Luxora

Brazilian hair: what it is, grades and SA prices

Brazilian hair is a label, not a place: South African sellers use it for a quality tier of human hair, and the single bundles we found cost R200 to R1,600, and a 20 inch bundle cost R700 to R1,200 (checked 6 Oct 2026).

Wavy hair bundles tied at the top
Photo: Alina Skazka, Pexels License

Do Brazilian bundles come single drawn, double drawn or raw?

Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of single drawn
Single drawn
No Brazilian bundle in our check was labelled single drawn. They are sold as plain single bundles. Where sellers use the term, it means less short hair has been sorted out by hand, so the ends taper.
Ends: a natural taper, say sellers
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of double drawn
Double drawn
No Brazilian bundle in our check was labelled double drawn. SA double drawn bundles were sold as Vietnamese or with no origin named, and Hair Majesty ties its double drawn collection to Vietnamese and Peruvian hair.
Ends: not offered under this name
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of bone straight
Bone straight
Not listed on any Brazilian bundle. Hair City and Hair Majesty list kinky straight Brazilian bundles, which is a different texture from the very sleek bone straight finish sold on Vietnamese hair.
Ends: not applicable
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of raw
Raw
No Brazilian bundle in our check was sold as raw. Hair Majesty defines raw hair as unprocessed hair from a single donor. Volure Hair describes its Brazilian straight bundle as virgin remy, not raw.
Ends: ask the store for its definition

How to test real hair

Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of burn test
1
Burn test
Hold two or three loose strands in tweezers over a heat-safe dish, outside. Sellers say human hair burns slowly with a burnt hair smell and leaves ash that crumbles, while synthetic melts into a hard bead. Passing says nothing about whether a bundle is Brazilian or worth the price.
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of bleach test
2
Bleach test
If you plan to lift a Brazilian bundle, test one hidden strand first. Gloves on, check every 5 to 10 minutes, stop if it turns brittle or uneven. Volure Hair warns that curly textures can be damaged by a second round of processing.
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of feel
3
Feel
Real human hair should feel soft and smooth with natural movement, say sellers, and synthetic often feels plasticky or too even. Hair City describes its Brazilian bundle as soft and silky, but that is a sales description, not a measurement.
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of shedding
4
Shedding
Run your fingers through a bundle or give it a gentle shake. Losing one or two strands is normal, say sellers, and handfuls are a red flag. Look at the weft stitching too, which should be tight and even.
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of smell
5
Smell
A new bundle may smell of processing or packaging, which does not necessarily mean a fault. A burnt plastic smell in the burn test does. If a strong smell stays after a rinse, tell the store.
Safety: burn and bleach only a few loose strands, never the weft. Do it outside or by an open window, over a sink, away from anything that catches fire. Keep kids away.
10A12A

Grades decoded: labels, not standards

There is no universal standard for "10A" or "12A". Sellers pick the number. Hair Majesty says one company's 14A is not better than another's 12A, and Hair City gives its Brazilian bundles 10A and its Peruvian ones 14A. Judge the weight, the ends and how the hair tests, not the number.

SA prices by length, per bundle

Checked 6 Oct 2026
LengthStraight or kinky straightWavy or curlyProducts priced
8"R314 to R329R2993
10"R400 to R404R349 to R70010
12"R450 to R549R449 to R80016
14"R529 to R599R529 to R90014
16"R649 to R690R549 to R1,00016
18"R699 to R840R699 to R1,10016
20"R849 to R980R849 to R1,20016
22"R929 to R1,165R929 to R1,30013
24"R989 to R1,310R989 to R1,4009
26"R1,460R1,500 to R1,6007

Brazilian, Vietnamese, Peruvian or Cambodian?

BrazilianVietnamesePeruvianCambodian
Textures in SA storesStraight, kinky straight, natural, body, water and deep wave, jerry, kinky, deep and afro curlStraight (double drawn, super double drawn, bone straight) and curlyStraight, natural, body, water and deep wave, burmese, jerry, deep and afro curlStraight, deep wave, water wave and curls, on wigs and frontal units only
How sellers describe itOften a brand's second quality tier, about 1 year (Hair Majesty); an afro curl said to last up to 2 years (Volure)Strong and soft, full from top to ends, 12 to 24 months or longer (Remore Hair); famous for volume, shine and durability (Hair Majesty)Often a brand's top tier, 1 to 2 years (Hair Majesty); not as thick as Cambodian or Indian hair (Volure)Thicker than Peruvian (Volure); patterns from straight to tightly coiled (NBC News, 2019)
Lengths in stock8 to 30 inches8 to 30 inches8 to 26 inchesWigs and units, 10 to 28 inches
Price, 20 inch bundleR700 to R1,200R930 to R2,500R850 to R1,860Not listed as bundles
Stores with bundles4450 (2 sell wigs and units)
Hair passport

If we sell hair, every batch will carry one

Each passport will show where the supplier says the batch came from, who supplied it, how it was drawn, and what it measured and weighed, with photos of that batch. Not a grade sticker: the facts. The values shown here are examples.

