DEAS 966: 201 9 
ICS 71.100.01  
 
© EAC 2019                                                                                                                              1stEdition 2019  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Hair extensions — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS  966: 2019  
ii © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
This EAC document is copyright -protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards development process is permit ted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document fo r the purpose of selling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community  2019 — All rights reserved  
East African Community   
P.O. Box 1096 , 
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Tanzania  
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       Web: www.eac -quality.net  
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 966: 2019  
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been neces sitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partn er States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, c onsumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization o f standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards. XXXXXX.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expec ted to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EASC /TC 071, Cosmetics and related 
products . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some  of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  DEAS  966: 2019  
iv © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Introduction  
Hair extensions are human or artificial hair utilized for the integration with one's natural h air. Hair extensions 
can alter one's appearance for long or short periods of time by adding further hair to one's natural hair or by 
covering the natural hair all together with human or synthetic hairpieces. Weaving additional human or 
synthetic pieces can  enhance one's hair by giving it volume, length and adding color without the damage of 
chemicals or adopting a different hair texture than that of their own .  
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 966 : 2019  
 
© EAC  2019 – All rights reserved  1 
 Hair extensions — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requir ements and methods of test for hair extensions for use on 
humans . 
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of this document. For dated references, o nly the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
ISO 22716, Cosmetics — Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) — Guidelines on Good Manufacturing 
Practices  
3 Terms and defi nitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following term s and definitions apply. ISO and IEC maintain 
terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1  
wigs  
artificial covering of synthetic hair worn on the head for personal adornment as, part of a costume, or to 
conceal baldness. Wigs are hair strands with tips stitched together and encapsulated with a confort able 
backing fabric, elastic in nature, and which is not visible from outside. It is meant to be worn over whole or part 
of the scalp. The wig weaving is done using lace caps.  
3.2  
weave  
hair strands with tips stitched together in a linear manner. They u sually vary in length, size and style and are 
meant to enhance or cover the natural hair or cover baldness  
3.3  
braids and hair pieces  
hair strands, usually loose in nature, used as attachments in order to elongate the hair. They may be wavy, 
curly, or s traight and can either be used with hot water or cold (room temperature) water to style them.  
NOTE — A braid (also called plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of 
flexible human hair.  
4 Classification  
Hair extensions shall be classified into three broad categories:  DEAS 966: 2019  
2 © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 a) wigs;  
b) weaves; and  
c) braids and hair pieces.  
5 Requirements  
5.1 Fibre burn test  (Differentiation test)  
5.1 1 Human hair  
When tested in accordance with annex A, i t shall burn briefly with an orange f lame and then chars leaving a 
dark ash that turns to powder when crushed. The odour  shall be  of burning flesh or burning feathers.  
5.1.2  Synthetic fib res. 
Synthetic fib re are either nylon or polyester and each burns quite differently . 
5.1.2.1  Nylon fib res 
It shall burn briefly but rapidly and then melts. It shall have a sparkling flame that has a blue base and orange 
tip. The ash shall be  like hard amber beads. The odour  smells like boiling green vegetables or burning celery.  
5.12.2 Polyester fibres   
It shall burn and melt quite rapidly at the same time. It has an orange sputtery flame with black smoke and 
gives off a sweetish odour . The ash drips and is sticky to the touch before forming into hard black beads. 
Remember to burn test each fibre separately as  your piece may contain a blend of both human hair and 
synthetic.  
5.1.3  The product shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with ISO 22716.  
5.2 Other Requirements  
Hair extensions shall comply with the requirements specified in Table 1 when te sted in accordance with the 
methods specified therein . DEAS 966: 2019  
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  3 
 Table 1 — Requirements for hair extensions  
Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
Shine test  Free and straw like -showing that resembles natural hair  – 
Freedom from unwanted matter  Free from any f oreign matter or fibre or lice or fleece 
and moulds  Visual/microscopic  
Texture  Either standard (slight wave, body wave) or curly (tight 
wave, loose curl)  Visual  
Stitching for weaves and wigs, min.  Lock stitch of seven stitches per centimetre  – 
Numbe r of stitches per cm, min  3  Annex B 
Mass, g, min.  Weave strand: 135  
Wigs: 80  
Braids: 45  Annex C 
Strand diameter, mm  1 ± 0.200  Annex D 
Linear density (in tex. g/1 000 m), min.  4.00  Annex E 
 
