Seven Sew-in Tracks Before and After

 Hair by Benita Blocker.  My client had length without the extensions below, but she did not have the fullness or thickness that she wanted.  We added seven tracks to achieve the style above.

My client without hair extensions was limited to updos.  Adding tracks can add more freestyle glamour!    Proper placement is key. I am a hair extension placement specialist.  My special sew-in method holds for about 8 weeks at a time.  I charge $30 per track for application.  Five to seven tracks are recommended for a nice full look.

The $30 track charge includes initial application with expert placement, haircut/blending, free retightenings within the first six weeks, and free removal.

A "50 Shades of Grey" Prerequisite: Weave 101

This article is dedicated to all the Sisters out there who have a husband, fiance, or boyfriend who is trying to deal with their transitional stage of growing out of their relaxer. Typically, wigs are a great plan for the corporate meetings, but when you are inspired to spice up your romance like the bestseller "50 Shades of Grey" trilogy has been recognized to do, then you need some dependable hairstyles that are going to hold up until "everything does down." Smile.

So I have been asked this question alot lately: What do I do with my hair so that he doesn't have to ask what is going on with my hair? . . . my answer is 1) kinky twists for those whose job is okay with the cultural look or 2)a curly full head sew-in.

The kinky twists as shown on the model in black attire cost about $130 for the service. The hair costs about $15 total for about three packages. This look is probably the look that you are trying to achieve within the next two years with your own natural hair. This braided hairstyle should give you about 2 or 3 months of hair freedom and no salon visits.

If your job requires a more corporate european look, then a full sew-in with all your hair braided up would be best. The model in red attire would be an example of a full head curly look. Typically, leaving a little hair in the front out gives a more natural hairstyle, but it can become quite a chore to keep transitioning hair under control and blended with weaving hair. As far as curl pattern, the looser the pattern and the shorter the length, then the least amount of trouble it is. The full sew-in should be shampooed infrequently to prevent locking the braided hair. It can be shampooed every three to four weeks and removed within 2 months to 10 weeks.

Other issues to consider:

1)Those with an itchy scalp, should consider the kinky twists in order to shampoo more often.

2)If you want to learn your curl pattern and experiment with different curl care products, then leave a few rows of hair in the nape area loose for you to learn to maintain it while the longer hair covers it during the day.

3) Both of these styling recommendations fall into a "braider" service option. I recommend shampooing, conditioning, and straightening the hair prior to your braiding service so that the braider will pick up more of your hair in ratio to the extension hair. This will prevent hair loss from the extra weight of the extension hair especially when you go to shampoo it.

Sisters . . . Wishing you well . . . remember locks or SisterLocks are always a journey to consider about four months post relaxer.

Black Celebrities with "kinkier" Black hair

This picture of Bobbi Kristina Brown is from the February 27, 2012 People magazine. She is the daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. This is a beautiful picture of her. On a separate note, it looks like a "sew-in" weave. Whitney Houston's pictures of her in her final days of nightclubbing seemed to showcase a "sew-in" weave as well. Dionne Warwick's hair at Whitney's funeral was a mixture of gray/white roots and brownish highlights. Cissy Houston's hair at Whitney's funeral was beautiful; however, it looked to have some commercial hair integration present as well.

Actually, as I look at 90% of the Black celebrities from Queen Latifah to Gabrielle Union to Jennifer Hudson to Angela Bassett, everyone is wearing wigs and "weaves."

Part of the reason may be to avoid damaging their own hair or is it that "Black hair care products" just are not working for Black celebrities with kinkier "Black hair?"

Stars like Paula Patton and Halle Berry do not look to have kinky hair and generally are icons for beautiful hair.

I mention all of this to say that no matter how much wealth one has - maintaining "kinky Black hair" is very difficult. I have purchased countless products over the years, and I still feel that the beauty industry is a long way from meeting the needs of real Black women.

The bigger struggle is that kinky Black hair is not typically acceptable in corporate America so going "natural" really is not a reasonable answer for many.

I have met hairstylists who believe that some Black hair just does not grow long. I do not agree with them, but women with kinky Black hair must stay away from demi-permanent and permanent haircolor. Using a mild strength relaxer and allowing it to sit longer may also a better option especially if touchups are needed every 6 weeks.

It is all a work still in process. Stay tuned.

This picture is from November 5, 2012 People magazine. The Houstons have a reality show. I really think Bobbi Kristina should consider "SisterLocks" instead of the "sew-ins."

What does $500 USD worth of hair look like?

The picture of the receipt shows $498.73 hairstylist cost. Yes, $500 hair in US dollars. Beautiful isn't it? One ounce of color #2 bodywave, two ounces of color #4 bodywave, and one ounce of color #1b straight. (Listed from left to right)

This is first cut hair. Please see my other articles. There is no splitting the weft because you can see that the hair is bent over and sewn. There is no mistaking which side is up. There is no doubling up needed. A single weft has good fullness. There is no need to order excessive lengths because the hair is full from the top to the bottom.

Are you worried about your hair being too yaky to match this hair? This hair is thick and full, and it is not silky straight. It has a "Kim Kardashian" look and feel to it. For those with kinky hair, a serious hair relaxer will need to be applied to smooth out your own texture to blend with this first cut hair.

