When is the time to Leave Weave Alone?

[GeauXavi]

Sorry if this has been mentioned, as I have a paper to write and haven't gotten to read the whole thread...(smh at the fact that i'm on here instead of typing my paper)

I am a new natural (second time) and a recovering bun addict. The protective styles that worked for me as a relaxed head got me from bc to apl in about 13 months...but were NOT cute. Also...I work out a lot and it took a lot for my hair to not look a HAM the next day...I felt frumpy, and knew that if I flat ironed...my hair looked sooo pretty...until the next workout.

Fast forward to this year... I was transitioning...got sew-ins...and thought that they were misery b/c i felt like my hair was in jail...and blending was a nightmare...that was all until...

I bc'd... and got my first full-head weave...a bob. Let me TELL you...it is sooo effortless! My hair looks FAB every friggin day. i can sweat my bootay off in the gym w/ a ponytail... then just let my hair loose and wrap it that night, and the next morning it's still swangin'.

I feel that at this point in my career...I want a dependable look...something that is easy and consistent...and I also want to avoid putting heat on my natural hair. So no matter the length of my real hair...if I want it straight for an extended period of time, I'll achieve the look with a full weave.

 

[SelfStyled]

Sure you'd keep exercising and eating right, but you wouldn't wear the same clothes. Unlike before, you'd bust out the itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini every once in a while. You'd dress differently. Why wouldn't you want to flaunt your hair much the same way? You worked for it; show it off! :blondboob That doesn't mean wear it down every single day, but why hide it all the time, especially under someone else's hair?

You got a great point there girlie. I love thinking about things from others points of view. That's where the discipline comes in, about not wearing your hair down every day. Can't you tell that when I reach my goal I wanna wear it down every single day, lol?

 

[I AM...]

I just realized I didn't answer if I plan to stop. I do think so eventually for growth purposes. When I reach BS I will def use them to let the hair rest. Til then...Weaving for results I want

 

[getta]

I have been wearing braids and weaves for the last 20 years. My edges suffer because of it. They do regrow but not as much or as thick as the rest of my hair. When I wore my hair out for 6 months, it grew so much. I think it is good to give your hair a break,and I will try to wear my hair out more. Another thing is knowledge. If I knew what I know now, it would probably be different.

 

[Boujoichic]

I say never protecting your hair when you need to is always a good idea. I also try not to concern myself too much with how other ladies use wigs or weaves because hey thats their head and if they like I love it. I myself used weaves to transition and not only did I end up after a year with as much hair (after cutting off all the relaxer) as when I started but a couple inches more Im well on my way to Apl. and sorry to burst some ladies bubbles about the "chewed up" edges but my edges are better than ever as a matter of fact quite a few ladies on this board use weaves and wigs and I have yet to see any of us missing our edges. Its all about knowledge knowing what your hair can handle and making sure you installs are correct.

 

[LadyPaniolo]

When you can only afford the "Barbie Doll" hair sold at the dollar store. I'm absolutely positive that's where that stuff comes from....a BSS wouldn't even sell it. It wasn't Yaki or Kankelon....I don't know what it's called.

I walked into a chain grocery store and all the teen cashiers had this stuff in their head. It looked like the batting I use to make quilts or stuff pillows. It was tangled and it was obvious a few couldn't comb it because lint was throughout the mess. I know what it reminds me of....the stuff you make spider webs with for Halloween or Santa Claus' beard. I sent up a prayer to Mother Nature.

OMG! Dang, regular quality synthetic can be as low as $8 per pack. You ain't got $16!!! Dollar store hair! SMDH that is a mess.

I want to add a disclaimer to my 1st post: I dont like wearing weaves. I LOOK like my hair is fake when I wear it. At least to me.

If others wear a weave thats fine. The ONLY time I give the look is if I can tell its a weave. You can really fool me with your weave so if I can see its a weave, its a baaaaad weave job.

For my whole life until about 3 years ago I couldn't tell when someone was wearing a weave. I would be looking at all these black actresses and thinking WHY is my hair the only one that won't grow down to my hips in little shiny coils Why am I the only one??? LMAO all those broads had weaves. I remember when I was on a double date once, the girl started to roughly brush her hair and I heard this sound... now I know it was the sound of the brush roughing up her cornrow base. But I was looking puzzled and the 2 dudes were looking like just terrified I was gonna ask the girl about it and we were gonna catfight b/c my hair was like 2 inches longer than her weave was lol. I didn't say anything, though. Disaster averted

Sure you'd keep exercising and eating right, but you wouldn't wear the same clothes. Unlike before, you'd bust out the itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini every once in a while. You'd dress differently. Why wouldn't you want to flaunt your hair much the same way? You worked for it; show it off! :blondboob That doesn't mean wear it down every single day, but why hide it all the time, especially under someone else's hair?

