Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Sew-In Home Maintenance

Washing My Sew-In

Let's start this post off by giving me a round of applause for making it this far. If you remember this post, then you understand where I'm coming from.

Here's the real. I paid for this hair and it's on my head, so I have to make sure it's maintained properly. I questioned myself about what I wanted to do with it. My thought was, let's get past my birthday without looking crazy first, then I'll make some decisions. Goal Accomplished!

I don't put products in the hair because everyone (knowledgeable about sew-ins) says products will weigh it down. The stylist said natural oil from my hair would eventually spread throughout the sew-in and I'm guessing that's what's happened because it seems the hair has become "weighed down".

I decided against paying money to have someone else wash the hair because I didn't think it was worth it! I asked around to see how other ladies washed their sew-ins and to see what products they used. Then I went to the University of Youtube and got my knowledge up. After that I was pumped!! This is just hair, so what if it's sewn in, I know how to wash hair!! Plus, I'm a visual learner and I found the perfect video to help me feel comfortable enough to wash these extensions. So, here's what I did:

All sources told me the best way to wash both my hair and the sew-in was to water down the shampoo and conditioner. From the video I gathered that it would be even easier if I used an applicator bottle. I asked my coworker (who's gotten about 3 installs out of her hair) what kind of shampoo and conditioner she uses and she suggested Organix Morrocan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner. I'd been wanting to give this a try, so I bought trial sizes. After the purchase I remembered this curlBOX, so I was kicking myself...but not too hard, I'd been wanting to try the argan oil so I'm not that mad!

I put 3 squirts of shampoo in one applicator bottle an ounce of conditioner in the other bottle. I then filled the rest of both bottles with water. I wash my hair in the shower so the video suggested filling the bottles with cold water, so I could tell the difference between the shower water and the shampoo/conditioner mixtures. Excellent idea and it came in handy!!

To wash my hair I had to lift the extensions so I could apply the shampoo and conditioner directly through the net that covers my braids. I made sure to focus the shampoo/conditioner mixtures on my braids as well as my scalp and edges. After emptying the bottle of the shampoo mixture on my scalp, I rubbed my scalp as best as I could without tangling the extensions. Then I put shampoo only in my hands and shampooed the extensions; rubbing the hair between my hands in a praying hands motion. I did this twice with the shampoo mixture and once with the conditioner mixture.

Pic 1 - Before ; Pic 2 - After ; Pic 3 - Flat ironed (& edges flat-twisted)

Once my hair was washed and conditioned, I blotted the hair dry with a towel. I took the Creme of Nature leave-in conditioner (which was already perfect because it's in a spray bottle), lifted the extensions, and sprayed the conditioner through the net that covered my hair. The extensions took no time to dry but I had been warned about not properly drying my hair. The rumor is if not dried properly, mold could grow under the extensions. It takes my hair forever to dry normally SO I took extreme precautions to make sure my hair was completely dry. I dried my hair using a blow dryer with a concentrator nozzle (that I got from here). It worked like a charm!! I was able to lift the extensions and put the concentrator nozzle on the areas of hair that needed attention hence drying all my hair with no problems!!

Turning it on for church!
My product review of Organix shampoo and conditioner is short and sweet. I think it worked well. It has a nice smell, which you know is a super plus for me, and I feel as if it got my hair and the extensions clean. The extensions looked good and full after washing, conditioning, and drying so I would recommend it for washing extensions! I'm not too sure of the effects on my natural hair being that I can't actually see or feel it, so the verdict on that is still out.

I'm aware that this sounds like a lot of work, but don't let my wordiness fool you! This actually took less time to wash than washing my natural hair. Minimal detangling was involved; and I didn't have to twist, stretch, air dry, or untwist my hair! It was just wash, dry, & flat iron!

I've gotten to the point where I'm content with this hair. During the week, I work, I go home, and I work out twice a week (at a minimum). The people that see me most often know what my hair looks like! They know this isn't my hair and they know I have natural hair under these extensions. There are times when this hair completely frustrates me because it continues to have stray hairs flying everywhere and I constantly have bed-head hair because this hair won't stay still!! I've learned to brush it off. There's no need for edge control when I'm squatting 215 pounds and sweating like there's no tomorrow! I've learned to be okay with just unwrapping the hair in the morning, brushing it and letting it be! No edge control, no curling, just unwrap and wear.

BUT when I need to turn it on and up, I can do that as well. If I'm going out for a night out on the town or if I'm going to church, I can make it look nice. I can lay my edges down with some edge control (I've tried three kinds of edge control and regular gel; I lean towards the Lottabody edge control the most) and I can curl the mess out of it (much like I used to do my relaxed hair). I figure, with that being the case I might make it 10-12 weeks with this hair! This week makes week 7. The hair is doing a bit of shedding and you can tell my hair is growing because the sew-in is sitting up higher off my head (much like a hat...lol). I think I can make it. The only way I won't is if the threads give away and the extensions start loosening.

Let's cross our fingers and pray that doesn't happen!!

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5 comments

  1. Mionna! This hair still looks good, hunty! Great job! You can definitely get a few more weeks out of it if you really want but with sew-ins I think 2 months makes the cost worth it so either way you're golden.

    Very nice!

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  2. Girl, that does sound like a lot of work, but it looks good! I'm so proud of you for sticking to your plan, even when it was a challenge. You rock!
    p.s. I finally took my braids down, wore my own hair in a goddess twist style for about a week, and now I have cornrows with a faux bun. (I had to attend something with business attire, so I had to do something different.) I probably will post a pic on my blog this week.

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  3. Hey Mi! I'm laughing at "University of YouTube" because it's so true; there's a wealth of information about a range of topics on YouTube. Your sew-in still appears healthy and full so it looks like you did everything right. Next time I get a sew-in (haven't had one in almost a year), I'm plan to use that tip about filling the bottles with cold water so I can tell the difference between the shampoo/conditioner/water mixture and the shower water.

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  4. It looks good and sounds like you have a good routine going! YouTube is sooo helpful!
    http://www.robincharmagne.com/blog

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  5. You did that honey! More power to you for keeping it maintained and happy belated birthday!! I hope you enjoyed it! #FHFridays!

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