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What Is a Hair Weave?
by Alexis Dawes
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Overview
What Is a Hair Weave?
Whether you want longer tresses for that party this weekend, a cover-up for a botched haircut, or fullness that you haven't been genetically gifted with, a hair weave can help. Hair weaves are pieces of hair that are invisibly integrated into your own hair. They can be cut and styled just like regular hair, giving you an entirely different look in a few hours.
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Synthetic versus Human
Synthetic is the least expensive grade of weaving hair, ranging from $7 to $12 a pack in 2009. But cheap isn't always good if you want to wear your weaved hair in a variety of styles. That's because synthetic hair is plastic and may become damaged when using heating tools like blow dryers or curling irons. At $100 to $300 a pack in 2009, human weave hair is pricier. But you can braid it, curl it, blow dry it or even flat iron it, just like regular hair. Human weave hair comes in several textures referred to as Asian, European, Latin American and Indian. Prices vary depending on the texture, brand and color.
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Wefted versus Bulk
Weave hair that's held together with threads is called wefted. Several pieces of wefted hair are called tracks. Wefted hair is good when you want to sew or glue your weave hair in. Bulk hair is basically non-wefted or individual strands of hair. It can be bonded or fused into your regular hair. Both wefted and bulk come in a variety of colors. You may also choose straight, wavy or curly.
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Attaching
There are several ways to attach a hair weave. They can be sewn in, bonded or fused in. Before sewing in a weave, your stylist first braids your hair horizontally. The tracks of wefted hair are sewn into the braid, making the braids undetectable. To bond tracks of weave hair, sections of your hair are divided. A special weaving glue is applied to the wefted track, and the track is glued to the separated hair. Fusing tends to be the most expensive method, but also the least detectable. With fusing, bulk weave hair is attached to small sections of your hair using glue or hot wax.
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Care
Your stylist will suggest specific products to use on your weave hair. But as a general rule of thumb, treat it with the same tender loving care that you give your natural hair. Keep it moisturized. Avoid coloring it as this dries the hair out faster. And use extreme caution when using heat---even with human hair. You'll need to have the weave removed in 6 to 8 weeks.
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Caution
Pressure from a heavy weave can cause your own hair to fall out. So do not apply hair weaves within two weeks of coloring or relaxing your hair. After it's been chemically treated, natural hair is weakened and prone to damage. Wait two weeks and then add your weave. And as easy as it may look on the Internet, always work with a stylist when you want a hair weave applied. Stylists are trained to use glues and bonding agents. Doing it yourself may cause permanent damage to your hair.
