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<span style="font-weight: bold">Weave epidemic hits community hard </span>
By Cynthia Levy | Published 10/25/2007 | Metro |
<span style="font-style: italic">(Editors note: The New Pittsburgh Courier is examining the state of Black hair. What was once the exclusive domain of Johnson Products, Bronner Bros. and other Black manufacturers has been usurped by large corporations and hair care retailers in Black communities that tend to be non-Black. For Black women, the topic of hair can be personal and political. The Courier’s Cynthia Levy will lead the investigation to determine WHAT'S UP WITH THE HAIR?)</span>
Watching a music video or browsing through the pages of most magazines it is easy to see the trend in black hair—weave it in and press it down.
With superstars like Beyonce, Rihanna and Ciara sporting hair weaves, it’s easy to understand why most high school girls are adding to their tresses.
COMBING THE STREETS—Some of the latest styles in weave wearing include the Hump n’ Loosey, seen here on Sharnee Hurt, above, and Coneda Helenkamp, below, is rocking the historic High Low Bob.
And while it looks good, the increase of weaves in the Black community leaves some stylists asking are Black women addicted to weave?
<span style="font-weight: bold">“Its like crack. They’re chasing the naps away like the crackheads chase crack. Its addictive,”</span> said Maria Kent, a stylist at Natural Choice salon in Oakland.
Just as crack did a sneak attack on the Black community, so did the weave.
“When I was in high school we didn’t want girls who wore weaves. If a girl wore a weave she didn’t want anybody to know,” said Nate Mitchell, owner of Natural Choice.
However, after Madame C.J. Walker created the pressing comb to encourage Black women to straighten their hair, those without long hair opted for add-ons.
Bonding with glue and sewing it on top of braids were the first two options. Today, a weave can be fused in strand by strand. With innovation, a weave has become second nature to most Black women.
“I wear weave because it’s cute,” said Sheena Stenhouse, a senior in Westinghouse High School’s cosmetology program.
Stenhouse thinks it’s partially the media’s fault she wears a weave, and her fellow student, Sacoya Maaker, a senior who sports an Afro, agrees.
“It’s society. That’s all we see is straight, long hair,” said Maaker.
Maaker had no choice but to go natural after perms. Bad weaves and unhealthy hair choices caused extreme damage to her tresses, but she said she wouldn’t go back.
“People don’t do better because they don’t know nothing else,” said Maaker.
Chere Dickerson, owner of Shay’s Creations in the West End, said it’s peer pressure that causes young girls to weave despite consequences.
“They come in here and they want what their friends have,” said Dickerson, who specializes in bonded and sew-in weaves.
Dickerson said she is seeing the effects of weaves on young girls firsthand.
“Some of them come in and they don’t have a choice but to wear weave because their hair underneath is so damaged,” she said. Dickerson said it’s common for her to see bald spots and severely split ends on teenage girls.
The Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology reported in its Spring 2007 newsletter the effects of weaving and tight braid extensions.
“Overly stressing hair during braiding and bonded weave can encourage the hair to fall out, shortening its lifespan,” wrote Aginah Carter-Shabazz a professional board member and long-time stylist in Philadelphia.
Shabazz said baldness also occurs among some of her older clients due to long-term braiding and weave bonding.
“This used to be something you only see because of thyroid dysfunction. This is the primary cause of alopecia,” said Shabazz.
Alopecia is commonly known as baldness and is the result of severe trauma to the hair follicle, which causes a person to lose hair in small patches. It mostly occurs along the hairline and the middle of the head.
Glued in weave worsens alopecia.
“These girls glue the weave onto their hair after they gel it down. And then they rip it out,” said Mechelle Humphries-Hayes, owner of Center of Attraction salon in the Hill District.
Most hairdressers advise clients to apply oil sheen or conditioner before removing glue to prevent hair loss. But some stylists said this doesn’t make a difference.
“I don’t care how much oil sheen or conditioner you put on the glue there is still going to be some left in your hair. And you’ve got to comb it out,” said Kent.
And combing out the glue is damaging. Shabazz said just like a rubber band the elasticity of hair only allows it to stretch so far before breaking.
But Humphries-Hays said there are ways to safely glue a weave into the hair.
“You can put something in between it. You can put Sanex on, you can put a cap on [before gluing on the weave],” she said.
Shabazz said long extensions are also being linked to back and neck pains.
“I spoke with a chiropractor who said he’s having more Black women complaining of neck pain because of it. It’s an imbalance for your body. It causes your neck to tilt to the side or to far to the back,” she said.
But for some, the versatility of a weave outweighs the negative.
“You can do so much with weave. You can’t cut your own hair like you cut weave,” said Stenhouse.
“When I wear a weave I can get up in the morning, unwrap it and go,” said Angela Mike, a cosmetology instructor at Westinghouse.
From blonde or black to blonde and black, weave provides consumers with a multitude of choices. Weaves also comes in curly styles. And the price ranges anywhere from $20 to $60 depending on the quality of the hair and length.
