Up & Rising Magazine Nov. 2011 | Page 16

Ask Vanessa

(continued) Follow this process and you will look as stunning as you intend. It’s very common for women to blame the hair weave for them losing their hair but normally it’s due to improper removal. To properly remove the weft there are products on the market that will help you loosen the glue before removing. Often women use make-shift or home remedies to remove their weave. This causes accidental removal of the natural hair, along with other unpleasant happenings.

If you don’t have access to the products made to help remove the weave, you can simply run warm water over your hair and then apply shampoo or a conditioner. Make sure the hair is completely saturated and allow a couple of minutes for the moisturizers and oils in the product to loosen the glue. The glue will become very tacky and should slide right off. Be careful to not pull on the weft. Be patient and removal will happen with ease.

Another tip I have for you ladies is this: There are women that find their tracks falling out at the most inopportune times. Normally this is because of because of insufficient glue being applied or due to excessive sweating. Remember, sweating causes the hair shafts to swell and ultimately won’t allow the glue to stay laid proper to the hair. The scalp gets oily during the natural course of the day so if we are going to be divas, we have to be responsible and we really have to know our hair. You need to know if your scalp/hair gets excessively oily. If you have a special event to attend or simply wish to preserve your hair for as long as possible, you may have to limit your activities. Failure to do so could cause for early hair weave replacement, which we all know can be expensive.

My final reminder is that gluing, regardless of whether the weave is placed on top of the natural hair or in between the hair, shouldn’t be worn more than 2 weeks. Sew-ins shouldn’t be left in for more than a month and should be shampooed regularly. If you are going to have the weave in for more than a month you should have it shampooed twice a week. African-American women aren’t used to washing hair on a daily basis but when they have hair weave they really should shampoo to avoid odor and an unkempt look. Those are my hair tips to help you look fabulous. Good luck!

Vanessa

** Vanessa is a professional hair stylist employed at Flash Hair Design & also HeadQuarter Int’l in Rochester, NY. She is sought after by hundreds of women for hair styles and hair care advice. She can be contacted at [email protected]