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Do sew-ins make your hair grow or fall out?

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Do sew-ins make your hair grow or fall out?

  • Makes my hair grow

    Votes: 101 74.3%

  • Makes my hair fall out or break off

    Votes: 35 25.7%
  • Total voters
    136
  • Poll closed .
D

dreamgurl

Member
I'm seriously debating getting a sew-in to hide my hair for awhile thinking it will allow my hair to grow..

I hear different comments about sew-ins making your hair fall out to making it grow .. Ladies, what have been some of your sew-in experiences as far as hair growth to hair breaking off or creating bald spots?
 
I'm not a long time weave wearer, but i haven't experienced anything negative from my sew-ins. As long as its not braided too tight and its sewn in properly; there should be no stress on your scalp, and everything will be fine. I retain all my growth in sew ins.
 
I don't think sew-ins do me any good. The first time I had a sew in my hair felt thin, weak, and I hid it for months under a wig. I just took down my second one (I really want sew-ins to be for me!) and I felt the same way. Hair was everywhere and it just feels kind of thin. My hair grew but I feel like my relaxed ends (I'm 6 months post) really took a hit. I'm not sure what to do now.
 
Wore them for 8 years continually for the most part. Ended with extra thin hair and several bald areas. There are several threads about the horrors some have experienced with weaves that you might want to check out.

For me, it really wasn't the best thing to do for my hair. I had length but see-through hair with bald spots. I really wasn't into the string hair look. :-/
 
I've worn them twice and each time they made my hair grow.

The only person I'd trust to do them is my sister; I had no idea she knew how to do them until I saw one she did for herself. She leaves the edges out and doesn't braid too tight. She does some technique where she uses one long piece of thread to sew and I just cut and pulled this one piece each time to take it down myself.
 
I wore weaves the majority of my transition and i dont think they make your hair grow but it can make you hair break off. When your in a full weave its considered a protective style so it appears that your hair is growing because your not combing your hair daily. If a weave isnt done right it will make you hair break off ... so be careful. I personally like weaves but now that i have my natural hair ... I love it more .. good luck
 
I transitioned for roughly 14 mos wearing a full sew in. My hair grew fine.. I didnt experience alot of breakage because it was washed/deep conditioned every two weeks and taken out and redone every 4 weeks.

Personally I think not forgetting to focus on ur hair under the weave helps A LOT.
 
Everything is what you make it. If you take care of your hair in a sew in and be very care while taking it out, you are fine. I have grown my hair pretty well with sew ins.
 
Things that can help. 1) Use a net. 2) Make a wig on a net cap base - or have someone do it for you and sew that to your hair. 3) Don't keep weaves in for months at a time. I know a lot of people feel that because they paid a couple hundred for an install, they should get their money's worth out of the style. But I think if this is the case find a more affordable stylist.
 
You have to be very careful with sew-ins. They can be a protective style, but they can also cause breakage. I got a full sew-in on healthy hair. My braider braided wayyyy to tight. As a result I had ball spots on both sides in the front of my head and 1 in the back on the left side. That was about 4 months ago and im still trying to recover and hide the ball spots. I didn't realize how tight it really was. I am transitioning and having these ballspots have made it hell. I can pull back my hair and wear in in a bun or anything really off the face without a headband because of the spots. I say if you choose to do a sew in use a stylist that you are familiar with. Let them know that you dont want any of your edges braided...Good Luck!
 
From my personal experinence, I always get great growth from sew-ins. I treat the weave and my hair nicely. I make sure my natural braided hair is always well moisturized. I wore my last sew-in from October until the end of January. I got great growth. I've never had a problem with sew-ins.
 
It can help you to retain or make your hair break off. How the weave is installed and how you take care of the hair underneath it is KEY.
 
I just took my sew-in out. I had in to for 2 months. My hair was extremely matted!!! :nono: It took me sooooo freakin long to detangle that ish!! Never again for me :nono:
 
I had a sew in for two months and my hair seems thicker and my hair is definitely much longer than I have seen it be in only a 2 month period. I don't know about making it grow but it DEFINITELY helped me retain my length.

My hair felt amazing after my sew in, now I'm just working to keep it up. I'm honestly thinking about doing a sew in again in the future. My retention was amazing
 
Sew-ins help me retain length. Im not putting any heat on my hair and keeping my hands out which is my main problem.I only keep the sew in for about 8 weeks and I shampoo and condition like i normally would. Im trying to decide what type of hair I want for the next sew in Im getting in about 2 weeks
 
I had one recently. She used a net and didn't braid tightly at all. I washed and conditioned weekly and did my best to moisturize under there. Just don't make the mistake of having hair left out of your straight weave when you're already 2 months post relaxer. D'oh. :look: I had breakage in the left-out areas. The braided hair was also quite dry when I took it down. It was quite difficult to moisturize sufficiently underneath the net. I did take the braids down carefully though, so I didn't get any additional breakage. If I do it again I would not have any hair left out and I would do it in the summer when my hair is not as prone to dryness.
 
