Using Oils & Silicones While Wearing A Weave
Oils are great for sealing and silicones help give some of your favorite conditioners that addictive slip but here’s the kicker. Both these are the largest contributors to build up! I have written before about how important sulfate containing shampoos are if you use lots of oils* & particularly water insoluble silicones.
If you have worn braids or cornrows for any length of time then you will be familiar with that whitish, gunky stuff that resides at the base of the braid after a few weeks of wearing them. The build up happens when a combination of sebum and product build up collects at the base of the braid allowing fibers and lint to also get stuck.
Not only is this gunk gross to wash out but it is one of the biggest contributors to broken hair after taking out a protective style. If you are natural, you may also see an increase in knots and tangles from shed hairs getting stuck in the gluey sebum residue. Not cute
My battle plan when I have worn weaves in the past is to increase the frequency of moisturizing or to use a humectant like glycerine* in my braid sprays to attract moisture from the atmosphere and keep my hair soft. If you think about it, wearing a weave is like wearing a hat 24/7 so you will find that your hair will retain moisture better anyway as it is not exposed to the environment as much.
I generally don’t use any oils on my hair while wearing weaves. Having said that, some ladies have had success in using some natural oils* or even hair growth boosting oils during protective styling so I will leave it up to you to decide what is best for your hair and scalp.
Moisturizing Your Hair Underneath A Weave
When it comes to moisturizing, a liquid leave in conditioner* or braid spray is the obvious choice over the creamy leave ins. I’ve got a couple of braid sprays recipes that can double as a great leave in conditioners while you are weaved up.
Here, ECP shows us how she moisturizes her hair underneath the weave. I love her tip to put your moisturizer in the fridge before using it. That way you will be able to feel as each area of your your hair and scalp receive the benefit of the moisturizer. Inspired!
Post Washing Weave Hair Care
How you style your hair after your wash will of course depend on the texture that you have chosen for your weave. Relaxed ladies can roller set the leave out hair as well as the extensions* for a straight style.
Naturals can do a braid out, twist out or flexi rod* set on the hair left out in order to blend with the curly weave. It’s probably best to do your wash routine at night to allow your leave out hair to dry completely before unraveling in the morning.
You can spritz your moisturizer or braid spray on your hair underneath every other day or as needed to keep your hair’s moisture balance in check.
A word of warning: Whether you are relaxed or natural I should stress that you must absolutely allow your hair underneath the weave to dry completely before you got to bed. Even if you have to use a hair dryer* on medium heat to dry your roots then please do so.
Leaving your hair wet for prolonged periods will increase the likelihood of getting a fungal scalp infection which could stunt your hair’s growth and defeating the purpose of the protective style.
Happy hair growing!
Kasher DivaStar Hair Minott says
Thanks for showing us natural weavers some love lol
BlackHairInformation.com says
No problem. I’m a curly weaver too!
Saprila Mclean says
This must b so difficult to do. All I know is the weave broke mine off year after year. Plus hairdresser always snipping off ur ends
Elise Cromwell says
Typically, if you don’t forget about ur hair and dont use too much heat, and dont be too stressed out, your hair will be fine. One time I left my hair in a sew in for 2 or 3 months mine didnt break off and I could see the growth. But I thought this was just common sense.