adminDr Tendai Zuze Health
HAIR extensions, where synthetic or real hair is attached onto a person’s existing hair or scalp by weaving, gluing, sewing or clipping it on, are the in-thing among Zimbabwean women and it is now almost impossible to find a woman brave or confident enough to wear their natural hair.
Yes, a well applied, natural looking “weave” has the potential to enhance one’s looks but the fact is a lot of extensions out there look downright ridiculous. Besides making you look cartoonish, a badly applied weave can be hazardous to your health.
Women have been known to go to their doctors with bald spots, medically known as alopecia, and thinning hair caused by heavy weaves pulling at their scalps. Sometimes their real hair under the weave becomes so unkempt and matted and may break off when attempts are made to comb it. The glue used to bond hair can also sometimes cause terrible rashes.
If done right, weaves allow women to wear different styles that would be impossible with or taxing on their real hair. But dermatologists and stylists say too many women are not getting their weaves and extensions properly done. Many of them also are not taking care of their weaves or are leaving them in too long, causing irreversible damage to their hair follicles. It appears as long as the weave looks good, most women don’t care what’s going on under it until it’s too late.
Studies in young African-American girls found an association between hair loss and those who wear cornrows, or hair braided closely to the scalp. It is believed hair weaves may cause some of the same damage in older women. Tightly sewn-in weaves can cause conditions including traction alopecia – gradual hair loss caused by pulling of the hair – and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia – scarring and balding that starts at the crown of the head and spreads out.
The problem seems to be more common in African women because their hair tends to be drier and the shape of the follicle more prone to breakage, some dermatologists believe.
But people of all races wear weaves and have suffered hair loss. This problem also seems to be worse in women with other conditions like diabetes. Other women make the mistake of getting their natural hair chemically relaxed then placing a weave on top. The relaxed hair doesn’t get the air, moisture and maintenance it needs, and it dries out and breaks off.
Don’t despair though; here are some tips to make sure your weave doesn’t cause a disaster.
Prepare Your Hair and Scalp: Get your hair in good shape before adding extensions. Take a break from the weakening chemicals in curl relaxers or dyes to get a head start in avoiding breakage. Make sure your hair is clean, well-conditioned, and free of build-up from dead skin cells and styling products like hairspray. These can cause dryness, flaking, and itching.
If your scalp is dry and flaky, use a medicated shampoo that contains zinc pyrithione or selenium sulfide. If you’re still seeing flakes, visit a dermatologist before getting extensions. You may have seborrheic dermatitis, which can be harder to get under control when you have extensions.
Apply Oils to Your Scalp: Your hair and scalp still need nourishment. Work natural oils beneath the weave onto your scalp and massage them in. If the weave is made of human hair, getting a little product on it won’t hurt it, but synthetic hair doesn’t require additional products, so you’ll have to be careful not to get oils on it.
Stay Loose: The biggest mistake that women make with extensions is wearing them too tight. This puts a lot of tension on the hair follicles, which can make your hair fall out. At worst, it can contribute to the most common type of permanent hair loss in African women. Tightly pulled braids have also been responsible for persistent headaches.
Getting extensions should not be painful or cause headaches. If it does, they’re too snug. Ask your stylist to loosen them before continuing. Clip-ins are the least damaging extensions because they can be removed quickly and require little to no glue or braiding. But they can cause hair breakage if they pull or snag your hair, so put them in loosely.
Shampoo: Gently shampoo at least once a week to keep your scalp at its healthiest. This reduces the build-up of product used for styling your extensions and dead skin cells. If you wear clip-in extensions, remove them first. Clean and dry them separately before reattaching. If your weave or extensions are sewn, bonded, or glued into your hair, separate your natural hair from them as best you can. Then wash, rinse, and condition your real hair separately from your faux hair. Towel-dry gently before you comb through or blow-dry.
Don’t Overdo It: Even if they still look neat and polished, don’t wear hair extensions for more than 6 weeks at a time. Weaves should be removed to allow for a thorough cleaning of the scalp and deep conditioning of the hair.
When removing extensions: The glue used to secure hair extensions to your head contains chemicals that can cause hair loss. If bonding glue is absolutely necessary, use bonding glue remover not only to take out the extensions but, more importantly, to ensure no glue remains in the hair. Any remaining glue can adhere to hair and become nearly impossible to remove without losing hair in the process. If your hairline or scalp itches after your weave is removed, you may have an allergic reaction.
Give Your Hair a Break: Forgo extensions for a few weeks while you baby your hair and scalp to give it a break. Switch to a hairdo that puts less stress on your hair. Then you can put the extensions back into healthy hair.
Dr Zuze can be contacted at Highland Clinic on 020-66364
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