# Hair Growth after a Sew In



## yanashannon (Oct 1, 2009)

I was always skeptical to wear a sew-in weave as a protective style but after watching a young lady on you tube by the name of MRSDivalike her hair has really grown from her sew in. I will post the link below.

<www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yB1tUTm0Qo

Has anyone else experience great lengths of growth with a sew in, if so how long do you keep it in?

Tell me your thoughts. Thanks Ladies!!

Yana


----------



## SimplyBlessed (Oct 1, 2009)

I got sew ins for like 2 yrs str8...and yes ur hair will grow..I wasn't on LHCF so I really didn't do anything to my hair under the sew ins which idk...maybe leaving my hair alone is what helped my hair grow


BUT I had other major problems....

my hair became very thin (not taking rests in between the sew ins,tight braids), and my edges omg lets not even go there..

So yes ur hair can grow b/c ur leaving it alone and thats what hair does...it grows!!


----------



## NFocus (Oct 1, 2009)

I experienced good growth from my sew-in.  I had it for 2 mos. and grew at least an inch...I think it was a bit more.  Then I went and got a 'trim' and my stylist cut all my growth off..not happy .  So, I definitely think it's a great way to give your hair a break and let it grow.  The only thing is, towards the end, the hair was driving me crazy.  I just wanted to feel my own scalp!


----------



## blksndrlla (Oct 1, 2009)

Check out Edeise... (I think i spelled that right...switch around the ie if not.)

she has had great growth from it...along with plenty of women here...


----------



## LovinLea (Oct 1, 2009)

I'm definitely going to be trying this with my first sew-in this summer. Once Oprah said it, I'm convinced. Her hair is amazing.


----------



## msa (Oct 1, 2009)

Your hair is going to grow regardless...but a sew in helps with retention as long as you continue to take care of your hair underneath.

I find that sew ins are great protective styles for me because I don't have to mess with my hair at all. I just moisturize and keep it moving. If your own hair is high maintenance then a sew in may not work for you.

Here's a good thread if you're new to weaves:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=298353


----------



## mscocoface (Oct 1, 2009)

I did sew ins for 3 or 4 years and I had growth.  But I didn't follow up with deep conditioning, hot oil treatments and basically taking care of the hair while it was hidden.

Needless to say if I had it would be pretty long by now.  But you live and learn.

Yes it is a great protective if you make sure the sew in isn't damaging your hair, too tight and you are taking care of the hair that is not hidden and the hair that is hidden.


----------



## lashannasmall (Oct 1, 2009)

I depends on your hair and who does the weave. I wore a weave for almost two years and my hair is super thin and I will probably wind up cutting little bits of  it off as it grows out until the thin ends are gone. If you hair is strong and healthy, a weave will probably help with retention. If you have naturally fine or thin hair or any damage whatsoever, I wouldn't do it.


----------



## BlackGeisha (Oct 1, 2009)

sew ins took me from neck length to apl. I keep mine in 3 months at a time.


----------



## yanashannon (Oct 1, 2009)

BlackGeisha your hair is gorgeous!! How long did it take you to get to APL and how did you care for your hair underneath your sew in? Did you relax right after each sew in?


----------



## RoseGolden (Oct 1, 2009)

Sew-in's are amazing for length retention! Check my sig, I attribute most of that growth to wearing sew-ins off and on from 2007-2009.  Of course you still have to pay attention to your hair underneath or sew-in's can do more harm than good. There are tons of helpful threads around here about how to care for your hair under a weave.


----------



## Mystic (Oct 1, 2009)

Wow!  Your hair is BEAUTIFUL!!!



cakebatter said:


> Sew-in's are amazing for length retention! Check my sig, I attribute most of that growth to wearing sew-ins off and on from 2007-2009.  Of course you still have to pay attention to your hair underneath or sew-in's can do more harm than good. There are tons of helpful threads around here about how to care for your hair under a weave.


----------



## RoseGolden (Oct 2, 2009)

Mystic said:


> Wow!  Your hair is BEAUTIFUL!!!



Thank you!


----------



## honeybadgirl (Oct 2, 2009)

i had a sew in once in my life about 10yr ago. i had growth BUT my ends were thin. my stylist trimmed them but i still could see my progress


----------



## Mane Event (Oct 2, 2009)

Same as below  My hair has thrived from sew-ins...I keep mine in for 2-3 months at a time too (although that's not a very popular choice on this forum). You have to figure out what works for you, which may only be 1-2 months! Be sure to take care of your edges....Moisturize daily!

Long hair with no edges...no bueno 



BlackGeisha said:


> sew ins took me from neck length to apl. I keep mine in 3 months at a time.


