are weaves really beneficial?

[bellezanegra826]

I was reading this month's issue of Sophisticates Black Hair Magazine which has an article featuring Mary J Blige. (One of my disagreements with this magazine is that it often shows women with long hair and gives tips about how to have healthy hair, while the magazine fails to mention that a lot of these women wear weaves. But I digress.) I decided to join the weave challenge because I am tired of doing my hair and I thought it would be a good way for my hair to grow. Anyway I was reading how Mary J suggests weaves as a good way to grow your hair long. Well if they are, then by my calculations, since mary j has been wearing weaves all of my life, she should have waist length hair. HOWEVER, we never see Mary J's own hair and if weaves are helping her, then she should wear her hair down. So I just wanted to ask some real people (you wonderful ladies) if weaves have actually helped your hair grow. I know some people have been doing this weave challenge, so what have been your results so far? I am not trying to hate on weaves because I am wearing one now, I just want to know if I am wasting my time and money.

 

[Blossssom]

I don't wear a weave, but know people that do.

My thing with growing out your hair with a weave is this:

Say you do grow out your hair with a weave... if you decide to wear your hair after that, will you know how to care for it? Because if you don't, it will all break off.

And it's not enough to know how to comb your hair (which takes practice) or the "dos" and "don'ts", because a lot of what you learn when dealing with your hair and how to care for it comes with time.

If you begin wearing your own hair down, more than likely, you will destroy it. Hair is so fragile. You can't make a lot of mistakes with it.

My sister wears a weave. Has been wearing it for about 2 years now. Her hair, when the woman takes it down, is long. It's beautiful! My sister doesn't know how to deal with her own hair, and because the weave is so convenient, she continues to wear the weave.

I believe a lot of women, after they have grown out their hair, continue to wear the weave as a crutch. They don't know anything else and they are frightened of destroying it. Rightfully so.

Can't wait to see other responses to this... preferably from those who had a weave and then went real with it.

 

[bellezanegra826]

oh one more thing, I just got this weave like 3 weeks ago but it looks a hot A&* mess. On a one to ten scale, one being ciarra when she first came out and 10 being a natural looking weave, I would say this weave is about a 2. Is 3 weeks too soon to get it redone? I want to get the cornrows going vertically b/c I heard this is better for your hair but I really want to know what you ladies think.

 

[Blossssom]

My sister gets her weave done every 3 months...

I believe it depends on the technique and the quality of the hair.

Sister's weave looks very nice. She can pull it up and such. It's a sew in, though.

 

[bluediamond0829]

i sometimes just think about the damage that it may cause...just like wearing braids can cause damage...i know i can be a witness to tht...because thats all ive been doing is wearing either sewins or braids...and even though my hair seems to get growth and length to it...but it hasnt thrived to the point where i can say its all even and nice....i believe that with us that weaves should be more of a break...like Blossom mentioned we use it as a crutch too much..because now looking back i have never really had a healthy full head of hair that i could say thrived with after wearing braids...

 

[Belle Du Jour]

I am a fan of falls, falls, falls! You can change it up, get the look of a natural weave, and still take care of your hair in the process. No tension put on the hair at all.

 

[Blossssom]

Blue, my sister already told me that she plans to wear her weave, or a lacefront, for the duration of her days...

 

[Deniece]

I was a hardcore sew-in weave wearer...and I did get growth but not health...my ends were split...hair was always dry when I took it out..but I wasn't the best at spraying it...when I did start taking care of it (moisturizing it)....while it was up it wasn't dry anymore but I wanted to take care of my own hair ..

so if you are gonna do it just for style I say yeah for overall health no...

 

[FlyyGyrl]

Weaves are beneficial if you know what you are doing. You have to keep your hair moisturized underneath and you can't keep it in forever. I have gone as long as 4 months successfully w/o breakage. But in those 4 months I took very good care of my hair, and I washed my weave often. Most ppl can only do 2 months tho. Reniece is a good example of some1 who grew long healthy hair with weaves. Check her out at www.reniece.com. And of course you need a resting period betweens weaves. When you take it out you need to deep condition. Same with braids.

