When do you know its a weave?

[testimony777]

Ok so since the release of Chris Rocks movie I have had tons of conversations about Black women's hair. One recurring theme among those who think it is an accurate portrayal is that most Black women do wear weaves so why are people so upset. Even on this forum, a forum where many women with long hair are often believed to be wearing weaves, I have read comments to that effect. Just recently I read a post where people were commenting that outside of the hair forums they rarely saw Black women with BSL or longer hair that was not a weave. So my question is, what makes us so sure of this?

I have, on several occasions, had women discretely ask me where I purchased my hair becuase they were trying to find that texture. And it feels like every three days or so someone asks me point blankly if my hair is all mine. But more importantly, I am sure that for every person who comes up to me and asks whether it is mine there are at least three others who just assume it is not. So why are we so confident that most of the Black women we see in real life with long hair are wearing weaves.

Don't get me wrong, I know that many Black women do in fact wear weaves and wigs (as do many White women). But it just seems presumptuous to say that that most of the women we see on a daily basis with long hair are rocking weaves.

What do you all think?

 

[MizAvalon]

I can usually tell by texture. Black relaxed hair looks like...black relaxed hair. Even at its straightest it still doesn't have the texture of an Asian woman's hair, which is what most weaves are made out of.

Not to mention a lot of weaves are poorly applied and just don't look natural. If you're standing close enough to the woman the odds are good that you will see all kinds of lumpy areas or even the track itself!

 

[beans4reezy]

First I go by texture, 90% of the time, I can tell this way. If I still can't, I look for the track bumps.

 

[LeftRightRepeat]

I can tell by the texture, and I'm not even looking to see if it is a wig/weave. It is usually pretty obvious.

 

[MsBoinglicious]

1) I can tell by looking at peoples eyebrows (esp when not groomed). How your eyebrows gone be bushy but your hair is super fine?!? Is that possible! I mean your eyebrows and eyelashes are usually the finest textures you have on your body from the neck up! And your scalp hair is usually coaser than that of your facial hair.

2) I know we can have shiney hair but these woman with these baby doll "hurss" are a dead give away. Shiny-sheen and shiny-plastic are two different things! I AM SORRY IF THIS COMES OFF MEAN BUT HOW YOU GONE HAVE SHINEY PLASTIC HURRS AND YOUR SIDE BURNS LOOK LIKE BEAR GRIZZLY!!!?!!

If your egdes, side burns, eyebrows are not in accordance with your hair on your head Its a DEAD give away...for me!

When i was in highshool there was this girl and she wore a weave everyday. It was a nice weave too. But her eyebrows looked like...man...like trees/bushes/shrubs sticking out her face (never groomed them). They did not match the texture.

Don't people perm their eyebrows to match sometimes to make it all come together and blend?!?!

 

[Dposh167]

i go for the scalp first. If i see scalp, then i look at the texture. If the texture seems real then i may look at the crown of the head that's being blended with the rest of the hair. By that time i've fully concluded if it is their hair or not. Lol...silly but true. your average girls arent wearing super expensive weave that looks like it could be theirs. The straight out of the bag weave & textures is what i see a lot...so thats why im able to tell

 

[kandake]

Mostly length, texture and density.

I'm a wig wearer. I'm not trying to fool anybody with my wig, so I don't perm my eyebrows to match the textures.

 

[HoneyA]

The texture always gives it away. Other dead give aways are the visible tracks and the fact that sometimes it's just too much hair so the whole get-up just looks off.

 

[msa]

Texture, shine, length, color, tracks showing, blending, shedding, and unnatural head movements. Oh and let's not forget the weave pat when it's itching and brushing it in public.

 

[mzsophisticated26]

Mainly the leaveout texture versus the hair texture. But I have seen the leaveout blended okay but you see bumpy tracks. Shiney hair always gives it away. Your leaveout is 2 shades darker than the weave. No scalp showing

It's funny how I get weave check with my SL hair because of the bouncyness but when I wear my 16-18inch weave with a headband some people assume it's mine because I have in a high pony.

