Hair Loss and Full Head Weave

“And just like that, I could flick my head of hair and it wouldn’t fall off!”

Should you get a full head weave? Personally, I am not a fan for reasons you will read below. But a full head weave has potential and could be the perfect solution for you.

I got my first (and only) weave, right before meeting my boyfriend’s family for the first time. We were heading to Canada for three weeks in summer to attend his sister’s wedding and to explore. His sister’s wedding was in Kelowna, a gorgeous and toasty wine region in British Columbia, Canada. For those of you who are not familiar with British Columbia, it’s gorgeous in the summer and dotted with lakes. So I just knew that swimming would be a major factor of my holiday. I was absolutely determined to appear as ‘normal’ as possible and as such decided to get my first weave. Weaves are semi-permanently sewn into your own hair, and as such, they stay in place when you are participating in water based activities, unlike most other hair loss solutions.

The Process:

I got my full head weave at a local Jamaican hair salon. Let me tell you, I am definitely not their usual clientele. Once they inspected my imperfect hair, and pulled and prodded what I have, they then got on with it. The initial moments in a hair salon are always the worst. Taking a seat in the wide open parlor for everyone to gawk while you remove your wig, headband, hat, whatever solution you were relying on to cover your imperfect hair. It’s never easy. If you work at a salon and are reading this, please be conscious of your client and offer them some privacy while making them feel beautiful. And if you are attending a hair salon, feel free to ask for privacy. More often then not, it is available, the salon may just not think to offer it. Sorry I deviate. The first step in getting a full head weave is getting cornrows. This was quite a woohoo moment for me. I have never had long enough hair for cornrows. But with the help of my little dreads and some synthetic braiding hair, it was possible. If you are like me, and have fine and minimal hair and want a weave, but don’t have dreads, the hairdresser can always add a few hair extensions. Cornrows are required because that’s what the weave is sewn into. Even if you are just getting a few weaves for length or thickness, you will still require a few cornrows.

Once my cornrows were complete, a weave cap was stitched in. A weave cap is not always required but was used in my case because my cornrows were few and far between. The weave cap is essentially a fishnet cap which the weave can also be sewn into.

Finally, my weave was sewn in, starting from the lower back of my head, sewn from side to side, leaving just the top ‘U’ uncovered. If my hair was less imperfect, my natural hair would cover the weave, giving it a natural look. However, my hair is not, so I also had a lace frontal piece sewn in. This is similar to a toupee. It creates a natural look by blending with the weave to cover the stitches and weave cap below. And just like that, I could flick my head of hair and it wouldn’t fall off.

The Experience:

If only all moments with a full head weave were as magical. Don’t get me wrong, the first couple of weeks with a weave were pretty awesome. The feeling of having a natural looking hairline and head of hair, loosely bobbing down your neck is pure ecstasy. Every moment (at first) is like the moment Mel Gibson screams “Freedom” in Braveheart. Simple actions become so pleasurable, like driving around with your window down and having your ‘hair’ lively dancing in all directions with no concern about it blowing off, or the satisfaction of waking up next to your man without stressfully hunting for cover, and finally the freedom from fear as you jump from the wharf into the fresh Canadian lakes in the peak of summer.

Its this last piece of satisfaction, that also causes the greatest grief. I am a water baby, I love being in, on, and around the water at all times…however, weaves do not! The weaving process effectively adds three layers to your scalp. The thick cornrows with synthetic braiding hair, the weave cap, and the lace frontal. Very little of your natural hair or scalp is exposed, making it virtually impossible to wash, and even more impossible to dry. Every time I swam, I had to be prepared to spend close to an hour with my hairdryer and brush. I’m a low maintenance kind of girl, so this didn’t bode well with me. Further, as I mentioned earlier, I got my weave right before heading to Canada, to meet my boyfriend’s family…where we were camping…a lot. As you can imagine, hairdryers are not easily accessible.

One night my boyfriend and I decided to drive to the Whistler hot pools. This is a beautiful natural hot spring located in just outside of Whistler. This beautiful campsite was deep in the woods and sat alongside a hot flowing river. We were one of two couples staying there and it was the essence of romantic. That evening we walked down to the hot river and lay in a natural spa and star gazed. Until the itch started. My weave and scalp were already a little damp from our lake adventures the day before. The steam from the hot river added sweat and humidity to the mix, and my scalp became a sweltering cup of irritation. I started addressing the irritation by trying to squeeze my nails through gaps in the weave, to get to my scalp. However, this wasn’t enough and my nails were getting chipped and catching on the weave cap.  Remember the weave effectively adds three layers to my scalp. Which is pretty awkward to itch with my fingernails. So I started using sticks I found next to the river to stab at my head. As you can imagine, the romantic setting very quickly became very irritating and painful, eventually causing so much irritation, we left the hot river and returned to our tent, where I continued to attack my head with sticks, tears welling, I fell asleep in pain. It was excruciating.

The next day we checked into the Westin, Whistler, where I spent a good hour and a half scrubbing and subsequently drying my scalp.

Then there is the regrowth! It’s recommended getting your weave tightened approximately every 4 weeks (dependent on how fast your hair grows), which I did not do. Had I, I could have avoided the regrowth. The regrowth felt like it came out of nowhere, and came so quickly. My hair has definitely not grown that fast before. But that’s because it is more slippage than regrowth. Weaves are so tightly sewn on, so as to replicate your natural scalp, which over time, gives, and pulls backward creating what appears to be regrowth.

The conclusion:

I wrote my blog a few months after removing my weave, giving me the time to reminisce about the pros and cons. At first, it was great, I could participate in simple things without stressing- like being thrown in the pool. My fellow wig wearers know how stressful that can be! However, I very quickly realised the effort to dry my hair, including all three layers, and I reverted back to not getting my head wet on a whim. Further, I couldn’t snorkel or generally swim- if I did, I had to be prepared to spend hours with the hairdryer. The night at the Whistler hot pools was the last straw. Even my boyfriend strongly discourages me from getting a full head weave again. And I agree. In saying that, it doesn’t mean that it is not the perfect solution for you. Millions of dollars are spent on weaves each year, indicating that for many people it is the best solution for them.

Have you had a full head weave? What was your experience like?

Tips and Tricks:

1 Invest in anti-itch serum, worth every cent!

2 Be fussy about the hair/ weave installed. It is fixed to your head, you want something that can handle everyday life.

3 Question the quality of the lace frontal. It is usually not made from the same hair as the rest of the weave. You want equally good quality or better. This creates the top of your hair which is most visible.

4 Winter is the best time to try getting a weave…when you are not regularly getting wet.

5 When you are choosing a hair salon, make sure you also check the cost of tightening/ maintenance of the weave as it needs to be done approximately every 4 weeks