 

[bellezanegra826]

so is there anyone out there who took good care of their weave and still got bad results or took good care of it and got bad results? Am I to understand that weaves are always the kiss of death for hair or are there some good stories out there?

 

[bellezanegra826]

flyygirl: should I do a resting period even though I have only had this weave in for less than 3 weeks?

 

[Blossssom]

Yes, because your question still isn't being answered in its entirety, I don't think...

I forgot to mention I so agree with you about black hair magazines. They talk like it's the person real hair. Omigod!

Such posturing!

From what I understand, weaves are semi-permanent. You may be wasting your time and money to take it down so soon.

What kind of weave do you have again?

 

[Healthb4Length]

Weaves can definitely grow out your hair IF you take care of the hair underneath properly. Reniece used weaves to grow out her hair, www.Reniece.com shows you how. I've seen Mary J's hair when she had some special years ago on VH1 with her stylist Neeko, her hair was bra length and very healthy. I understand why she chooses to wear weaves all the time, who wouldn't want to wake up with fabulous no fuss hair? Plus being inthe industry one would have to have a lot of heat and styles done on a daily basis which can add a lot of stress therefore breaking fragile hair.

 

[Blossssom]

Wow! Reniece is a cutie too, and her hair is gorgeous! Nice and shiny!

I saved this link. Thanks!

 

[bellezanegra826]

Blossom: I have a sew-in. My hair was cornrowed horizontally then tracks were sewn on to each braid. This makes for a very humpy, unnatural look. I find that people either stare at me or make comments about the weave when they think I can't hear them. I see a lot of weaves around me so its not that people have a problem with weaves but that this one that I am wearing is unnatural looking. I don't care what other people think as much as I care about the fact that when I look at the weave I just don't like it. I paid $75 dollars for this so I guess this experience would fall under the 'you get what you pay for category'.

 

[Blossssom]

No, you have the wrong one. I don't know what technique my sister has, but her weave has a "cap" or something and the hair was sewn into the "cap".

When I talk to her next time, I'll ask her what the technique is.

The first time she got the weave, it cost about $800. She gets it redone every 3 months and it's $300. It's very natural looking. Everybody thinks it's her hair that doesn't know her.

I'll let you know.

 

[asummertyme]

Well i guess anything can be damaging if its done wrong , too tight, ect..
That is why i am a big fan of DO IT URSELF! I have been doing my own hair for yrs..but i only withing that last 3 yrs have been learning how to care for it thanx to this board..just make sure u get a stylists that will not pull your hair too tight..wash it and keep it moisturised...and u will do fine..i love weaving..and when i take out my weave, my hair has minimal shedding( since i went natural my hair does not shed as much as it used too),my hair has grown..and its healthy ...I think braids and weaves are great protective styles..but as blossom said..u must know how to care for your hair afterwards..but with boards like these..u cant go wrong..

 

[FlyyGyrl]

Blossom: I have a sew-in. My hair was cornrowed horizontally then tracks were sewn on to each braid. This makes for a very humpy, unnatural look. I find that people either stare at me or make comments about the weave when they think I can't hear them. I see a lot of weaves around me so its not that people have a problem with weaves but that this one that I am wearing is unnatural looking. I don't care what other people think as much as I care about the fact that when I look at the weave I just don't like it. I paid $75 dollars for this so I guess this experience would fall under the 'you get what you pay for category'.

Ok. If it is that bad then I guess you should take it out. I would invest in a good weaving video and do it yourself. It would prob save you a lot in the long run. If not, then next time opt for a curly weave ( i'm a fan of wet n wavy myself). You can wash them daily if you please and they look more natural. Everybody thinks I'm Indian But yes you do need a short resting period (Maybe 1 week in your case) to deep condition.

 

[littleaudie]

I'm not a fan of weaves. In my experience even when I took the best care of my hair there was always a terrible drying. Worse part is whatever hair I used to cover my weaves was always left damaged/broken.
I love the way they look. But they don't work for me. I will throw a drastring ponytail or fall on in a minute. But it's like a hat - I need to be able to take it off at the end of the day.

