After 2 to 3 weeks on, it is advisable to take out your weave so you can take care of your natural hair and let it BREATHE. Whether you decided to remove your weave yourself, or had a friend, or stylist remove it for you, there are some things that you must do right after your hair is weave-free.
It can be tempting to want to put a new weave in right away, but if you want to keep your hairline and hair length intact, you should do these five things.
Detangle with finger: Even with all the care and attention you might give to your hair, it will still tear out the first time you put a comb to it once the weave is removed. So, don’t go gangbusters on your hair with a comb right away, the best way to detangle your hair, is by using your fingers first. Gently remove the knots and tangles, and use a wide-tooth comb only for knots that are too difficult to remove with your fingers. You don’t have to remove every knot, a good shampoo and conditioning session will remove the leftover tangles.
Detangle with conditioner: After shampooing with a moisturizing cleanser, apply a generous amount of a moisturizing conditioner and comb all the way through your hair while it’s saturated. As always, begin at the ends of your hair and slowly work your way up toward the scalp. Don’t be alarmed by the amount of shedding hair. Remember that you usually shed 50 to 100 hairs each day, so there will be a large amount. When you can easily comb through your conditioned tresses, rinse completely.
Deep Condition: To restore your hair to its optimal moisture level, you should deep condition your hair using a deep conditioner that is formulated for dry hair. You can use a natural deep conditioner, by lathering your hair with mayonnaise or olive oil and wrapping your hair in place with bobby pins. Put a shower cap over your wrapped hair to lock in the moisture, leave it on for thirty minutes. Once the thirty minutes is up, thoroughly rinse your hair of the deep conditioner. Your hair should feel soft and moist.
Trim your ends: Depending on how comfortable you are taking care of your own hair, you can trim your ends yourself or visit your stylist. Your ends have been pretty well protected while in hair extensions; so hopefully, you haven’t suffered any undue damage. In most cases, you’ll only need a simple “dusting,” where the smallest amount is clipped just to get rid of any dryness.
Rest Your Scalp: After the stress that your scalp endured from the weight of the extensions and the sewing, you owe it to your scalp to let it relax and breathe. Don’t immediately retouch new growth or put in new weave, find a style that is free from chemicals and weaves. Depending on what style of hair extensions you prefer, giving your real hair a break also gives you hairline a break as well. The baby hairs around the perimeter of your scalp are typically the most fragile and the hardest to grow back. Instead of installing another set of hair extensions right away, consider a different style that doesn’t rely on chemicals or added hair.
