The wig and the install
Wash day and prep
Heat and styling
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I'm a natural hair girl (somewhere around 4A/4B) living with alopecia (CCCA at my crown), seborrheic dermatitis, and a history of postpartum and hormonal shedding. The goal for this style: a V-part wig that looks like a sew-in, with a small leave-out so my hairline and scalp can breathe before braid season.
Reusable gloves, Q-tips and cotton rounds for drips, an eyebrow spoolie for precise application, an edge brush, a measuring cup and medication syringe, a small glass bowl, olive oil, a regular-strength relaxer, scalp base cream, a disposable shower cap, an elastic band, paper wrap strips, and neutralizing shampoo. If you don't have neutralizing shampoo, don't open the relaxer. It stops the chemical process. I only do this every few years and I don't recommend doing it often.
I diluted the relaxer with olive oil at a 1:2 ratio: half a teaspoon of relaxer to one teaspoon (5 ml) of oil. I based my scalp and the perimeter of my forehead, covered the rest of my hair with the shower cap, band and wrap strip, then brushed the mixture onto just my edges with the spoolie so it stayed on the hair and off the scalp. If anything burns, wash it out immediately.
I did three to four gentle washes with neutralizing shampoo, letting it sit a few minutes each time, then misted a protein spray on my edges. I got a couple of red spots where my seborrheic dermatitis flakes were, so I dabbed on pure vitamin E oil. This is my personal routine, not medical advice. Talk to a dermatologist if you have scalp conditions.
Scalp scrub first, then a medicated shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis, then a clarifying or moisturizing shampoo depending on what my hair needs. I deep conditioned with a cholesterol treatment and coconut oil under a hooded steamer for 30 to 40 minutes, then blew my hair out with a paddle-brush dryer, a leave-in, a heat protectant and a chebe butter.
I sectioned my leave-out and had my braider in Allentown, PA do a flat, comfortable braid down. Crossover cornrows hide thinning at the crown, and the ends were sewn down instead of crocheted through.
The unit is a 22-inch Yaki straight in 1B with 27 frosted tips. The texture looks natural and the construction is solid: combs, adjustable band with silicone grip strips and a drawstring. I removed the combs and clips to keep extra tension off my fine strands.
The cap ran a little wide for my head, so I folded in the side flaps before sewing. When you sew, keep the needle going through the braid, not down toward the scalp, and don't sew too tight.
I pressed the leave-out with a slim flat iron, a straightening brush, heat protectant, serum and a root tint spray to conceal thin spots. Then I laid my edges with edge control, added HD-lace human-hair fake baby hair with lace glue and a melting spray, styled them, and finished with a wax stick and a foundation touch-up on the lace.
Is it giving sew-in? I think so. Watch the full reveal and tell me if I understood the assignment.