Women seemingly forced to sell hair to survive in Iran, following Armenian smuggling attempt

· June 12, 2026

Many Iranian activists have speculated that the hair came from some of the protesters killed during the January demonstrations, but hair smuggling was already a problem in Iran.

An Iranian woman walks on a street amid the implementation of the new hijab surveillance in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2023

(photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA/REUTERS)

ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Jerusalem Post

Women in the Islamic Republic have been forced to sell their hair as a means to survive, experts explained to The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, days after Armenia announced it had thwarted a hair smuggling attempt from Iran.

Earlier this week, Armenian customs officials found 143 bundles of natural hair, weighing 26 kg, in a truck coming in from Iran through the Agarak checkpoint.

The State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia confirmed in a statement that the hair was located in the driver’s carriage, hidden in pillows.

“An attempt to illegally import natural hair was prevented, and the one found was confiscated. Employees of the Customs Service and Control Department at the land crossing points of the State Border drew up a protocol on violation of customs rules in accordance with Article 316 of the ‘Law on Customs Regulation’ against an Iranian citizen,” the committee confirmed in a statement.

Acknowledging that attempts to smuggle hair into Armenia have become more frequent, the committee confirmed that since January, there were 11 separate attempts to smuggle a total of 621 bundles, or 135.7 kg, of natural hair across the state border.

While many Iranian activists have speculated that the hair came from some of the tens of thousands of protesters killed during the January demonstrations, according to figures published by human rights organizations, former Iran International security director Roger Macmillan said he believes it is more likely the hair came from women driven by economic desperation to sell it.

An informed source explained that such activities have been witnessed during previous periods of economic turmoil.

With the enforced disappearances, secret executions, and the Islamic regime’s refusal to return bodies to loved ones, rumors have periodically circulated about the Islamic regime’s mistreatment of Iranians.

Macmillan explained that during periods of severe economic hardship, it is not uncommon for women to sell their hair to earn money. With the Islamic Republic grappling with the ongoing war, a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, financial sanctions, and environmental crises such as drought and Moroccan locust infestations, he said it was unsurprising that many Iranians had reached that point of desperation.

Food prices in Iran have risen 130% over the past year, according to The Telegraph, with staple items far exceeding the average rise. The cost of rice is up 223%, chicken 287%, eggs 343%, liquid cooking oil 354%, and solid cooking oil 431%.

Already a problem in Iran before

Both Rokna News website and Khabar Online reported last year on Iran’s growing hair trade, publishing in April that women were being offered between two million and 100 million tomans for their locks, depending on the hair’s length and previous treatment.

Iranian media also reported in 2023 that some Iranians had been forced to sell their kidneys, livers, corneas, bone marrow, sperm, and ova as a means to escape poverty.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, through many years of economic mismanagement and through the brutality, which has caused sanctions to be placed upon them, and it has actually resulted in their doing harm to their own people,” Macmillan concluded, commenting on the ongoing “tragedy” that the Iranian people are suffering the consequences for a regime they never elected.

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