6 Packaging  
6.1 The hair extensions bundle shall be pa cked in suitable materials/bags that will prevent damaging of the 
contents during normal handling, transportation and storage.  
6.2 The retail package shall be such that it allows the buyer/consumer to clearly see the contents either 
wholly or partly.  
7 Labelling  
The following information shall be legibly and indelibly marked on each bundle package:  
a) name and address of the manufacturer;  
b) registered trade mark, if any;  
c) type of hair extension;  
d) batch number or code;  
e) country of origin or manufacture;  
f) colour;  
g) pictorial of the contents;  
h) precaution: where applicable the word “Heat sensitive” or “For hot water use”  and 
i) the words, " Synthetic hair extensions"  or “Human Hair” . DEAS 966: 2019  
4 © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Differentiation or fibre burn test  
A.1 Introduction  
Most obvious way to determine if hair is real or fake is to conduct a microscopic test to find out the chemical 
composition of the extension hair.   However, since most of us do not have a microscope readily available or 
have a degree in forensic science this is  probably not a  suitable option.  
A.2 How to test if hair is human or synthetic  
The textile industry conducts what is called a “fibre burn” test to identify the content. The same test can be 
done on hair.  
1. Remove single strands of hair from different areas of the questiona ble unit.  
2. Hold a single strand with tweezers and use a lighter to keep a steady flame.  
 
NOTE  Do not use matches as they will mask the odour . 
3.  Pay attention to the odour , ember and flame.  
A.3  Results  
A.3.1  Human hair  is a protein fibre that burns wit h a small flickering flame and will not continue to burn 
unless you hold the flame continuously to the strand. It burns briefly with an orange flame and then chars 
leaving a dark ash that turns to powder when crushed. The odour  is of burning flesh or burni ng feathers.  
Synthetic fibres  are either nylon or polyester and each burns quite differently.  
A.3.2  Nylon fibres  burn briefly but rapidly and then melts. It has a sparkling flame that has a blue base 
and orange tip. The ash is like hard amber beads. The odour smells like boiling green vegetables or burning 
celery.  
A.3.3  Polyester fibres  burn and melt quite rapidly at the same time. It has an orange sputtery flame with 
black smoke and gives off a sweetish odour . The ash drips and is sticky to the touch bef ore forming into hard 
black beads. Remember to burn test each fibre separately as your piece may contain a blend of both human 
hair and synthetic.  
A.4  Report  
 DEAS 966: 2019  
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  5 
 If the hair burns with a white smoke and turns to ash, it indicates it is human hair and no syn thetic fibres  have 
been added to the bundle. If the hair burns with a black smoke and turns into a sticky texture, it indicates that 
synthetic fibres  have been added to the hair bundle.  DEAS 966: 2019  
6 © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Annex B  
(Normative)  
 
Stitch width test  
B.1 General  
 
This test is int ended to ensure that strands of hair do not come out during the normal combing exercise. This 
is usually determined by the manner in which stitching is done.  
It measures the total width per given length.     
B.2 Apparatus  
Metre rule  
B.3 Procedure  
Lay the  weave on a flat surface and measure the width of the stitch. Count the stitches in 1 cm length. Repeat 
five times and obtain an average.  
B.4 Reporting  
Express the result to the nearest whole number.  DEAS 966: 2019  
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex C  
(Normative)  
 
Mass  
C.1 Apparatus  
Electronic we ighing balance , with accuracy of upto 0.001  
C.2 Procedure  
Place the strands of hair shall be on an electronic weighing balance which has been calibrated and weighed.  
Take up to five readings and calculate the average.  
C.3 Results  
Express the result in  grams.  DEAS 966: 2019  
8 © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Annex D  
(normative)  
 
Strand diameter  
D.1 General  
The objective of this test is to ensure that the hair extensions are not having diameters too large than those of 
the natural African hair.  
D.2 Apparatus  
Projection microscope (CH-9435)  
D.3 Proce dure  
Take a strand of hair and place it under the projection microscope and proceed to take the readings in 
accordance with the manufacturer's manual. Repeat the procedure for at least five strands and calculate the 
average.  
D.4 Results  
Express the resu lt obtained in the folioing manner:  
Strand diameter = x mm  DEAS 966: 2019  
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  9 
 Annex E 
(normative)  
 
Linear density test  
E.1 Instruments  
E.1.1 Weighing balance with an appropriate capacity and a sensitivity equal to 1 part in 1 000 of mass or 
the specimen to be weighed  
E.1.2 Metre rule  
E.2 Procedure  
E.2.1 Remove a strand from the bundle of hair and lay it flat on a flat surface.  
E.2.2 Measure the length using a metre rule.  
E.2.3 Weigh the strand and record the mass in grams.  
E.3 Calculation  
Calculate the linear density  as follows:  
Linear density = 1 000.m/L  
where,  
m is the mass, in grams, of the strand; and  
L is the length in metres.  DEAS 966: 2019  
10 © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] KS 2173:2018 , Hair extension  — Specification  
[2] US 1532 :2013 , Synthetic hair extensions — Specification  
 DEAS 966: 2019    
 
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved