Human hair wigs in South Africa: origins, types and prices

Human hair wig prices across SA stores

The 12 cheapest 16 to 22 inch wigs that name a hair origin, at most two per store, cheapest first. Checked 6 Oct 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the store's page.

Stylists who install human hair wigs, by city

City pages go live once three stylists there are verified.

Human hair wigs, explained

What a human hair wig is

A human hair wig is made from real hair. Glamour South Africa lists what that buys you: it looks natural, can be washed, heat styled and coloured, and it costs more than synthetic. The trade-off is care: real hair still needs washing and has heat limits, which we cover below.

In South African stores, human hair wigs are usually sold by origin. Of the 1,319 wigs we found at 16 stores on 6 Oct 2026 (not counting Wigs.co.za), 554 name an origin: Brazilian in 182, Peruvian in 162, Vietnamese in 128, Malaysian in 45, and Burmese, Cambodian, Indian, Mongolian or Chinese in 37. The other 765 do not name one.

Virgin, Remy and raw

These words describe how the hair was collected and processed, and sellers define them differently. Mayvenn, a US seller, says virgin hair is 100% human hair that has never been dyed, bleached, permed or chemically relaxed, and Remy hair is collected so that every strand runs root to tip in the same direction with the cuticle layer intact. Non-Remy hair, it says, is collected without keeping the strands in one direction.

Hair Majesty, a South African store, gives its own set, with a lifespan for each: raw hair, which has had no chemical or steam processing, 2 or more years; virgin hair 1 to 2 years; Remy about 1 year; non-Remy 6 months. Those are the store's own figures, not a standard. Wigs.co.za, which sells premium brand-name wigs, takes a different line: it says Remy has nothing to do with quality, and is the method used for sorting and processing the hair. The pages we read do not say whether any of these terms is regulated or checked, so treat them as the seller's description and ask what a store means by them.

Does origin matter?

Wigs.co.za calls the idea that origin decides quality a total myth, and says origin relates to the thickness of the strand, which changes how the hair moves, looks and behaves. Its article covers European, Chinese and Indian hair, not Brazilian or Peruvian. Hair Majesty, on the page for its Peruvian Lima Luxe bob, says the wig lasts about 1 to 2 years against about a year for Brazilian hair. Neither store shows a test for this, so compare the price, the lace, the density and the return terms, and not only the label.

Origin does track the price. For 16 to 20 inch wigs at specialist stores (leaving out Takealot and Wigs.co.za), counting each wig at its lowest price, the median start was R3,200 for Brazilian (65 wigs), R3,200 for Malaysian (11), R3,596 for Peruvian (58) and R4,333 for Vietnamese (40). Wigs that name no origin started at a median of R2,950 (220 wigs). A higher median can reflect longer lace, more density or more drawn hair as much as the origin, so read it as a pointer.

Drawn, lace and density

Many titles add a term about how the hair was sorted. Wigs whose titles say double drawn or super double drawn started at a median of R3,623 (74 wigs), against R3,200 where no drawing is stated (332 wigs) and R2,800 for 12 wigs that say single drawn. Double drawn is a seller's term, and we could not find a definition on the pages we read, so ask what the store means by it.

Density is hardly ever stated: only 7 of the 1,319 wigs give one. Glamour South Africa says 150% is the sweet spot for most people, 180% looks fuller and 200% or more is dramatic but heavier, and that a longer wig needs more density to look full. Ask for the density, and for the lace type and size, before you compare two prices.

What it costs, and the cheap end

The table above is the cheap end of the market. Its two lowest rows are 16 inch Takealot wigs with Vietnamese or human hair in the title, at R709 and R719. We could not check who sells them or what they promise, so read the product page and the return terms. After those, the table starts at R1,299.99 for a 16 inch Peruvian frontal wig at Universal Dealers and runs to R1,999 at Hair City. At the other end, Wigs.co.za, a brand-name wig and hair-replacement supplier, lists 179 wigs from R990 to R72,450, with a median of R7,590, a different market from the specialist stores.

Blends and what to ask

Some wigs are a blend of human and synthetic hair. Simply Wigs, a UK seller, says blends combine human hair with synthetic fibres for better style retention and heat resistance, some at 70 to 80% Remy hair and others with much less human hair, and that a blend typically lasts 6 months to a year, roughly half the life of pure human hair. In South Africa, check the wording. The Wig Factory has a wig titled Human Hair Blend, while the FAQ on the same page says every unit is made from 100% Remi or virgin human hair, with nothing synthetic and nothing blended. If a title says blend, ask what is blended.

Ask about the terms too. The Wig Factory takes back unworn units in original packaging with the lace uncut within 7 days, and does not accept worn or altered wigs. Hair Majesty allows 14 days from delivery for unused, unworn wigs and says customised wigs cannot be returned. Shara Hair marks its clearance units no exchange and no refund.

Caring for human hair

Brands do not all agree. Hair Majesty says to use a sulphate free shampoo, rinse with lukewarm water, towel dry gently and air dry. Jon Renau, whose guide Wigs.co.za publishes, says to wash every 6 to 8 wears in cool running water, and that its human hair pieces should be blow-dried after washing because air drying can leave the hair unpolished and trap water. It also says tools should be no hotter than 350F (176C). Follow the care card for your wig. Wigs.co.za adds that its 9 to 12 month figure for human hair refers to the cap, and that it intends the hair to outlast the cap.

Human hair wigs: questions