How to take care of your Weaves/Hair Extensions

                                                                                                                      image source: http://www.rehairducation.com/

Hey my lovelies,
I hope your week has been beautiful. I have been wearing hair extensions for almost 10 years on and off now and it is one of the easiest ways to switch up my style while letting my natural hair grow as much as possible. In the past 3 years, I have been wearing human hair extensions or weaves because they are more natural looking and last for a really long time. They have not been cheap at all and their prices depend on what length you choose which is why i always take care of my weaves/hair extensions to ensure they last for a really long time and look healthy while they are installed on my hair. A lot of people think they do not have to take care of their weaves but that's wrong; that's the only way to preserve it and ensure it looks healthy. I daresay you may have to take care of your weave almost as much as your natural hair...ok, a little bit close but you get my drift. I am going to share a few tips that have worked for me to ensure my weaves are always in top form year in year out...

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Great Quality Weaves 

I think this is the starting point to ensure your weave lasts as long as possible. Investing in good quality hair extensions regardless of what type of hair it is, is very important. I would rather spend a lot of money on weaves with outstanding quality than buy some crap that would only last for a few weeks. With all sorts of bad quality hair, it is wise to be smart about where you are buying from. Most high quality weaves feel soft to touch, you can run your finger through them easily, the wefts are well sewn on and it is usually devoid of any untoward smell. Good quality weaves would hold a curl easily, have a natural lustre, would not tangle (that's my pet peeve), would not matt in humid conditions and most importantly, it would last for a really long time no matter how many times you install it.

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Minimal Manipulation
A good style would help maintain your weave for a long time. I prefer to install low maintenance styles that requires minimal manipulation. If you have to pull, tug, brush and comb your hair to frame the style every morning then it would be too much tension both for your natural hair and your extension which is not very good. Furthermore, when you manipulate your extensions every time, you stand the risk of experiencing shedding no matter how tightly wefted the extensions are or how well you sealed the wefts.
  
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Invest in Good Quality Hair Essentials
Again, I prefer to keep it simple. When i have a weave, i make sure i have the following tools at hand: A wide toothed comb, a smaller comb, a brush (optional), a silk bonnet, a shower cap and bendy rollers. I prefer to use a comb for my weaves compared to a brush but that's just my preference. At night, i give my extensions a good comb-through and put it in two pigtails and secure the ends with a non-grip hair tie and put on my silk bonnet and that's it. I prefer a silk bonnet because it protects the hair from any snags while sleeping and it preserves its natural lustre and shine. In the shower, I put on a shower cap in order to prevent water getting to my weave as that's not very good especially when i am not washing my weave afterwards. If i want curls, I use my bendy rollers overnight protected in the silk bonnet and i go to bed to wake up to lovely heat-less curls.

                                                                                                                             image source: www.mamiverse.com

             
Minimal Heat Application
Many people use heat almost everyday on their extensions and they wonder why their extensions look dodgy after a little while. Applying heat consistently to any kind of hair (both your natural hair and your extensions) has never been a good thing. Constant heat applications through curlers and straighteners would only add to  eventual collateral damage to your hair extensions. Sometimes, it can even change the texture and the soft silky feel of lovely hair extensions may even disappear forever. I know it can be fun with the rollers, curlers and straighteners but it should not be done too often. With my extensions, i only apply heat to them once in two weeks (I am lazy like that) except i am in dire need of a different look for an occasion. You can always get curls using bendy rollers or even pin curls with thousands of tutorials for heat-less curls on YouTube. 

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Weekly Washing and Conditioning
Quite a few people find it really hard to wash their hair extensions while it is installed on their hair hence they do not wash it at all or go to the salon to have it "expertly" washed. oh well!! I know it could be a bit challenging but i wash my hair every week usually on Saturday evening or Sunday afternoons. I don't pour water from the top of my head or anything of the sort instead I part my hair into two sections and take down the shower head so i am in control of the direction of the water. I don't scrub or heavily manipulate while washing; i just use my fingers in a downwards stroke to massage the hair extensions with some shampoo to get rid of any product build up or dirt, repeat on other side and rinse off. Then, I proceed with my conditioner, let it sit for a few minutes with the same downward stroke and rinse off. Most times I air dry (which is why i wash on days i am not going out) or if i am impatient, I would blow dry with my dryer on low heat. My favourite shampoo and conditioner is the Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Range which is amazing and leaves my hair extensions really soft and back to its original soft silky state.

  


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Moisture, Natural Lustre and Hair Products
As a rule of the thumb, i prefer not to use a lot of products on my hair extensions as i find it weighs it down a lot and it makes it look really limp and dull. If i feel my hair extensions are dry, i lightly apply some serum (John Frieda's Frizz Ease Serum) lightly between my hands and massage it evenly around the hair extensions. Honestly, this is the only product that my hair extensions actually need and it helps restores its shine and natural lustre. If i have to apply heat to my hair extensions, I always use a heat protectant before i apply heat.Again, my favourite one is John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat. I ensure the heat protectant is fairly dry before applying the heat because applying heat to damp hair is an absolute no-no! 