----------



## prettybrowneyescutie (Oct 2, 2009)

I'm thinking of wearing sew-in this winter as a protective style. I wore braids and I able to retain some length so think I can do the same with a sew-in. I have worn them in the pass, but I had no clue that helped in grow my hair(b/f LHCF). Only thing my Hubby doesn't like weaves so I don't know what I'm going to do about that.


----------



## MizzBrit (Oct 2, 2009)

ive had one sew in before..my hair does thrive with them..but they are so expensive to get which is why i haven't gotten anymore..i am learning to do myo wn sooner or later


----------



## tintin (Oct 2, 2009)

I wore sew-in straight for around 4 years and it was the only time my hair grew and retained lenth until now, I definetly recommend.


----------



## LoveLongLocks (Oct 2, 2009)

Ummmm....I def use sew ins, and always will as long as I can get away with it.  Ppl always ask me - why are you wearing hair weave when you have hair, or assuming that I am bald b/c I am rocking a sew in.  I don't care, because when I take hair out...they want to still say or believe that I am hiding tracks or weave because my hair is long.
The key is you still must care for your hair by washing & conditioning + strengthening.  I feel that it gives me a break from products and manipulation.  I leave it in anywhere from 1 to 2 months, then deep conditioner + rest the hair.


----------



## ajacks (Oct 2, 2009)

Weaves have definitely helped me retain length. I agree that it depends on how you take care of your hair underneath.   Prior to LHCF I wore weaves all the time and made absolutely no progress.  Once I started taking care of my hair while wearing the sew-in it grew like crazy.


----------



## beans4reezy (Oct 2, 2009)

I never had a sew in before...my I remember my mom rocking one for months. By the time she took that bad boy down she'd retained so much length!! I'd like to get a sew in myself to try it out and see how it does with helping me retain, but I'd have to learn how to do them myself.


----------



## hillytmj (Oct 2, 2009)

lashannasmall said:


> I depends on your hair and who does the weave. I wore a weave for almost two years and my hair is super thin and I will probably wind up cutting little bits of it off as it grows out until the thin ends are gone. *If you hair is strong and healthy, a weave will probably help with retention. If you have naturally fine or thin hair or any damage whatsoever, I wouldn't do it*.


 
This is good advice. I wore sew-ins for six months (changed them out every 2 months) and I went from NL to APL. However, I had spent the previous year growing out damaged, highlighted hair so my hair was very strong and healthy before I got the sew-in. So yes, they are a great protective style.

The only other advice I have was given indirectly by another poster: do not let the stylist trim your hair afterwards. You have to tell them before they even take it out that you DO NOT want a trim because I was APL for two secs before she cut me back to SL. This experience proved to me that my hair could grow well, and that's when I started my official haircare journey and started saying NO to stylists and their trims. I only let my friend trim my hair now.


----------



## cheri109 (Oct 2, 2009)

How were you ladies maintaining your hair under a sew in? Are you still washing your hair every week, and were you wearing full head or just a few tracks?


----------



## honeybuni84 (Oct 2, 2009)

I have seen great growth from using sewins... I  went from the close crop(<1inch of hair) to Below SL in 14 months...


----------



## honeybuni84 (Oct 2, 2009)

cheri109 said:


> How were you ladies maintaining your hair under a sew in? Are you still washing your hair every week, and were you wearing full head or just a few tracks?




 I wear a full head no hair out at all.   I dont do anything to my hair under it.  I don't wash weekly, i dont need to since i dont wash weekly when my hair is out...   They key to me is how long you leave it in and how it is installed.  My hair is fine and I start to see  my hair  get tangled in the thread when i leave it in longer than 3 months.

 As far as installation is concerned, make sure your weave is secure, but not too tight.There is no need to have the pulled tight look for your weave to last. Secure stitching and firm braids will do you fine.


----------



## thatscuteright (Oct 2, 2009)

I used to wear sew ins in high school and had great growth. All I did was wash every 2 weeks or so and apply Aloe vera gel and whatever grease I could find around the house.


----------



## PeopleTalkDaily (Oct 2, 2009)

I AM THINKING ABOUT DOING A SEW IN FOR THE WINTER..
I AM SO SCARED THOUGH DON'T WONT TO MESS UP WHAT I HAVE


----------



## ebonyhair (Oct 2, 2009)

*Im about 2 inches away from APL!! And Im thinking of putting in a sew in until I get there. However, I notice that some of you experienced breakage after a sew in. Im wondering if a net weave sew-in would be safer than the traditional sew in???*


----------



## Mane Event (Oct 2, 2009)

(Full head)
I wash every 1.5 - 2weeks....I'm trying to get better. 
Moisturize 3-4 times per week
I also redo my perimeter braids every 3-4 weeks. Generally, this area has the most product build-up, so I make sure that part doesn't end up matting



cheri109 said:


> How were you ladies maintaining your hair under a sew in? Are you still washing your hair every week, and were you wearing full head or just a few tracks?


