UK Ladies: Are the Weaves really THAT bad in London?

[LoveisYou]

let's just say it's not the mecca for black hair :/

 

[Rose1]

I wear a weave once in a blue moon and fortunately have a great hairdresser who knows what she's doing. The worse weaves I've seen are the ones where people don't even bother to blend their own hair with the weave and there are two different textures, or on a particular occasion I saw a women with a full weave tied back in a ponytail so that you could actually see the stitching at the front. I wanted to reach out to her with a mirror. She was on public transport too! Oh the shame! Or the ones who keep their weave in for far too long that there is too much regrowth and it is practically lifting off off their head.

One of the problems I have with weaves in the UK is the lack of variety like in the US. I've seen some nice hair on the internet but can't get it hair.

 

[fairyhairy]

Rose1 - would you mind pm your hair dressers info

eta pming me

 

[ksly4ever]

I have to wade in on this topic as a black woman born and raised in london, I struggle to understand why some woman do not take care of their hair enough to style it decently whether it is a weave or relaxed hair. Luckily I weave my own hair to a very good standard so don't need the overpriced hairdressers help.

But I go to work everyday and constantly see women with extensions practically hanging out of their hair because it has been in there for over 3/4 months with 3 inches of new growth or a bad weave that has not been blending in with the natural hair properly. All I can say is that education in black hair care is much needed in the UK.

 

[Blaque*Angel]

it just depends who does it. my cousin does invisable weaves and they are brilliant. she charges like $300- $400 though. :/

 

[smuice]

Ooohhhh.... interesting topic and thread, I think imo, the real deal is down to distinct lack or Hairducation! on the part of those of us born with textured hair in the UK!

I relentlessly try to school other mothers on their daughters hair and why ' she is losing her edges age 4! however ignorance is bliss, and you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, as the saying goes!!

Peace

www.root2tip.com

 

[African Beauty]

Im currently studying in the Uk...and gurl let me tell you!....I have never ever EVER seen black hair look soooo bad..i don't get it!..I recently went to Ghana and seen better representation of weaves and black hair! for a "first world" country...i don't get why the women can't put it together somehow...i've travelled quite a bit..and London has got to be the worst! I do have to add it's not every woman obviously that has a bad weave..I have seen some very, very few healthy heads..i can probably count on my fingers...and a few nice weaves up to my standard...but for the most part..the weaves need help bad!..ooo and BlackMasterpiece I just want to tell you that your hair is freaken gorgeous..and your one of the reasons I went natural 2 yrs ago ..that is all...

 

[ladychoong]

What's also mad is that some depend heavily on their (uni student loan) to fund quality weave when it still looks mad, whilst they suffer to pay for rent/ things they actually need.
I know girls who had really beautiful hair, and curiosity/experimentation ended up costing them their hair. This gets on my grills cos i'm struggling with (PCOS) and the hair loss is no joke, and their damaging their hair/scalps for no damn reason!

 

[missusM]

hello ladies. I find this thread so funny. it kind of reminds me of a discussion on Bollywood films and black face. one of the commenters said that Black face doesnt have the racial connotations it does in America, you have to take what it means in context. Similarly I think alot of you have missed the point about weave and the various weaveologists in the UK. I'm a londoner born and bred and i have only been in Michigan for about 2 years. So i'm qualified to answer this question.

