Sew-in weaves are a great hair styling option for anyone who wants to protect their hair from the stress of day to day styling. They’re also a great way to test out new hair colors or even try out a different hair texture.
To get a sew-in, your own hair is braided close to your scalp, and bundles of extensions are stitched on to the braids. Sew-ins are a great styling option because when they’re properly maintained, they can last for up to 4 weeks.
Although sew-ins can protect your hair and give you lots of versatility they can have a less than desirable appearance if they’re not done properly leaving the wefts of the extensions visible along the hairline and making it difficult to wear your hair up or part it in any direction without exposing the wefts of the extensions and the braids they’re attached to.
Sections of your hair can be left out to hide the hair wefts of the extensions but having a “leave out” can sometimes be a challenge because your own hair may not match the texture, length, or color of your extensions and frequent heat styling to make your leave out blend in may lead to breakage. Adding a closure or a frontal to your sew-in eliminates the need for a leave out, can make your hairline look more natural, and gives you the ability to change your hairstyle more frequently.
Closures and frontals are also great because they keep your bundles covered. When the proper amount of hair isn’t added to a sew-in, your hair will look thin, and you’ll have a hard time keeping the wefts of your extensions covered. It’s important to use the right number of bundles of hair along with your closure or frontal to provide the amount of coverage you need and to make your hair look its best.
Let’s look at what the difference between a closure and a frontal and at how many bundles of hair you’ll need to use with each to make your sew-in look fabulous.
What is a closure?
A closure is a small piece of lace with hair attached that gives sew-in weaves a natural looking appearance along a small part of the hairline along the front of the head. Closures generally measure 4×4 inches. Unlike bundles of hair, the weave isn’t attached to a weft or track on the closure. Individual strands of human hair are tied to it instead.
Because the hair is tied to flesh-toned lace that matches your complexion, it can be parted in any direction and make any sew-in weave look like it’s your own hair. Closures are generally used to create realistic looking side or middle parts in the hair.
How many bundles of hair you need with a closure
How many bundles of hair you’ll need to use with your closure can vary depending upon the texture of the hair you’re having installed. Because wavy hair has a lot of body and volume, you may find that you need just a few bundles of hair to achieve the look you want. Straight hair may require the use of more hair because it’s flat and may not cover the wefts of the extensions quite as well.
No matter the texture of hair you choose you’ll have to be careful to use enough to cover and blend well with your closure. Because closures are small, you’ll need to add enough hair to achieve your desired look. You should use no less than 3 bundles of hair when you’re adding a closure to your sew-in to achieve the best results. You can add up to 4 bundles of hair to make sure your hairstyle has enough volume.
What is a frontal?
A frontal is a wide piece of lace with hair attached that can be added to the front of the hair to provide a natural appearance to a sew-in weave. Frontals generally measure 13×4 inches and, unlike closures provide coverage from ear to ear along the entire hairline along the front of the head. When frontals are made strands of hair are tied directly to flesh-toned lace to provide the most natural appearance and versatility.
Frontals provide the people who wear them with the ability to part their hair in just about any direction along the hairline. Instead of being limited to wearing a side part or a part down the middle frontals give you the ability to style your sew-in weave just about any way you choose.
How many bundles of hair you need with a frontal
Just like with closures the number of bundles of hair you need to make your sew-in look its best may change depending upon the texture of hair you’re installing. If you’re using curly or wavy hair, you may need fewer bundles to create your hairstyle, and if you’re using straight hair, you may need more.
Because frontals cover a wider area of your head than a closure does you’ll need to use fewer tracks to achieve the look you want than if you were using a closure. Start with 3 bundles of hair and add in half a bundle more or up to 4 bundles total to achieve a natural looking sew-in.
