From braids to a weave. Good idea?

[troi21]

I have been transitioning from relaxed to natural hair for seven months now. I have been wearing human hair braids for two months and need to take them out soon.

Is it a good idea to go from braids to a weave straight away? I plan to remove the braids myself. Deep condition my natural hair for a couple weeks and then get the weave done.
Should I wait longer? How long can weave last? I was hoping for something longer than two months. Would I be able to maintain an active lifestyle with the weave? (I will be at the gym three times a week)

TIA

 

[sweetpea5000]

Have you worn a weave before troi? In my experience, braids have worked better for me, being active especially, because:

1) my head can breathe better,

2) depending on how you get your weave put in (cornrowed, glued, how much of your own hair is left out) it can be a lot of maintenence to keep it looking good, even more if your hair is natural (blending with the weave), or if the weave is curly (they can get so knotted!).

When I have worn weaves it was usually for a special occasion and was not something I could maintain for over a month at the most because of the time it took( combing it, straightening pieces of my own hair to blend), and to be honest, I didn't wash it much because I wanted it to look good. Not to mention the fact that I felt like I had a helmet on my head with all the cornrows underneath!!!

The one exception was when I had my weave done with a very high quality weave- it was cuticle hair- and that lasted me probably over 2 months at a time. The difference was that since the hair was such good quality, it hardly knotted and so it was much easier to manage.I could reuse the hair for about a year. The only thing about cuticle hair is that it's very expensive and can cost about 500$-1000$. I didn't have to pay for it because of the work I was doing. I also know that you might have to look around to find places that carry this kind of hair, depending on where you live.
I've seen girls who are able to maintain weaves for a long time, and I honestly don't know how they do it! I just know that for me, and what I 'm trying to do now ( grow my natural 4a/b hair!)a weave will be too hard to maintain between washing and conditioning (once per week).

Hope I'm not making you feel too down about the idea, that's just me and my experience, and I just wanna let you know what you might come across if you decide to do it!!

 

[Karonica]

It depends on your hair. I would never wear a weave over a month, because I have scalp issues. But some people can keep them in for as long as three months. If your hair is the type that doesn't complain much, you can last. But I do think it is wise that you're letting your hair breathe from the braids first.