 

[bellezanegra826]

does getting it put in a ponytail count as 'resting'? I really don't want to wear my hair down since I want to do the protection thing. The weather here is so humid and icky that if I don't want to look like boo boo the fool, then I have to do a lot of manipulation.

 

[FlyyGyrl]

A ponytail counts as resting as long as you take your hair out of the pony to deep condition it at least once a week. Maybe you could try a baggie underneath as well. I forgot to say before to take your time when you are taking out the weave. A lot of ppl lose hair because they cut some of it out along with the weave hair.

 

[Miss*Tress]

The first time she got the weave, it cost about $800. She gets it redone every 3 months and it's $300. It's very natural looking. Everybody thinks it's her hair that doesn't know her.

I'll let you know.

$1200 a year for hair?????
I grumble everytime I shell out a few euros for my ORS Hair Mayonnaise which I seem to go through faster than the speed of light. In total I must spend about $300-400 a year on my hair and that is way too much for me. It would look so much better added to my bank statement. LOL

 

[beyondcute]

WOAH! Thats expensive! I say ask around. Renice has way better prices than that and they look great. I think $300 is WAY over the top. The must be using handwefted indian hair and some gold/platinum thread! Ive seen GREAT sew-ins for $60 and horrible ones for $200 so its not what you pay for its who does it. Hel you could buy a lacefront for $600. Thats just as bad as my friend paying $160 for her touchups.... No way in hell.

 

[asummertyme]

yeah, that is costly..that's why i say learn to do it ya self...the most expensive thing for me is the hair..and that runs me $120-130.00 tops..but hey if ya got it like that..more power to ya..

 

[Healthb4Length]

No, you have the wrong one. I don't know what technique my sister has, but her weave has a "cap" or something and the hair was sewn into the "cap".

When I talk to her next time, I'll ask her what the technique is.

The first time she got the weave, it cost about $800. She gets it redone every 3 months and it's $300. It's very natural looking. Everybody thinks it's her hair that doesn't know her.

I'll let you know.

Blossom, I think your sister got a net weave, where the hair underneath is wrapped, a net is placed over the wrapped hair and then the weaved hair is sown on top of the net, this is supposed to be less damaging.

 

[Blossssom]

Blossom, I think your sister got a net weave, where the hair underneath is wrapped, a net is placed over the wrapped hair and then the weaved hair is sown on top of the net, this is supposed to be less damaging.

Yes, that sounds similar to what she has. I don't know what the technique is called, though. Her hair is very healthy underneath-no damage.

Yes, $1200 a year is what it comes out to. I didn't realize until someone actually said it.

But her weave is very nice, and she loves it.

 

[asummertyme]

netweaves, that is the method i use to weave my hair..i really love it.

 

[FlyyGyrl]

How exactly do the net weaves work? Can you do a net weave without any braids in the hair? Or do you need a few braids to secure the net?

 

[kinkyreggae]

YES!!! I'm a Marketing Manager in Houston and travel a lot for business and pleasure. I have learned not to set foot on a plane without my cornrow weave. I can get to meetigns, outings and dinner on time wihout having to do hair, workout, go swimming, without having to damage hair, and give my hair a "break" from the stress of styling. All I have to do is pull my hair back or up for a differnet look. The main thing is the CONVENIENCE can't be beat. It's so funny because I have very thick, big hair that will be about below shoulders/bottom of shoulder blades/bicep length for my Janauray relaxer, took my weave out this weekend and my hair is so thick and big that my regualr guy at Starbucks did not recognize me!

Plus I have found the results AMAZING when I take me hair down and get a relaxer, thick, healthy, UNBROKEN hair! Tht's because I weave every other track, wash hair with Keracare twice a week, sit under the hood to dry scalp cornrows, oil cornrows with Keracare essential oils on bottle spout, maintain edges with Elasta QP Mango Butter. It's all about how you take care of it when it's in, but I would only EVER recommend a cornrow weave, best results, healthieset hair after my Affirm Regular lye relaxer!!!

 

[asummertyme]

welcome to the board kinkyreggae!!