How Is a Hair System Actually Made?

A finished hair system can look deceptively simple.

There is hair.

There is a thin material beneath it.

And when the system is properly fitted and attached, ideally very little of either construction is noticeable.

But creating that appearance requires considerably more work than many wearers realize.

A modern hair system is essentially a small, specialized textile and polymer structure designed to imitate something extraordinarily complicated: hair growing naturally from a scalp.

Depending upon the system, its construction may involve:

• human or synthetic hair;
• lace or monofilament textiles;
• polyurethane films;
• hand-tied knots;
• injected or looped hair;
• stitched seams;
• reinforced attachment areas;
• carefully controlled hair direction;
• graduated density;
• coloring and texturing;
• and many hours of skilled manual labor.

Manufacturers describe workflows in which the base and hair are prepared separately and ultimately brought together through ventilation or other attachment methods. High-quality systems can require substantial handwork, particularly when individual hairs or small groups of hairs are being positioned throughout the base.

So how does a bundle of hair and a piece of lace or polyurethane eventually become something that looks like a head of growing hair?

Let's start at the beginning.

Step 1: Decide What the Hair System Is Supposed to Be

Before anyone starts tying hair, the manufacturer needs a specification.

For a stock system, those specifications may already exist.

For a custom system, they can be based upon measurements or a template of the wearer's scalp.

The specification may include:

Base dimensions

How large is the area being replaced?

Base material

Lace? Polyurethane? Monofilament? A combination?

Hair density

How much hair should be present?

Hair length

How long should the finished hair be?

Color

One shade or a blend?

Gray percentage

If gray is included, how much and where?

Curl or wave

Straight, lightly waved, curly or something more specific?

Hair direction

Should the hair naturally fall forward, backward, freestyle or toward a defined part?

Hairline design

Straight? Receded? Graduated? Irregular?

Those decisions eventually influence almost everything that follows.

A manufacturer building a custom system may construct its base directly over a mold created from the customer's template so the base follows the required shape.

Step 2: Prepare the Hair

Meanwhile, the hair itself must be prepared.

With human hair, manufacturers may sort incoming material according to characteristics such as:

• length;
• color;
• diameter;
• texture;
• quality;
• and processing requirements.

Some manufacturers describe washing and sanitizing the incoming hair, drying it, removing shorter or unsuitable fibers, sorting it by length and then coloring or texturizing it to meet the product specification.

This stage can have an enormous influence on the finished product.

Two hair systems may both say:

100% human hair

while containing hair that has undergone very different histories of collection, sorting, bleaching, coloring and chemical processing.

That's why the phrase “human hair” alone doesn't tell you everything about hair quality.

We'll explore that much more deeply in later articles.

Step 3: Construct the Base

Now we reach the foundation of the hair system.

There are several major approaches.

Lace

Lace is a very fine mesh.

Hair can be individually tied into openings in that mesh, allowing air and moisture to move relatively freely through the base.

Different lace materials and constructions vary in fineness, strength and visibility.

Monofilament

Monofilament bases generally use a somewhat more substantial mesh construction.

They may trade some invisibility for additional structure or durability.

Polyurethane — or “Skin”

Polyurethane systems take a completely different approach.

Instead of an open textile mesh, the base is formed from a thin polymer membrane.

Some manufacturers describe forming thin-skin bases by applying polyurethane over a mold in controlled layers, with attention to thickness and bubbles because imperfections can weaken the finished membrane.

Hybrid Bases

And then there are combinations.

A system might use:

lace through the center

for ventilation and breathability,

with:

polyurethane around the perimeter

to provide a smooth attachment surface.

Other combinations use lace, mono and polyurethane in different areas to balance realism, durability, attachment and comfort.

There isn't one universally “best” base.

There are different engineering compromises.

That idea will become important throughout this series.

Step 4: Shape the Base to the Head

The base material is cut and assembled according to the required dimensions.

For custom systems, this may involve working over a head form or mold derived from the wearer's measurements or template.

Lace sections can be cut, positioned and sewn.

Reinforcement may be incorporated into selected areas.

Polyurethane may be formed or incorporated around portions of the base.

Some premium wig manufacturers describe constructing caps from numerous individually measured pieces before sewing them together over a head form and checking the finished dimensions.

At this stage, there may still be no hair whatsoever in the base.

The manufacturer has essentially built the canvas.

Now comes the remarkable part.

Step 5: Put the Hair Into the Base

This is called ventilation.

And if you've never seen it done, it's worth understanding just how meticulous the process can be.

With a lace system, a skilled worker uses a tiny hooked ventilation needle.

