So you’ve been wearing your weave for 8 weeks and you are ready to take it down. You’ve been taking care of your own hair while your weave was installed and you are happy with the increase in length that you have seen.
Before you jump for joy saying ‘Weaves work great for hair growth!’ and rush off to the hair salon to have another weave installed, take a step back to figure out what your hair really needs first.
It’s no secret that protective styling, of which weaves are an example, helps your hair retain length only because you are not continuously manipulating it.
Manipulation is the biggest killer of black hair and can undo all your growth efforts in a few styling sessions. On the other hand, reinstalling a weave straight after taking one down may not be the answer either.
It brings to mind the story of a young woman who managed to grow her relaxed hair with a weave all the way down to waist length. She wore weaves continuously for quite a few years. She only took her weave down every 2-3 months to wash, condition and touch up her relaxer and within a week, her hair was back in a weave again!
When this lady finally decided to give up weaves and wear her own hair, people oohed and aaahed about how beautiful her own hair was. Six months of no weaves later however, this woman had lost almost half her length from breakage and true to form, she weaved up her hair again proclaiming that she would never wear her own hair out again!
It saddens me to hear hair stories like these because I know that her hair wasn’t at fault here, her hair practices were. She was so used to her remy hair and how resilient it is compared to her own hair that she had never bothered to learn basic principles of taking care of black hair. That is what had cost her the length that she lost.
To avoid getting youself in the same position, here are 3 things you should always remember after taking down a weave.
Protein – While your hair is in a weave, the cornrows probably get wet pretty often so moisture is not a problem. But even with our best efforts, getting enough protein to the strands while they are confined in cornrows is difficult and weak hair is often a problem once a weave is taken down.
It is advisable to get a good protein treatment like Aphogee 2 step protein treatment or Nexxus Emergencee within a week of taking down a weave. This will bring your hair’s moisture-protein balance back in line.
Gentle manipulation – Black hair although structurally similar to other hair types, is not as resilient as virgin Indian hair is. You may have taken a brush to your hair extensions every morning without issues but following the same routine with your own hair will leave you with broken pieces all over the place.
You will need to learn patience and a very gentle hand while dealing with your own hair. Wide tooth combs only please!
Protective styling – Yes we all love to rock our 20 inch virgin straight extensions long and flowing every day of the week, even when we are just sitting at home! As much as I’d like to tell you that you can do the same with your own hair, it is simply not true. Protective styling is a necessary part of any good hair regimen and this involves wearing the hair off the shoulders and away from your clothes for a large part of the week.
There are still a ton of great styles that you can wear with your hair protected, bun’s don’t have to be boring!
