Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Are You Feeling "Natural Weaves"? + How To Make Your Hair Extensions Last Longer!


Is it just me or are you loving the naturally curly look on these ladies? Rocking styles like the ones above can really help preserve your extensions by protecting them from heat damage. Rock a kinky texture like Solange, or do a Braid Out and wear a flirty look like Beyonce, or a twist out for mermaid-like locks similar to Teyana Taylor. 


I found an amazing vendor [Real Hair Exclusive] last year that sells hair that looks exactly like Afro American hair in it's naturally curly state. This would be a great install to achieve the looks shown above. Here's a picture of the hair!

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It's that time of year when many of us tuck our hair away and opt for protective styles like sew-in weaves for the winter. While they can be a great change of pace from your normal styling routine, they are also quite an investment as well. Proper styling tools, products and techniques can help stretch the life of your extensions from months to a few years. 


Styling Extensions
Heat should be used on low-settings. I actually recommend investing in Caruso Steam Rollers, as they are better for the hair versus thermal styling. 


Here are additional methods of styling that will help cut down on the use of thermal tools and stretch the life of your extensions:
  • For spiral curls: Set hair on flexi rods and sit under the dryer for about an hour
  • For waves: Braid hair while wet, and take down the braids once the hair is fully dry
  • For natural looking spirals: Twist hair while wet, and take down the twists once the hair is fully dry
Shampooing & Conditioning Extensions:
  • Finger comb the hair prior to adding shampoo
  • Use a shampoo formulated for chemically treated hair [as they tend to be on the mild side] 
  • Always use lukewarm-warm water for your extensions
  • Use about a dime size-quarter size amount of shampoo for the hair, and be sure to work from the weft down, using gentle strokes. This will eliminate tangles and matting. 
  • Rinse out shampoo using cool water and continue to rinse until the water is clear and there are no longer any bubbles present
  • Lightly towel dry the hair using an old t-shirt or microfiber towel [I prefer an old Hane's tee]
  • Apply a dime-quarter size amount of conditioner to the hair and allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes
  • Rinse out conditioner using cool water and continue to rinse until the water is clear and there are no longer any bubbles present
  • Lightly towel dry the hair using an old t-shirt or microfiber towel
  • Apply a small amount of leave-in conditioner to add moisture back into the hair and protect it from UV rays, mechanical damage, dry air and thermal styling
Detangling Extensions:  
  • Always detangle from the bottom up with one hand gripping the area near the weft. This helps reduce shedding and breakage. 
  • Remember to use a wide tooth comb [not a brush] when detangling. Wide tooth combs create the least amount of tension, snagging and tugging. 
  • Braid the hair in four sections and allow the hair to air dry. If you want to use a blow dryer, I recommend using a medium heat setting with a diffuser
Nighttime Care: 
  • If you're wearing straight hair, cross-wrap your hair and sleep using a satin bonnet. This will prevent dents and waves in the hair.
  • If you're wearing curly hair; braid or twist your hair in four sections and sleep using a satin bonnet. This will help prevent tangles and matting while you sleep. 
  • Also remember to never sleep with wet hair!
Keeping Extensions Moisturized: 
  • Moisturize curly hair about once every other day with a diluted conditioner. This will help hydrate the hair and retain the sheen and softness.
  • If you're wearing your hair straight, you can add sheen to the hair with pure Coconut or Jojoba oil.
Product Recommendations: 
I exclusively used Goldwell Kerasilk products on my extensions throughout the years with wonderful results.

[photo source 1, 2, 3]

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25 comments:

  1. I'm loving these looks too! I'm thinking about getting a sew-in like Beyonce's to help me through this transition

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  2. I'm rocking a natural wig as we speak, just until my buzz cut grows out, and I'm kind of scared to do away with it because of the overwhelming positive response lol.

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  3. OMG! How can I order that hair!!!

