So this topic is really close to my heart and the title stems from a dilemma I've faced quite a few times.
I'm a girl who wears weave and when I used to wear brands like Premium Too/Now/Plus the cost wasn't so much of a big deal.
So Premium brands costs like generally cost around £30 or less per packet. I needed to use 2 packets and I'd usually be able to convince my mum to buy it for me since I was a broke student who wouldn't be able to concentrate on her studies unless her hair looked good. This worked for a while...
This is a picture of when I first had it done using Premium Too. It was 18", flat, silky and I loved it. However as anyone who's ever used Premium knows, after a few weeks the texture changes and it starts to shed. Honestly it really started to pxss me off. This is how it ended up looking...
It started to get bushy and shorter. I'd have to carry a brush everywhere with me to keep it under control.
So...I decided to do some research and find a weave that wouldn't betray me like this one had. I came across this...
It does everything it says on the tin...no shedding, washable, no tangling and the most important thing is that you could use heat on it without the hair becoming stiff. So exactly what am I complaining about?
Well...it cost £45 a packet (for only 14"). I needed two packets. I know its not Brazilian or Peruvian or whatever but I was a student with two overdrafts and a credit card. And with rent to pay. So obviously the sensible option would have been to get my arse out of PAKs and purchase a box of relaxer, instead of £90 worth of colour 1 weave? But this is me we're talking about so I bought the weave and learnt to ignore the sense of guilt that washed over me.
But now I slyly have to think about the causes. Did I feel like I couldn't live without my weave? Was I that insecure that I would break into my overdraft for extra inches of hair that weren't even mine? I honestly think I was hiding behind my hair. I felt like people would look at my weave and wonder what brand it was before they looked at my face.
On the other hand, did I buy it because I knew I could get away with it? Although in my head I had told myself I had made the choice between rent and weave (and rent lost), deep down I knew that when I was in financial trouble I could always ask my dad and he would bail me out. So technically I wasn't making a choice at all.
I have to ask myself the question...when I finally move out of my parents house and actually have the responsibilities of paying water bills and other rubbish adulty bills, will I still feel the need to choose my weave over anything else? Or will I finally grow up and sacrifice beauty for a comfortable life.
WHO AM I KIDDING?
had to comment. I have definitely prioritized my weave over other 'necessities'(who's to say my weave and general feelings of self-esteem aren't absolutely non-conditional). Anyhow, I've spent much more than that (about $130 a pack & I needed two packs so about 80 pounds a piece). Not to mention the $250 (discounted price it's usually $325) I spent to have it installed. I LOVE the hair, LOVE the look and have been able to reuse the hair a couple of times because it's THAT good. I look at weave as an investment. If I look good, I know I'll perform well or I'll look presentable for my place of employment. Also I know the stuff is expensive, so I'm always going to be looking for bigger and better opportunities so I can afford the luxuries of indian virgin remy. Not saying I don't love my hair but sometimes we have an abusive relationship and I don't want to put all the heat on it that I would need to settle it down. Anyhow, a weave is such a sensitive topic for a lot of people, but sometimes a girl's got to do it.
ReplyDeleteAgree with everything you just said...especially "who's to say my weave and general feelings of self-esteem aren't absolutely non-conditional"...I'm also waiting for the day that I can afford real Remy or Brazilian *sigh*
ReplyDeletealso when I was spending all this money on weave, I was moving to england and didn't know what to expect $$$ wise. I had no job and was going to a completely different country (where the currency is so much stronger), I spent that money on a wish and a whim hoping that everything would work out. Worth it.
ReplyDeleteAlso I would love to hear about the difference in standards of hairdressing between the U.S and U.K. I've always thought that a weave done in America looks so much better. But maybe television is deceiving?
ReplyDeleteI think there is a difference in the weaves done in the states and in the UK. (I could talk about weaves all day, I only got my first one last january, but I love them). I think it's technique. I saw some pretty good ones in London and then I saw some average ones and then I saw some ones that I think have had better days but same in the states, it all depends on two things, the install and the quality of hair.You're not going to look like Beyonce with $6.99 hair. I recommend a quality hairstylist and a great quality of hair-those things will pay for themselves (I wore mines in england for 6 months, it had its rough moments but it more or less held out to the bitter end. then I took it out washed it and have it in again!). http://www.facebook.com/thinkcommon#!/dghair this is the fb page of where I get my hair done, most of these women have weaves that are UNDETECTABLE! But these ladies only sell premium virgin remy and $$ to install, but they have a shop in my hometown and LA so it works. OH & on black friday (the biggest shopping day of the year in the states) they had a mega sale, 50% off all their services and hair. I rushed to get my hair done! I feel bad I didn't get any new hair because it was $60 or (39 pounds!) I'm still wearing the ish I had in england, the hair is so sexy. But check them out, they have great sales and they ship internationally. I'm a piss poor college student too but like I tell my daddy, weave makes great birthday or christmas gifts!
ReplyDeleteHave you been able to compare the US weaves to the UK versions? Thoughts?
sorry that's common's fb page. I love common. anyhow here's the link to dream girls, http://www.facebook.com/dghair these really are just run of the mill everyday women if you look in their albums you'll see!
ReplyDeleteYeah it really is all about the quality of hair, but also how well that hair matches the texture of your own hair. Some people get silky shiny weaves but their hair at the parting is not dead straight so it kind of ruins the effect.
ReplyDeleteI think weaves can be done extremely well here but salons tend to charge ridiculous amounts of money for then simplest of weaves. So I find that a lot of people go to family members and friends to do their hair which can have various results.
I would love to go to a state like Atlanta and go to one of their top hair salons to see what the difference would be because I can't really compare it until then.
But I did find a great American website that does the best hair. I'm trying it out next time :)
Its perfectlocks.com
x
love all this weave talk!:') i'm still in the Premium now/too stages, I love it! but it never stays the same after a few weeks :( can't wait to get better quality stuff x
ReplyDeleteYeah and once you get the more expensive stuff you can reuse it so it kinda works out the same or cheaper :) x
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