                                                                                                                        image source: www.feelunique.com

                               
Colouring and Bleaching your extensions
I am not against colouring or bleaching hair extensions, in fact, it is one of the ways of switching up your extensions in a bid look different if you feel bored already. I have bleached, dyed, coloured and ombred most of my hair extensions and it has always been fun. If you buy good quality hair extensions, you won't have to worry about any extensive damage to them. However, once you apply any of these chemical processes to hair extensions, you must always condition your hair extensions for a longer time to ensure it still retains its natural lustre and texture. When i bleached and "ombred" my hair extensions, i conditioned it for almost 15 minutes every week and my hair extensions were super soft. Of course, you don't have to condition for that long but i did it because i just felt like. Most times, these chemical processes could expose your hair extensions to dryness, brittleness and sometimes shedding so it is very important to condition and apply some serum if need be. I know this was a longer post than most of my recent posts but i hope you have enjoyed it. Even if you do not wear hair extensions, you can still apply some of these steps in taking care of your natural hair. See you in my next post...toodles...xx

Natural Hair Update: Protective Styles for maximum hair growth

Hi My Lovelies,
It's been a little while since I last updated this blog about my hair journey and it's simply because I got lazy. Having natural hair can be very rewarding but it requires a lot of hard work and sometimes, I just get really lazy and can't be really bothered. I had some braids for about two months from the end of July to mid September and I took them out. 

Normally, I only leave my hair out for a day or so before braiding it again or putting it into a protective style but this time, I just left it out for a week or so. Boy! was it stressful? I had to do my hair every morning which is something I never stress about with  my braids or any other protective style but I liked the challenge because I could play with my hair. 

Honestly, I am very low maintenance when it comes to my hair.  I decided to make a U-Part wig (just sewing some extensions on a wig cap and leaving out some space for your real hair). I made two; A straight yaki-like extension one and a curly one. I really liked the curly one because I did not have to manipulate or damage my hair with any heat.

                                           
U-Part Wig Straight Yaki
I just got 2 packs of very inexpensive hair extensions from my local beauty store and made a U-Part wig attached with some wig clips. I have a beautiful mannequin head which has been featured here earlier in the year. I got a wig cap (I like using the dome cap) and sewed on the extensions and attached the wig clips to the perimeters to attach to my hair. It took me about 2 hours to make it because I was lazing around the house as well. I washed my natural hair, conditioned, put in some corn rows and attached the wig. The good thing about clip-on U-part wigs is the fact that you can take it off every day and give your hair some air ;-) which is what I did. I left very little leave-out but it still did not blend it; so I bought a headband and voila! I was sorted and my hair saw no heat..

 


U-Part Curly Wig
I actually really liked this wig a lot because  it is closer to my natural hair texture which means I did not have to do any blending in. All I did was make the U-Part wig, corn row my hair and sewed the wig down around the perimeter of my head. I did not use the clips this time around. Then, I applied some gel (Eco- Styler Gel) to my leave out and added a few bobby pins so it stayed flat. Once dry, it looked amazing and some people thought it was my natural hair. *grin* .The only downside to this method is it was sewn down so my natural hair did not get much air or moisture and the gel application was getting messy and annoying so i had to take it down and wash it. The weave itself was not very good quality so before you could say "Fashstyleliv", it was tangling and the curls were looking a bit dodgy. That marked the end of the era of the curly wig although I really enjoyed the look.

    
The Brazilian Weave with a Closure
After all said and done, I closed my eyes, went to get some really nice weave from Khairmax Beauty which has really amazing weaves. I got a 12-inch closure (Brazilian) and two bundles of 14 inches (Brazilian) and 1 bundle of 16 inch (Brazilian).I think the amount i paid for my purchase was fair because the Khairmax hair quality is outstanding and it feels ever so soft. To top it off, i already had a Khairmax Beauty card which entitled me to a 10% discount which comes in really handy when you are spending a lot. I think their hair closure is one of the best i have tried as the parting looks very realistic and i didn't need to bleach the knots and it matched my scalp excellently.

I proceeded to book an appointment in one of the most sought-after Afro Salons in London-Honey Hand Salon and decided to get my hair laid. Getting an appointment was a different story and they were fully booked but I was placed on a waiting list (yeah, you read that right) and l was luckily offered a place due to some cancellation. I had heard so many good things about Honey Hand Salon and I expected only the best. I went to the one in New Cross Gate and it was amazing.

I met the owner Hannah Balogun who actually fixed the weave and closure. I was really amazed and impressed by how professional they all were in the salon. One of the hair dressers took down my corn rows and washed my hair which felt so good as my scalp was well massaged for a change without my bending over the bathtub which happens when I wash my hair myself. Then, she corn rowed my hair with some extensions (I think she used Expressions) and I was handed over to Hannah who fixed the closure and the weave. Then, she styled my hair as well. When I was done, I was given a personalised delicious cup cake with my name on it (how cute is that!!) but I was so hungry I did not even take a picture (sorry guys!!) and I was given a loyalty card as well.  To say I was impressed with the outcome of my hair and Honey Hand Salon as a whole is a major understatement. I was bowled over and I would definitely be returning again because that's how amazing they are. It was a little bit more expensive than an average London salon but my hair was properly laid, guys!! I really love it and that's what I have been rocking since. I may do a post on how to take care of your weaves.

                             

I hope you have enjoyed this little update and I apologise for not posting really nice pictures. I literally took them off my phone and my Instagram. I hope you have all had an amazing weekend... I know i did.. Cheers to Monday :-)...See you in my next post...xx ..toodles.