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  4. oooooooh, i love it! all of the wigs and things i've been looking at for protective styling for the winter are all curly natural looking hair. I'd love something like any of those beauties have, not so much into the sew ins anymore because they irritate my scalp :( But that's some good hair in the bundle that you've found

    Vonnie
    http://www.socialitedreams.com/

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  5. Great article, but I must point out that Teyana Taylor is and has been natural all her life and has incredible long hair. Check out some of her modeling pics or her episode of "My Super Sweet 16". Also, Beyonce is natural under all those lace fronts as well.

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  6. Love article. I still have difficulty figuring out if people's styles are a weave or not. Thanks for info.
    Live, Love, Peace. ~OrganicallyGrownCurls

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  7. Nikole must have read my mind. I have been eyeballing some kinky curly hair from all about my hair after seeing a few sew ins of Ediese from Fotki. 4 years ago when I first went natural I was asking my girlfriend why more kinky hair isn't sold in beauty supply stores. I guess some people are just getting the memo that kinky hair is desirable. but, I'm gonna have to hold off on buying any more hair products. I just spent a pretty penny on some professional hair shears and my heutiful hair steamer. but I do love this post, it's right up there with how to keep SSKs at bay.

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  8. I love the idea, ,and I thought I would never do weaves again. PLUS, for the first tme ever, that's available in europe!

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  9. Thanks for the website but is it not available to get it sent to the US?

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  10. How bout you just wear your OWN hair natural. duh.

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  11. Is the hair from this website better quality than other websites such as Laniks? I am asking because I have been looking for quality hair sites which I don't feel is too much ask given the asking prices. I have tried a few sites that had hair that was constantly shedding and the texture wasn't so great after a few weeks.

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  12. i am totally ok with people wearing natural hair weaves. going back in black history, wearing weaves is as culturally significant as natural or permed hair. i particularly like this trend because the argument behind people disliking people wearing bone straight weave is that they wear it because that the hair they want instead of real, black hair. i love the idea of a person having hair envy for curls and kinks!

    missdeeplyrooted.blogspot.com

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  13. I love it!! I prefer to wear my real hair natural,but if I was in the business and wanted to rock the natural look, I would def reach for one of these wigs!!

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  14. I love the natural wigs/weave. Some ladies are so afraid to wear their own texture and this trend may just break that fear.

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  15. very very cute! I may try one this winter. I want to do protective styles until my 1 year BC anniversary!

    thegrandduchy.blogspot.com

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  16. i love natural hair weaves as well they look great when done right!

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  17. That's one of the best looking natural looking weaves I've seen, great tips as well! @Lavy, I have also wondered why it's so hard to find kinky textured hair in beauty supply shops. At one shop I asked if they ever stocked it and the lady replied that they used to but stopped because very few people ever bought them. For many people it's not a desirable look.

    Sue

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  18. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect natural looking weave/wig. I just dont like the idea of going ordering it online. I want to try it out first! Lol.

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  19. I have the Goldwell Kerasilk Shampoo, Treatment & Moisturizer. The treatment did not work well on transitioning hair (left it tangled and got breakage) so I will use the rest of the treatment on my half wig. Thanks for the suggestion.

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  20. Hi Moptop Maven,

    I was on the site...how do we order from the USA? What am I missing? I would like to place an order now...

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  21. Love this post! Invited my readers to come to it. Great post.

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  22. I love them!! However I hate Beyonce's on her. I dont like that look for her at all. Maybe its the color or maybe the braid out look. Its just not my cup of tea for her. But I love the idea of those wigs. I have a couple curly ones myself to help in my transition.

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  23. I love the idea... I've actually been adding pieces to my fro for a few years now as a protective style (My natural hair has always been pretty long, but I suffered some breakage due to color and heat damage). It blends perfectly and no one knows... not even my friends. It's my best kept beauty secret! The extra length gives me so many more options. I can bun it, straighten it, twist it. Love it! If anyone wants info about US vendors, let me know! I buy high quality hair that I can reuse. It's a great investment.

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  24. also it's nice to see beyonce rocking her natural texture. I'm sure she's under a lot of pressure to keep up the straight look..

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