• WEaves are supposed to look fake. The women who you see with obvious weaves on their head DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT care if you know their hair is weave. The style is, that it is a weave, an art form of fakery. They do not want it to blend ( majority of the time) they do not want it to look like an extension of their hair, the style is weave fakeness. I have known women who get upset when someone thinks the weave is their hair, then they get cussed out because he/or she found out that it isnt. so why bother trying to make it look like your own, its fake, i'm not hiding it, so what? Americans think all black ppl world wide wanna be like them, same hair, same food, not in this case, there are some ppl who want the "real" look, but for them there are 3 others that want that *ish to look fake. No BET aper's there. or if so only a few
  • What women wear on their head fake or otherwise is an expression of culture I have seen Yardie women with red,gold and green pineapple weaves( in honor of independence day), bright blue hair weaves, magenta and orange weaves. This is Bashment style. it has NOTHING to do with America or how Americans wear weaves. Africans sometimes sport styles that are popular in THEIR culture, back home. yes they dont blend, they may have some busted hairlines, but can i tell you how many bald head heffers i have seen since i have come here? omg.
    • Teeth I am so tired of hearing Americans go on about teeth, first the majority of people have FREE Dental care ( God bless the NHS), so being that when ppl do go to the Dentist, they get procedures done regarding the health of their teeth, not cosmetic procedures. Brits in general DO NOT file down their own teeth to put Caps on them. I have found Americans have become so used to the fakery that is presented on tv/movies as being real they forget that teeth are not perfectly symmetrical, bright white. healthy teeth can have a yellow tinge( not too much obviously) AS Well as a white look to them. fair enough you like it, you like how the fake teeth look. We have enough time to wear dentures ( for FREE) when we get old.
      • Making money in the UKIf you ever decide to go to the UK to do weaves you will be able to make money, the pound is strong, there are many ppl like myself who do love natural looking pieces and will pay the money for it. The cost of doing so however will be prohibitive, London is one of the most expensive places to live, and the dollar is about 1.63 to the pound, you will definately need a bit of cushion to set up, not including having advertising and what not. Many Americans come to London thinking, i'm gonna make a mint here, not realising you need a mint to get started.
        • BSS product availaiblity I dont know where alot of the ppl on here live in london ( lol@ calling black areas the Ghetto) but there is not one product i have had in the USA that i havent had in London. Not only that, I found hair, wigs, half wigs to be cheaper than what ppl pay here. i would never pay 60 dollars in equivalent for some hair, not including tax. Never.
          thats it.

[/LIST]

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

hello ladies. I find this thread so funny. it kind of reminds me of a discussion on Bollywood films and black face. one of the commenters said that Black face doesnt have the racial connotations it does in America, you have to take what it means in context. Similarly I think alot of you have missed the point about weave and the various weaveologists in the UK. I'm a londoner born and bred and i have only been in Michigan for about 2 years. So i'm qualified to answer this question.

• WEaves are supposed to look fake. The women who you see with obvious weaves on their head DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT care if you know their hair is weave. The style is, that it is a weave, an art form of fakery. They do not want it to blend ( majority of the time) they do not want it to look like an extension of their hair, the style is weave fakeness. I have known women who get upset when someone thinks the weave is their hair, then they get cussed out because he/or she found out that it isnt. so why bother trying to make it look like your own, its fake, i'm not hiding it, so what? Americans think all black ppl world wide wanna be like them, same hair, same food, not in this case, there are some ppl who want the "real" look, but for them there are 3 others that want that *ish to look fake. No BET aper's there. or if so only a few
  • What women wear on their head fake or otherwise is an expression of culture I have seen Yardie women with red,gold and green pineapple weaves( in honor of independence day), bright blue hair weaves, magenta and orange weaves. This is Bashment style. it has NOTHING to do with America or how Americans wear weaves. Africans sometimes sport styles that are popular in THEIR culture, back home. yes they dont blend, they may have some busted hairlines, but can i tell you how many bald head heffers i have seen since i have come here? omg.

• • Wow, you're the first person to provide this angle, I wonder how many agree?
    
    So in your observation, they want it to look obvious and fake? Can you expand on that culture a little for me? That's fascinating.
    
    
    

    • Teeth I am so tired of hearing Americans go on about teeth, first the majority of people have FREE Dental care ( God bless the NHS), so being that when ppl do go to the Dentist, they get procedures done regarding the health of their teeth, not cosmetic procedures. Brits in general DO NOT file down their own teeth to put Caps on them. I have found Americans have become so used to the fakery that is presented on tv/movies as being real they forget that teeth are not perfectly symmetrical, bright white. healthy teeth can have a yellow tinge( not too much obviously) AS Well as a white look to them. fair enough you like it, you like how the fake teeth look. We have enough time to wear dentures ( for FREE) when we get old.

    • The vast majority of Americans don't get those crazy caps on their teeth, I think thats mostly hollywood. I dont know one person that's gotten em, most cringe at the thought of filing down their real teeth, the ideal is to get your natural teeth as straight as possible (via braces/Invisalign if you don't have it naturally) and whiten regularly which you can do yourself from home. Like you said earlier, it's cultural.
      
