My Name is Shaye & I’m addicted to weave.

Why am I addicted? Weaves are convenient, fast to install and most of all if done properly can make you look fantastic. Since I have started wearing weaves the amount of attention I’ve received (both male and female) has probably tripled and I would be lying if I say I didn't love it :p. Also, with weaves, I feel that I'm able to do things thay my hair will not be able to do for a long while and that prospect excites me.

To me a weave is like a drug (apologies if this offends anyone), as when I try to stop wearing weaves I suffer from withdrawal symptoms & end up jumping back on the bandwagon. 

Now I’m not saying I can’t leave the house without a weave because I’ll gladly leave my hair out (if its relaxed – lol another one of my addictions) but the thought of doing twists/braids and thus not having a weave for 6 – 9 weeks is quite scary.

So why after 9 months of using weaves as a protective style have I decided to go back to braids/twists? Well, mainly because I feel  that the horse shoe section at the front of my hair has been left out for too long and needs to be tucked away for a while in order for me to retain more length. Another reason is that it is easier to shampoo/condition and M&S when you have braids and lastly, if I do end up doing a weave again then I’ll have to relax a bit of my hair and won’t be able to stretch my relaxers as I would like to.

Update: February 2012 - APL Sooner than I thought?

So I’ve just finished removing my weave and I thought I might blog a bit whilst watching the Whitney Houston funeral.

On this occasion I felt I didn’t need to add conditioner/moisturiser/oils to my hair as it was already quite greasy/oily. After my mum cut the threads off I removed the extensions used to braid my hair and then proceeded to detangle my hair in 12 sections.

Below is a picture of the amount of shedding/breakage I received as a result:

(not to sure is this is too much or just about right for 5/6 weeks worth)

Also below is a picture of my hair detangled! 

Update! Here is a picture of my hair in two two-strand twists taken from my nape (the very bottom) and stretched out. 

The orange line represents SL, the Green Line CBL, the Blue Line APL and I used the purple arrow to show where my hair is now. By the looks of it ( & for once in my life) I am retaining length although I haven't washed my hair yet so we'll see what happens later on. Although I could probably make it to APL by my 20th Birthday (in June), I intend on cutting off quite a bit of my hair (maybe just below the green line) as my hair starts  to get quite thin below that line. 

& the last picture shows my hair not stretched - can you say MAJOR shrinkage :(

Results after washing, doing a protein treatment using Organics Hair Mayo & ORS Replen pak & air drying my hair in 30 Magnetic Snap-on rollers for 6 hours. 

The Weave Series: Installation & Maintenance

So I've had this weave in for 5/6 weeks already and I've just removed it with intention to do either braids or twists on Monday. I am aware that I should leave my hair out for at least a few days (and I usually do) however on this occasion I'm way too busy!

click here for a video created by MissBossyLive which shows a similar braid pattern to the one I used!

Maintenance of the weave itself:

Over the past couple of weeks I shampooed or co-washed the hair when needed to remove the oil build up caused by oiling my scalp (usually once or twice a week) and added some of my HE Beautiful ends to the ends of my weave if it looked particularly dry. As the weave I used was Wavy “Virgin Brazilian” hair I rarely applied heat to it. Instead I would let it air dry/spritz it with water (sort of like an everyday wash and go) and ended up with the wavy-ish beach curls look.

Maintenance of my hair:

I intended on moisturising my tracks with my new African Pride braid spray mixed with olive & castor oil every three days but that ended up becoming every week due to the fact that my weave became greasy too frequently. I ensured that I applied my mix to my scalp at night time as I wanted to prevent walking to and from lectures with oil dripping down my forehead and neck! As mentioned I kept my weave in for 5 to 6 weeks and so far I have washed my hair once the reason being that my shower at University is beyond crap and dribbles water making washing my hair a nightmare. I moisturised my leave out once or twice a day depending on whether I felt my hair needed more moisture (this was usually when it was extra cold outside/I went out multiple times in a day). 

The Weave Series: Pre-Installation

Weaves are a great protect style when done correctly. Due to preconceived notions, a lot of women believe that installing a weave without taking any steps into looking after their hair before, during and after the process will reap benefits. THIS COULD NOT BE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE TRUTH. Not taking care of you hair before, during or after having a weave is extremely damaging so much so   that it would be safer not to get a weave at all. This first part of The Weave Series looks at the preparation steps I take before getting MY weave installed.