The worker catches one or several hairs, draws them through the microscopic openings in the lace and forms a knot.

Then does it again.

And again.

And again.

Across the entire hair system.

Commercial manufacturers continue to describe hand ventilation as one of the most labor-intensive portions of production.

This isn't simply a matter of filling every hole with hair.

The technician has to control:

how much hair is placed

where it is placed

which direction it leaves the base

how closely neighboring hairs are positioned

and often:

which knot is used.

That's part textile work, part manufacturing and part artistry.

Why Isn't Every Hair Simply Tied the Same Way?

Because different areas of a hair system have different priorities.

At the front hairline, realism may be paramount.

A very small knot can be less visible.

Farther back, durability may become more important.

A stronger knot may be preferable.

Manufacturers therefore use techniques including single knots, split knots, double knots and other ventilation patterns depending upon the base and desired result. Some describe deliberately using finer knots and gradual density at the front hairline to improve realism.

This creates one of the recurring tradeoffs in hair-system design:

The construction that is least visible isn't necessarily the construction that is most durable.

Extremely fine materials and tiny knots can create extraordinary realism—but delicacy often comes with a price.

What About Bleached Knots?

Dark hair tied onto pale lace can leave tiny dark knots visible against the scalp.

One technique used to reduce their appearance is knot bleaching.

The knot area is chemically lightened so that the attachment point becomes less conspicuous.

That can improve the illusion that hair is emerging directly from the scalp.

But bleaching is still chemical processing.

Manufacturers caution that excessive bleaching can weaken hair or knots and increase breakage.

Again we encounter the same tradeoff:

appearance versus durability.

How Is Hair Put Into a Polyurethane Base?

Poly systems allow different techniques because there isn't a lace opening into which a conventional knot must necessarily be tied.

Two terms wearers frequently encounter are:

V-looping

A strand is inserted into and back through a thin polyurethane base, creating a small V-shaped path through the membrane.

No conventional visible knot is required on the outer surface. Manufacturers use the technique particularly with very thin skin bases where the goal is to make hair appear to emerge directly from the scalp.

Injection

Other polyurethane systems use forms of injected-hair construction in which hair is inserted into the base and secured within or beneath the polymer structure.

Exact methods vary by manufacturer and base construction.

These techniques can create an extremely clean appearance because there isn't necessarily a visible knot beneath every group of hairs.

But again, there are tradeoffs involving base thickness, hair security, direction and longevity.

We'll devote an entire article to poly construction because it deserves one.

Step 6: Create Something Nature Never Makes Perfectly

Here's an interesting manufacturing problem.

Natural hair isn't perfectly uniform.

Real hairlines aren't drawn with rulers.

Every follicle doesn't emerge at precisely the same angle.

Density isn't identical across the entire scalp.

If a manufacturer created a hair system with absolutely uniform spacing, identical direction and a perfectly straight wall of hair across the front, the workmanship might be mechanically consistent—and visually terrible.

So good hair-system construction sometimes requires controlled irregularity.

The front may be deliberately less dense.

Hair placement may become progressively fuller behind the hairline.

Direction may change around the crown.

Colors may be blended rather than uniform.

Gray may be distributed selectively.

Some manufacturers explicitly describe varying density and ventilation patterns by zone to produce a more natural result.

The goal isn't to manufacture perfect uniformity.

The goal is to manufacture something that resembles biological irregularity.

That's a fascinating distinction.

Step 7: Washing, Finishing and Styling

After ventilation is complete, the system still isn't necessarily ready for a wearer.

Manufacturers describe additional stages that can include:

• washing;
• conditioning;
• drying;
• trimming;
• cutting;
• texturizing;
• curl or wave setting;
• hairline finishing;
• knot treatment;
• and styling.

Some systems may be left relatively unfinished because the salon or stylist will perform the final cut-in for the individual wearer.

Others arrive much closer to their finished appearance.

Manufacturers commonly describe final washing and styling as part of the production sequence before inspection and packaging.

Step 8: Quality Control

Finally, someone needs to determine whether the completed hair system actually matches its specification.

Depending upon the manufacturer, inspection may consider:

Base dimensions

Is the system the correct size and shape?

Hair color

Does it match the requested shade or blend?

Density

Is the hair distributed appropriately?

Hair direction

Does it behave as intended?

Ventilation

Are there missing areas, improper knots or inconsistent spacing?

Base construction

Are seams and transitions sound?

Hairline

Does the density transition look natural?

Shedding

Is hair adequately secured?

Cleanliness and finishing

Is the system ready for shipment?

Manufacturers describe both in-process inspections and final quality-control checks covering hair, base construction, measurements, ventilation and appearance.

