Transformation Tuesday 2-the Weave Process
I have been doing my own hair since middle school. I remember my mom taking me to a fancy salon (and some not so fancy salons) when I was a kid, and I just remember not liking the styles I left with. They always wanted to scrunch my hair and keep it curly, and I hated it-so I decided to learn how to do my own. This was the 80's and early 90's-way before YouTube tutorials...
I remember experimenting with Sun-In and lemon juice to lighten my hair-orange was not a good look, but we were all doing it. I also remember the Kool-Aid trend after the Sun-In to get crazy colored hair as well. I would say my first successful hair transformation was in high school. I bought a self highlighting kit and achieved the perfect color of highlights with my virgin hair. (I still use this technique today-that process is featured in the first Transformation Tuesday post) I learned how to cut my own as well, too. I have no idea how I learned-I think I just "knew" how. Weird, right? Two years out of high school, when discussing my life goals (I had just moved home after living with friends in college) at a family wedding, my aunt suggested I go to beauty school...
I enrolled. It was there that I barely finished, but I had a great teacher motivate me to continue. I am glad I have this education because I learned the professional basics and somehow trained myself to do my own hair extensions in a really old, unhealthy, and outdated way which I am about to explain to you. I have a major disclaimer first: If you do your hair this way, you will most likely damage your hair. It is not good and only works for me because female baldness runs in my family and I have mastered how to disguise the tragic situation happening on my scalp that gets worse every time I take my extensions off and reapply. Fake it till you make it, right? Image is everything, unfortunately-but that is why I am here to show you how I transform myself into the person I portray to the world which in turn makes me feel so much more confident (compared to my natural self, which I also love, but...).
First, I head to Sallys and CosmoProf (Sally's is open to the public, CosmoProf is for licensed professionals only) and buy the desired hair color and length of choice for the particular look. I buy the Satin Strands either 18 or 22 inch hair. I believe the shade I purchased was St. Tropez and this time I bought 22 inch hair. I also buy the glue seen in the photo (which I also use for my lashes) and a comb and gloves. Then at CosmoProf I buy the brown color and developer and blonde toner/color. The brand I use is the Kenra Professional 5NB Demi Permanent-I use a volume 9 or 10 developer. I buy Koleston Perfect shade 12/81 for "toner" and use the same developer.
I get a big towel and cut the weft in half-I take lay them on the towel and then mix up the brown hair color-I use a brush and apply to the top of the hair by the seams and down about two or three inches to create "roots". After I apply the brown to both pieces of hair, I then mix up the blonde toner-I apply it the the remainder of the uncolored hair. I leave it on not long, because the time it takes to color both hair pieces normally is about the right amount of processing time, but if I had to guess, the color is left on for about 15-20 mins. I then wash the wefts and let air dry. I normally do this process the day before the application.
When its time to apply, I wash my natural hair and then straighten it (I have no hair, so this takes like two mins) I start at the base of my scalp, about two fingers (an inch or so) below the occipital bone and create a part-this needs to be pretty straight-and leave the hair under the part down while clipping the rest up. Then I take the weft, measure it to the back of the part, and cut that length of weft off. I then take the glue, glue the back of the seam (if the string used stayed white through the coloring process, I use a sharpie to darken it before application). I then put the glued hair on the hair part that I made-on the HAIR-not the scalp. I then use a blow dryer to set the glue for a second then I move up the back of the head about another inch-this time pretty much directly on the occipital bone and repeat the process. I have 6 pieces up the back of my head to crown-all two fingers length apart. I leave the ears out of this process and apply those pieces at a slant as seen in the photo above. Since I am bald I put a three inch piece on the very top of my head. I then use a brown dry shampoo to fill in the spots where my scalp and the wefts are visible.
Then I take a professional hair cutting razor and kind of shave down the hair to create layers and blending. This is why my professional training is necessary and I don't recommend anyone do this to themselves.
I suppose I should tell you how I take them out and wash them, too-I wash my hair about once a week (shower caps are your friend). Some of the wefts do slip and I have to reglue them after about the second wash. I normally just reglue the ones that slip, but after about 4 or 5 washes, I take them all off and comb the glue out of my hair and do a scalp treatment. I take them off very carefully and lay them down in order of the placement on my head (as seen in the picture above) so that the layering stays the same when I put them back on. I take a clarifying shampoo (even Dawn works) to degrease and detox the scalp and then I use a very moisturizing shampoo followed by deep conditioning treatments-I blend about three conditioners and masks together (Oribe Gold Lust works well) and then take a basic comb and gently comb the glue out. Normally it comes off pretty easily. The hair lasts about 2-3 months and then I do the process again. When the hair starts leaving breakage all over my black clothes, thats when I redo it all.
If you think I should make a video about this process, please let me know! I also can do real, "permanent" hair extensions in far more conventional ways on clients-this way is what works best for me to do on myself. On clients I know how to do tape in, fusion, sewn, etc. The hair I would use for clients lasts MUCH longer and would not need nearly as much maintenance. If you would like to have me give you hair extensions, I can! I know how to custom color and cut to match your preferences perfectly. I can even make a brunette have blonde highlights without coloring their natural hair with blonde hair extension placement. I am accepting clients and would love to do your hair if you are in the Washington State/Oregon area-I will travel to you! EMAIL ME!
