What is an Instant Weave?
When I started wearing wigs, I started off wearing an Instant Weave. My first time was fraught with mistakes which I have learned from and have moved forward onto the more intricate wigs like Lace Wigs. As I’ve made mistakes, I’m hoping that by reading this you’ll learn from them….
The reason I started wearing wigs was that I couldn’t justify spending £200 + having my hair weaved, that includes buying the hair and having it fitted by a hairdresser, after losing my job. I was in a massive panic as I wanted to keep to my low maintenance hair routine, so I racked my brains for an idea of what I could do.
For some reason, the word “wig” just popped into my head, and I started looking for wigs. In my search, I came across Instant Weaves, which caught my attention as it was a weave that I wanted to replace.
So I ordered my first Instant Weave feeling really happy with myself for averting potential hair hell. Now this is where things went wrong. On the website, I ordered from there was no information as to how the Instant Weave worked or how it was constructed or a description whatsoever. When I received it in the post I messed about with it, but as I still had my weave on, I couldn’t actually try it out.
I am ever optimistic, so off I went to the hairdressers the following week to have my weave taken out. When I arrived, I advised the hairdresser that I had an Instant Weave that I would like her to put on when my hair had been conditioned after taking out the weave. So off came my weave, I had a deep condition and a bit of a trim, then it was time for the Instant Weave.
Here’s the punchline of the story. The Instant Weave was actually a Halfwig or otherwise known as a 3/4 wig instead of a full cap Instant Weave. A Halfwig is only 3/4 of a full wig. Imagine a wig and take off its fringe, and you have a Halfwig. The Halfwig has 2 combs, one at the front and one at the back of the wig. You would need to part your fringe and brush it forward then you would insert the comb at the front of the wig in the parting made by the fringe, then comb your fringe backwards into the wig.
This is great if you have a good amount of hair at your temples. The reason I was having weaves was due to having thinning hair at my temples, so you can imagine my dismay when I found out, I had bought a halfwig. The other boo boo I did was to have bought this wig in colour 1B.30. All though my time wearing extensions I’d always had a mix of colours with my hair extensions, which I found complimented my skin tone.
Scary posing!
I’ve always gone for a mix of colours when I had my hair braided, and I assumed that this would work with a wig. My assumption was correct when it comes to wearing a full wig but on a halfwig it looks a little strange.
Due to having to blend my hair into the Halfwig it looked a little strange that I had dark hair at the front, and this mixture of natural black and brown streaks front the crown of my head going backwards.
After going through this experience I knew that I wouldn’t have been the only person to have. I’d also been thinking of an idea to start a business and this experience gave me the idea to start Afuro Hair and Beauty/www.afuro.co.uk
I then did more research and realised that there were different types of Instant Weaves and ensured that I’d order those as well as the Halfwigs. Personally, I prefer a full cap Instant Weave as you just put it on with little or no messing around. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when it comes to my hair, I’m very lazy, but I still like to look good!
A quick way of working out from a picture if the Instant Weave you’re looking at is a Full cap or a Halfwig/3/4 wig is if the model in the photo has a fringe. Normally, if it’s a 3/4 wig/halfwig then the fringe is combed backwards off the face. Just like Sensationnel Instant Weave Rachelle.
Sensationnel 3/4 Instant Weave - Rachelle | www.afuro.co.uk
A full cap Instant Weave will definitely have a fringe built into the wig as shown below with Freetress Instant Weave Bali Girl.
A full cap Instant Weave - Bali Girl. My favourite Instant Weave of all time
There is also another type of Instant Weave available. The 2 in 1 Ponytail/ Halfwig Instant Weave. This a 3/4 wig which has a drawstring around the cap of the wig, which can be tightened and turned into a ponytail. As shown below in Freetress Instant Weave Bilbao Girl. The 2 in 1 Instant Weave/Ponytails are excellent value for money as you’re getting 2 products for the price of 1!
A halfwig and a ponytail
Anyone can wear a Instant Weave, as they are constructed the same as a standard wig, with adjustable straps at the back. However they also have combs to the front and back of the wig for extra security. Plus there are colours to suit everyone.
Plus, as they are very cost effective they are an excellent way to start out wearing a wig with little initial investment. That’s what I did and then I moved onto different types of synthetic wigs then Human Hair Wigs, Lace Front Wigs and now I wear Full Lace Wigs and haven’t looked back since.
I hope you have as much fun as I have and still do wearing wigs!