      

      • Making money in the UKIf you ever decide to go to the UK to do weaves you will be able to make money, the pound is strong, there are many ppl like myself who do love natural looking pieces and will pay the money for it. The cost of doing so however will be prohibitive, London is one of the most expensive places to live, and the dollar is about 1.63 to the pound, you will definately need a bit of cushion to set up, not including having advertising and what not. Many Americans come to London thinking, i'm gonna make a mint here, not realising you need a mint to get started.

      • Thanks for that insight, I figured as much in terms of the cost of doing business, I'd have to really prepare.
        
        

        • BSS product availaiblity I dont know where alot of the ppl on here live in london ( lol@ calling black areas the Ghetto) but there is not one product i have had in the USA that i havent had in London. Not only that, I found hair, wigs, half wigs to be cheaper than what ppl pay here. i would never pay 60 dollars in equivalent for some hair, not including tax. Never.
          thats it.

Hmm literally every other Londoner I've seen on here or on YouTube talks about the limited variety and accessibility to quality Black hair care products, so this is an interesting statement, you must know the spots! Lol

________________________

Im currently studying in the Uk...and gurl let me tell you!....I have never ever EVER seen black hair look soooo bad..i don't get it!..I recently went to Ghana and seen better representation of weaves and black hair! for a "first world" country...i don't get why the women can't put it together somehow...i've travelled quite a bit..and London has got to be the worst! I do have to add it's not every woman obviously that has a bad weave..I have seen some very, very few healthy heads..i can probably count on my fingers...and a few nice weaves up to my standard...but for the most part..the weaves need help bad!

Wow, I'm really gonna have to see this myself one of these days, that's just not the image I had of London women.

..ooo and BlackMasterpiece I just want to tell you that your hair is freaken gorgeous..and your one of the reasons I went natural 2 yrs ago ..that is all...

Oh wow, :blush3:thank you so much!

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[missusM]

hey there. i really do think that setting up shop in the uk would be really good. you could make so much money. seriously.
i'm gonna correct myself about the BSS. there are definately hair brands that you cant buy in the uk, you can get them online though. Yeah i know what you are saying about the teeth, but the thing is the reason why alot of americans i have met think we all have bad teeth over there is because of the ppl they see on TV. Its just not the done thing. If you ever consider going to the UK, London, there are salons i can refer you to. Also you need to have certain qualifications if you want to work in a salon, but if you are certified here maybe you wont need it. I respect the hustle of anyone, just be aware of rent, travel, set up costs and you will be good.

yeah theres a huge portion ( yardie) that just do the thing so it will look fake, its like an art form, a bit like wearing fake nails and eyelashes( maaan sometimes them things look like spiders on they eyes!lol) I personally dont understand it, but then i'm not into Bashment, I'm not from Yard so whatever. I did notice that girls there, are just lazy when it comes to their hair, but that is alooooot of black women, they just dont put the time in to looking after their ish.
let me know if you want a list of some places to enquire about in London, i know some really good salons who would tell you their requirements.
and for the record, their hair might be busted, but london fashion is still the business.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Interesting, thanks for your insights

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[londontresses]

Nice thread (sans teeth comments).

I've seen very good weaves and very bad weaves but I have say I really only notice the bad weaves....because if a weaves that great who's really batting a eyelid?

I've seen those women who look like they've woken up, ran out the door, grabbed their wig and shoved it on on route to the bus stop.

What gets me the most is the women spending £100-200+ on Brazilian-Indian-Perisian hair and then going to get it put in for £50-80....save yourself the cash and just go to Paks. I dont understand why you'd spend all that money on hair and make it look so cheap.

I havent had a problem getting products like someone else mentioned however I personally have noticed they can be slightly more expensive - esp online.

I also agree that its in part a preference for some. I used to go to a Jamaican hairdresser and trust me when someone pulls out red and purple hair they arent expecting you to double take to 'weave check' them. Even when you take 1b hair to some of those hairdressers you know what the deal is. Some people (not just Jamaicans!) like to go for the BIG look which can look quite unnatural to others. And also some of the white girls are pioneers of the fake look! Google 'Snog, Marry, Avoid'....the faker the better....Although I rarely see a black woman on that show this thread has made me realise that some black women follow that mantra too.

On a brighter note as someone else mentioned I've noticed a lot more women (and younger girls I've noticed) wearing their own hair.

 

[Bubblegum007]

Why are people saying these things? If you go clubbing in London all the girls and their weaves look hot.

My sister has been to Miami 3 times and said the girls looked a hot mess - including clothes lol. IDK ;-)