When I saw the above picture I started to think that maybe the client had no clue about what would happen to her hair if she left her weave on for a year.
Then I started to think about other scenarios that women have shared with us admitting to having so much frustration with their own hair that they decide to deliberately ignore it.
The problem is, whatever issue your real hair has or whatever scalp problems you might be faced with, they do not JUST go away.
You will eventually be forced to deal with them either the easy way or the hard way.
Think about it, weaves do not stop your bodily functions, so you are sweating, producing sebum, growing your hair through follicles that remain intact underneath the fake hair.
This means you run the risk of growing mold, fungus, and bacteria right on top of your scalp.
The result?
When we read content about weaves or any protective style for that matter, we always focus on the aesthetics and the care. For example, how to wash your weave, how to care for your leave out, how to color, and how to style.
We also stress removing the weave on time (8 weeks max) and being aware of any irritation.
What we tend to miss is the psychological aspect of it all, what was your mindset going in for your install?
Did you just want a small break?
Are you wearing the weaves to help your hair to grow out?
Or did you do your install so that you can forget about your hair and never deal with it again?
If you find yourself at the level of frustration with your hair that you are ready to set it and forget it you should talk to someone before doing anything at all.
If your stylist knew the truth and she cared about you, I think the approach would be very different during your initial consultation.
Dealing with the issues you might have with your hair and scalp is the best approach because running away from it never works.
(By the way, this is the same for relaxers, relaxers do not fix breakage, hair loss, or any scalp ailment you might have, they make it worse. Never ever relax your hair ‘to fix’ anything)
When it comes to our body, at some point we have to deal with any sort of abuse we choose to put it through.
Whether it’s smoking, bad eating habits, or total hair neglect somehow our body will always force us to do better and the longer we wait, the worse it is.
