Janet Jackson's "haircut"

Gasp!! That was the collective reaction of most people when they saw the US magazine photo of Janet Jackson wearing a short cropped hairdo. Immediatey people across America flocked to websites carrying the story to report on their take on her new do.
One person asked if she was trying to look like Tito, another surmised that it was usual for a woman to cut her hair following something emotional (the death of her brother, her breakup with Jermaine Dupri.) At least one person was on the money when he/she wrote "more like taking out the weave than cutting it."
I snickered to myself at that comment. Every extension wearer knows that Mizz Janet was up in those hair pieces.
She has never gone public with her hair secret like the likes of Tyra Banks but one only has to look at her numerous photos and the dates they were taken to know that healthy head of hair didn't grow out of her roots.
I wonder what they would say when she is craving hair lengths again? Maybe they will report that she grew her hair out again.
I thought today would be a great one for me to look at some of my favourite Janet Jackson extensions in photos.
And just for the record, as extension wearers it's good to give our real hair some air once in a while, so much props to Janet.

A morning with the Master (hairweaver)

It’s FRIDAY morning and I’m at Kim’s Salon in Woodbrook in the presence of a master: Clem LueYat, an expert on hair weaving and extensions.
He pops off the clamp that secures my hair, gently tugging at it.
“What beautiful hair,” he says. “It’s so strong, but I can tell that you have been relaxing your hair yourself and that’s not good.”
He was right. I had been doing my hair with those $40TT at-home relaxing kits for months, but never realised that I was damaging my hair.
“Many women choose to buy kits like that because it is cheaper than going to the hairdresser, but it is better to pay a hairdresser $100, or whatever they charge now,” he said. “When you relax your hair on your own, you miss some parts, so some gets relaxed and some doesn’t. By the time you are ready to use the kit again, you are relaxing the same areas and abandoning the same areas all over again.”
For the rest of the morning, hair tips according to LueYat occasionally crept into the conversation. Being in the hair business for over 40 years, LueYat can’t help but share his knowledge. In fact, his visit here from his Brooklyn, New York base was to impart his knowledge on the latest hair trends including his own interlocking hair weaving technique, long hair styling and hair extensions without chemicals and hair replacement.
“Giving back is important,” he said. “This generation has to learn techniques from the older ones.”
In the hairdressing business, time is money and LueYat’s workshops teach hairdressers techniques to work smarter and faster.
LueYat chose to use his interlocking hair weaving technique to take my hair just past the shoulders.
With this technique, LueYat eliminates the use of cornrows or any pre-tracks and uses only a needle and a single nylon thread.

Buying the hair
The first step in putting on a weave is to buy quality wefted hair (hair that is attached at one end by stitching).
Since my hair was relaxed, LueYat had advised me to choose hair that was similar in texture to my own.
I finally settled on the Ultimate pack of relaxed straight human hair, 12 inches long with a golden-brown colour that matched my hair perfectly.
For extra body, LueYat recommended that I take two packs to get the desired effect.

At the salon
Since I hadn’t relaxed my hair for three months, it was well due for relaxing.
LueYat is known for his hair weaves, but he is also famed for giving elegant coiffures since the ’60s, I am told.
Before he applied the relaxing cream to my hair, LueYat coated my scalp with a grease to prevent me from getting burned.
The only time I ever remembered getting my scalp “based” (the application of grease to the hairline and and the scalp) was at those long-time home-based salons.
“This prevents your scalp from getting dry and being burned by the relaxer.”
And he was right.
Even though I had irritated my scalp by scratching it the night before, I got no burns. After relaxing, deep conditioning and blow drying, I was ready for the next step.

