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When I was in middle school back in the 80’s, there was a girl in my grade who was already wearing 20+ inches of weave. She was Puerta Rican and could pull it off as her real hair until one day she decided to cut her hair into a short bob cut. She received so many compliments on it. Being a professional stylist now for over 20 years, I now understand why she and her mother would resort back to the weave. For the ease of the upkeep. Being a kid, having to wrap your hair before going to sleep, and then having to wake up early to ensure that the hair is right may be a daunting task for a preteen or a new teenager. A weave is much easier to manage.
When she came back to school with hair to her butt, many of the immature boys and a few of the girls made fun of her. They said things like “Hey that’s unfair, give that horse back its hair!” On the surface she seemed unfazed. I do not know if she went home and complained to her mom to take it out, but she kept the weave in. Boys still liked her. She was still cool with everyone. She was my first introduction to weaves.
Today, getting a weave does not have the same negative stigma attached to it as it did 30+ years ago. Even Hispanics and white woman rock weaves. Call it extensions or wefts, they are virtually the same thing. Many prefer the sew in today. Decades ago, gluing was the preferred method. Recently, many people have started doing the tape in technique. Regardless of which installation method is used, it is a great way to add length and fullness to your hair.
With your hair weaved, the number of styles one can incorporate is plentiful. A simple ponytail. Wearing your hair down. A quick messy bun all are various easy things to do when wearing a weave. For black women, the ability to swim, sweat at the gym, and shampoo the air is a blessing. Sporting a weave does not have all the limitations that we encumber dealing with the maintenance and protection of our natural hair. This is the reason that it is by far the most common request today.
When one wears a weave, the type of hair is important. Everyone sells different hair normally differentiated by nationality. Indian, Brazilian, Peruvian, and Malaysian are a few of the countries where the hair is supposedly derived. I say supposedly because no one does a DNA test to see the nationality of the hair. No one can look at a 28 inch bundle of Indian, next to a 28 inch bundle of Brazilian, next to 28 inches of Peruvian, next to a 28 inch bundle of Malaysian and tell the difference. Many stylists, and hair suppliers attempt to accentuate a difference as if one is better than the other but don’t believe the hype.
The other words that get tossed out there are “virgin” and “remi”. The term virgin hair means that the hair “supposedly” has not been processed. For these purposes, process means the original state of the hair remains the same. It is shampooed and cleaned of course. There is also a process to attach the individual strands of hair to the weft. The term virgin comes because the hair has not been colored or had any chemicals such as relaxer or perm added to it. The term remi means that all the cuticles are going in the same direction. Many people charge so much extra for it, and it makes many people believe it is more to it but it is not. Now it is important to know that when the hair cuticles are not going in the same direction, the odds of the hair tangling gain exponentially. If you have ever got a bundle and shampooed it and your hair tangled like a spiderweb, then it was not remi hair. The hair comes out of the cuticle. When the cuticles are not all on the same end of the weft, if the hair was to curl, some curl patterns will be curling up while others are curling down. In the interim, they will curl into each other, hence the tangling.
Speaking of patterns, the three main patterns to purchase wefts or bundles are wavy, curly, and straight. Even with this there are body wave, deep wave, loose curl, or kinky wave. There are even more than that, but this is to give a gist of how many different types of bundles are available. The other factor is the length. Today, people are more inclined to go to longer lengths (30+ inches). The length is one of the biggest factors in the price.
Today people also get either a closure or a frontal. The closure is the piece that goes on the back of the head. The closure gives a fuller look and is more protective to completely cover their hair. This allows more versatility with various styles and looks. It also helps the extensions last longer and guards the client’s natural hair from heat damage. The frontal is in the front of course as the name suggests. It goes ear to ear and from the forehead to the crown of the head. Other than the placing, both the frontal and the closure both serve the same purpose.
In conclusion. I have been blessed with a God given gift and as one should do with their gifts, I am here to share my gifts with the world. We at bQute are here to provide all hair services as well as education to help make decisions about your hair and your look that will help everyone be the best version of themselves so that they feel good about sharing their God given gifts as well. We are here to uplift one another to help beautify the individual who will in turn help enhance our communities and neighborhoods. This is what we have to offer to do our part to help make the world a much better place.
I will continue to blog on various hairstyles and current events to entertain or educate or in the words of KRS-One Edutain you!