This hair is designed to last six months to a year. Because we plan to reuse this hair over and over again, we put as few cuts as possible in this hair. Not too many cuts through the weft; not too much length removed.

It comes in thick, white tissue paper inside a box. There is no binder strings to snip. There is no excessive packaging and unwrapping to keep up with.

You can tell this hair is custom picked, wefted and delivered.

It is easy to curl even at low heat settings. This hair is human hair originating from individual ponytails. This hair is too expensive to use glue nor any type of adhesive to apply extensions. Interlock sew-in or traditional cornrow sew-in are the best application methods for this high-end hair. The quality of the hair is undeniably good!

Protective Styling Options

Hair by Benita Blocker. Pictured is an invisi-part quick weave using "Gro-Protect Solutions" Serum. My client's hair is all underneath the quick weave. Please see separate article on "Glue-free quickweave." The scalp shown is her scalp! That's the beauty of the invisible part.

The Glue-free quickweave is one protective styling method that I DO approve for those who do NOT have scalp issues! The growth serum does allow the hair to grow and stay moisturized. However, you can NOT shampoo this style without full removal of the quickweave style.

How about wigs? Synthetic half wigs/full wigs are not good for long-term protective styling because synthetic hair is heavier than human hair and can cause trauma to the scalp. (i.e. thinning) Remember wherever the wig is anchored is where you will get traction and potential thinning. Just like wearing a baseball cap too often . . . it will thin where there is traction. Also head scarves, hair bonnets - when worn too often -- you can get traction and thinning in those areas.

Human hair half wigs/full wigs are good for long-term protective styling as long as they are not heavy. See my separate article on "wig weight" or "worry about weight."

Thin out all wigs that are heavy or thick. Some wigs are being made a lot thinner now; so there is less worry about thinning the wig out. Texturizing shears are great for thinning out wigs.

Lacefront wigs are good for protective styling only if you have the forehead for it. Please see separate article about "head shape for wigs." Lacefront wigs attached to the forehead in front of the hairline is perfect for less traction, but some women do NOT have the head shape to do this. That is why some lacefronts look natural on some women, and others - it screams "wig."

Sew-in weave is a good protective style for one up to 2 months at a time. After two months, the new growth will push the weave out and cause extra hair and scalp trauma from the dangling extension hair. Remember hair grows a half inch of new growth per month. Two months is an inch or more of new growth.

Box braids are a good protective style for up to 2 months. Same scenario as the sew-in weave. After two months, the braid extensions can get too heavy on the new growth. Also, if too much braid extension hair is put onto the hair then it will weigh the hair down and cause trauma as well. Sometimes braid extension hair is braided into the sew-in weave to support thinner hair, but long-term - the weight of all that extension hair is going to take its toil.

At this point, you wonder . . . is there such a thing as protective styling? Yes, but it is not cheap! The human hair half wig- thinned out seems to be the quickest protective styling that allows easy access to your scalp; however, married couples may not find this a romantic asset. So the human hair sew-in weave may be the next best option; so that you will not have to worry how you toss and turn . . .

Hair Weaving Thread for Commercial hair integration

What is commercial hair integration? Adding extensions, weave, clip-ins, etc to blend into your own natural hair. Most commercial integration is done using some form of adhesive (hair tape, hair glue, etc.) or thread as pictured.

Thread should match the base color of the hair. Darker thread is better than lighter thread unless you have blonde roots. The more expensive thread is more of a nylon blend. The less expensive thread is more of a cotton blend like the blonde/yellow thread pictured. Nylon is more durable. Hopefully, you are only maintaining a sew-in for a month or two at a time so it will not be a huge deal on the quality of thread.

However, if your stylist is using an interlocking method for commercial integration, then the nylon thread (colors: black and brown pictured) are more durable and will not draw moisture from your hair.

Hair Weave Closure: pre-made unit

Pictured is a Human Hair Closure unit by Sensationnel Premium Now Brand. This closure cost about $15.00. Yes! That is expensive when you can now buy a whole package of "inexpensive" weaving hair for the same price. However, you get what you pay for! For those who desire a full head of extensions to allow their hair to rest, this little closure delivers a nice finish for a hairstyle with a bang.
You can sew into the net to anchor the unit to a braid. Trim the net by cutting with regular shears. Add additional hair or wefts to the netting of the unit. At the $15 price point, the quality of hair is going to look nice and hold up. However, these higher quality closure pieces are harder to find because many people do not want to spend $15 for a "center piece" when they still have two packages of "weaving hair" to purchase to get a complete hairstyle.







Below is a tag from a Janet brand Human Hair closure unit.  It has H/H Top Pcs on it meaning Human Hair Top Piece.  This Janet closure was only around $5.00 but it was short in length with around 8 inch hair on a smaller net.

Type 3 hair with relaxer, color, and extensions

My client just received a fresh relaxer, color refresh (10 min Goldwell semi-permanent), roller set service, some hair extensions sewn in, and a fresh new cut! Hair by Benita Blocker.

My client has a type 3 curl pattern. We relax every 8 weeks on average. We color once a month with 15 vol permanent color. She likes extensions added for thickness and a little length. The sew-in method seems to be the healthiest method for double processed hair. Hair by Benita Blocker.