Weavie Wonder

Every two months or so, I find a new protective style to hide my hair under. And every time I tell my family or my lovebug that I'm getting my hair 'did,' I always receive a similar reply: "Why?" or "You have all this beautiful hair, why do you cover it up with this fake stuff?"

I'd love to switch places with them for a few days, just so they understand the struggle I encounter when I wash and style my hair. 

I usually reply that I want to give my hair a rest from being constantly manipulated or because I'm getting tired of doing my hair regularly, but it's really because I want my hair to grow undisturbed. I have found that my hair sprouts when I've hidden it for 2-3 months at a time.

Over the past four years, I have worn braids, kinky twists, Senegalese twists, and sew-ins. As my hair

got longer I found it difficult to find someone in the DMV area to style my hair the way I liked at a reasonable price, so whenever I would go home to visit my mother, I also get my hair done by a close friend for the lowski-woahski.

But times have changed, and sometimes our schedules do not align as they once did, so I've taken to the mean streets of YouTube to teach myself the art of wig-making... I praise baby Jesus for wig tutorials, because they've revolutionized my protective style game. I have since revamped my Brazilian Kinky Curly (Sophia) and am in the process of wigging my Mongolian Kinky Curly to debut over the weekend using this tutorial. I'll update this post once I've installed my new hair.

Here are a few links and steps to get you started:

1. Purchase good quality hair, I use vendors from the UK/ France and LOVE not only the customer service but the price and quality. Desir Hair and EHM Hair Company have done me well. They have sales frequently so stalk their page before you buy. I also have Halley Curls in my stash for when I want a straight look. I have heard of people purchasing hair from Ali Express, and my only comment on that is you get what you pay for, so proceed with caution. Princess Hair Shop, Sheena's Emporium, Wagman's and etc. are also a few other places to look for hair. I now prefer purchasing curly hair since Sheeba's long and I don't want to worry about my braid pattern being ultra flat, but at the end of the day, I recommend buying what you can afford and will make you feel/look good.

2. Wash and SEAL SEAL SEAL your wefts prior to installing. Seal both sides, I made the mistake of only sealing one side of my Braz and had hair shedding daily. I use a combination of Dritz Fray Check and Aleene's Fabric Fusion. I seal one side with the Dritz, and the other with Aleene's. There's no real reason for my method, I just like having one side shiny and the other matte, ESPECIALLY when I'm working in the front of my wig.

3. Customize your wig head. The ones at the beauty supply store run for about $2.99, but since I have a big head I use packing tape to increase the circumference and nape size. Creating a wig head to the specs of your head make it easier to lay your tracks and ensure a proper fit.

4. Purchase a dome cap and wig clips. My first few attempts at wig making were with the netted wig cap, but it didn't really feel 'secure' when I wore it. I was in fear that my hair would fall off in the wind or if I had to sprint for the bus. Dome caps are tighter and make me feel like it's sewn in.

My next project (after the Mongolian KC wig) shall be fantastical, I've stalked the Internets and haven't seen one like it. Stay tuned loves, but until then... happy growing.

EDIT: 07/07/13 - As promised, here is my newest install 'Coco'. I followed the YouTube tut posted
above, but sewed it in a side part pattern instead of a side-swoop. My hair is braided underneath so I actually have no leave-out. I love her, she's soft, she's beautiful, she's Sheeba's twin if I was ever brave enough to rock a wash-n-go.