DIY: 1st Quickweave (wig)

I mentioned in my last wash day post that I was going to do my first quickweave. I wore it for a little over two weeks before letting it go. I used hair I had leftover from the u-part wig I made earlier this year. The terminology of a quickweave seems, to me, to apply to several different styles that all use hair glue. In the first style, your hair is molded to your head, similar to that of a wet wrap, and the weave is then glued to the mold track by track. The next is just like the first except you use a wig cap between your hair and the weave, making it easier to remove, but still glued to your hair. The third, and the method I used, is to glue the hair solely to a wig cap, making it completely removable at any time. When I decided to do this, I began to wonder if the term quickweave refers to the time it takes to complete the style, the length of time the style lasts, or both. Let's discuss the whole experience. 

The only supplies I needed were: hair (of course), a shower cap, hair bonding glue (BSS brand), a wig cap, and a blow dryer. The process of completing this style was surprisingly easy and yes, it was quick. After watching a number of YouTube videos, it took me about 30-45 minutes start to finish. A chunk of that time was spent simply trying to decide how I wanted the hair to lay on top and around my leave out. Here's what I did:

1. Braided my hair straight back, except for a small section in the front. I wasn't concerned about any special braiding pattern since I didn't know how this was all going to work out anyway. 
2. Put on the shower cap then covered it with the wig cap. This step ensures that no glue is applied to your actual hair. 
3. Starting in the back, I began measuring each track against my head before cutting it from the weft. 
4. I applied glue to the backside of the track and immediately put it on the wig cap. 
5. I pressed down on the track for a few seconds and then used the blow dryer to ensure the glue set with the heat. 
6. I repeated steps 3-5 for my entire head, spacing each about an inch or so away from the last.
7. Once I got about eye level, I began curving the tracks upward. This helps the hair to lay in a more natural looking way and keep tracks from making guest appearances :)

After I was done, I removed the shower cap and cut the area I left open for my hair to be left out. I thought about sewing wig clips to it, but with the thinness of the wig cap, it didn't seem like something that would work out well. So, I just secured it to my braids with bobby pins around the perimeter of my head, which kept it very snug.

Overall, I really enjoyed wearing this piece! It was very easy to just pin it on, unbraid my leave out, blend and go every morning. It also made moisturizing and sealing a breeze with the my hair being braided. I felt my hair blended really well and it matched the appearance of my real hair perfectly. Most people thought it was my hair until I told them it wasn't. Score! On one hand, this made me realize I would enjoy wearing wigs as a long-term protective, but on the other, I realized I would have to buy some high quality hair (or a wig) in order to be okay with wearing this kind of style for awhile. This Sensationnel Wet N' Wavy hair just loves to get matted! And that is something I simply cannot do. 

When I got to almost two weeks of wearing this, a track just fell off the back when I was combing it one night! Ha! Sooo, I decided that the term quickweave refers both to the short amount of time it takes to create the style and the limited amount of time the style lasts. I was so glad that did not happen in public, too! I had a lot of fun styling the piece. I loved the big hair look, but also enjoyed pulling it back and twisting it up. Here's a simple side twist I did one day. Can't wait til I can do that with my own hair!

2 comments 10 weeks post, 3/4 wig, DIY, protective styles, quickweave, u-part wig

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