The transformation
For the last ten years, I have worn hair weaves off and on, so LueYat’s counsel on how my head would feel after the weave was done was something for which I was already prepared.
“People always ask if a weave would feel uncomfortable. I tell them, of course it would. I mean, it is something foreign you are putting in your hair. But it should not be painful.”
With a quick pull of the nylon thread from the huge spool, he threaded a C-shaped needle and stitched the wefted hair, piece by piece onto my natural hair.
“As you can see, I don’t use cornrows as other hairdressers,” he said as he worked.
Instead, he used a section of my own hair as a “track” on which to sew the weave, parting with his long pinky finger nail as he went along.
“Time this process to see how long I take,” he said.
LueYat’s weaving technique differs in many ways from that of other hairdressers. He doesn’t cut the wefted hair unless he has to, he doesn’t knot the thread, he uses a single thread to stitch rather than a double thread, one needle rather than several, and he prefers to work with nylon thread rather than cotton thread.
“This lasts longer and it’s more invisible,” he said of the nylon thread.
“When you use cotton thread and you wash your weave, you can see it because the thread swells with water.”
After applying the wefted hair clockwise around the outer portion of my head, it was time to tackle the middle portion.
First, he oiled my hair to keep it in good condition for the estimated three months the weave would be in place and a special reusable net was put over the wrapped hair.
“This wrap will give your own hair on the crown a rest from daily grooming and it will lay flat instead of being bumpy as most weaves are.”
For the middle, instead of using my own hair, as he had done for the outer portion, LueYat put a net in place which served as the tracks on which he sewed the hair.
An hour later, LueYat’s work of art was complete.
Usually, it takes a hairdresser three hours to complete a weave, the process, after relaxing the hair, drying it, putting in cornrows, stitching the cornrows down so it stays in place and then sewing on the hair to the cornrows takes more time.
I now understand why LueYat could complete as many as eight hair weaves in one day.
With scissors in hand, LueYat cut the hair for a seamless finish.
“One must not be able to tell where your hair ends and the weave begins.”
Sitting in the chair looking at the completed product in the mirror, I was in awe.
This was the kind of weave I had only seen on celebrities. I also loved that there were no tell-tale bumps and that no matter how the wind blows, no one would see any tracks.
Photographer David Wears was just as awe-struck.
“Man, I don’t know exactly what you did, but it looks really good.”
As one who wears weaves, I had often admired Clem LueYat’s work was one I often , but had never experienced it until that Friday when I spent the morning in the presence of the master himself.

Hair tips according to Clem LueYat

l To avoid dry scalp and burns, base the hairline and scalp before relaxing.
l Deep-condition the hair before applying a hair weave.
l Tell your hairstylist what kind of look you are going for so that you don’t stray from your own style.
l Use a weave to add colour to your own hair if you are not willing to take a risk with permanent colour.
l Stay away from home relaxing kits. Instead, go to your hairdresser who should be well-trained.
l When touching up your hair, your hairdresser should only apply relaxer to the new growth if you have had your hair relaxed before.
l Choose wefted hair that is close to your own hair colour unless you are experimenting with colour and texture. (Originally published in the Trinidad Guardian Newspapers)

Bored and longing for new lengths

I am so bored today. I was just telling a girlfriend that. And when I am bored all I want to do is retreat to my bedroom, sit in front of my mirror and do my hair.
I am currently wearing my hair in Outre's french wave weave. It is a wavy hair that is easy to maintain. No fuss hair.
I put it in myself for Mother's Day. I first left it at its original twelve inches but cut it down after a few days. The heat had a lot to do with my decision to cut but then again I also
hate it when curly extensions are that long. I mean who wants to look like Evelyn Champagne King reloaded? I also deliberately put an invisible part in this particular weave because, for the life of me, I can't understand why people would put bangs in their curly weave and not see Rick James beeyatch in the mirror.
Now I want to toss my wavy weave extensions. I am even bored of that too. This morning while I was prepping for work I thought that I should braid my hair next. Not those long tacky micro ones though, the afro kinky kind that come in different colours and can withstand three times a week shampooing.
But I don't know. The cons to that is that the hair tends to bulk a lot (duh they call it bulk hair too) and within weeks I would have a head of fat plaits falling about my face.
I also have the option of buying a wig with either curly or straight hair. It is a full wig so it would allow me to give my hair a rest. The draw back of a wig though is that when I am home I have to always do something with my natural hair. And therein lies the problem.
Or maybe I should braid my hair using wavy braid extensions? Nah. It's not easy braiding your own hair for 9 hours. Not only does your butt hurt from sitting in one spot so long, so do your hands and arms from moving them all about the head.
So I am back to square one. Still bored but with a spark of excitement still, about what's going to be my next hair move.

Hair by You Tube

Some people go to You Tube to see music videos and upload themselves. I go to You Tube to check out the latest hair weaving techniques.
If you want to learn how to do an invisible part, do a weave without sewing or gluing then you'd find this popular site more than useful.
Most of the tutors on the videos are young girls with a knack for weaving hair.
Almost all of them film their videos in the bathroom or their bedroom and almost all of them can't help but run their fingers through their extensions excitedly upon completion of their hard work.
Last month I learned a new way to braid to ensure that the hair falls nicely on either side of the face.
Two days ago I learned how to use a lace front as a weave.
I still have yet to catch on to that invisible parting technique, in which small pieces of weave hair is stuck to the top of the hair. The result is seamless and scary. You really can't tell where the weave stops and the real hair begins.
Trust me, I would master that at some point. I am a quick learner. Just give me time.
Another bonus on these videos is that the tutors share with the viewers what type of hair they are wearing and how much they cost. They would also share with viewers how the hair behaved after filming the video; for instance if it was tangle free or was a bird nest.
One tutor said that after just two weeks the Onyx brand of hair she bought was dry flat and yucky.
It may have been her hard luck but for viewers like me, I know that Onyx hair extensions is not a product I would be buying anytime in the future.
The next time you log on to You Tube, do a search for how to weave . You'd be amazed at the wealth of hair techniques that are out there.

