6 Things You Should Know Before Getting A Weave

It was 10 years ago when I got my first sew in hair. At that time, I had some bad experience since I didn't know a lot of things about hair extensions and made many mistakes. I even didn't know what kind of the hair is the best, how many bundles do I need to purchase for a full sew in. But at the same time, thanks to these mistakes I made before. I gradually learned how to maintain my hair and have a better experience getting a weave.

Here, I want to share with you 6 things you should know before getting a weave, which definitely can bring you a better weave experience.

#1. Get The Good Hair

First of all, high-quality hair is the key to a good weave experience. The best hair to use for sew-in is virgin human hair. Although you may have to spend more money on good hair, it worth it in the long run.

There is a common mistake that most people just feel the hair and look if it's soft then it's good. But that's not always the case. It could look flawless in the beginning. Most hair actually does. Most hair extensions are very nice in the beginning but after time, they behave in a different way.

If you get hair extensions, wash them first. Let them air dry and then you'll get a feel of how the hair will behave afterward. Just make sure that you read reviews, done a lot of research before. Don't let the softness of the hair and the touch fool you.

Besides, I would recommend everyone, especially when buying a virgin hair, to take a length that is one or two inches longer than what you originally wanted. For example, if you wanted to have a length 16 inches, I would recommend you take a length 18 inches instead. You would want to trim the ends of your hair extensions because you are going to get split ends. Sometimes you'll experience it when you're using a lot of heat, combing or brushing, which can result in split ends.

#2. Choose A Style That Fits You And You Will Wear Most

First of all, when getting a weave, it's really important to think about what is the vision that you want to achieve and how do you want your hair to look like. If you have a picture or something else of how you want your hair to look like, you should definitely show that to your hair stylist and discuss with him.

It's also very important to think about how your natural hair behaves. It's up to what you want. If you want it to look as natural as possible, then you have to think about getting hair textures that blend in well with your own natural hair. Be sure to match the textures or choose the texture that matches your own hair. This is especially important if you're planning on having a leave out. If you're planning on getting a full sewing or with a closure, then you can choose whatever texture you want because your natural hair won't be showing.

You know there are Brazilian hair, Peruvian hair, Indian hair, and Malaysia hair. Every hair has different qualities to it. Some are very sleek. Some are coarse. Some have high luster and some are low luster. Besides, hair extensions come in so many different textures, straight hair, wavy hair, and curly hair. Choose the hair that you fit.

When it comes to choosing the style of your hair extensions, I have to tell you, for example, if you want a curly wave, just choose the hairstyle that you feel most comfortable with. If you like wavy hair, choose wavy hair instead of maybe straight hair. You know that if you want to change the style, you are going to put a lot of heat on it and you're going to damages the hair to make it wavy.

#3. Condition Your Nature Hair

This is prior to getting a weave. Don’t forget your natural hair since you are going to keep your weave installed for 3 to 4 month. It is a long period of time. You don’t want to see your own hair become a mass after removing the hair extensions. Make sure your hair is taken good care of before it is put in hiding underneath. Condition, moisturized, deep condition your natural hair and massage your scalp before you go and get that weave installed.

#4. Installation In The Right Way

A weave can make your natural hair grow a lot if it's done properly. If it's not done in the correct way, it could damage your hair. It all comes down to your knowledge but also the hairstylist knowledge. Many people think that if the braid base is tight, the better the sew-in will last. I see traction alopecia. I have seen a lot of damaged hairlines. I know that traction is not good. Make sure that the braid base is secure, it's good and it's not too tight because that would only damage your natural hair. The smaller the braid, the better the sew-in will be is not always either the case because small braids can be damaging.

Some people have very fine baby hair and you would want to think about how you braid that baby hair. If you have balding spots or thinning areas, you should be careful when getting a sew-in. If you braid around it, it can widen and do much more damage. But if you braid across it, it can actually help balance the weight of the hair extensions. Just make sure that you get a hair stylist that knows what she or he is doing. Don't stare yourself blind at the price that she or he takes. Most of the time, the hair stylist does know what she's doing or he's doing and they're going to charge what they're worth and you are going to get a job that is worth that money.

A lot of times, sew in are sew in using cotton thread. Cotton has a tendency to dry out your hair. Cotton threads also weaken after time and there are some different factors that can add to the deterioration of the cotton thread. When I say this, I'm talking about the weft because most of the weft is sew with cotton thread. These stitches can deteriorate and that will also cause shedding. Please use nylon thread instead.

#5. How Often Should You Wash Your Hair Extensions

A lot of people ask me how often should you wash your hair. I say that depends on you. For me personally, I like to wash my hair once a week. If you sweat a lot, maybe you want to wash your hair more often. There is people who wash their hair once a month. I can't really say what's right or wrong but just make sure that you don't get any buildup and bacteria growing in your scalp. You have to be able to provide a very healthy environment for your hair to grow.

It's good to use a clarifying shampoo that rids the hair of all dirt and all builds ups and also follow up with a very good moisturizing conditioner. You can also co-wash the hair but make sure that you really do use the shampoo to get into your scalp and massage it. Also, use your fingertips and not your nail when you're about to rinse the shampoo and the conditioner out.

As you know, the hair extensions do not grow from your scalp. So it is really important that you add moisture. Hair extensions especially virgin hair does tend to get dry after time especially when using a lot of heat and maybe different kind of products. I like these leaving sprays that conditions and moisturizes the hair. Too many products can cause builds up in your hair causing it to shed, causing it to tangle and matt. So be careful of what kind of products you use in your hair. Some kind of hair doesn't even like different products. It gets messy, gets tangle. You think that hair is not good but maybe it just prefers to be in its natural state without anything added to it.

#6. When To Take Town The Hair Extensions

Take down your weave or your sew-in after six or eight weeks. Do you know every day we shed hair? It is natural. But in a sew-in, your shed hair has nowhere to go. So you need to remove your sew-in after a period of time. Remember you should let your natural hair rest before getting your next sew-in.

All we want is healthy and long-lasting beauty. Hopefully, you can learn from my experience and these tips can help you enjoy your weave experience.