Tran Nguyen An Hoa and Tran Thien Thao's research project for doing this won second prize in the Khanh Hoa Province Sci-tech Competition for High School Students.

The two students and their teacher survey a pineapple field.

The idea to make the artificial hair came to them during a visit to Ninh Tay Commune, a major pineapple-growing area in Khanh Hoa.

They noticed piles of discarded pineapple leaves being burned and wondered if the fibers could be repurposed.

With their teacher's guidance, they began experimenting with the fibers.

Their first tests with a few pineapple leaves revealed that the fibers were strong and durable.

Given Khanh Hoa's vast pineapple plantations, they had access to abundant and affordable raw materials.

To create the hair, they collected, sorted and cleaned the leaves, sought the help of local sugarcane vendors to press them and used rubber mallets to pound them for greater consistency.

Then they soaked the leaves in a bacterial solution and left them to ferment for 10 days.

From 55 kg of pineapple leaves, the students extracted four kilograms of wet fibers, which dried down to one kilogram.

They dyed the fibers using organic materials like turmeric, coffee or Malabar spinach before drying and shaping them into wigs.

To test their heat resistance, they used hair straighteners and curling irons, and the fibers maintained their shape without burning.

They then assembled the fibers into full wigs, a process that took about three weeks since most steps were done by hand. Since they also had schoolwork, they could only work on the project during weekends.

The most challenging part was threading the fibers onto a mesh cap.

They looked up online tutorials to learn the technique and carefully followed the guides.

Hoa said: "We only spent money on mannequin heads and crochet hooks. Everything else was free."

To ensure safety, they sent fiber samples to a testing center in HCMC. The results confirmed that the fibers contained no heavy metals or pesticides, making the wigs safe for human use.

Tran Nguyen An Hoa (2nd, L) and Tran Thien Thao, students of Au Co Secondary School, with their pineapple fiber wig at the provincial science competition.

Their first wig was donated to a patient at their local oncology hospital.

"Wigs help cancer patients feel more like themselves and more confident," Hoa said.

"Ours are soft, natural and easy to wear and style."

Looking back the duo said they gained valuable lessons in sustainable production and applied science concepts learned in school.

"We just want to do something good for the environment and help cancer patients feel a little better," Thao said.

Their teacher, Le Quang Dung, who guided them through the project, praised their curiosity and ability to apply chemistry and biology lessons to real-world solutions.

"Next, they will team up with three high school students to further improve and refine the wigs," he added.