Luxora hair passportBatch 0000, not a real batchEXAMPLE
Stated origin
Brazil, as the supplier states it (example)
Supplier
Named on every real passport
Drawn type
Single drawn (example)
Texture
Body wave (example)
Measured length
20.5 inches relaxed (example)
Measured weight
102 g, label says 100 g (example)
Colour
Natural 1B (example)
Checked
Date shown on every real passport
Three bundles of honey-blonde deep-wave hair wefts laid flat on a white surface
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of a bundle on a scale
Drawn strand pattern, not a photo of bundle ends

Brazilian hair in South Africa, explained

What Brazilian hair means on an SA shelf

Brazilian hair is the best known origin word on South African bundle listings, and it tells you less than it seems to. Hair Majesty, an SA retailer, writes that if a brand sells more than one quality of hair, it will most likely call its higher quality Peruvian and its next best quality Brazilian. It says brazilian and peruvian hair has historically been a way to tell hair qualities apart, in the same way grades are.

The shelf fits that. On 6 Oct 2026 we found 18 Brazilian bundle products at four SA stores: Hair City, Hair Majesty, Universal Dealers and Volure Hair. None of the product pages we read said where the hair was collected. Hair City calls its 10A bundle 100% Brazilian human hair and gives no collection details. Volure Hair calls its Brazilian straight bundle virgin remy, hair that has not been processed in any way, and does not give an origin either.

Where hair of any label really comes from is a separate question. The ABC reported in 2018 that most hair is sourced in Asia, and quoted an industry source who said that buyers go to South America, India and Vietnam, buy the hair, then process it, mostly in China. Treat the word Brazilian as a style and price tier at that store, and ask for the weight, the length and photos of the bundle you will actually receive.

Brazilian weave and Brazilian hair styles: the textures sold

Most people searching for Brazilian weave or Brazilian hair styles want to know which textures are on offer. Volure Hair calls its bundles weave on its product pages, so the two words mean the same thing here. In the price data the Brazilian bundles came as straight, kinky straight, water wave, jerry curl and kinky curl at Hair City and Hair Majesty, and as straight, natural wave, body wave, deep wave, deep curl, kinky curl and afro curl at Volure Hair.

Universal Dealers sells a Brazillian single bundle from 8 to 30 inches without naming a texture, so it is not in the table. Hair City also sells a Brazilian 4x4 closure and bundle combo in straight, and its Brazilian line has a 13x4 frontal, so a full install can be bought from one store. We did not look at hair care products for this page.

Curly textures need a different routine. Volure Hair says its Brazilian afro curl should not be straightened, because that will make it look frizzy. It says the hair can be bleached or dyed, but that a professional should do it, because curly hair has already been textured and bleaching puts it through another round of processing that can damage the weave.

What Brazilian hair costs

A Brazilian bundle cost R200 to R1,600 across all lengths and textures on 6 Oct 2026. At 16 inches a straight or kinky straight bundle was R649 to R690 and a wavy or curly one R549 to R1,000. At 20 inches the straight bundles were R849 to R980 and the wavy or curly ones R849 to R1,200.

Stores price the same length differently. A 20 inch Volure Hair Brazilian straight bundle was R980, against R854 for Hair City's straight 10A. Hair Majesty's Brazilian Crown straight bundle ran R329 to R989 from 8 to 24 inches. One Hair Majesty listing showed R3,799 for a 10 inch bundle when the 12 inch was R489. That looks like a listing slip, so we left it out of every figure here.

Weight decides whether a price is fair, and it is rarely stated. Volure Hair says each bundle weighs about 100 g and that you need two bundles for 10 to 14 inches, three for 16 to 22 inches and four for 24 to 30 inches. The Hair City and Hair Majesty pages we read gave no weight. Virgin Human Hair says it measures length with the hair stretched straight, so ask how a store measures too.