You make a good point. That's why I do wear my hair out sometimes, I like to feel the wind blowing it. Unlike in a wig where the wind is my nemesis! I enjoy wearing it down sometimes.

Sorry if this has been mentioned, as I have a paper to write and haven't gotten to read the whole thread...(smh at the fact that i'm on here instead of typing my paper)

I am a new natural (second time) and a recovering bun addict. The protective styles that worked for me as a relaxed head got me from bc to apl in about 13 months...but were NOT cute. Also...I work out a lot and it took a lot for my hair to not look a HAM the next day...I felt frumpy, and knew that if I flat ironed...my hair looked sooo pretty...until the next workout.

Fast forward to this year... I was transitioning...got sew-ins...and thought that they were misery b/c i felt like my hair was in jail...and blending was a nightmare...that was all until...

I bc'd... and got my first full-head weave...a bob. Let me TELL you...it is sooo effortless! My hair looks FAB every friggin day. i can sweat my bootay off in the gym w/ a ponytail... then just let my hair loose and wrap it that night, and the next morning it's still swangin'.

I feel that at this point in my career...I want a dependable look...something that is easy and consistent...and I also want to avoid putting heat on my natural hair. So no matter the length of my real hair...if I want it straight for an extended period of time, I'll achieve the look with a full weave.

Yes, dependable, consistent stylish options. That's what wigs and weaves can be. I could get my hair into some of my wig styles. It would take HOURS of DCing, detangling, tiny sectioning onto rollers, waiting forever under the dryer for it to dry... or sitting around a beauty salon ALL DAY, and paying through the nose. $20 plus shipping and 12 seconds of pinning sounds way better lmao.

You got a great point there girlie. I love thinking about things from others points of view. That's where the discipline comes in, about not wearing your hair down every day. Can't you tell that when I reach my goal I wanna wear it down every single day, lol?

If you do that you will lose all of your progress! You remind me of a poster who PMed me like 7 times back and forth trying to figure out why her hair wasn't retaining. SMDH then she says Oh I wear it down every day. I would never wear my hair up, that makes me feel ugly I mean really.

I just realized I didn't answer if I plan to stop. I do think so eventually for growth purposes. When I reach BS I will def use them to let the hair rest. Til then...Weaving for results I want

I have been wearing braids and weaves for the last 20 years. My edges suffer because of it. They do regrow but not as much or as thick as the rest of my hair. When I wore my hair out for 6 months, it grew so much. I think it is good to give your hair a break,and I will try to wear my hair out more. Another thing is knowledge. If I knew what I know now, it would probably be different.

 

[lilsparkle825]

LadyP, that part about the poster who PM'd you reminds me of the posters who absolutely refuse to PS whatsover, then get mad and call us all a bunch of frauds when they stay stuck at SL for 3 years. You've been here long enough to probably feel the same frustration I feel when a newbie makes a thread asking "did anyone ever get to BSL/MBL/WL without PSing??" Of course there are always those two or three members who just have effortless growth and retain everything they get, but if it were that simple, frankly, we wouldn't need this site! Ugh, it just irritates me thinking about it....

You know, I just thought of something. While I can't say I fully understand how some people with WL+ hair constantly weave/wig it up, I can say that I will probably keep a NL bob wig on hand for those days when I just want to have a sassy short style. I bought one back in 2008 (granted, I was only SL) and would occasionally wear it to class, along with a pretty beret or some other type of hat that was cute but couldn't accommodate a satin liner. I felt FIERCE....and warm!

 

[arosieworld]

I don't know for sure. I used to wear wigs and weaves because I didn't like my hair and now I wear them because I love my hair, it's my baby and I don't really care if I show it off as long as it's safe. I spoil myself all summer with wash and go's and think I will never wear a weave or a wig again but then winter comes and my hair turns dry and I go to hid it under a hat but my vanity wants a long pony or some curls to show beneath my massive scarf hat ensemble so I throw a wig on. I use winter to get the most growth I can. There is no winter cuteness here, I will have on a huge northface coat on and all that will show is my eyes so I full head baggy under a wig and beanie combo. *shrugs* If I lived somewhere warm all year I think I would co wash everyday and just wet bun to ps but here my hair would freeze.