So Is a Hair System Made by Machine or by Hand?

Both can be true.

Some wigs use machine-sewn hair wefts.

Machines can perform portions of processing, sewing, cutting and other manufacturing operations.

Certain hair-injection techniques can also incorporate mechanized processes.

But high-quality lace systems and customized hairpieces still involve substantial hand labor—particularly ventilation and detailed hair placement.

That's one reason two products that appear superficially similar can differ considerably in price.

You're not necessarily buying only:

hair + lace.

You're also buying:

labor + skill + precision + materials + processing + quality control.

Why Does the Base Matter to the Adhesive?

And this is where the subject intersects directly with True Tape's area of expertise.

From an attachment standpoint, “hair system” isn't one surface.

A lace base presents an open textile structure.

Polyurethane presents a comparatively continuous polymer surface.

Monofilament presents another structure.

Hybrid systems may present different surfaces in different portions of the same unit.

That affects where and how attachment products are used.

An adhesive isn't bonding merely to something called a hair system.

It is bonding to a particular substrate with particular physical characteristics.

That is one reason understanding hair-system construction is useful even if you're primarily interested in attachment.

Why Do Some Hair Systems Last Longer Than Others?

Construction plays a large role.

A thicker or more reinforced base may withstand handling better but may be more noticeable.

An extremely fine lace or ultra-thin poly base can offer exceptional realism but may demand gentler handling.

Strong knots may improve hair retention but be somewhat more visible.

Fine knots may improve realism but provide less mechanical security.

Heavy chemical processing can achieve particular colors or textures while potentially affecting the hair fiber.

Once again:

Hair-system design is largely an exercise in balancing realism, comfort, durability, styling freedom and attachment requirements.

There isn't a magic construction that maximizes every characteristic simultaneously.

Why Is This Useful for a Hair-System Wearer?

Because knowing how the system was made helps explain how it should be treated.

If you understand that thousands of hairs may have been individually tied into a delicate mesh, aggressive scrubbing suddenly seems like a poor idea.

If you understand that an ultra-thin polyurethane base was engineered for invisibility, you can appreciate why it may not tolerate handling like a heavier base.

If you understand that hair direction was deliberately created during ventilation, you can understand why repeated aggressive styling against that direction can matter.

And if you understand that the hair itself has already been collected, sorted, cleaned, colored or otherwise processed before reaching you, you can better understand why replacement hair requires different care from growing hair.

Construction explains behavior.

That may be the most useful lesson in the entire subject.

A Hair System Is More Engineered Than It Looks

A good hair system succeeds partly by concealing how complicated it is.

When properly made and fitted, we're not supposed to notice:

the lace,

the polyurethane,

the knots,

the seams,

the density mapping,

the ventilation,

or the hours of handwork.

We're supposed to notice hair.

But underneath that appearance is a carefully constructed product combining textile materials, polymers, processed fibers and skilled craftsmanship.

And that gives us our next question:

Where did all that human hair come from in the first place?

That story is considerably more complicated—and more interesting—than the label “100% human hair” might suggest.

Related Articles

Where Does the Human Hair Used in Wigs and Hair Systems Come From?

How Is Hair Attached to a Lace Hair System? 

How Is a Poly or “Skin” Hair System Made?

Lace vs. Poly Hair Systems: Why Does the Base Material Matter? 

What Is Remy Hair—and Does It Really Matter?

Why Does Hair in a Hair System Become Dry or Brittle?

How Can I Make My Hair System Last Longer?

Sources & Further Reading

• Bono Hair. How Hair Systems Are Made? Inside a Real Hair System Factory. Detailed manufacturer description of mold preparation, base construction, hand ventilation, density control and knot bleaching.
• Bono Hair. Production Process of a Toupee. Describes hair preparation, lace/mono/poly base construction, molding, knotting, V-looping, injection, finishing and final quality control.
• Daniel Alain / Follea. How to Make a Luxury Human Hair Wig. Describes hair preparation, lace inspection, multi-piece cap construction, hand sewing, ventilation, finishing and extensive final inspection.
• Lordhair. How Are Human Hair Wigs Made? Manufacturer overview of washing, sorting, coloring, base preparation and ventilation of human hair into hair-system bases.
• Biwin. What Are the Main Steps in Human Hair Wig Production From Start to Finish? Factory-oriented description of hair sorting, processing, cap construction, ventilation, finishing and in-process quality-control checkpoints.
• Newtimes Hair. Inside Newtimes Hair Factory: Making of V-Loop Hair Systems. Manufacturer discussion of V-loop ventilation, hair direction and polyurethane sealing in thin-skin systems.