My Alter Ego♥♥

For the longest time ever, I always had something for beautifully installed human hair extensions. It is that one thing that would have me drooling over in photos and movies. This specifically had me intrigued by the African American ladies who had their sew-ins so immaculately done that one would have a hard time trying to tell otherwise. However,I did not begin venturing into it until much later on due to a couple of reasons.

 

•  I greatly believe that one should invest in good hair, it is indeed the crown of a woman’s glory.
• I am not a fan of synthetic hair kanekalon, my scalp tends to agree on that one too due to the itching.
• The concept was quite new back then so I was yet to see some amazing workmanship.
• The extensions were still are quite pricey and those that really knew how to handle them would charge an arm and a leg for their services. Only difference is that with now it is the genuine kind of extensions  that are pricey.
• I have serious trust issues where my hair is concerned, I technically handle it myself unless for weave installations that is after vetting the person of choice through their work done on previous clients.
• I was rather young when this ‘obsession’ began, I think I was 8 or 10 years old therefore it was out of reach for me. (My opinion: wearing hair extensions is left for the much older as it has kids looking too mature for their age.)

 

I am an advocate of good hair practices irrespective of the nature of your hair’s texture, natural, relaxed or texlaxed. Therefore, it was never about just slapping on a wig or weave and strutting out of the house feeling like a Keyoncѐ or Feyoncѐ(put in whatever appropriate prefix you’d like) for me. Your hair underneath should be in good shape irrespective, maintain those edges and keep alopecia at bay. The weavologist should be able to strike a balance between being gentle with your hair as she also slays that install.It should serve the purpose of a PROTECTIVE style in as much as being of aesthetic value.

That aside though, I managed to get my then hair stylist to get that done and she was really good at it. I always had inquisitive stares or the bold ones would go ahead and shove their hands in my hair as they try to understand it. Honestly speaking there was that sense of satisfaction that came with the need for more as then I was working with the processed human hair or those that were a mix of both. I desired to have genuine pure hair extensions that I would call my own and finally stop stalking their  online pages looking through their reviews and prices. In the mix of that journey I  decided to chop off my hair and let it grow back to its healthy state (that’s the most reasonable reason , the other would be I was going through a phase in life where I felt like I needed a fresh start and chopping off my hair sure felt like it.)

That is what jolted me to a whole new challenge, the full head install and here is why. I am not big on fringes therefore that was a no no for me and I was yet to see a decent install that didn’t involve cutting up the hair extension tracks. A failed attempt due to being misguided by an acquaintance had me putting that vybe on hold for a long while . I however kept researching on alternatives and that is when I stumbled upon the terms lace closure and lace frontal. Coincidentally around then, mother dearest  was heading for a brief vacation so as the rest were quick to ask for electronics, you can guess what was at the top of my list! I was very specific about what I wanted to the t and she delivered!! The excitement as I unwrapped it!!I couldn’t believe almost 14 years later I finally had 4 genuine hair pieces of curly Indian hair! I guarded it with all my life and was very careful with whom I got to install it for me as my hair dresser had since changed her career path.

Now , you would think with all that research I had considered the maintenance aspect,yes? Quite the contrary, I had a really hard time trying to make sure I don’t look like I have got a bird’s nest on my head. I got so frustrated that I removed it immediately after a cousin’s wedding and placed it aside for about a year before ever getting back to handling it. By then I had acquired a couple of other hair pieces of different textures leaving me to 4 different hair packs. Therefore I set out to trying to decode how to successfully manage them up until a few days ago literally when I got a break. Before you get to judging me, I was not about to walk around town and join those with beautiful hair pieces that are not well taken care of neither was I about to just keep on going without clear guidance. These hair pieces cost me an arm and leg to purchase, I therefore needed to get a way to look after them well. I tried asking the beautiful ladies I met with flawless extensions on for tips and you would be amazed at the lengths that people would go to withhold information! I honestly still don’t get why one would do so, it will not make you a lesser human being!! I was seriously misled by those I thought were out to genuinely help. I ended up buying unnecessary products, frustrated at the extra cost and just plain disappointed.

I took a step back and decided to go to the one place I always got a solution, YouTube videos. I sat down and watched all those videos most of them with cat fished titles. I picked what I deemed useful and set out to narrow down on the simplest basic products. My main title search was reviving old hair extensions which brought up plenty options including a bleach bath which I found to be a bit harsh in as much as I did not try it. I also found silicon mix treatment as an option which gave it an amazing bounce back. My only problem with that option was that I would have to ship it in as I didn’t know of any stores within that stocked it. Four months later I bump into my cousin getting her hair done and there it was! It felt so unreal, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I finally got it!!

As you can imagine, the following day I went out to purchase it and tried it out on my hair pieces. The anxiety as I was washing them especially that bit were I was rinsing off the treatment was just intense. I kept giving myself a pep talk in preparation for the disappointment ahead ( girl I know I am not the only one who does that to cushion oneself from the blow that is disappointment). Oh, there and then I had a Eureka moment!! I was so stoked at the outcome! They came out looking just as they did when I bought them. I felt so empowered and excited at the same go.

Even in as much as the Indian extensions weren’t raw human hair extensions, I still got to know how to rock them without the frustration that comes with. The silicon acts as a protective layer that gives it that natural shiny look that sadly wears out after a couple washes hence the need to replenish it. Raw human hair is quite pricey to acquire and truth be told many are still sold the processed human hair under the claim of them being genuine extensions. Over time I learnt to tell them apart and finally got myself genuine hair extensions that have had me feeling like a princess. However, as long as you give the processed hair extensions good care nobody will ever be able to tell them apart. Remember to always sleep in a satin/silk headscarf, I stole mine from my granny ;-).

 

Here are the details;

 

Silicon Mix Treatment.

Purchased at Beauty Options

Nairobi CBD: Mama Ngina street on the Imax block.

The small tub, 225gm, goes for 7 USD or 700KSHS.

Bigger tub,450gm, goes for 13USD or 1300 KSHS.

 

PS:I am in no means a hair expert, the views in the above post are from my personal experiences through trial and error method.