I have been wearing weaves since November last year and my hair has really benefited from it.
I kept my first weave for 3 months, which is a long time but my hair did great. The main reason I kept it for so long was because I really wanted to gain length, which I did. I think my hair grew about 1 1/2 inches. Then, I took it out and did another, which I kept for 7 weeks.
I had a break from weaves from April to June and cut my hair. Now, I am back in weaves and my hair is gaining length.
The cornrows certainly do lock in moisture. I am using Sta sof fro braid spray about twice a week and use MTG once a week.
The only downside of wearing weaves is not being able to wash it frequently although I used diluted shampoo with a cutton bud to clean my scalp.
I am now on a new regime where I will keep my weaves for 2 months at a time.
Weaves work a lot better for me than braids because my hair is more moisturised and therefore does not break when I take them out.
I used to wear straight styles but I find them too common amongst my age group, so I wear short curly weaves (like the pic. in my avatar)