Grade 12A Brazilian hair: what the number means

A listing for grade 12A Brazilian hair gives you a number the seller chose. Private Label Extensions, a hair supplier, says there is currently no universal standard for human hair extension grading, and that Chinese manufacturers and trading companies created the 5A to 10A system as an easy way to tell clients how good the hair is. It adds that every year manufacturers add another A to stay competitive, and calls the whole thing hair extension marketing. Bossique says the numbers are not regulated and suggests testing how far the hair lifts instead. Hair Majesty says never to assume that one company's 14A is better than another's 12A, and that nothing stops a company claiming 15A or even 100A.

SA stores show the same muddle. Hair City labels its Brazilian bundles 10A and its Peruvian bundles 14A. Exclusive Virgin Hair sells single straight bundles for Brazilian or Peruvian and calls the hair 12A virgin human hair. Shara Hair describes one straight bundle listing as available as Brazilian and Peruvian as well as grade 12a and 13a. So one listing can carry both origin names and two grades, which tells you the labels are interchangeable inside that store.

Even inside one store, price follows the label. At Hair City a 16 inch straight bundle was R674 as Brazilian 10A and R999 as Peruvian 14A, and a 20 inch was R854 against R1,399. That shows what the store charges for each name, not what the hair is.

How long it lasts, and what to ask before you pay

Lifespan claims come from sellers and vary. Hair Majesty says Brazilian hair lasts about 1 year and Peruvian 1 to 2 years, and in its blog on hair types gives about 1 year for remy hair and 1 to 2 years for virgin. Volure Hair says its Brazilian afro curl will last up to two years with good care. Virgin Human Hair says its 13A bundle lasts more than 24 months. None of these claims is independent, and how you care for the hair matters as much.

  • Ask for the weight in grams and how the length is measured.
  • Ask which texture the price is for, because curly and straight bundles at one store can differ by hundreds of rand.
  • Read the returns policy before you open anything. Hair City accepts returns within 30 days if the item is unused and in its original packaging.
  • Ask what the number grade means at that store, and whether the same bundle is sold under another origin name.
  • Do not wash, burn, cut or colour the bundle until you are sure you are keeping it.
Sources

Brazilian hair: questions

How much are Brazilian hair bundles in South Africa?

On 6 Oct 2026, Brazilian bundles at four SA stores cost R200 to R1,600 depending on length and texture. A 16 inch straight or kinky straight bundle was R649 to R690 and a 20 inch was R849 to R980. Prices are shelf prices on the day, some on sale, so check the store page before you buy.

Is Brazilian hair really from Brazil?

A listing cannot prove it. Hair Majesty says a brand with more than one quality will most likely call its higher quality Peruvian and its next best Brazilian, and none of the Brazilian product pages we read gave a collection country. The ABC reported that most hair is sourced in Asia. Treat Brazilian as a quality and style label.

What does grade 12A Brazilian hair mean?

Nothing fixed. Private Label Extensions says there is no universal standard for hair grades and Bossique says the numbers are not regulated. Hair City sells Brazilian 10A, while Exclusive Virgin Hair sells 12A hair for Brazilian or Peruvian. Judge the weight, the ends and how the hair behaves instead of the number.

What is Brazilian weave?

Brazilian weave is the same product as a Brazilian hair bundle: wefted human hair sold by the bundle and sewn or fitted onto your own hair. Volure Hair calls its Brazilian bundles weave. A closure or frontal is sold separately or in a combo, as at Hair City, to finish the hairline.

Which Brazilian hair styles can I buy?

In the price data the Brazilian textures were straight, kinky straight, water wave, jerry curl and kinky curl at Hair City and Hair Majesty, and also natural wave, body wave, deep wave, deep curl and afro curl at Volure Hair. Universal Dealers does not name a texture on its single bundle.

How many Brazilian bundles do I need for a full head?

Volure Hair says its 100 g Brazilian bundles need two bundles for 10 to 14 inches, three for 16 to 22 inches and four for 24 to 30 inches. Hair City's closure combos pair two bundles with a closure at 8 and 12 inches and three at 16 inches. Thickness, texture and closures change the count.

How long does Brazilian hair last?

Sellers claim anything from about 1 year, which is what Hair Majesty says for Brazilian hair, to up to 2 years for Volure Hair's afro curl and more than 24 months for Virgin Human Hair's 13A bundle. These are seller claims, not tests, and care, heat and colouring all shorten the life of hair.

Can I straighten or bleach curly Brazilian hair?

Volure Hair says its Brazilian afro curl should not be straightened because it will look frizzy, and that it can be bleached or dyed only by a professional, since bleaching puts already textured hair through another round of processing. If you plan to colour a bundle, ask the store first.

Hear first if Luxora sells hair

One message if we sell bundles, with a hair passport for every batch. Nothing else.

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