Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week! Between juggling my internship, summer school, my social life, and trying to complete blog posts mine has been extremely busy! Speaking of working more on my blog, tomorrow I will be attending my first blogger networking event and I am super excited! I can’t wait to meet fellow bloggers and hopefully learn a lot of tips and tricks. It will also be a great experience because I will get the opportunity to practice my networking skills which as a business student, is something that I can always improve on.
Anywho, today I am sharing all the details behind my current protective hair style that I have had for a little over a month! During the summer and early fall, I have always opted for a protective hairstyle just because it is ridiculously hot here in San Antonio. In the past I have had box braids and even faux locs, but this time I wanted to try something different so I opted for a weave!
I purchased 3 bundles from Mayvenn Hair in the Malaysian Body Wave texture in the lengths 12″, 14″, and 16″ and it shipped fast! As I previously mentioned, I had never worn weave before, but my hairstylist recommend that I purchase my bundles from them because they are affordable (always having promotions, I got mine for 25% off) and because it is virgin hair (meaning that it has not been chemically unprocessed human hair). The hair came in the shade 1B, but my stylist custom colored a few pieces of the bundles so that it would blend better with my hair and match my highlights on the end of my natural hair.
In regards to my hairstyle, I have a sew-in (weave) with minimal leave out, meaning that I have some of my natural hair left out. For those who are not familiar with sew-in’s there are two ways you can have it done: with minimal leave out or with a closure. With minimal leave out you have your own hair blended in with the bundles. For example, the top part of my head, along the sides by my ears, and the nape is my natural hair blow-dried out. This style is good if you want a more natural look and if you want to put it in a low ponytail without your tracks showing. The other way to have it done is with a closure, which is a hair piece that you would put on the top/front perimeter of your head and have none of your natural hair left out. Personally, I am not a fan of closures because from what I have seen they can look a little bit “wiggy”
Straightened out, the hair hits just above my bra strap, which is the perfect length!
Because the 80% of my natural braided down is underneath netting, (yes, actual netting! It helps your hair lay flatter) I am not comfortable washing my own hair because 1. I don’t know what I am doing and 2. It is a little difficult to reach your scalp through the holes. That being said, I like to make an appointment with my stylist every two weeks to have her wash, tighten, and style it for me. I do not mind because my stylist is so amazing and has been doing my hair (blow-dries, braids, faux locs, you name it!) since I was 13 so I trust her with my hair!
Now on to how I touch up my hair:
Honestly, I try to avoid touching my styling tools because using heat defeats the whole purpose of protective hair style. My natural hair on top, along the sides, and the nape is the only part that gets frizzy but I try to go as long as I can without using heat after my hairstylist blow dries and straightens it. However, because the heat is no joke here in Texas sometimes I will touch up those areas with my heat press comb. I have never had a relaxer or any chemical treatment in my hair, but if you do you will probably be able to skip this step.
Next, I will go in with my straightener and straighten the parts if necessary from my natural hair down to the ends of my bundles. I have had this straightener for years and I love it!
Lastly, I will use my curling wand and add some curls. I purchased this wand a while back but because my natural hair is so short I couldn’t use it. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that something that I have shared in the past is that I actually do not know how to do my own hair. I’ve tried and tried but can never get it right! I am still learning how to do a twist out as we speak…. SO EMBARRASSING! Needless to say, learning how to use a curling wand has been an interesting learning experience.
All in all, I really love this hairstyle! The only styling that I have to do everyday is pass a brush through my hair and I think that this has to do with the fact that it is a body wave. The only thing that I will say is that because I have had it in for almost 7 weeks, when I run my fingers through the bundles it’s not smooth and it has started to catch. It didn’t happen in the past when I first got it installed so I am not sure if it has to do with the how long I have had it in or the quality of hair.
I’ve enjoyed the added length so I plan on taking them out in a couple weeks and getting in re-sewn back in just in time for school! Funny story: for the longest time my stylist has been trying to convince me to try a weave and assured me that once I do I’ll love it and won’t go back. I guess she’s right because now I am almost tempted to try out 18″ inches, but I think 16″ is good for now!
Do you guys like switching your hair up? Or do you typically stick to the same hairstyle?
