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Get ready to jump on the bandwagon because sew-ins are staging a triumphant comeback in the natural hair community, offering not just style but also promoting hair growth! Whilst traditional sew ins have been a trusted protective style for decades, they’ve also faced their fair share of challenges. Blending your leave-out seamlessly with your weave? Isn’t always a walk in the park. And let’s not even get started on the struggle of maintaining your natural hair’s health underneath your weave. With the hair industry stepping up its game and offering an array of extensions that match every Type 4 hair texture – from kinky to coily to curly – it’s no wonder sew-ins are reclaiming their throne.
Now, you might be wondering, “How exactly can sew-ins help me reach my natural hair growth goals?” We’re here to spill the tea on all the pros, cons, and tips for caring for your natural hair whilst rocking a sew-in. So buckle up Naturalistas and keep reading for everything you need to know about sew-ins. It’s time to unravel the good/bad/ugly and figure out if this is the secret weapon your hair growth journey has been missing!
4 Ways Sew-Ins Contribute to Hair Growth
Sew ins can be potentially classed as a double protective style as your hair is cornrowed to your scalp with all your ends are tucked away and the weave is sewn on top. If installed and maintained correctly, you’ll experience hair growth and noticeable length retention when you finally remove your extensions. Protective styles are designed to promote hair growth by minimising daily styling, constant detangling and tugging on your hair. It also helps reduce damage from environmental factors and the use of excessive styling tools such as heat.
Here are 4 main ways sew-ins contribute to natural hair growth:
1. Break from daily styling :
Doing the simplest things such as detangling, combing, pulling and tugging on your natural hair can have an impact on your hair growth. Sew-ins give you the option to give your hair a break from the stresses that come with daily styling whilst promoting hair growth.
2. Reduction of breakage and split end :
Afro textured hair is extremely fragile, so keeping your hair in a cornrow based style leads to less breakage and split ends. This is because your ends are tucked away and won’t be rubbing on your clothes or exposed to harsh environmental factors.
3. Supports length retention :
As your hands are out of your hair, you’re able to hold onto your new growth and minimise excessive shedding. When you take out your sew-in, you’ll notice a significant amount of length. That’s not because your hair hasn’t been growing at that rate all year round. But purely because you’ve left your hair alone during that period of time making the length more noticeable.
4. Creates an environment for your hair to thrive :
Like it or not – leaving your hair alone and not constantly putting your hands in your hair helps your hair flourish.
Although we’ve mainly focussed on the benefits of sew-ins. It’s important to note that sew-ins can lead to damage if not installed correctly. Not having an effective maintenance routine to care for your natural hair underneath the sew in also has a part to play. If not careful, you’ll end up with your hair matting, tension along your hairline if it’s too tight and in some cases thinning. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with some tips to help you maintain your hair whilst wearing a sew in to stop the above from happening.
How much does hair grow with sew in?
Your hair will grow at the same rate as it normally does. This is typically up to an inch per month depending on your hair growth cycle. However, you’re likely to see an increased amount of growth due to your hair being in a protective style. This will vary depending on your maintenance routine, lifestyle and diet. But trust us when we say sew-ins do contribute to natural hair growth!
Let me share a personal experience to give you some insight: Normally, my hair grows about 0.5 inches per month. However, during a 2 and half stint of wearing a sew-in, I noticed an impressive inch of hair growth per month. How did this happen? Well, less shedding from daily styling certainly played a role, but more importantly, I gave my hair a break. I made sure to maintain its health by clarifying every 2 – 3 weeks, deep conditioning on wash days, and moisturising my cornrows regularly.
Now, here’s the surprise: when I finally removed my cornrows, I was greeted with a lot of shedding. At first, this was a bit alarming. But then I remembered something crucial: hair sheds naturally, roughly 50 – 100 strands a day. So think about the shedding as trapped hair that’s been patiently waiting for its moment of freedom. So, when you unravel those cornrows, you’re simply setting them free.
