Inside a Hair Factory: How Wigs, Bundles, and Clip-Ins Are Made in Vietnam
On one of my most random travel side quests to date, I visited a hair factory in Da Nang, Vietnam to see exactly how wigs, bundles, and clip-ins are produced.
Fun fact: My first business that I founded in 2013 with two of my friends was a hair extension company called Pastel Pyramids. While our manufacturers were in China, it was still REALLY cool to be able to see how a hair factory operates in Asia.
The experience gave me a clear look at sourcing, processing, and manufacturing. Itt demystified a lot of the rumours you hear online about the hair industry. Below, I break down what I learned, so you know where the pieces of your next hair purchase actually come from.
Quick snapshot of the hair factory
Location: Da Nang, Vietnam (UNI Hair).
Size and feel: Smaller than I expected but clean and professional; staff were friendly and welcoming.
Products made: Wefts, wigs (machine-made bodies with hand-tied closures), clip-ins, tip-in and flat-tip extensions, coloured pieces, and a range of curl patterns.
Made to order: The factory mainly produces items after receiving orders, so textures and colours can be customized.
Where the hair comes from
“We collect the hair from the rural areas in Vietnam.”
The factory sources all of its raw hair locally. Individuals typically sell hair at salons, and intermediaries buy and resell to factories. That means the hair is purchased from living people, not from any morbid source (at least at this factory), which is an important clarification given the myths floating around the internet 😅.
If ethical sourcing is important to you, ask suppliers how they buy hair and whether sellers give clear consent and fair pay. Transparency varies by vendor, so direct questions are useful.
How hair is processed in the factory
Processing in the hair factory follows clear stages. Here are the main steps I observed and how they affect final products.
1. Washing and sorting
Raw hair arrives and is washed thoroughly.
Technicians sort by length, colour, and quality before any chemical processing.
2. Coloring and bleaching
Hair is bleached and dyed in-house to produce colour options like ombres and shades labeled by colour codes.
Chemicals and colour baths are applied, then hair is rinsed and conditioned.
3. Creating curl patterns
Most raw hair arrives straight. To make curls, they wrap hair around small rods or “straws,” apply a perming chemical, then place the bundles in a steam room or heat chamber to set the texture.
Different tools and timings create different patterns—everything from a tight curly (close to kinky curly) to looser curls like a “curly wand” pattern.
4. Smoothing and finishing
After coloring or texturizing, the factory applies keratin and oil treatments to smooth and add shine. The keratin glue used for tips was imported from Italy.
Straightening irons and finishing tools make the final look polished before packaging.
5. Manufacturing wefts, tips, and wigs
Machines create machine-stitched wefts that form standard bundles.
Specialized machines produce tip-in and flat-tip extensions while keratin glue bonds the tips.
Wig production is hybrid: the body of the wig is often machine-made, but closures are hand-tied for a natural scalp look. The factory seals wefts into closures and assembles V-part or full lace wigs as requested.
Materials, machines, and quality details
Kits and machines: Weft machines, tip-in machines, steam chambers, straightening tools, and glue applicators.
Glue and keratin: Keratin glue used for tip bonds and sealing. The factory noted some products were imported (for example, keratin from Italy).
Hand finishing: Closures and finer details are often hand-tied to preserve a natural look at the hairline.
Textures, colors, and examples
The factory had a wide selection of textures and colors on display. A few highlights:
Burmese curly in multiple lengths (I saw a 28 inch and several shorter options).
Ombre and specialty colours like ombre, plus many custom dye jobs.
Clip-ins and branded lines: they produced clip-in sets under different names and formats.
Ordering, pricing, and shipping
Manufacturing is typically made to order, which allows for customization but means certain textures or colors may need lead time. A few practical details to keep in mind:
Bundle weight: Standard bundles at this factory were 100 grams each.
Typical wig build: A V-part wig often uses three bundles (300 grams) for a fuller, layered look.
Example pricing: An 18 inch bundle was quoted around $63 per bundle. A made-to-order, layered 18 inch V-part wig using three bundles was in the ballpark of $224 USD depending on style and finishing fees. Factories often add a modest assembly fee (around $25 to $30) depending on whether the wig is straight or curly.
Shipping: International shipping options commonly include DHL and FedEx. Shipping times to Canada are typically around 7 to 10 days from the factory.
What this means for shoppers
Seeing the whole pipeline in person reinforced a few practical takeaways:
Ask specific questions: Inquire about sourcing, whether the hair is raw or processed, and what chemicals are used for coloring or curling.
Customization is possible: Factories that make to order can match lengths, colours, and textures more precisely than mass retailers…but expect lead times.
Hand-finished pieces are worth noting: Hand-tied closures and careful finishing often indicate greater attention to realism and longevity.
Final thoughts
Walking through a hair factory was more informative than intimidating. The operation I visited felt professional and clean, and the staff were helpful and proud of their work. If you wear wigs, bundles, or extensions and want a clearer picture of how those products are made, a direct conversation with a manufacturer can answer a lot of questions about quality, price, and ethical sourcing.
If you plan to buy directly from a factory, prepare your specs (length, weight per bundle, desired curl pattern, colour) and ask about production and shipping timelines. That way you get exactly what you ordered, and you understand the tradeoffs between custom-made and ready-to-ship options.
Visiting a hair factory is just one of the random side quests you can go on while travelling or on a career break! Did anything about my tour experience surprise you? Feel free to leave a comment!
