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Double Drawn Hair Extensions: What the Industry Isn't Telling You
"Double drawn" is one of the most abused terms in the hair extension industry. Every wholesaler prints it on their catalog. Very few actually deliver it. Here is what the term actually means, why the difference matters, and how to test what you are being sold.
What Does Double Drawn Actually Mean?
Double drawn hair extensions have gone through a second sorting process during manufacture. In the first draw, shorter hairs are removed. In the second draw, additional shorter hairs are removed so that the finished weft has hair strands that are much closer in length from root to end. The result is a weft where the ends look as full as the mid-shaft. That is the whole point.
The Industry-Standard 30% Trick
Most wholesale extension brands sell "double drawn" hair at 30% density. That means 30% of the strands go all the way to the tip; the remaining 70% are shorter and taper off before reaching the end. From a distance, the wefts look full. Installed on a real client and worn for a month, the ends look wispy and stringy compared to the middle. Clients notice. Stylists blame their install technique. It was the weft the whole time.
What Kelly Maxwell Does Differently
Kelly Maxwell double drawn wefts are engineered at 60% density. That is twice the industry standard. The founder made this decision after installing wefts from multiple wholesalers and watching the ends taper on clients within weeks. The math is straightforward. Doubling the percentage of full-length strands means the weft still looks full at the ends after 6 to 12 months of client wear.
How to Test the Weft You Have
Any stylist can test their existing wefts. Take a single weft, comb it flat, and hold it up to a bright light. The bottom 2 inches of the weft should look almost as dense as the mid-shaft. If light passes through in visible streaks or if the ends look 30 to 50% thinner than the middle, the weft is not true double drawn.
Why This Matters More for Long-Length Wefts
The longer the weft, the more visible the density problem. A 30% double drawn 18-inch weft still looks acceptable because the density loss is only visible in a small end section. A 30% double drawn 28-inch weft is dramatically thin at the ends. If you install long-length extensions, true double drawn density is not a nice-to-have. It is the difference between happy clients and 6-month rebuilds.
The Cost Difference
True double drawn hair costs more to produce because the second sorting process is labor-intensive. That is why most wholesalers cut corners at 30%. Kelly Maxwell charges more per weft than budget brands and less per weft than luxury Italian and Russian sources, delivering true 60% density in the middle of that pricing range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is single drawn hair?
Single drawn hair has only had shorter strands removed once. The weft is denser at the top than at the bottom, and the ends visibly taper.
Is double drawn the same as Remy hair?
No. Remy refers to the direction of the cuticle. Double drawn refers to the sorting process. A hair extension can be Remy and single drawn, or non-Remy and double drawn, or both. The best-quality wefts are Remy human hair, true double drawn.
How can I tell if my current wefts are true double drawn?
Hold a single weft against a bright light and look at the ends compared to the mid-shaft. True double drawn wefts show minimal density loss in the bottom 2 inches.
What density does Kelly Maxwell use?
60% true double drawn, twice the industry standard for the term. Every weft in the line is finished at this density.
Does double drawn hair cost more?
Yes. The additional sorting process is labor-intensive. Kelly Maxwell prices true double drawn wefts between budget brands and luxury Italian and Russian sources.
Access True Double Drawn Wefts
Kelly Maxwell Hair Extensions is available only to approved licensed cosmetologists. All 32 affirmation-named shades ship at 60% true double drawn density.