Who said that weave had to be an instrument of self hate and a perpetuation of European standards of beauty?
( A bunch of the old head naturals….. you know you can name at least 3)
Well I’ve always been fortunate to find textured extensions and there are some people who believed that some of my HUGE Diana Ross-esque #BigHairDontCare styles over the years were mine.
When you are transitioning, protective styles are your friend. They help you get used to your new face, and start owning your style. Weave in particular is a great playground to experiment with lengths and colors to determine what your hair goals will be. Below are a few gems that I’ve come across that are fun to use, inexpensive and they hold up well. Please keep in mind that for me to keep a hairstyle for 3 weeks is an indication that I’ve been messing up the money, or I don’t feel well. I say that because I have never gone the distance with these brands so I don’t know if it will stay in your head for three months. I don’t condone that anyway, but that’s for another post. 🙂
Wa-wa Super
Zury Tika SUPER
Marley Braid/ Kinky Twist
Model Model Water Wave Synthetic
and now good old-fashioned $2.99 Jumbo Braid Kanekalon. (Who knew, right?)
All of the above require a crafty mind and some creativity in styling since they are all synthetic and you can’t just wand it up and go, but the finished look is fun and most of all gives a natural looking finish. This is a short post, but I want you to see just how much I’ve been able to do with synthetic hair. Hopefully you feel inspired to take your protective styles to another level without spending a fortune on hair:
Enjoy my fake fake hair gallery. If I don’t name a stylist then I did that style myself.

Circa 2010 Wa-wa Super braided front Stlyist Ebony C. Cincinnati, Ohio top left. Synthetic ponytail both pictures on the right, and shrunken wash & go of my own hair in that time frame bottom left.