EX- WEAVE USERS NOW WEARING THEIR OWN HAIR

[mscocoface]

I am an ex weave user and am now challenging myself to not use wigs and or extension hair for my twists which I LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is a strange dependency so I understand how you feel. Almost like an addiction.

There are lots of threads about helping edges you can do a search and determine your budget and what you can afford to do. Some just no longer put any stress on their edges to others who use some fairly expensive items to help with their edges.

Wish you the best of luck. You will reach your goals. Stay strong.

 

[Hair_Goddess]

The most important tips I have for ex-weave users is 1) Do NOT put any chemicals in your hair! Your hair is the strongest in its natural state. If you do put chemicals in your hair then, eventually, you will not achieve the look you want and your hair will become weak (and eventually fall out) and you will end up putting the weave back in anyway.


Oh Ms la donna...THank you so MUCH for saying that! Thats how i found this board! 3 yrs ago I took out me weave and had fully grown out my relaxer leaving me a natural head of full APL hair.. I got it flat ironed the day I took it out...I guess my hairdresser didnt know the best products to use to avoid reversion. My hair reverted 2 hours after I left the salon.. So I proceeded the next day to go Dominican and let them put in a full head relaxer.. it started off full bouncy and swangy..after a year it was thin and breaking. SO now the weave IS BACK IN! Please Ladies do not make theis mistake. Please heed Ms La Donna's advice!

You're welcome. I'm speaking from experience here (the same thing you went through happened to me TWICE). The last time I took my weave out, I ran to the Dominican hair salon for a relaxer because I didn't have a clue how to take care of my natural hair. She gave me a "mild relaxer" or a texturizer because I kept tellin her that my hair can't take a strong relaxer even though my hair is thick as hell.

Well, my hair was very thick, silky straight, and fell to my waist after the texturizer! I immediately lost 4 inches in the big chop due to all the split ends. And the rest of my hair gradually began to thin and shed until it was so thin that I couldn't even create my updos anymore. That's when I said "F" it and put my weave back in 2 1/2 years ago.

Now, I'm making a vow to never use sodium hydroxide (AKA a relaxer) in my hair ever again, even if it is only a "texturizer".

 

[keelioness]

Thanx for ur honesty ms la dona.. if only more ladies IRL were honest about their hair mistakes.....

 

[BlackGeisha]

EX- weave wearer here. I wore weaves the wrong way for years which damaged my hair. I also wore weaves the right way (protective styling) and was able to grow my hair to APL. So in Sept 09 I decided I was going to start wearing my real hair and it's difficult because it's the first time in years that you're actually taking care of your hair. Thank God for LHCF b/c I wouldn't know what to do. It took me some months to find a regimen that works, but I figured it out and my hair has really taken off. For broken off pieces of the hair you can rejuvinate them by keeping that area well moisturized and not relaxing that area everytime you touch up.

 

[grow]

For broken off pieces of the hair you can rejuvinate them by keeping that area well moisturized and not relaxing that area everytime you touch up.

thank you, BlackGeisha! i'm glad that you, too, are joining the quest to embrace our own hair and wish you the best of success in your journey!
you are so right about how hard it is to actually deal with our own hair for the first time in years! whew!

about the not relaxing the broken part, thanks for the tip!
i tried something like that (putting on very little, and only at the end of the process....for about 2 minutes), but the longer hairs have a big bump where the line of demarcation is (from the underprocessing). so that means my hairline is like fuzzy peach hair and the rest of my head is straight....

anyone have any advice on how to "lightly relax" damaged edges while still getting them straight enough?

 

[Ivonnovi]

WOW, I only read pages 1 & 4.

I'm not a weave wear but I'd like to add this piece of "knowledge": Retention, retention, retention < you hair is most likely growing just fine, please be sure to baby and care for your ends, as that is the key to seeing "growth" and keep a clean scalp (IMHO)

 

[grow]

WOW, I only read pages 1 & 4.

I'm not a weave wear but I'd like to add this piece of "knowledge": Retention, retention, retention < you hair is most likely growing just fine, please be sure to baby and care for your ends, as that is the key to seeing "growth" and keep a clean scalp (IMHO)

THANK YOU, IVONNOVI!!!

having worn a weave for so long i really haven't learned much about pampering my hair....afterall, any split ends? i'd just go buy a new head of hair, lol!

i appreciate your pearls of wisdom and thank you for reminding that, yes, "my hair IS most likely growing just fine"!
(the edges will just take a little more time...patience, and BABYING"!)

 

[Caychica]

THANK YOU FOR THIS THREAD & all who responded.

I'm not an ex-weave user yet. I'm actually in the weave-it-up challenge lol but i would really like to be. I feel like I'm at the point that I'll be happy with my own hair. The last time I took down my install and straightened my hair I loved it. I didnt want to put the install back in but I know it helps me retain length and I figured one more year would get me to APL or beyond then I could really give it up.

But kudos to those who have given up the weave & I hope I get there soon.

 

[grow]

THANK YOU FOR THIS THREAD & all who responded.

I'm not an ex-weave user yet. I'm actually in the weave-it-up challenge lol but i would really like to be. I feel like I'm at the point that I'll be happy with my own hair. The last time I took down my install and straightened my hair I loved it. I didnt want to put the install back in but I know it helps me retain length and I figured one more year would get me to APL or beyond then I could really give it up.

But kudos to those who have given up the weave & I hope I get there soon.

i think your hair is beautiful as i can see from the pictures!
i hope you make your goals!
hhg and retaining!