Lunch , punch and Hairdo extensions

The diners at TGIF must have been wondering about my mental state as I sat at the corner table of the restaurant trying on hair.
Between bites of my piping hot buffalo wings and sips of my fruit punch I spent 2 hours talking to the owners of Vanc marketing Charlene and Navin about the packs of hair laid out on the table before us.
The packages were cute see through palstic cases that buttoned shut. Contained in them were extensions that were long, straight,short, curly and at least one was a ponytail.
Honestly I spent the time feeling, ooohing and ahhing at the beauty of these extensions.
In all my years I have NEVER encountered synthetic hair that was heat resistant.
The synthetic hair most are accustomed to crinkle up and lose its shine and texture at the slightest exposure to heat agents like curling and flat irons.
You know those Kankelon braid fibers? That's exactly what those glossy synthetic pieces transform to when exposed to heat.
The synethic hair pieces they sell in T&T are made out of plastic-like fiber, hence the no heat warning.
The Hairdo braid, however, is made up of its own brand of fibers called True2Life.
To the touch, the hair is soft yet not doll-like and thank goodness it doesn't pack the shine as most synthetic hair tend to do.
The hairpieces are also clip-ons which means no needles, no thread, no cornrows, no glue.
The clips were so small I didn't see them at first. They are made of a metal and clamp shut to keep them in place on the head.
The Raquel Welch line features memory caps on its wig line so that you never have to fuss about scoring the same look with each wear of the wig.
As a wig wearer I know that there are days when you can get the perfect wig fit (the part in the right place, the sideburns properly lined up to flatter your face) and the days when you have to spin that wig all over your head just to get the same look you got the last time you put the wig on.
The memory cap wigs are sold with head forms to ensure that the shape is kept. For we all know, well most of us anyway, that a wig can stretch a size up if it isn't placed on a proper form between wear.
How many of you have had to knot your wig band to prevent it from stretching? (My two hands are up). For my non wig wearers, the wig band is much like your bra strap with the same features. And you know how often you have to adjust a bra strap!
At TGIF I also tried on a clip-on bang, which I actually walked out of the restaurant wearing, as a parting gift from Vanc.
They also gifted me with a ponytail which is secured with velcro.
I like that the bangs are full and healthy looking and I didn't have to cut my hair to achieve it.
The Hairdo line is the brainchild of Ken Paves, only one of the most noted celebrity hair stylists.
Among Hairdo's wearers are Eva Longoria, Beyonce and Jessica Simpson (who inspired the line).
I couldn't take my eyes of a short curly honey and brown clip-in wig.
I think this little baby should be my Mother's Day gift. I'm working on gifting myself with it but I must shift around things in my budget to achieve such. Wish me lots of luck.
Check out : "http://kenpaveshairextensions.com/ for more photos and colour options.

the right way to ponytail @ home

We've all done it.
We wake up in the morning, dress for work and suddenly realise that the cute navy skirt suit we're wearing would really go better with a long flowing, perfect ponytail extension. Then comes the dilemma -- we don't have one!
What's a girl to do then? Certainly not wing it, like I saw a lady do just yesterday in a taxi.
She had black hair and thought it clever to bobby pin in wefts of scarlet coloured weave hairpieces on top of her her own short ponytail.
The result was disastrous! Weave wefts were showing everywhere.
Look, if you are going to do a ponytail without the store-bought clip-in or draw string ponytails then at least make it look sleek, professional and seamless.
I usually stack up my used hair weave pieces one on top the other (never throw away your used weaves, you never know when you may need to use them again), brush them out, and then roll the hair from one end of the weft to the other. It ends up looking like a coil on top and as easy as that you now have your home-made ponytail.
To put the ponytail in, brush your own hair and hold it in a pony. Don't use your scrungie yet, just your hand to secure the hair in place. In the space where your hand is circled around your ponytail, push in the coil. Your hair will then cover this completely, then you can secure the hair and homemade ponytail with your scrungie.
Make sure that your hair matches the weave piece you use. In other words, if your hair is black don't use scarlet!
The result is seamless with your hair blending into your extension. Money saved and the look still fierce.
Later today I am going to meet with a local representative of the Racquel Welch hair and Hair do extensions. I will get the chance to explore the range of synthetic, human hair, ponytails, clip ons. It will be my experience with the product, although I have heard about it before. Am I excited? Hell yeah. I barely made it through the weekend thinking about all that hair.
Will tell you all about it tomorrow.