Bobble hats with faux fur pom poms - this JUST CAN'T be right....can it?!

[Bluesheep8]

I already have a knitted bobble hat with a lovely soft faux fur pom poms but went out shopping without it yesterday as it was mild when I left. A few hours later, it had got colder and colder, so when I saw a lady selling this type of hat in the street from one if those mobile cart things, I decided to buy one. I chose a grey one with a natural/taupe coloured faux fur bobble and paid £5 for it. I told the lady I didn't need a bag as I wanted to wear it straightaway and commented on what a lovely big soft pom pom it was. The lady was foreign and quite heavily accented and agreed that it was lovely and said something I didn't understand so I just thanked her and walked away. You know when you sometimes then re play what someone said afterwards? Especially when you're not sure you heard correctly? Well, I then realised what she had said. She said "it's lovely. Real" (?!!) WTF? This CANNOT be right can it? It is exactly the same as all the ones in the shops...I am absolutely horrified as surely these pom poms are faux fur?

Shameless bump

It is likely to be rabbit fur.

I read something quite recently about how some of the hats that are sold as having fake fur on them actually have real fur because it's cheaper! I once gave away a an unwanted present of a hat that was actually labelled as having real fur, but now I'm wondering about the pompoms on my slippers...

Apparently you need to pull a few strands and light them.
Smells of plastic it's fake, doesn't it could be cat /dog fur.

Yes watchdog done a piece on these Pom Pom hats and a lot were real! Quite disgusting really

It’s true - real fur is often passed off as fake now (even sometimes in big shops like Tesco).

There are a couple of ways for you to tell. If the hairs taper to a point they are probably real, if they are blunt it’s probably fake.

If you burn a small amount does it smell like burning human hair? If so, probably real.

Oh my God. I Didn't know any of this and I don't know which I feel more-very ill informed or absolutely sickened.

If you google it there are a few ways you can tell - burning a couple of the hairs to see if they are plasticky and chemical smelling, rather than smelling like human hair would is one.

There was something on tv about this a few years ago. Some coats in h&m were found to have real fur rather than fake.

It's quite common

Separate the fluff of the Pom Pom and try to see the base - if it’s woven fabric (normally white) it’s fake, if it’s leathery it’s real

Yes. Steph whatsit frim bbc breakfast did s not about this. Two fur is cheaper in the Far East than fake. It’s likely rabbit, I’d like to Hope from an eaten rabbit so not wasteful but who knows.

Yes, unfortunately a lot of these cheap products from market stalls and cheaper handbag/accessory shops are real fur. I’m lumbered with a beautiful ski jacket that cost $300 and has lots of fur around the collar and cuffs. I kept absent mindedly stroking the fur after I bought it thinking, “hmm this is lovely and relaxing, just like stroking a cat.” In horror, I checked the label. 100% rabbit. A well known US brand (Bebe). I’m disgusted, I genuinely thought no one sold real fur anymore. Hate that bloody jacket with a passion.

I was having the same conversation with my mum the other day, her stall-bought bobble hat has a huge fluffy pom-pom on it and it looks very real to me.

Yup. Real fur is easily sourced from strays. I'm afraid I tend to believe anything that looks like fur probably is fur and won't buy it.

The original Amelia Jane hat has a real fur Pom Pom (first to really get the trend going)
https://www.ameliajanelondon.com/product-category/fur-pom-pom-hats/

I only realised after it arrived a few years ago I might add! Since then they have sold a zillion of them.

And just because it says 'rabbit' doesn't mean it is. Once it's been dyed who can tell, apart from a DNA tester?

Probably real. DP bought one for his adult DD this Christmas - they both thought it was fake until I showed them. An easy test with any 'fur' is to blow directly on it. If it's real it 'blows down' into a perfect circle of flat fur with nothing in the centre - if it's fake, then it doesn't blow that way.

Cut the pom-pom off if you're unhappy with it. The hat will serve its purpose just the same.

BBC Watchdog recently did an an item about real fur being sold as fake fur - even high street shops involved
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/ktbRJLjFlqsNNF04d3hVHt/fur
www.bbc.com/news/uk-46212094

Horribly common unfortunately. Death appears to be cheaper than manufacture.

Is a bobble made from plastic really any better though?

I read that too. DD, who's a vegan, gave me a hat with 'faux fur' trim as one of her Christmas presents. I didn't have the heart to tell her that as far as I can see it's real fur :(

Sorry, what’s the problem? If you think it’s real and don’t want to wear it, then donate it to charity.

YABU for a “shameless bump” less than 2 minutes after posting.

I think real fur is popular in Eastern Europe. One of my colleagues has a real fox coat.

Is a bobble made from plastic really any better though?

Well plastic is bad for different reasons but surely your not saying that it's ok to use real fur for a bobble on a hat! because plastic isn't good either