by Lakish Campbell

Created on: February 10, 2008

Weaving the hair can be achieved by bonding, sewing, interlocking, strand by strand, fusion and clip-ins. The method that you may benefit the most from depends on your lifestyle and the look you are trying to acquire.

BONDING is achieved by gluing tracks of human or synthetic hair as close as possible to the shaft of your own hair. I remember my aunt used this method by using crazy glue to attach her extensions. After years of this hazardous practice, her hair fell out in patches from breakage.

Nowadays, a respectable brand of hair glue can be found at beauty stores such as Sally's Beauty Supply. One brand is Proclaim Super Bond Hair Glue ($.99). It comes in two colors-white and dark. Sally's also carries Topstick Clear Hairpiece Tape ($3.49) which holds hair securely in place. You have the option of buying it in a roll or in 50-count strips and in clear or opaque. You can trim the tape to size and press firmly in place, minus the backing.

Another choice for bonding is Kera-Protein Glue Pebbles ($8.99). These can be melted and used to bond hair extensions in a single strand technique. In order to melt these pebbles, you have to buy a Glue Pot ($32). Once the pebbles have been completely melted, the beautician will dip the tip of the hair extension and apply it to your scalp.

The best part of this method is that it's quick, as I have personally seen. However, the glue can irritate your skin and cause infections. Also, the glue, when improperly removed, can cause your own hair to break.

The best glue remover is Proclaim Super Bond Remover Oil ($3.99) along with Proclaim Super Bond Shampoo ($1.99). The oil smooth cuticles, detangles and removes traces of bonding glue. The shampoo deep conditions, gently cleanses, and removes bonding glue.

SEWING requires that your hair be cornrowed before pieces of hair are sewn onto your plaits. Your beautician will use a weaving thread (Vienna, $0.89) and needle (Vienna, $1.19) to attach the hair. My best friend has become quite skilled in this method. However, she usually goes to the beautician to get her own hair weaved. She loves that she doesn't have to worry about her hair. Scalp irritation is minimal.

However, it is when you need a new weave put it that you can run into problems. First, when removing the weave, the utmost care should be practiced. You can damage your hair at the root if you aren't careful with cutting the stitches out or if the threading is too tight.
Some popular hair brands for weaving are Milky Way 100% Human

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