How long should good hair last?
Sellers are rarely precise about this, so it is worth being clear from the start: the install lasts weeks, the hair lasts years.
The distinction that matters
An install — the sew-in, the glue, the styling that holds hair to your head — lasts a few weeks before it needs redoing. That is normal and it is not a reflection of the hair.
The hair itself survives many installs. When we say two or more years, we mean the bundles. You take them out, wash them, store them, and put them back in again.
The maths worth doing
Processed beauty-supply hair mats and sheds within weeks. Four or five repurchases a year quietly adds up to more than one quality investment ever cost.
Add up two years of hair spending — not one purchase, all of them — and the expensive option is usually the cheaper one. Do the sum yourself rather than taking our word for it.
What shortens its life
Heat without protectant. Cotton pillowcases. Conditioner on the wefts. Storing it damp or folded in a drawer.
None of those are complicated to avoid, and every one of them costs you months.
Read next
Five signs it is not really raw
The market is full of hair labelled raw that is nothing of the sort. These are the tells.
Choosing your length
How inches translate to where the hair actually falls, and how many bundles you will need.