Weaves? WHAT?!

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Everyone gets weaves. Right? Right. But do we use the same methods as our silky haired peers? Actually yes! Everything that Black woman do such as glue, and sew-ins White, Spanish, Asian, and Indian woman can also do. ( I wanted to provide a link of what I thought was a very good demonstration of the process for a sew-in, but was unable to embed it and must just provide you with the title.)[ Long Hair Track Extensions Applications Part 1,2 &3 on Youtube.com] In this post I will cover both applications of the weave [sew-in and glue], and discuss their aspects.

Sew-in
This is my FAVORITE type of application for these reasons:

1. It gives your hair a break and time to grow
2. It helps your hair maintain moisture if you still wash it
3. You get to flat-iron the heck out of hair that's NOT YOURS <so no damage>
4. You give yourself a new look and can continue to change it, if your creative and willing.
5. They can last up to anywhere from a month to three (with proper maintenance).

I am the most familiar with this method and when I choose to get my hair done I usually take this route, because I feel it's safer for my hair. Basically what happens in this process is your natural hair get braided to the scalp in tight [not too tight] braids, and then the hair is literally sewn onto the braids. 

• You can opt to get a full head sew in which means no hair is left out. Styles like Nicki Minaj's long hair and Chinese bang would be an example of this. 
• Then there the option to have the top of your hair left out and the rest braided up and blended with your natural hair.
• And finally you can have three or four tracks added in your hair for thickness or length.

Each of these techniques take time and I hundred percent recommend a professional or a seasoned hair do-er [??? don't ask] to do this for you.

The problem with sew-ins:

1. They can sometimes result in the loss of the hair around the edge of your hair or your edges. This can lead to thinning of the hair at the hairline, and make it difficult to style your hair, as it is in a very weak state.
2. It can be so tight that you can't think at night. The point of the style is to last, and sometimes that means braiding and sewing tight to ensure the thread and hair holds for a while.
3. Sometimes the thread, track or strands of your hair may come out and be a distraction, to you of course.[this is one of my personal problems]. If you don't know how to sew-in hair then you will have to wait till you can get to your stylist.

To sum Up:

Sew-ins are great if you can take the pain, or find someone to braid loser AND make the style last. It's a great way to rock a new look and let your hair chillax. 

Glue

This is my not so favorite method, but doesn't mean I'm not going to educate you about it. This method is when a bonding glue is applied DIRECTLY to the weft and applied DIRECTLY to your scalp, and is held until dry. Another method which includes gluing weave to the hair roots is Fusions which is when your hair and the weave are tightly braided and a bonding solution is applied and activated with heat. This heat then melts the solution and "attaches" it to your hair. These methods are obviously MUCH quicker than sew-ins but if not handled correctly may be detrimental to your hair.

Things I don't Like

1. The glue can be washed out with conditioner which means you may not be able to wash your hair much.
2. The weight of the glue on the root may thin your hair out.
3. The glue can literally rip hair out if you become impatient with the glue.

Things I like

1. If one track comes loose you can simply apply more adhesive and place the track back on.
2. It takes less time.
3. The tracks can be nearly undetectable [i have a funny story for this :>].
4. You can easily take it out with conditioner, or excessive oil. (Fusions require going to your stylist)

The same techniques for applying the sew-in are applicable to gluing in weave (partial, full head, filler).

If you have shorter hair and want the longer look you may be able to get the whole sew in, but if your hair is too short you can glue in the tracks at the bottom (may not be able to do pony tails) and have the longer hair braided down. You don't have to be tied to one method at a time. Many girls have a partial sew-in and glue in a bang to fill their bang in.

Have fun with it! Just do your research and find an educated stylist!