Sunday, May 22 2005 12:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Hair, whether lengthy, curly, or short, gives a man or a woman a beautiful appearance and India exports human hair worth Rs 1300 crore a year for making mannequins, wigs and hair 'extensions' mainly for young women.

What started as a small business of export worth Rs 25 to 50 lakh a year in early 80's has now grown to such a mammoth scale, with nearly 40 exporters, including 10 big players, engaged in this field in India now, a leading exporter and proprietor of Raj Impex (India), Chennai, Benjamin Cherian, told sources in Chennai.

The chartered accountant and Harvard educated exporter said export of human hair, especially the long hair from India was always a big business in the 1960's and the demand was so much at that time that the prices kept soaring since the quantity supplied was very limited.

In 1970, the Japanese tried their hands successfully in marketing synthetic hair, which was much cheaper and which can be manufactured to any length, with the result, the entire market for natural human hair had collapsed in the next 10 years.

In the mid 80's, after using synthetic hair for a long time, people began to realise that the natural human hair, though expensive, was far better in quality and in comfort for wigs and 'extensions', and the demand for natural hair picked up once again, Cherian said.

Now Indian human hair is exported in various colours like black and dark brown, grey, white and brown and is also classified as straight, curly, wavy and silky.