 

[Computer Blue]

I voted some combo of above. Agree with a lot of posters. In general, I find that hair that is "put on" just doesn't act and appear the same as hair that is actually growing from the scalp. Because it's not. Like sometimes when people move their heads, it can be obvious in the movement or lack of. Some weaves can come close and require a closer look, but I can still tell.

 

[CurlyMoo]

Well thinking someone has fake hair and telling someone it's fake is a different story. It's all the little details that lead me to believe it's a weave. It's not like there has been this feminine discretion where all the hair has blended properly and no one talks about it. I've seen weave on the sidewalk, stuck to bushes and literally hanging from people's head haphazardly. I've seen wigs put on backwards or leaning to the side. So it's no secret to anyone that Black women are fake hair connoisseurs.

Although I believe it's fake hair I NEVER ask if it's real. That is a NO NO in my book. There is a fine line between curiosity and rudeness. That's just wrong. Compliment the person and move it, don't wait to confirm if it's real.

Actually after complimenting women in the past on how great their hair looked and them tell me it's a wig or weave immediately after I compliment them; I stopped saying anything. Because I think people feel pressured into "keeping it real." I don't think it's a bad thing to assume it's fake especially when most of it is weave/wigs. Even when there are women who are trying to maintain their privacy and just be descrete about it there is someone who feels the need to call them out. I think that's behind a lot of the asking of if it's real. Some people just get comfortable and think it's ok to ask.

 

[glamazon386]

When the weave texture looks different than the person's natural texture or it's not blended properly.

But I will say this - a trained eye can tell 99% of the time if someone is wearing a weave. And in my day to day, most of the black women I encounter with long hair are wearing a weave. I do think that at this point we should be able to tell when someone's hair is real but if you rarely ever see long hair that's real do you really have anything but weave to compare it to? I can see why some people automatically assume all long hair on black women is weave. We all know that's not true but I can see why people may think that.

 

[song_of_serenity]

I don't really HAVE to look that hard to spot a weave. If it's done well, you would have to stare, and stare to tell...

however, as many have stated, a bad blend (perm straight dark brown leave out trying to blend with Asian straight jet black weave in)

The texture (especially if they use synthetic hair...)
The ridiculous length...not saying black women can't have butt length hair, but...when the person's edges are running back from their forehead and the rest of the hair is just thick and lush...I wonder...I don't see this extreme too often, though.

 

[tocktick]

* Bumpy hair, obvious tracks etc

* Texture - a lot of people seem to opt for the cheaper weave with that slightly synthetic or overly shiny look.

* When the length of the hair doesn't seem likely given the condition of it. Basically if I see a woman with BSL+ length hair that looks literally chewed up, tangled and like it's been scorched by a few cigarettes, I'm unlikely to believe it's all hers.

* Colour or texture doesn't match the hair left out

 

[DivaD04]

....pretty much what folks in here has stated, not to mention i'm a weave veteran and so are my friends. and those who wear weaves know better.
usually i can spot a weave a mile away, more likely in person, b/c my eagle eye zooms in and directly on the scalp and then i look for a color match. you'll find that a lot of women poorly apply weaves.

back home in the states, other than spotting a weave, it's hard for me to find ladies who possess long hair, unless i travel to different regions of the US. i know there are folks with long hair in AZ but i don't run in to many of them, usually their hair is super short, sl or psl, maybe apl, or weaved. other regions of the US i can find apl or longer. not a lot but i have seen some medium/long length ladies.
this board by far, has the most long haired ladies i have yet to come across. i think lhcf holds a record for me.


btw i'm working on learning to spot a lace wig....lace wigs can get tricky but i think if i focus on the hair line, i may have it in the bag. i'm working on this one for sure!

