I never thought I would, but here I am rocking my very first middle part sew in with no leave out. You guys know, I love my crochet braids so much. I wanna say that I’ve been wearing crochet braids as a “workout proof” protective hairstyle for a year and a half now. I’ve enjoyed the convenience and freedom of experimenting with the color, curls and length, all while protecting my natural hair underneath.
But, despite the ease and convenience of crochet braids style, I’ve been drawn to the silky, natural texture of weave/sew-in hair extensions. Weave hair provides us the ability to access to a whole new look and texture of hair not found with crochet braids since the silky texture prevents the interlocking required to secure crochet braids. So, after months of research and learning many YouTube videos, I successfully installed my first middle part sew in with no leave out (not without plenty mistakes and frustration). To help you avoid making those same mistakes, I’d like to share below my top take-a-ways from my first weave installation.
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Cut your teeth on synthetic hair.
If you’re doing your sew-in weave yourself, use synthetic hair in your first couple of times until you have a perfect technique. To avoid the frizzing and matting traditionally characteristic of crochet hair, I want to choose to go with human hair for my first weave, I strongly advise against this! Human hair is quite expensive and even more so for the longer length sizes.
To Sew or to Glue?
Do Your Research. Weave can be installed by two ways, using bonding glue (quick weave) or a sew in. Just a simple search on Youtube can show you the hair loss and damage women have suffered from improper use of bonding glue.
Because I wanted a fuller look but have shaved sides so I decided to use the bonding technique for my first middle part sew in with no leave out. Big mistake! I’ll never do it again. First off, the tracks started to fall out after teaching my very first fitness class! Fortunately, they didn’t come all the way out until class was over. But can you know the feeling how embarrassing it would have been when a track fell out in the middle of class?! I also didn’t like the feel when the glue and bonding shield on my scalp and hair. It was literally suffocating. And, because the hair was glued in place, it was difficult to pull my hair back to exercise and teach my fitness classes.
Give your hair a break between protective styles.
This tips can be applied to crochet braids as well as weave extensions. If you’re old enough to remember Susan Taylor, the former editor of Essence Magazine, you probably noticed how her hairline gradually receded over the years from the gorgeous, beaded cornrow style she constantly wore.
Your scalp and hair needs a break from the tension of cornrows, even if they aren’t braided tight, to avoid traction alopecia and other hair and scalp damage.
Every month or two, I always take a break from crochet braids to relieve tension on my scalp and just to enjoy the beauty and texture of the natural hair that God gave me. Not only do I find it liberating, I love running my fingers through my natural hair and love that my husband can do the same. If you still prefer to wear sew in weave extensions, braidless crochet, wigs and faux ponies are viable transitional styles between your crochet and weave installations. There’s still some tension on your scalp, but not nearly as much tension as with braids.
How do you think about these tips above? Hope you find it useful. Feel free to share with us your experiences and opinions. Keep following our website for more in the next articles. Thank for your time!!!