----------



## BlackGeisha (Oct 3, 2009)

yanashannon said:


> BlackGeisha your hair is gorgeous!! How long did it take you to get to APL and how did you care for your hair underneath your sew in? Did you relax right after each sew in?


 
I copied and pasted this from an earlier post I made lol! It took me a year to go from nl/sl to apl

Lol! Well I learned that my hair does best with low to no manipulation at all. I corn-rowed my hair with synthetic braiding hair and I self installed a curly sew - in. (I’ll put the link back to my fotki, I’m going to switch to shutter fly soon.)

From there I just kept the install in 2-3 months at a time, then I would take it out and reinstall. Sometimes I would relax for manageability but not often, I think I relaxed only 3 times since Sept. 08. I would just flat iron to check growth. 

*While in the sew - in I would spray in between my tracks with Aphogee protein leave in. I would use a dropper and apply amla oil to my hair and scalp, and I used a growth aid called Minoval Drops from the BSS. 
*
When I would take out the sew- in I was very careful I would unbraid and detangle with my fingers, then with a wide tooth comb. 2 month take downs were easy my hair was always shiny and moisturized from the alma oil. 3 month take downs are rough, there is a lot of matting and tangles, but with patience I detangle with my fingers first then a wide toothed comb.

I would wash with Aphogee for damaged hair and condition with ORS Replenishing conditioner. That’s pretty much it. I can’t use the Aphogee shampoo now that I have the BKT in so I used Mill Creek Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner, but I can still use my Aphogee 2 min reconstructor.


----------



## yanashannon (Oct 3, 2009)

Thank you ladies for all the tips!! I will try a sew in this winter and see how it goes.


----------



## Kurlee (Oct 4, 2009)

my hair thrives with weaves! I use a leave-in (in siggy) every couple of days and my hair just flourishes! I will use them forever for breaks and to retain.


----------



## msa (Oct 4, 2009)

ebonyhair said:


> *Im about 2 inches away from APL!! And Im thinking of putting in a sew in until I get there. However, I notice that some of you experienced breakage after a sew in. Im wondering if a net weave sew-in would be safer than the traditional sew in???*




A net weaves have their pros and cons as well.

If you have weaker hair that can't really handle the tension of sewing, then a net weave is great because the wefts are sewn to the net.

But, in my experience, the net makes it more difficult for me to get to my hair. Even using a spray product is difficult with a net for me.


----------



## Skent (Oct 5, 2009)

I wore a sew in for 2 - 2.5 years. When I first got it in my hair was neck length in the front and shoulder length in the back. I would keep them in for 3 months at a time. Sometimes longer (my hair was like dred locks when I took that one out). I went to my hair dresser to get another weave put in and he was like I didn't need one since my hair was down to my bra strap. At the time I wasn't doing sew ins as a protective style, I was doing it for length. When I was getting sew ins I wasn't taking care of the hair underneath and was washing like every 2 weeks. Needless to say, i thought I was too cute with that bra strap hair and low and behold, it fell out for a number of reasons: My hairdresser was MIA, I didn't moisturize properly and used entirely too much heat. I'm in a sew in now and will keep this in for 3 months and get another one after I take this out. I'm a strong advocate for weaves because it gives your hair the rest it needs and is a super cute protective style (I'm so tired of bunning). Now I know how to take care of my hair underneath and I'm crossing my fingers for some major progress in the next six months.


----------



## **Glamourlicious** (Nov 29, 2009)

I am on my second sew in....the first one I did not really take care of the hair under.  This time I have a bottle of oils and MT that I put in between my braids.  After reading this....I am about to add AMLA drops to the mix.  I WILL reach APL and BSL in 2010 and a weave will get me there.

I am natural and I am SL well I was when I put the weave in....the first one. I have not straightened since like August or July.
I don't plan to straightened again until february when I will get a trim.  I was considering a trim when I take this one down in late Decemebr but now so sure right now...


----------



## supermodelsonya (Nov 29, 2009)

sew ins are the only protective style that has given me length time and time again. If I had the money consistently to keep up with it all I'd be MBL by now.

I went from EL to SL then stopped wearing sew ins....and went to NL. Last night I made it back to SL and it's very healthy. My edges look great and my ends are just fine. 

I'm wearing sew ins until May 2010 and hopefully I'll be APL then.


----------



## sheba1 (Nov 29, 2009)

What is your reggie while in your sew in, Supermodel?  How long do you leave your sew ins in?


----------