By Cynthia Levy | Published 10/25/2007 | Metro |
<span style="font-style: italic">(Editors note: The New Pittsburgh Courier is examining the state of Black hair. What was once the exclusive domain of Johnson Products, Bronner Bros. and other Black manufacturers has been usurped by large corporations and hair care retailers in Black communities that tend to be non-Black. For Black women, the topic of hair can be personal and political. The Courier’s Cynthia Levy will lead the investigation to determine WHAT'S UP WITH THE HAIR?)</span>
Watching a music video or browsing through the pages of most magazines it is easy to see the trend in black hair—weave it in and press it down.
With superstars like Beyonce, Rihanna and Ciara sporting hair weaves, it’s easy to understand why most high school girls are adding to their tresses.
COMBING THE STREETS—Some of the latest styles in weave wearing include the Hump n’ Loosey, seen here on Sharnee Hurt, above, and Coneda Helenkamp, below, is rocking the historic High Low Bob.
And while it looks good, the increase of weaves in the Black community leaves some stylists asking are Black women addicted to weave?
<span style="font-weight: bold">“Its like crack. They’re chasing the naps away like the crackheads chase crack. Its addictive,”</span> said Maria Kent, a stylist at Natural Choice salon in Oakland.
Just as crack did a sneak attack on the Black community, so did the weave.
“When I was in high school we didn’t want girls who wore weaves. If a girl wore a weave she didn’t want anybody to know,” said Nate Mitchell, owner of Natural Choice.
However, after Madame C.J. Walker created the pressing comb to encourage Black women to straighten their hair, those without long hair opted for add-ons.
Bonding with glue and sewing it on top of braids were the first two options. Today, a weave can be fused in strand by strand. With innovation, a weave has become second nature to most Black women.
“I wear weave because it’s cute,” said Sheena Stenhouse, a senior in Westinghouse High School’s cosmetology program.
Stenhouse thinks it’s partially the media’s fault she wears a weave, and her fellow student, Sacoya Maaker, a senior who sports an Afro, agrees.
“It’s society. That’s all we see is straight, long hair,” said Maaker.
Maaker had no choice but to go natural after perms. Bad weaves and unhealthy hair choices caused extreme damage to her tresses, but she said she wouldn’t go back.
“People don’t do better because they don’t know nothing else,” said Maaker.
Chere Dickerson, owner of Shay’s Creations in the West End, said it’s peer pressure that causes young girls to weave despite consequences.
“They come in here and they want what their friends have,” said Dickerson, who specializes in bonded and sew-in weaves.
Dickerson said she is seeing the effects of weaves on young girls firsthand.
“Some of them come in and they don’t have a choice but to wear weave because their hair underneath is so damaged,” she said. Dickerson said it’s common for her to see bald spots and severely split ends on teenage girls.
The Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology reported in its Spring 2007 newsletter the effects of weaving and tight braid extensions.
“Overly stressing hair during braiding and bonded weave can encourage the hair to fall out, shortening its lifespan,” wrote Aginah Carter-Shabazz a professional board member and long-time stylist in Philadelphia.
Shabazz said baldness also occurs among some of her older clients due to long-term braiding and weave bonding.
“This used to be something you only see because of thyroid dysfunction. This is the primary cause of alopecia,” said Shabazz.
Alopecia is commonly known as baldness and is the result of severe trauma to the hair follicle, which causes a person to lose hair in small patches. It mostly occurs along the hairline and the middle of the head.
Glued in weave worsens alopecia.
“These girls glue the weave onto their hair after they gel it down. And then they rip it out,” said Mechelle Humphries-Hayes, owner of Center of Attraction salon in the Hill District.
Most hairdressers advise clients to apply oil sheen or conditioner before removing glue to prevent hair loss. But some stylists said this doesn’t make a difference.
“I don’t care how much oil sheen or conditioner you put on the glue there is still going to be some left in your hair. And you’ve got to comb it out,” said Kent.
And combing out the glue is damaging. Shabazz said just like a rubber band the elasticity of hair only allows it to stretch so far before breaking.
But Humphries-Hays said there are ways to safely glue a weave into the hair.
“You can put something in between it. You can put Sanex on, you can put a cap on [before gluing on the weave],” she said.
Shabazz said long extensions are also being linked to back and neck pains.
“I spoke with a chiropractor who said he’s having more Black women complaining of neck pain because of it. It’s an imbalance for your body. It causes your neck to tilt to the side or to far to the back,” she said.
But for some, the versatility of a weave outweighs the negative.
“You can do so much with weave. You can’t cut your own hair like you cut weave,” said Stenhouse.
“When I wear a weave I can get up in the morning, unwrap it and go,” said Angela Mike, a cosmetology instructor at Westinghouse.
From blonde or black to blonde and black, weave provides consumers with a multitude of choices. Weaves also comes in curly styles. And the price ranges anywhere from $20 to $60 depending on the quality of the hair and length.
wish i could do that an save mi likkle salon money...but nuff time de hair end up costing more then to put it in 
for the stocking caps and ones that require styling, I gotta go to my stylist 
mi nuh creme mi head since bout early march 
dat a de only ting mi can say is a benefit of de weave in the end.
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