Sew in extensions is a type of weave that can be installed by braiding your hair into cornrows and sewing the hair wefts onto these braids using a thread. It is used a protective style which allows you to safety tuck away your natural hair while you can try out new and unique hairstyles and textures using a weave. It also helps you to achieve longer and fuller hair that you’ve always craved! However this style can be quite damaging if not performed correctly.
Prepping Your Hair And Scalp For Sew in Extensions
Be mindful of the fact that you’re going to add weight to your scalp and tension to your hair hence it is very important that your hair comes out with a clean bill of health before you start the installation.
Trim your ends.
Don’t miss out in this step as splits end can travel further down the hair shaft during the take down of extensions. Make sure your ends are in good shape, and moisturizing and sealing them before install is always a great idea!
Protein-Moisture balance
To keep your hair strands healthy and strong you must maintain the right amount of protein and moisture in your hair. To test your hair, take a single strand of wet hair and slightly tug at it, if you hair stretches but springs back to its original shape after release of pressure then you have balanced hair that is robust. But it if your hair stretches like an elastic band and then snaps it lacks protein whereas if it doesn’t stretch at all is hard as a rock or snaps like a brittle twig you strands lack moisture.
Analyze your hair and treat it accordingly at least 2-3 weeks prior to getting your sew in extensions.
A Clean Scalp
Also, try to solve any scalp issues you might have that may be weakening your hair. For instance, try to focus on curing dandruff, dry itchy scalp, any fungal infections etc.
If you have product build up, use a clarifying shampoo or apple cider vinegar to restore you hair to its natural state. Clarifying your hair before your protein/moisturizing treatments is more effective as the accumulated product doesn’t allow necessary moisture, oils and other nutrients to penetrate your hair. When you have product buildup on your hair, it will remain dry until you remove the buildup.
Cleanse your hair thoroughly before installing your sew in extensions. Add a light moisturizing cream to your hair to make sure that it isn’t tucked away in a dry state.
Choosing The Hair
Now that your hair is all prepped up and ready, let us talk hair extensions! There are different ways in which you can install your sew in extensions.
With leave outs
If you are planning on leaving some of your natural hair out, choose extensions that match the texture of your natural hair. This allows you to easily blend your weave with your natural hair. Trying to blend your hair with a texture that is drastically different from your natural one can be time consuming. Hot tools, styling products and lots of elbow grease may be necessary to achieve a natural and seamless look. Here are some of the different hair textures that we offer:
Curly Hair, Wave Hair, Straight Hair
Full Head Weave
You can sport textures that are more shinier and silkier than your natural hair texture by going for a full head weave. In this type of sew in extensions there are no leave outs and you can mimic your scalp using a closure or frontal piece that creates a false, but believable hairline. A closure or a frontal is used to close up an install thus eliminating the need for blending. Frontals are bigger, they run temple to temple to cover the entire hairline while closures typically only cover a horseshoe size portion at the top or front of an install.
We have our range of lace hair frontals and closures which you can check out.
Always invest in the best quality hair for your sew in extensions. As this is a style for an extended period, choose only the best quality hair that looks and feels natural. Virgin human hair should be your top pick as human hair offers you the flexibility of heat styling and you can care for your weave just as you would your natural hair.
The Installation Part
The edges of hair are fragile and more prone to breakage hence ensure that your stylist is particularly gentle while braiding the edges. Moreover tight braids can cause damage and also headaches. While braiding don’t take too much hair as fuller braids take longer to dry after washes.
Invest in a weave net before you sew in your hair wefts(tracks of hair). A weaving net protects your hair from the stress and pulling that comes with the day to day brushing and combing of your weave.
Use silk thread to sew in your weave tracks. Don’t use cotton thread to install your tracks, as cotton has been known to absorb moisture and could rob your natural hair of precious moisture and lubrication.
Caring for Your Hair
It is ideal to wash your hair once every two-three weeks when you have a sew in extension installed.
Oils
Start by moisturizing your scalp and roots using natural oils. It is always easier to use an applicator bottle for this. Once you have doused your scalp in oil, gently massage the oil in using circular motions.
Shampoo
Cleanse you scalp using a shampoo of your choice and run the excess through your weave. You can use an applicator bottle for this as well. Lather and rinse. It is advised to use a clarifying shampoo or diluted apple cider vinegar once in a month to keep product build up at bay. Clarifying the scalp and hair is a great refresher, giving it a much-needed hair detox.
Deep Condition
Use an applicator bottle to apply a deep conditioner to your cornrows and your weave. Leave it in for no less than 20 minutes before you wash it off. Hair thrives much better after deep conditioning as it prevents breakage and shedding. After you come out of the shower, apply a light leave in conditioner to your cornrows and your weave.
Dry you hair
The last step of the lot is to make sure your hair is entirely dry as damp hair can trigger the growth of bacteria, fungi, molds etc. Apply some heat protectant to your hair and give it a good blow dry. Start with your roots as this takes the longest time to dry. Groom and style as you wish.
A sew in extension can be a great way for living out your hair dreams without damaging your natural hair. It is not advised to keep a sew in for more than 8 weeks. Also keep in mind that a lot of hair shedding is normal. It is estimated that we shed about 100 hairs per day, so if your hair has been braided for a prolonged period then that shed hair is only now being removed from your hair.
