Single Drawn VS Double Drawn Hair, What's The Difference?

…, Do you want double or single drawn hair?

If you are immediately confused when a hair vendor asks you this question, it only means one thing:

You don’t know the difference between a double drawn and a single drawn hair. So, why should you care? You just want to buy human hair wigs.

I used to feel the same way. I wondered why other people fussed about buying a double drawn hair. “Human hair is human hair”, double or single drawn (so, I thought).

Everything changed when I understood the difference between single and double-drawn hair. I could finally choose the right hair extension or wig for my hair type and styling preference.

Like me, you’ll learn all you need to know about single and double-drawn hair. This article will help you discover which works best for you.

What Is Single Drawn Hair?

Single drawn hair is cut from a single donor but contains a combination of different hair lengths.

Only the shortest hairs are combed out. Thus, the length of the remaining strands would vary by several inches. A standard bundle of single drawn hair will contain about 50% full-length and 50% varied-length hair.

For instance, you buy an 18-inch single drawn hair. Only about 50% of the hairs are likely to measure 18 inches, the rest 50% would be a combination of hairs from 13 to 16 inches long.

The hair strands on the bundle would not be equal in length. There would be a huge difference in the lengths. This means that the bundle will be quite thick at the roots and taper off slightly to become narrow toward the tips.

This gives a natural look like natural human hair. It is thinner towards the ends (the standard hair thickness). That is why many hair extensions are single drawn.

It is a popular choice for hair extension wearers. However, it would not give the voluminous and glamorous look you would get from a double drawn hair bundle.

Pros of Single Drawn Hair

• It looks natural because the hair becomes thinner towards the ends. If you are looking for a natural finish where volume is not a big deal, single drawn hair is a great choice.
• It is versatile. You can easily convert it to a double drawn hair by trimming off tapered ends. This way, you have a cheap DIY double drawn hair (this option is suitable if the length is not very important).
• It is lightweight. This is the perfect hair extension if you have fine/thin hair because the lightweight won’t put tension on your hair follicles.
• It is cheaper than double-drawn hair since less raw material is needed to make one bundle.

Cons of Single Drawn Hair

• The hair is less voluminous. The hair begins to taper as you move towards the ends. If you want thicker/fuller hair -  single drawn hair is not your preferred choice.
• It is not suitable for every hairstyle. Hairstyles like ponytails may not look their best on a single drawn hair. That is because some bundles can be too thin at the tips. Your hairstylist may have to cut about 2-4 inches of the original length.

For example, if you are looking for very thick 20” hair extensions you will need to buy single drawn hair of 22-24” to allow enough hair for the extensions to be trimmed and thickened at the ends so that they still have an overall length of 20”. This is quite a significant length and would be expensive too.

If achieving volume is your main purpose for wearing a hair extension, consider a double drawn hair.

What Is Double Drawn Hair?

Double drawn hair has more hairs of equal length, accounting for about 70-80%, sometimes up to 90% and the rest of the strands are just slightly shorter.

This means that if you purchase an 18-inch double drawn hair, over 80% of the hair within the bundle would measure the full 18 inches.

So, the hair would be thick from root to tip.

To get double drawn hair extensions, the technician would remove the short hairs until the standard ratio of hairs has been achieved, and then the hair is wefted horizontally.

Typically, double drawn hair comes from multiple donors. That is because no one has a full head of hair measuring equal lengths (from top to bottom).

Within a bundle of double drawn hair, shorter hair strands have been removed and replaced with longer ones. A bundle is quite difficult to collect and its creation requires a lot of raw material, which is impossible to get from one person. Shorter hairs are manually removed to create hair bundles of the same length, thickness, and structure.

Pros of Double Drawn Hair

• Solid thickness from top to bottom. Standard length is guaranteed from root to the ends. With such uniform length and thickness.
• Luxurious and bouncy volume. Double drawn hair is a great choice if the hair you are after is that of volume and glamour. The equal length and fullness give it a beautiful bounce.
• Since the strands are thick, you will not need to buy as many bundles for a full head of hair, compared to what you would need for single drawn hair. You even get to save some cost this way.

Cons of Double Drawn Hair

• It is more expensive. The production of one bundle requires more raw materials. Even though you may be buying fewer hair bundles compared to single drawn hair. On a strand by strand basis, double drawn hair is more expensive than single drawn.
• The strands are heavy and are not suitable for customers with thin, soft hair. They will be noticeable in the hairstyle. Also, excessive tension can damage and weaken the hair follicles, potentially leading to hair loss.

Which is better? Do I choose Single drawn hair or double drawn hair?

While some may say that double drawn hair is of a higher quality, that is not exactly true as both hair types are made from the same raw material - human/donor hair.

However, double drawn costs more because it requires more raw material. The picking and sorting process is also more intense than single donor hair.

Quick Note: From 200 grams of single drawn hair, you would get about 150 grams of double drawn hair. That is hair loss of about 25%. So, the price for 200 grams of single drawn hair only gets you about  150 grams of double drawn.

Individual preferences are largely unique, so it would be unfair to say one hair type is better than the other. Each hair type has its pros and cons as we already highlighted above.

More so, they serve different people according to their taste.

In choosing the right type of hair, consider the following factors:

1. Single-drawn is a better option for fine hair, double-drawn for thick hair.
2. Do you prefer hair collected from a single donor (single drawn), or hair collected from multiple sources (double drawn)
3. Do you want a natural-looking hairstyle? Something that resembles your natural hairstyle, a single drawn hair is a great choice.

Things to Look for When Buying Single or Double Drawn Hair

Now, you understand the difference between the single and double drawn hair. The question is - what do you look out for when buying a single or double drawn hair?

The basic things to look out for when buying human hair (single or double drawn) are:

1. How to spot your preferred hair (single or double drawn).
2. Where to buy original 100% single and double drawn human hair.

How to Spot Your Preferred Hair (single or double drawn)

• Double drawn hair has a consistent voluminous look as a result of its almost equal length and thickness from top to bottom. While single drawn hair is generally thick around the weft area, while tapering down and getting thinner at the ends. You can run your fingers through the strands to notice the consistency (From top to bottom).

• Another way is to hold the ends of the bundle and twist it upwards. Shake it well, several times.  You will observe short hairs falling out by the sides. Keep shaking until you are left with an equal amount of hair in your hand. At this point, you will be able to identify the hair types based on how much hair you have peeking out as flyaways. If you have a lot of hair, of unequal lengths, then it's a single drawn hair. However, if the flyaways are not a lot and are close in length to what you have on your hands, that is a double drawn hair.

Where to Buy 100% Human Hair (Single or Double Drawn)

QUALITY is the most important factor to consider when buying human hair extensions. Whether you are going for a single or double drawn hair.

How do you tell quality human hair apart?

Quality human hair is usually soft, natural-looking, and long-lasting. If you are not used to buying hair, it may be a little tricky to tell an original hair from an inferior one. You don’t have to. We’ve already done that for you. We designed two new hair collections.

Our single drawn human hair wig collection.

Double drawn human hair wig collection.

These collections include beautiful wig hairstyles (single and double drawn). These hairs come in varied colors, lengths, and styles. From natural brown to vibrant ginger colors. From bone straight to ever-trendy bobs in different lengths (10 to 30 inches). We have the hair you want. Click here to buy your preferred human hair wig.

Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comment or send us an email.