 

[MizAvalon]

....pretty much what folks in here has stated, not to mention i'm a weave veteran and so are my friends. and those who wear weaves know better.
usually i can spot a weave a mile away, more likely in person, b/c my eagle eye zooms in and directly on the scalp and then i look for a color match. you'll find that a lot of women poorly apply weaves.

back home in the states, other than spotting a weave, it's hard for me to find ladies who possess long hair, unless i travel to different regions of the US. i know there are folks with long hair in AZ but i don't run in to many of them, usually their hair is super short, sl or psl, maybe apl, or weaved. other regions of the US i can find apl or longer. not a lot but i have seen some medium/long length ladies.
this board by far, has the most long haired ladies i have yet to come across. i think lhcf holds a record for me.


btw i'm working on learning to spot a lace wig....lace wigs can get tricky but i think if i focus on the hair line, i may have it in the bag. i'm working on this one for sure!

I was in the BSS last week and saw some LF's in there and those had to be the most pathetic things I have ever seen.

 

[silvergirl]

texture, hair brushed back even though its down, ive never ever seen this style attempted unless someone was wearing a half wig or wig. blending, the instaweaves when two people accidently show up wearing the same style, completely identical hair.

but usually its the texture that gives it away.

 

[glamazon386]

texture, hair brushed back even though its down, ive never ever seen this style attempted unless someone was wearing a half wig or wig. blending, the instaweaves when two people accidently show up wearing the same style, completely identical hair.

but usually its the texture that gives it away.

My mom wears her hair like that all the time and it's real. Some people don't like parts.

 

[DivaD04]

that's why i stopped shopping at the bss....they don't care what they sell. thank goodness for the internet.

 

[kandake]

texture, hair brushed back even though its down, ive never ever seen this style attempted unless someone was wearing a half wig or wig. blending, the instaweaves when two people accidently show up wearing the same style, completely identical hair.

but usually its the texture that gives it away.

Wow, thats hilarious. I'm glad I "customize" my halfwigs.

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

Texture, bumps from tracks), no natural parts, the way the hair falls, and the smell (yes, I said it) of synthetic hair give them away to me.

 

[Bachelorette]

You people sure do alot of staring at people's head huh

after you find out it IS a weave, what happens next?

 

[CurlyMoo]

You people sure do alot of staring at people's head huh

after you find out it IS a weave, what happens next?

I usually jump on top of their heads and do a crazy dance.

 

[Bachelorette]

Although I believe it's fake hair I NEVER ask if it's real. That is a NO NO in my book. There is a fine line between curiosity and rudeness. That's just wrong. Compliment the person and move it, don't wait to confirm if it's real.

Actually after complimenting women in the past on how great their hair looked and them tell me it's a wig or weave immediately after I compliment them; I stopped saying anything. Because I think people feel pressured into "keeping it real." I don't think it's a bad thing to assume it's fake especially when most of it is weave/wigs. Even when there are women who are trying to maintain their privacy and just be descrete about it there is someone who feels the need to call them out. I think that's behind a lot of the asking of if it's real. Some people just get comfortable and think it's ok to ask.

Thank You.

 

[Bachelorette]

I usually jump on top of their heads and do a crazy dance.

Do you scream "I Knew It! I knew it!" while dancing?

 

[MizAvalon]

You people sure do alot of staring at people's head huh

after you find out it IS a weave, what happens next?

For me, nothing. I rarely see hair worth commenting on, real or fake.

 

[CurlyMoo]

Do you scream "I Knew It! I knew it!" while dancing?

Oh yeah girl I do the finger wagging and tongue clicking too. I might even throw in a cabbage patch move.

 

[ChristmasCarol]

One time back in the late 90s my DH and I were at a nightclub standing at a balcony looking down at the dance floor - so why did some sister have her weave sewed in at the very tippy top of the crown with GOLD thread. Mind you, her hair and the tracks were jet black. The thread wasn't yellow - it was GOLD - metallic, like gold lame'. I don't know how they are sewn in, but at the end of the track there was a huge GOLD knot where it was tied off. He spotted it first and we ROLLED! I'll never forget that as long as I live. Bad weaves are extremely amusing. But if I think someone's wearing a weave, I never compliment their hair even if it's fly, cuz I'm afraid they'll think I'm tryin' to be funny. (and I don't wanna get the beatdown)

 

[whitedaisez]

Do you scream "I Knew It! I knew it!" while dancing?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!