Why I Prefer Raw Bundles with a Virgin Frontal

When building your wig or install, the hair you choose makes a big difference. Raw bundles are the purest form of hair- unprocessed, untouched, and cut from a single donor. They are known for their longevity, strength, and ability to be reused over and over again.

On the other hand, frontals are more delicate by nature. They are made by ventilating strands into lace, which creates a realistic hairline. However, because of this, they naturally shed over time, especially with daily wear, glue, heat styling, and washing.

In an ideal world, you would be able to get raw frontals to match your raw bundles. But the truth is, raw frontals are extremely rare. The lace process often requires hair to be more uniform, and the hand knotting technique makes it harder to find consistent raw quality in a frontal.

That is why I personally recommend pairing raw bundles with a virgin frontal. Virgin hair is still of great quality and may have undergone slight processing (usually to align textures) but it is perfect for the frontal placement. Since frontals shed and need replacing more often, using virgin hair here makes more financial sense.

During my sourcing trip to Vietnam, I visited over 20 factories to truly understand the process and inspect the quality myself. One thing I consistently found was that many raw hair factories offer frontals and closures that are too dense at the hairline. This makes customisation difficult, especially when you are going for that soft, natural melt.

This is another reason I lean toward virgin frontals. They are often created with a lighter hand at the front, allowing for better plucking and customisation. As a hairstylist, I know that the frontal can make or break a look, and too much density in the wrong place can ruin an otherwise flawless install.

Frontals do not last forever. Even with great care, most frontals will only last a few installs before they begin to thin out. Using raw hair for the bundles ensures you can reuse the bulk of your install while replacing just the frontal as needed. If you invest in a raw frontal, you are essentially putting high quality hair in the part of the wig that is most prone to damage, not the most efficient use of your money.

There are situations where matching virgin or even coloured frontals to your bundles makes sense, especially when you are going for custom highlights or achieving blonde tones. In those cases, I will always advise the best pairing to match the aesthetic and longevity you are looking for.

As someone who installs and sells hair, I always want to give honest and practical advice. Mixing raw bundles with a virgin frontal is not a downgrade, it is a smart balance between quality and cost effectiveness. Your frontal will shed with wear regardless of the grade, so there is no need to use premium raw hair on a piece that will be replaced more often. 

Always invest smart, not just expensive. Let your raw bundles do the heavy lifting and allow your virgin frontal to complete the look beautifully, without the guilt of replacing it too soon.

✨ Build Your Install the Smart Way ✨