The Next Big Hair Trend? This Biodegradable Human Hair Dupe Comes From a Plant

If you often style your hair in a leave-out, weave or lace front, you know all too well the struggle of finding good-quality hair at a decent price. But one TikToker might have just found the answer to your hair prayers, and it comes from a plant in Brazil. Let’s talk about it.

Fashion and beauty creator Arielle, @Arielleismynam3, recently had the ultimate shock when she stumbled on a TikTok video of a woman showing off human hair-looking bundles, only to discover the extensions were made from plant fibers. Yes, plant fibers.

Turns out what Arielle discovered is a popular and affordable form of hair extensions in Brazil called biovegetal fiber hair. These bundles are made from the fibers of plants such as corn, soybeans and other popular vegetables found in the South American country, according to Donna Bella Hair, a vendor of the product.

It also comes with multiple benefits, including being a biodegradable, hypoallergenic material. And it offers similar resistance to styling and heat as natural hair, unlike synthetic bundles, per Donna Bella Hair.

Of course, after coming across this seemingly magical plant hair, Arielle just had to test out what these organic bundles were all about!

However, since she’s not from Brazil, where the extensions are commonly sold, Arielle had to get creative to get her hands on a sample of the hair. She managed to find a French vendor who imports the hair into France, where she lives, who was willing to sell her two packs. After receiving them, the influencer went to a hair salon to get the bundles sewn in. Arielle was in awe at how soft the hair felt.

“The bundles was really soft. It really is a human hair dupe,” she exclaimed. “Synthetic hair is not soft like this; it cannot move like this; you cannot run your fingers through it like this looks really good! So I guess if you don’t want to spend some mad money on some Burmese curly, I guess you better get you some plant hair.”

In the TikTok comments, Black folks were already thinking about how to get their hands on some curly biodegradable Brazilian bundles.

“Ok so I need asap lol this will be my summer hair frfr like we can lowkey cut the tracks n use it for boho,” wrote one user.

“This is a game-changer. SUSTAINABLE, quality hair!!!? Yuhh,” added another.

“I wish we had this in NY. I wanna try it outttt… it looks good and you’re a beauty,” commented a third. 

But while folks outside Brazil are just hearing about biovegetal fiber hair, the technology has been developing in the South American country since 2018. According to the Nigerian magazine Ancestral News, Brazilian hairstylist Marilza Eleoterio de Barcelos Silva started the trend when she began designing wigs from banana plant fibers to support a friend diagnosed with cancer who could not afford a human-hair wig.

Now, it has become an extremely popular alternative because of the hair’s versatility and ability to withstand heat up to 392 degrees Fahrenheit. Fibra Hair, a French vendor of the product, also claims that the hair can keep its quality for up to one year.

Learning about the growing demand from Americans, Brazilian TikTok users are already trying to figure out ways to ship the bundles over the border.

“Ladies… im from Brazil and can absolutely hook you up with some better and cheap bio fibra hair or even Brazilian hair,” wrote one user.

Others are giving tips on the best type of biovegetal fiber to get.

“As a Brazilian, I’ll say… it looks really good for curly bundles, but I would avoid straight bio-fibra. I feel like the straight ones get stiffer quickly, and you can get away with that with the curly version… It’s cheap, so you should def try it for yourself and see if it works for you,” added another.