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Why the world buys India’s hair - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

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34K views 1 month ago What in the World in the studio
The global hair wig and extension market was valued at $7.5billion in 2024. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM Hair is big business - especially in India, which is the world’s biggest exporter of human hair, supplying 85% of global demand. Some comes from temples, where people shave off their hair as an act of devotion to the gods. It is then sold at auction. The rest comes from hair pickers who collect it from women’s combs, salons and even rubbish dumps. Priti Gupta, a journalist in Mumbai, talks us through the Indian hair industry. We ask why Indian hair is so sought after - and why it’s China that’s leading the wig export market, instead of India. BBC journalist Nadia Gyane explains where this hair ends up - and if customers know or care where their hair comes from? And drag artist Zeeshan Ali in Mumbai tells us why wigs are so important to their act. 00:00 Intro 00:52 How much hair does India export …...more
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Intro

0:00

How much hair does India export?

0:52

How is the hair collected?

1:09

How much do hair collectors get paid?

1:55

How is the hair prepared for sale?

2:41

What happens to the exported hair?

4:16

Why does China make so many wigs?

4:41

How to spot a human hair wig vs synthetic

5:22

Why is Indian hair high in demand?

6:13

Drag artist in India

6:54

Do people know where their wigs come from?

7:52

Which countries use the most wigs?

9:25

Which countries use the most hair extensions?

9:40

What do people look for in wigs?

10:00

What is a lace wig?

10:38

Are people transparent about wearing wigs?

11:15

How much is demand for hair increasing?

11:45
Why the world buys India’s hair - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service
563Likes
34,872Views
Mar 272025
The global hair wig and extension market was valued at $7.5billion in 2024. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM Hair is big business - especially in India, which is the world’s biggest exporter of human hair, supplying 85% of global demand. Some comes from temples, where people shave off their hair as an act of devotion to the gods. It is then sold at auction. The rest comes from hair pickers who collect it from women’s combs, salons and even rubbish dumps. Priti Gupta, a journalist in Mumbai, talks us through the Indian hair industry. We ask why Indian hair is so sought after - and why it’s China that’s leading the wig export market, instead of India. BBC journalist Nadia Gyane explains where this hair ends up - and if customers know or care where their hair comes from? And drag artist Zeeshan Ali in Mumbai tells us why wigs are so important to their act. 00:00 Intro 00:52 How much hair does India export? 01:09 How is the hair collected? 01:55 How much do hair collectors get paid? 02:41 How is the hair prepared for sale? 04:16 What happens to the exported hair? 04:41 Why does China make so many wigs? 05:22 How to spot a human hair wig vs synthetic 06:13 Why is Indian hair high in demand? 06:54 Drag artist in India 07:52 Do people know where their wigs come from? 09:25 Which countries use the most wigs? 09:40 Which countries use the most hair extensions? 10:00 What do people look for in wigs? 10:38 What is a lace wig? 11:15 Are people transparent about wearing wigs? 11:45 How much is demand for hair increasing? Watch more episodes from What in the World here 👉🏽    • What in the World in the studio   Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison, Elena Angelides and Julia Ross-Roy Video Journalists: Baldeep Chahal and Kesewaa Browne Editor: Verity Wilde This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Twitter 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   Facebook 👉🏽   / bbcworldservice   BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #bbcworldservice #WorldService #Wigs #hair #syntheticwigs #humanhair #wig #India #indiahair #hairextensions #hairloss #BBC
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What in the World in the studio
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