Blond Ambition----suggested reading

Western Beauty Markets are Driving Demand for Natural Russian and Ukrainian Blond Hair 
Russia and Ukraine are two of the last remaining sources of natural blond hair for the beauty industry. But with the Belarusian market recently blocked by trade restrictions and experts predicting a radical decline in the world blond population, the industry’s days could be numbered.   
Hair extensions have become popular in the last few decades, and thousands of beauty salons offer this service to clients. Many women are prepared to pay up to $500 for the procedure that creates a movie star image.
Hair extensions are made from a variety of human or synthetic fibers. Although hair made from synthetic fibers is quite cheap and comes in a wide range of colors and textures, it is less in demand. Synthetic hair cannot withstand the high temperatures required for straightening and curling, so many women prefer natural human hair. “There are two groups of natural hair on the beauty market: Asian and European,” said Julia Shishkina, the director of HairShop, which sells hair to beauty salons. “Asian hair comes from India and China. It is dark. There is a stereotype that this hair is of low quality, but now that is not true.”
The second group is so-called European hair, which is paler, usually blond. Such hair is in high demand because it is rare and can be dyed any color.
There has been a market for blond hair in Western Europe for five decades. But since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, former Soviet republics have become the main source of fair human hair. “We should understand that nobody in Northern or Western Europe would be interested in selling their own hair. So ‘European’ now means hair from the provinces of Russia and Ukraine,” Shishkina added.
Some beauty salons in Moscow not only buy hair from agents who travel around the provinces looking for blond treasure, but directly from citizens of the capital as well. Muscovites sell their hair in response to adverts published on the Internet and in newspapers.
Prices vary depending on the hair’s quality and length, as well as some other factors. The most expensive is hair that is longer than one meter, for which salons will offer up to $200 for 100 grams. Average hair, 30 to 40 centimeters long, costs only $20 to $30 for 100 grams. Hair which has already been dyed or is grey is less expensive.
But despite the opportunity to make some money, not many Muscovites are interested in selling their own hair. “I like my hair,” said 25-year old Olga. “It looks wonderful. Why should I sell it? Even if they offered me really good money, I would reject it. Money comes and goes, but hair stays. And prices of $20 to $50 are not serious.”
Recently hair traders lost one more valuable source of blond hair – Belarus, when trade restrictions were introduced that have almost completely shut down the market.
As living standards in big cities have risen over the last decade, the provinces may be the last place where natural blond and fair hair can be sourced. Some women in poorer regions, where average salaries are $20 to $300 are still interested in selling their hair due to difficult financial circumstances.
Most hair sold by women from post-Soviet countries goes to salons abroad. The largest markets are the United States and West European countries, where tens of thousands of beauty salons offer hair extensions.
Meanwhile, some experts believe that natural blond hair is set to become even rarer. And the gene that is responsible for blond hair could disappear entirely within the next two centuries, researchers say. Scientists believe such a gene was the result of a mutation in Europe, which is believed to have occurred about 11,000 years ago, during the last ice age. According to one hypothesis, blond hair evolved in a specific area at the end of the last ice age by means of sexual selection: blond hair and blue eyes in some northern European women made them stand out from their rivals, and therefore more attractive to men.
Since this time, blond hair has often been associated with light, gold, youth and fertility. But scientists are predicting the disappearance of natural blonds by 2202, as the gene that determines fair hair is recessive. Today, only a small percentage of people carry the recessive blond allele, especially in nations of mixed heritage such as the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand and Australia. The dominant alleles – brown hair, black hair and brown eyes – dominate the recessive genes, putting them at risk of dying out. The number of natural blonds has decreased from 49 to 14 percent of the total world population in the last 50 years.
However, blonds are not quite ready to give up. The last day of spring, May 31, has been designated World Blonde Day. In Russia this festival has been celebrated since 2006. Russian blondes have established a glamorous award for themselves, called the “Diamond Hairpin.” This award is presented annually to the most talented, successful, fashionable and feminine girls with fair hair.
In the Baltic States, blonds organize an annual parade. Last year, the event in Latvia was devoted to fighting the economic crisis

Posted in: SOCIAL MEDIA