Pony Tail Holders

 Gross, I mean REALLY gross!  Ok - so this next item will make you nauseous and disgusted but it is true according to Snopes so I had to share it.  Most of you girls have used pony-tail holders to tie your longer hair up, to keep it off your face.  Well, this will make you think twice before you go and buy some cheap holders sold at the dollar store and YES, these we are about to discuss were made in China.  You also may want to think twice before you use your mouth or teeth as that extra "hand" too.

Once again we see the Chinese throwing out all concerns for human life, health and general basic prodigal in the name of doing business and they have been caught doing the unthinkable.  In November of 2007 the news of China's manufacturing of very cheep pony-tail holders came to light.  Apparently these hair ties were found in Dongguan and Guangzhou, two cities in the province of Guangdong. What made this doo-dad's so extreemely inexpensive were the materials they used to produce the ties.  It seems that a young woman in Dongguan came upon the secret ingredient when the thread on her tie began to ravel.  She investigated because of the unexpected color she found inside.  After unravelling the entire band, she found it was made from a recycled condom.  (I said it was GROSS! -- Read the entire link at Snopes for all the details on why they suspected USED prophylactics were being sewn together for these hair ties and not just sub-standard ones.)

Snopes reported that this was not the first time that condoms were made into hairbands in China.  It seems in 2002 the Shanghai Star reported that in Qingdao, Shandong Province another woman had discovered the rubber band she had purchased was also from a condom.  Those bands were manufactured in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province and were being wholesaled by a couple from Oinyang, Henan Province.

When will we Americans (me included) learn that you get what you pay for.  If it is cheaper than the competition, there is probably a VERY good reason and what you are buying is probably NOT what you think it is.