Sew-ins definitely help my hair retain all of it's length. I always see alot of growth and thickness when i take my sew ins out. I'm not gonna lie, I always do my own sew ins because i'm scared to have anyone else do them and have my hair break and fall out.
 
It all depends on who installs your sew in and how well you take care of your hair. I have worn weaves all of my life, whether my natural hair was long or short hair. I always make sure to take care of my hair (i.e. deep conditioning, regular washing, and no stress on the edges). Def make sure that it is not too tight. This will ensure that you are HAIRLESS afterwards if it is braided too tight. You should wear it for 6-8 weeks max. Also, if you are having a hard time moisturizing your hair underneath, you can put conditioner and/or oil in a color applicator bottle and squeeze small amounts into it. Also, the braid spray is awesome for caring for the hair underneath, or Infusium 23 in a spray bottle. I know I am going on and on! LOL. :spinning: As long as you care for your hair, and not put any undue stress on your edges, you should be fine.
 
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I do think they work for some people, but it didn't work for me, and I don't agree with some of the comments that state that it totally depends on who installs and how you take care of the hair underneath. If your hair is too weak to deal with the weight, then that's just what it is. Doesn't matter if you wash/dc/moisturize religiously, IMO. If it can't take it, it can't take it. My hair thinned out horribly from a weave I had. I only wore it for a month and will be dealing with the repercussions for MUCH longer than that. I have baby fine hair, and I believe wetting my natural hair underneath the weave did more harm than good. Hair is most fragile in its wet state, and I had all this weave hair pulling on my natural hair while it was wet. Maybe if I had just let it do it's own thing, it wouldn't have broken off. I'm not gonna get another weave to test out my theory, though.
 
Thanks for all your reviews ladies. I'm a thick-haired, unstretched shoulder length 3c/4a natural who has strongly considered going to Reniece for a sew-in weave or fusion service. I've never had weave in my hair because I honestly don't think I need it, however, it would be great to have a service that I can wear for months at a time with little to no manipulation.
 
Personally, I have never known anyone who used sew-ins to grow their hair, that actually grew strong healthy hair. Now 5+ years later they have thinned out, chewed up hair and now they feel they have to wear sew-ins. 100% of them said they wish they never started wearing them. Plus they got addicted to having long hair.
 
Ok, this is a long post... :spinning:

There is an ideal formula for every single head of hair. I mean, a comb, a brush, or a flat iron can break off your hair...if it is not utilized or prescribed correctly. There are different tools because everyone is different. No one head of hair is alike. With that being said, here I go. :look:

There are different variables that are considered before applying sew ins,

1) The overall condition of the hair - this is pretty much damage control. If there is any fragility, or damage, poor porosity, anything like this, it must be addressed before a sew in is applied. If a protein treatment or fortifying treatment is needed, this has to be addressed first and corrective measures have to be taken.

2) The application being considered - there are several different sew in methods. (Malaysian which is braidless, flat twists, cornrows, flat french braids, nets, tubes, etc) Just like there are different types of braids, kinky twists, etc, there are different applications of sew ins. There is more than one braid pattern or size to be considered for each head, you would not use the same application on every single head because everyone is different, you would not use a cross stitch sewing method on someone that doesn't need it. You use the formula that is best for each individual's head. Its like shopping, different trips birth different things. Every person is not going to purchase the same shirt or the same pair of pants. Everyone is different shapes, sizes, social levels. Everyone has a different formula.

3) The natural density and texture of the hair (Is your hair thin, medium, or thick)- This dicatates how thick your extensions should be. If your hair is rather thin, then you would either need less hair, or split the tracks before application, so that the weight is not too much on your natural hair. If you have fine 3C hair, then you wouldn't put 24 ozs of 24 inch yaky straight Hair in your head, if your natural texture is fine and density is thin,it would be more like 10 ozs with a hand tied weft. The extensions need to be becoming and supported by the method selected.

4) Also, extensions only need to be left in for 6-8 weeks. If you go past this point, it is never beneficial because you are risking your hair locking up, becoming overly stressed, etc.