Preparing the weave itself:

1. I washed & deep conditioned the weave using my Herbal Essenes Shampoo and Conditioner as if it were my own hair. I shampooed each individual track with warm water two times in warm water and then deep conditioned all the strands together in a plastic bag for half an hour before washing out the conditioner with cold water.
2. I let the weave air-dry as blow drying the hair would have made it frizzy and affected the natural wave pattern.

Like squirrels collect acorns & nuts in preparation for hibernating,
I also prepare my hair for it's hibernation. 

Preparing my hair:

1. I DO NOT RELAX my hair right before you install a weave! Relaxers chemically weaken the hair (by breaking down the disulfide bonds). Installing a weave minutes after you hair has been weakened and adding extra tension to you hair could result in a Naomi Campbell-esque look! As a result I try to relax my hair at least 3/4/6 weeks before installation.  I do however  relax my leave out the day of installation.
2. CLARIFY! I find it important to clarify right pre-installation as I get a lot of build-up during the six week I leave my weave in for. Therefore by clarifying I wipe the slate clean and start afresh. Also build-up can block the pores and affect the rate of growth.
3. Mmh Protein – doing a protein treatment to strengthen my hair in preparation for the installation process is ESSENTIAL. This should (hopefully) prevent the Naomi Campbell-esque look. I usually use my ORS Replen Pak.
4. Usually after a protein treatment I like to deep condition to add moisture back into my hair & reduce the stiff/hard/dry feeling that sometimes result from protein treatments.
5. It is extremely important for me to air dry as I don’t want to add any unnecessary stress to my hair strands before I get a weave installed.
6.  The night before I get my weave installed, I make sure my hair is properly detangled and M&S my hair and scalp thoroughly (this usually involves dividing my hair into more sections than I usually would). It is important to keep in mind that this is the last direct contact you will have with your hair before you remove the weave. 

Thing I intend to incorporate into my pre-installation regimen next time:

1. Hot Oil Treatments

Small print: this is what works for me personally and is not a sure guide to making sure your hair reaps the benefits of using weave as a protective style. Also if you relax your hair right before you get a weave installed and haven’t suffered from the Naomi Campbell-esque look then good on you!

The Weave Series: The Various Types of Braid Patterns

There are several different types of braid patterns, three of which I have tried personally:

Full Head Sew In: whereby the client’s hair is completely braided up and no hair is left out. Perfect for someone who: finds it hard to abstain from the use of heat, is transitioning, or is trying to grow their hair. Within this type you can get a lace frontal, invisible part or the classic full head (in the pic below). I have only done this method twice & on both occasions removed it in under 5 days! The pain & tension I experienced on both occasions was unbearable! Plus it gives me the egg head effect :P I have learnt therefore that this method IS NOT FOR ME!

Tracks: whereby horizontal braids create a base to sew extension on with hair being left out to cover each track. This was the very first weave I had at 15/16 years old & I liked it a lot, although it didn’t last very long, caused my nape to break off, required me to straighten my hair regularly to ensure my hair blended well with the weave & was not protective at all! Why did I keep doing it for 2 years? Because I didn't know any better - ignorance at its finest!

Full Head Sew in with Hair Out: whereby hair is braided to create a base to sew extensions on but a fair amount of hair is left out, whether it be the front, the edges or the back (to allow a ponytail). This is the method I’ve been using for the last two years and the only one that works for me as a protective style without the intense pain. 

There are many other types of braid patterns & methods which do not require braids such as clip-ons, glue-ins, nets etc. However I cannot comment on these effectively as I have not used them myself.

The Weave Series!

Weaves have gotten a lot of bad rep for the damage that they can cause but we cannot dispute the fact that if they are properly done properly then you could reap the benefits of longer, thicker hair. Below are pictures of celebrities that have used weaves to either grow or damage their hair.

Naiomi Campbell with weave & jacked UP edges

Gabrielle Union after removing her weave 

As you can see from these two extremes there are grave consequences of not installing/removing or looking after you weave and hair underneath properly but also great benefits if you take the right steps.

The advantages of a weave are endless for some! For example:

• Less Manipulation
• Versatility
• Transitioning
• Protection form the elements
• Cut and colour changes etc.  

Take note weave is not for everyone! Some people may not experience the benefits and could even suffer from alopecia.

Over the next 3 weeks I will focus somewhat of my blogging towards weaves. Look out for more posts labelled The Weave Series!