Synthetic Hair Nightmare

by Jenjen
(Virginia Beach Virginia)

Recently I’ve had some severe hair breakage in the crown area. Normally I'd have my hair kinky twisted, but due to the breakage the stylist insisted on doing a sew-in weave.

It was very expensive. Cheap braiding hair was cornrowed into my hair then a net was placed on my head and synthetic weave sewn in. It was painful, extremely itchy and tight.

After 3 days of no relief, I cut off the $215 weave. I never wanted by the way it looked atrocious anyway). I decided to keep the cornrows in, but noticed the horrible itching continued. I deduced it was the braiding hair.

After removing it 2 weeks later, I had my hair cornrowed again with a better quality hair. I noticed slight itching but it wasn’t bad. I weaved (crochet) braided in free tress bulk hair myself and it looked great. No itching.

Recently, I re-did the style. This time my cornrows were smaller, though I asked for medium size. They felt fine but tightened up later in the day, causing ongoing pain and swollen scalp. I iced, took Tylenol, and used a weave loosening spray to no avail. I decided to weave in the same brand of free tress bulk hair, but chose a looser looking curl. Within a day, my scalp was on fire as if fire ants were all over it. I took Benadryl and Tylenol (feeling doped) - still in pain from the tight areas.

I could not figure out how the SAME brand hair gave me an allergic reaction yet didn’t 3 weeks before. I later learned that synthetics are dipped in alkaline. This can cause reactions in some people. STILL not understanding how I managed not to have a reaction the time before. My only guess is poor quality control within the company.

I learned online to soak the hair in vinegar and water then let it air dry before use. A lot of help it does me now since it’s on my head.

Feeling tortured and unsure if I should removed it, since it’s only been in for 3 days, plus the whole point of this was to heal my damaged hair, I’ve spent more $$$ of bad weaves and hair services, I probably would have been better off shaving my head.

Desperate, today I made a vinegar water mixture and sprayed it ALL over my head, in an attempt to neutralize the weave. It was heavy and smelled gross. SO far it’s itching a little less, though my scalp is still painful in areas from the tight cornrows.

I'll post again if the itching returns OR if this really does the trick.

*sighned* done with weaves and cornrows ALL together!