7 ways to maintain your natural hair whilst wearing a weave
Here are our top tips for maintaining your sew-ins and natural hair to help you achieve optimal hair growth.
1. Prep your hair :
Prior to getting your hair installed. You want to ensure your hair is moisturised and hydrated. Start off with a moisturising shampoo and then follow up with a moisturising deep conditioner. When deep conditioning, use heat to ensure the product penetrates thoroughly through the hair shaft. Once dry – use the LOC or LCO method to seal in the moisture to support moisture retention.
2. Wash and Clarify your hair :
Even though your natural hair is tucked away. Your hair is still susceptible to build up so make sure you’re still washing your hair regularly to remove any build up. This can be done every 2 to 3 weeks. For easy penetration use products like Camille Rose Ginger Cleansing Rinse or Girl + Hair Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse which has a nozzle which gets right into the roots of your hair. If you’re still experiencing a significant amount of build up – use a clarifying shampoo like Aunt Jackie’s Power Wash which is great for removing buildup without stripping your scalp from natural oils.
3. Treat your hair as you normally would:
Just because your hair is in a weave doesn’t mean you should skip your regular treatments. Incorporate them into your routine even if it’s once a month for that extra nourishment. It might be harder for your deep conditioning treatment to penetrate through the tracks so use a steam cap or handheld steamer. This will open up your cuticles and help the product penetrate through your hair shaft.
4. Make sure your cornrows are fully dry after washing:
Before you style your hair – make sure it’s completely dry!!! This avoids your hair having a damp mouldy smell but also necessary for scalp care. This is the one time where you’ll want to use heat on your hair. Use a blow dryer or hood dryer on a medium setting. I like to use a hooded dryer attachment so I can sit back and relax without having achy arms.
5. Moisturise your hair regularly:
Moisturising is a key part of keeping your hair healthy so follow up with a leave-in conditioner after each wash. For easy penetration, use a leave-in spray or mix your leave-in with some water and spritz it across your cornrows. If you feel your hair is dry during the week, you can always re-spritz to rehydrate your hair.
6. Use minimal heat on your leave out :
It’s okay to straighten your hair to blend with your extensions but straightening your hair everyday will lead to heat damage. Use heat every wash day and maintain it by wrapping your hair at night or using heat free tools like flexi rods. Purchasing extensions that match your hair texture will minimise the regular use of heat.
7. Scalp Care:
Looking after your scalp is another important step to achieve optimal hair growth whilst wearing a sew in. If you’re prone to a dry scalp, make sure you oil your scalp at least once a week to eradicate excessive dryness. Be careful not to overload your scalp with oils, a little goes a long way. Or you can try a pomade like Keracare Dry & Itchy Scalp Glossifier.
Additional Tips to make the most of your natural hair growth whilst wearing a sew in
1. Make sure your hair isn’t too tight :
To avoid hair loss and receding hairline, go to a stylist who isn’t too heavy handed and actually cares about natural hair. The worst thing is ending up with super tight cornrows and tracks. Speak up at your appointments if you feel your hair is too tight and set expectations before they start the process.
2. Use a net for added protection :
Getting a net installed on top of your cornrows will provide less tension when the tracks are being sewn on top. Plus, it’ll help your weave and cornrows stay intact when washing and cleansing your hair.
3. Minimal leave out :
The style of sew-in you choose will have an impact on how often you’ll need to blend your leave out. Opt for styles such as a full sew-in, closure sew-in, flip over method or minimal leave out to avoid over manipulating your hair daily.
4. Protect your edges :
Your baby hairs are very fragile and delicate. So, take care of it by using water-based styling gels and moisturising it with leave-in conditioners. You can also use edge control but be mindful of build up and avoid using heated styling tools on a regular basis.
5. Purchase a weave that matches your hair texture :
This tip really speaks for itself. If you want to have less stress and not have to constantly straighten your hair to blend with a different texture than get kinky straight, kinky coily or kinky curly texture.
