — everything about it is giving easy to use, high-quality, and realistic.” — Mitchell.
Best Synthetic Hair: Outre X-Pressions
Endorsed by: Brittney Ogike & Marquetta Breslin
“X-Pressions is a braider’s dream! It has a beautiful shine when the braids are done, and when dipped, the ends hold the straight texture for the length of the style. This hair is beautiful and it’s the only thing I use when I’m braiding hair.” — Breslin.
Best Ponytail Extension: Outre Pretty Quick Pony
Endorsed by: Brittney Ogike
“Not only does the ponytail look natural for textured hair, it’s also really full and easy to install. I love the styles, especially the extra long 30″.” — Ogike.
Runner-up: Insert Name Here
Endorsed by: Amanda Mitchell
“I never ever saw myself as a ponytail gurl until INH entered my life, and I truly will recommend it forever. There are so many texture options. You can literally be a different person any day of the week.” — Mitchell.
Best Wig Company: Outre
Endorsed by: Laura Rugetti & Brittney Ogike
“Outre’s style options are limitless. It has expensive high-end wigs and affordable wig styles all with amazing quality. This brand is a top seller at BEAUTYBEEZ because of the standard, price point and different styles available. It also has great color combinations.” — Ogike.
Runner-up:Locks & Mane
Endorsed by: Amanda Mitchell
“My first human hair wig was Mayvenn, and I love her so much. The hair is great quality and comes in a huge variety of styles. Plus, I really love the internal booking your install system.” — Mitchell.
Best Products for Extension Care: Design Essentials Wigs & Extensions Collection
Endorsed by: Brittney Ogike
“This line of products are perfectly created for wigs and extensions. It’s gentle, not too heavy, effective and has a nice scent. I love that you can use it on both human and synthetic hair.” — Ogike.
Runner-up: Locks & Mane
Endorsed by: Amanda Mitchell
“There aren’t a ton of products for treating not only your extensions but your hair under your weave (other than Curls’ Hair Under There, which is relatively new to the market). But Locks and Mane has pretty much all your wig, weave and extensions maintenance down pat.” — Mitchell.
Honorable Mention: “It would be remiss not to give got2B Schwarzkopf’s Glued Blasting Freeze Hair Spray and Ultra Glued Invincible Styling Hair Gel their flowers here. They are pivotal in the wig world, and a huge entry point for many in the space. — Mitchell.
Best Curly / Textured Hair Extensions: Yummy Hair
Endorsed by: Tamika Gibson
“The curls are always consistent and long lasting.” — Gibson.
Runner-up: Darling Hair
Endorsed by: Amanda Mitchell
“An absolute must-have for me for hairstyles. Their crochet hair was a gateway to my hair experience.” — Mitchell.
Best Lace Closure / Frontal: Muze Hair by Kiyah Wright
Endorsed by: Brittney Ogike
“Celebrity hairstylist Kiyah Wright gets it right with her natural-looking lace closure and frontals due to the quality of the Swiss lace and human hair.” — Ogike.
Best Styling Tool for Extensions: T3 Flat Iron
Endorsed by: Larry Sims & Tamika Gibson
“T3 has a variety of flat iron options and wand sizes for curling. Its temperature controls don’t burn out the hair and gives it a nice shine.” — Sims.
Runner-up: Babyliss Flat Iron
Endorsed by: Marquetta Breslin & Brittney Ogike
“I always have one of these irons on me because they are so amazing. You can curl or straighten hair with these irons. Depending on which one you select, you may also be able to adjust the temperature, too. It’s hands down my favorite tool to use!” — Breslin.
Best Tape-In Extensions: Bellami Hair
Endorsed by: Larry Sims & Tamika Gibson
“Bellami Hair extensions are best because they are very light and you can barely feel them.” — Rugetti.
Runner-up: Glam Seamless Hand-Tied Tape-In Hair Extensions
Endorsed by: Amanda Mitchell
“I’ve never tried tape-in extensions myself, so I had to outsource to my friend who gets them all the time. Before I could even finish my sentence, she had slammed her hand down and said ‘GLAM SEAMLESS’. They’re versatile, come in a ton of length and color varieties, and look beautiful and natural.” — Mitchell.
Best Clip-In Extensions: Luxy Hair Clips
Endorsed by: Laura Rugetti
“The brand has variations of many different clip ins. It has thicker ones and ones that are seamless.” — Rugetti.
Runner-up: Fashion Source Clip-Ins
Endorsed by: Larry Sims
“I love the grip that the clips have and the amount of hair that comes on each clip.” — Sims.
Best Online Beauty / Wig Shop: The Virgin Hair Fantasy
Endorsed by: Larry Sims
“Her wigs look incredibly realistic. They come ready-to-wear and glueless.” — Sims.
Refinery29’s selection is purely editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items we love! As part of our business model we do work with affiliates; if you directly purchase something from a link on this article, we may earn a small amount of commission.
Refinery29’s selection is purely editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items we love! As part of our business model we do work with affiliates; if you directly purchase something from a link on this article, we may earn a small amount of commission.
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