 

[FRESHstart101]

well if your using the hair as a protective style then i see no problem with it. im going away for my first year of college and i just got braid put it. um, i have about 3 maybe 4 inches of hair and since the winters coming up i needed to do something with this TWA anyhow .. but if your wearing a weave and you hair is long, but its not being used for a PS but just because and on top of that your NATURAL .. well .. there just seems to be something wrong with that picture to me

 

[MaintaintheSexy]

Well I've wore weaves for 5 years and initially my hair did not grow at all because I was ignorant to haircare. About two years ago, I started to realize the importance of moisturizing, sealing, etc. Now, I am giving up the weaved because I notice that they are just way to harsh on my hair and scalp. I don't like the way my scalp feels when I have a weave sewed in. Before, I would ignore this feeling and ride it out, now I see it as a potential setback. For years, my scalp would be sore and red from the tightness of the weave, but I thought this was normal so I continued to wear them. I ended up cutting my hair to a twa twice after having a few setbacks throughout the five years; my final time being this past January. Instead of wearing the weave as a "protective" style, I'm opting for wigs. I've wasted soooooo much money on weaves and my hair has not benefitted from them at all, more so my edges, hairline, sides, and nape than anywhere else. Also, fake hair (when its extremely noticeable) makes me feel uncomfortable now. I don't like how it looks, feels, smells, nothing. I don't like it on other women either when its noticeable and looks bad. And the majority of weaves I see, are bad weaves. Im not "ready" to wear my own hair yet however. Its neck length now but my short term goal is to be shoulder length and my long term goal bra strap length. A woman shouldn't consider a weave as protective styling, especially if she has long hair because it is damaging in more ways than one. Once I get my hair to my shoulders, I'll be alright to wear it out, until then Im wiggin it out.

 

[Rei]

I dont know...I have nothing against weave, and I've worn my share of braids, but honestly people can't be all shocked and offended when people think that black folk can't grow their own hair when everyone is wearing weave all the time, even the ones who could possibly break the stereotype. It's sort of like wearing a fatsuit and then getting all mad when people think all black chicks are fat, and then claiming that underneath the fatsuit you've got a body like rihanna, lol.

tl;dr, wear what you want, but just don't get all shocked and offended at continuing stereotypes *shrugs*

I can't really give the side-eye to anyone because I know too many weave-wearers on this board who have far longer hair than me But I will admit to still going 'huh?' sometimes when I see it. But like i said, i can't really judge.

 

[Kneechay]

Weave wearer here

To be honest, the more and more I wear a weave, the more against it I become, despite the fact that my hair is growing and thickening underneath it.

I am becoming more and more weirded out by the fact we're wearing someone else's HAIR on our heads. Like, if one day we woke up and saw some of our little black kids scalped and we see some whites or asians with afro textured hair sewn in their heads. I'd be super freaked out, mainly because the fact it just makes it blaringly clear that its someone else's dead proteins being sewn into my hair.

Another issue I have is that it's straight, and I'm natural. Although I know how to take good care of my natural hair, i'd feel it more realistic if I wore natural textured hair.

i do it because it's easy. Sometimes, I just want straight hair, or short hair. I have past BSL hair and I just want to rock a badd bob sometimes. Sometimes I want thick MBL hair. I do get annoyed at the straight styles because I wear the sew in for 3 - 3.5 months. I understand why people with longer hair would wear a weave shorter and vice versa. If you can care for your hair in a weave, its a great protective style. If i fall asleep without a scarf or if I use too much heat, i take joy in knowing its not my own hair being damaged.

I will be honest in admitting that when I see ladies around town with weaves, I (although I know better), assume their hair is crap underneath, esp. if they never wear their own hair out. A lot of ladies I know wont be caught dead in public without their weave. A new install minutes after the old one's removed.

I think it's time to call it quits with weave if
-it's becoming too expensive for you
-your own hair is damaged (or becoming damaged)underneath
-if you're becoming dependent upon them
-if you are relaxed or wanting to be relaxed ( i personally don't think weaves and relaxers go hand in hand)