synthetic hair

Fun with Fake Fake Hair…

Gallerymarelle76 9 Comments

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.

 

Zury Tika Super stylist Ebony C. Cincinnati, Ohio Circa 2010

Zury Tika Super stylist Ebony C. Cincinnati, Ohio Circa 2010

Circa 2010 Wawa Super top left. Synthetic ponytail both pictures on the right, and shrunken wash & go of my own hair in that time frame bottom left.

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.

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Crochet Braids 2nd Attempt, all around leave out, pinned up style. Marley Hair

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1st Run Crochet Braids. Stylist T.Daniels, Cincinnati, Ohio Model Model brand synthetic water wave.

Jumbo Braid Kanekalon Crochet Braids. Straight. Blown dry sealed.

Jumbo Braid Kanekalon Crochet Braids. Straight. Blown dry sealed.

Jumbo Braid Crochet Braids, same installation, Perm Rod dipped ends.

Jumbo Braid Kanekalon Crochet Braids, same installation, Perm Rod dipped ends.

 

 

 

 

Marley Hair Twists

Marley Hair Twists

Jumbo Braid Kanekalon Updo.

Jumbo Braid Kanekalon Updo.

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Protective Styles

marelle76 11 Comments

In the natural hair community, you hear lots of people throwing around the term “protective style”. This term has been attached to some pretty damaging styles so let’s break down what needs to be taking place to qualify.

Condition 1- Moisture is not being rapidly drained from the hair.  Synthetic hair and wood products wick away moisture from your hair.

Condition 2- The hair is not being pulled at unsafe tension levels. Pulling hair too tightly  in braids can cause the hair to fall out in the high stress areas.

Condition 3- There is not a daily duty to constantly re-style and manipulate using heat or a comb. Excessive flat ironing or combing around edges of weaves for “blending” purposes leaves your hairline still in jeopardy.

We spent a little time on YouTube this weekend and noticed that there were some tight twists, mock locs, yarn wraps and weaves being labeled as protective styles. It’s not so much that they were incorrectly labeled, as they were not accompanied with the level of information that a newbie DIY hair Diva needs to know. Moisture regimens as well as how long to keep a particular style with a particular medium (fabrics, synthetic hair, etc.) were all missing from some of the Kitchmatology  tutorials.

By no means are we saying stay away from, weaves, braids or wraps. We are saying remember why you’re getting the style in the first place. There may be instances that you have a style that you need to achieve for a certain occasion and in many of those cases you won’t keep the style for long. But if you are seeking a protective style for the purpose of giving your hair a rehabilitative break, keep in mind the points listed above. Remember you want to send your hair on vacation, not a work trip.

 

We love the style posted above by the way! Versatile, extremely low maintenance, and hair is available to be thoroughly moisturized.

As usual, ask questions when things stop making sense. Enjoy!

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