6. Experiment with heat free tools :
Using rollers, flexi rods or pillow curls will minimise the use of heat when styling your hair whilst giving you a nice stylish look.
How long does sew in last on natural hair? And How long should you wear it?
Although, sew ins can last up to 3 months if properly maintained. You’ll want to stick to wearing it for a maximum of 8 weeks to prevent matting. If your main goal for wearing sew-ins is to achieve optimal hair growth then stick to this rule! Some of the benefits for this are as follows;
- It’ll make it easier for you to loosen your cornrows and remove your tracks
- Minimises the amount of detangling you’ll need to do and releases trapped shed dead hairs
- Gives you an opportunity to properly clarify your hair and remove any build up that was trapped underneath your cornrows
- Let’s your scalp breathe
FAQS re; Sew Ins
1: Does weave damage your hair?
No – weave doesn’t damage your hair. The improper installation and maintenance of weaves damage your hair. One of the fastest reasons for damage is the cornrows and tracks being sewn too tight, eventually pulling on the roots of your hair and scalp. If not careful this could lead to alopecia.
The second reason for damage is using excessive heat on your leave out to blend your hair. Make sure to use textures that blend with your hair and minimise heat use to wash days. In between wash days you can maintain your leave out by wrapping your hair at night or utilising rollers/flexi rods to keep your hair in a stretched state.
Thirdly, go to a stylist who actually cares about natural hair and not just what the finished product will look like. If you feel your hair is too tight then speak up straight away. Don’t leave it till you’ve finished – that’s one thing we need to do more off rather than being upset when we get home.
2: Sew in hair growth before and after
Here are some videos of Naturalista’s on TikTok sharing their hair growth experiences from wearing a sew-in:
3: Are sew ins good for natural hair
Yes! sew-ins are good for natural hair especially for length retention. Your hair is tucked away keeping it protected whilst wearing the style. Do sew-ins have disadvantages? Yes – they do if not properly maintained or installed too tight. But with the right maintenance techniques you shouldn’t experience any drawbacks on your natural hair when wearing a sew in.
4: What are the disadvantages of sew in hair extensions
Although sew-ins have many benefits and can contribute to natural hair growth goals. They also have their cons, see the list below;
- Sew-in weaves can be damaging to your natural hair if not installed correctly from tight braids
- Can cause scalp irritation so make sure you wash your natural hair and extensions prior to installation
- Prolonged wear can lead to breakage and thinning. Stick to the 8 week rule to minimise this
- Can be difficult to keep cornrows moisturised and hydrated whilst wearing them
5: What is the most natural looking sew-in?
The most natural looking sew in is the flip over method coined by one of the OG’s in the natural hair community – Ivy League Powell! This method requires minimal leave out, roughly an inch around the perimeter of your hairline and offers a seamless blend. It can be styled in a ponytail and the hair can be flipped into any direction.
If you’re not up for dealing with leave out daily then you can also get a sew in with a closure. The tip to natural looking sew ins is the blend and quality of your hair extensions. There’s no point buying a brazilian straight if you have 4C hair because it won’t blend and even if it does on day one. It’ll quickly revert back!
Curly sew-ins also offer a natural blend and are easy to style. Just be ready to maintain the weave by keeping the hair moisturised and detangling regularly as curly hair is prone to tangles. If you’re struggling to decide on what texture to purchase, read our article on Best Extensions for Type 4 Hair.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We trust you’ve gained a clearer insight into how sew-ins can elevate your natural hair growth goals, along with valuable tips to ensure your hair remains healthy. While sew-ins do present certain drawbacks, they also offer numerous benefits that can accelerate your growth goals. The key lies in proper installation and a detailed maintenance routine. Once you’ve mastered these fundamentals, you’re bound to see remarkable results.
We’re eager to hear about your personal experiences with sew-ins! Drop a comment below and share your stories with us. Let’s continue this conversation and empower each other on our hair care journey.
