Feature
UNDERSTANDING WEFTS
While the term weft may be old hat to some of you
more experienced extortionists, we wanted to take
the opportunity to really look at what a weft is,
what goes into it, and some of the different types
currently available. The weft, in short, is a seam
that holds the hair together in extensions and hair
pieces. It’s commonly made in one of two ways,
either sewn or, as of recently, worked into a thin
strip of plastic. Different types of extensions and
hair pieces use different types of wefts; some, like
bonded extensions or full mono-filament wigs, may
not use a weft at all. Some types of extensions
and wigs use wefted hair as the base, especially
clip in’s and ponytail extensions. Others, like tape-
in’s use their own specifically formulated variety of
weft. The type of weft you want depends on what
you’re looking for in your extension or hair piece.
Extensions have existed since the time of the
ancient Egyptians; however, the ways in which
we create them hasn’t changed much since that
period. Methods have become more technologically
advanced, yes, but the overall concept has
remained much the same. Until recently, there
hadn’t been many upgrades to the weft world;
methods to get a thinner weft were adopted, but it
wasn’t until recently that truly new methods came
into practice. Now in addition to sewing, looping,
knotting, and ventilating we have silicone sheets.
36 C O S M O B I Z
M A G A Z I N E
There are five main methods of attaching hair to
a weft, the most common being sewn. To create
a sewn together weft, three sewing machines that
have been specially configured for extensions,
connect together to make a long weft; this is the
type of weft you’ll find on most packs of hair. This
method of wefting is an old favorite for a reason.
Once you have the hair, all together in this weft
you can use it for a variety of different purposes.
You can attach it directly to the head using sewing
or gluing methods, or you can use it to easily
create your own custom clip-ins, or if you’re feeling
adventurous, to make your own wigs.