Real or Faux Fur - How can I tell?

Ultimately it is up to us – the consumer – to make educated choices about what we are buying. So how can you be sure that gorgeous little coat is real or faux?

Take the little jacket above – looks fake doesn’t it? Nope. It’s from China – probably originating from a fur farm. The jacket does not state what it is made from. It’s actually rabbit fur, dyed pink.

So how are we supposed to know if what we’re buying is faux, “faux sure”?  Let’s take a look at what you can do -

Separate the fur and look at the base. Genuine fur usually protrudes from skin or leather, while faux fur generally has a mesh or threaded backing. If the backing looks like skin (which just makes it doubly gross!), don’t buy it. Genuine animal pelts will resemble smooth suede leather and are often sewn together in strips, sections or pieces like a patchwork quilt. 

Look at the tips of the hairs. Real animal hairs taper to a fine point unless they have been sheared or cut. Faux fur, on the other hand, typically does not taper at the ends. So if the ends of the hairs taper to a fine point, play it safe and leave it on the rack.

Do a burn test (obviously, this one’s only for things you already own).Remove a few hairs and hold them with tweezers over a non-flammable surface. Light them with a match or a lighter and let the smell do the talking. Burning animal hair smells like burning human hair. Fake fur, which is commonly made from acrylic or polyester, smells like melting plastic when burned.

Remember – no coat, hat or other fur item is worth the kind of suffering these animals go through.

And if you do have a real fur product – consider donating it to Snuggle Coats to assist in rehabilitating animals and give the fur back to the animals.

Thanks to www.peta.org