I am a person that chooses to wear extensions, however I am not dependent on wearing extensions at all. When my hair is unveiled, I am always complimented on the body of my hair, the health of it, and questioned as to why I even wear extensions, however my thought on weave is my thought on any protective style. To me, they are no different. It is like a barrette to me. It is a way to dress up my hair, while protecting it. I am not my weave and I do not need my weave. I like my weave, and I love my hair. My avatar is my actual hair. It is cut into that style. I have worn extensions for years and so have a lot of my friends, and I haven't had ate up, broken off, or damaged hair from it.

The important part about installs is having someone that knows all of the variables and is able to calculate the right formula for you. I am third generation with hair so this is something that was birthed into me.

I have seen weaves done, I have done tons of them, and I have done all of my own, and I have yet to have one person that has lost their hair due to the process.

If there is a loss of hair after the process, then there are other things that would need to be figured out. Braids can be too tight, the weight could have been too great, the application could have been done carelessly.

If you relax your hair and it falls out, it isn't the relaxer that caused your hair to fall out, it is because the wrong strength was used, it was applied incorrectly, or it was applied with another chemical that wasn't considered at the time. If you comb your hair and pull out a chunk, it is not the comb that brought the hair out, but rather the teeth spacing, force used, etc. The same thing with this protective style, no install is the same. Naturals and relaxed alike.

Sometimes people say it doesn't matter who does your sew ins, if they are trained or not, but this can result in a bad situation. If the person doing your sew in does not wear extensions, they have no way of truly understanding them. If the person that just got their sew in done before you is leaving with thin edges and chinky eyes, run out as fast as you can! Your hair is next, and you will be left with the same miserable results. LOL. If your friend had understanding of extensions and she wants to put them in your head, just understand the risk that is involved with this. Then If you are still comfy with the ideam thenyou can let her, but I always say, look at their work first, inquire and research before you move on with this, then you won't end up in a situation where you can't enjoy such a wonderful invention!

These are pics of people that I know that have sew ins, but their hair is longer than the actual install. They all use them as protective styles and these are all people that are not bald or thinning from their installs. I can go on and on with these results. It is about what you know when it comes to extensions. There must always be care taken when your hair is being considered.

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GreenEyedJen said:
I do think they work for some people, but it didn't work for me, and I don't agree with some of the comments that state that it totally depends on who installs and how you take care of the hair underneath. If your hair is too weak to deal with the weight, then that's just what it is. Doesn't matter if you wash/dc/moisturize religiously, IMO. If it can't take it, it can't take it. My hair thinned out horribly from a weave I had. I only wore it for a month and will be dealing with the repercussions for MUCH longer than that. I have baby fine hair, and I believe wetting my natural hair underneath the weave did more harm than good. Hair is most fragile in its wet state, and I had all this weave hair pulling on my natural hair while it was wet. Maybe if I had just let it do it's own thing, it wouldn't have broken off. I'm not gonna get another weave to test out my theory, though.
Click to expand...
I can definitely agree with you on this one, when you leave your hair alone, versus putting things in it, it definitely is better! I promise though that for those that want a weave, there def is a formula out there. But definitely good advice to "Live and let the hair live."
 
I no longer do sew ins in my hair as I've had dreadful experiences. I've had 3 sew ins done-the first was great but the next two were disasters with thinning, shedding and slight balding.
Sew-ins can work, but in my experience success is depends on so many factors. You need to make sure your hair is in good condition, the braids aren't too thin or too tight, the stitching is right e.t.c. All in all for me it's too much work. I prefer a wig as it's pretty much fail proof for me.
 
I love sew ins.
My hair thrives on very little manipulation.
It depends on how you take care of your hair under the weave that will determine whether or not it will be healthy on takedown day.
I always try to keep my braids moisturized and my scalp clean.
I love the results that I get when I take down, plus my hands aren't always in my hair which is a good thing because I have heavy hands.
 
mzteaze said:
Wore them for 8 years continually for the most part. Ended with extra thin hair and several bald areas. There are several threads about the horrors some have experienced with weaves that you might want to check out.

For me, it really wasn't the best thing to do for my hair. I had length but see-through hair with bald spots. I really wasn't into the string hair look. :-/
Click to expand...

This is me- my ends looked very thin when wearing sew ins. My hair grew fine, I just couldn't retaining it. For me its harder to wash my real hair and moisturize it appropriately with a sew-in
 
I stay in weaves seriously for mostly the whole year. My hair GROWS so much when it's weaved up. Of course I let it breathe for a week or so in between installs so that I can deep condition it, and do a length check. Overall, my hair does very well with them!
 
I wear weaves for 3 months per install with NO issues.

Like others have stated-- Its all about how you take care of your hair while in a sew in. Edges need to be left out and there is NO reason why your braids should be hella tight.
 
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