How To Revive a Weave

Quality human hair piece could cost you a small fortune so if you are on a budget you can’t afford to buy new ones every couple of months. Therefore it’s a great option to revive your weave or bundles to give them a second life.
But even if your bank account does allow you to treat yourself to multiple trips to the hair salon, reviving your weave or bundles is still a great idea to save a little bit of cash (which you can then spend on other nice things).

Reviving a weave takes a few very important but simple steps. By following these you’ll be able to make that old weave look as new again. If you put in a little time and effort, you can make those old virgin hair pieces (or even the ones you have installed currently) feel silky soft and look super healthy. That way you can enjoy that beautiful hair just a little bit longer.

Reviving your weave or bundles starts with detangling. It is not the most fun thing to do but it’s very important to get all the tangles out before proceeding to the next steps. To make the job a little easier for you, it is advised to use a wide tooth comb instead of a paddle brush. Using a wide tooth comb will avoid breakage of your virgin hair. Also, combing it from the ends working upwards will prevent your virgin hair from breaking. If you detect a knot during combing, don’t force the comb through it, but tackle it with your fingers. When the tangle loosens, then go back in with the comb.

The second step to reviving your weave or bundles is to clean it very well. Just like your natural hair, your weave or bundle needs to be cleaned on a regular basis as well. To keep your virgin hair in great condition it is recommended to wash it every seven to ten days using conditioner or a sulfate-free cleanser. Also, when washing, make sure to not rub the hair, because that will cause it to tangle again and would be unnecessary stress to the strands of your weave.
When drying your weave or bundles it’s important to dry it the right way. Instead of vigorously rubbing it dry, blotting your weave with a towel is a much better option to keep your virgin hair looking great.

Apple cider vinegar has a lot of health benefits and not just for your skin but also for your natural hair as well as your weaves, bundles, and wigs. Rinsing with apple cider vinegar is great for restoring the right pH balances in your hair. When you first buy virgin hair it’s always super sleek because the hair cuticles are safely sealed. But as you start wearing the hair, that seal will slowly disappear and the cuticle will eventually fall off. To prevent this from happening to your weave, bundles or wigs it’s advised to rinse with ACV to lower the pH balance and get a new protective seal over the hair cuticles.
To make an ACV rinse you just mix three parts of water with one part ACV in a large bowl and completely saturate your weave. Let it work its magic for about 45 to 60 minutes and rinse it out of your hair with water.

Deep conditioning is not only essential for your natural hair, but your weave and bundles also love the extra nourishment and moisture. In fact, this step is crucial if you want your virgin hair to last longer than usual. Deep conditioning your hair (natural hair, as well as virgin hair, weaves, wigs, etc.) is like giving it a much needed facial. It opens up the hair cuticles so that all the nutritious goodness from the product can deeply penetrate into the strands. It leaves you with super soft hair as if you’ve just got a new weave installed at the salon. The best way to deep condition your weave or bundle is to generously apply a moisture-based deep conditioner to the hair and use your wide-tooth comb to comb through and evenly distribute the product.

When you don’t want to deal with the hurdles of uninstalling and reinstalling your weave then you could also revive it while it’s still on. Just like when you are reviving an uninstalled weave, it’s important to detangle with a wide-tooth comb before washing it with a good quality sulfate-free shampoo.
When all the tangles are out and your weave is properly washed, apply a good deep conditioner and leave it on for at least 10 minutes to remove frizz and dullness and bring it back to life with a lot of added shine.
When the deep conditioner has done its job, rinse it out making sure none of the products remain in the hair. Then apply some leave-in conditioner, braid your hair, and leave it in overnight.
Rinse out the leave-in conditioner and your weave should be as good as new!

Another way to revive a weave is by boiling it in hot water. It is an easy and fairly cheap way to get your weave on point again. All you need is a pot or a pan and some Silicon Mix, which is a crème based deep conditioner. It brings back the bounciness, moisture, and shine to your weave but the smell isn’t as satisfying as its results. So to get the strong odor out of your hair make sure to use a good smelling styling product afterward.
To revive weave your weave, start by filling your pot with water and bring it to a boil. Then add 3 tablespoons of Silicon Mix deep conditioner and give a good stir. Then place your wig into the pot and leave it there for about 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure the pot is big enough so that your weave can fully emerge in the water.
When the time is up, carefully take the weave out with some kitchen tongs and place them on a clean towel to let them dry overnight. When your weave is completely dry you can style it like you normally would.

Let’s start by saying that this step is one you should do every week. It should only be done to bring your old weave back to life when it’s completely unmanageable and all the other steps mentioned above failed to work. What a bleach bath does is make it feel and look like it did when you first bought it. Kind of like a factory reset on an electronic device.

• Make sure that your room is well-ventilated and that your hands and nails are protected with good quality latex gloves.
• Fill a large bowl with a gallon of hot water (close to boiling but not quite) and mix in ¼ cup of bleach. It doesn’t matter which brand you use. Let your weave completely submerge in the bowl and let it sit for two to three minutes. Keep a close eye on the time, because if you leave the hair in longer than the recommended time, the color will come off. You’ll know the bleach is doing its job if you see bubbles forming in the bowl. Use a wide-tooth comb (one that you use specifically for bleach baths) gently brush through your hair to help get the smoothing process going.
• After two to three minutes remove your hair from the bowl with bleach and switch over to another bowl with a mix of lukewarm water and your favorite shampoo. Gently submerge the hair and comb it before lifting it back up out of the bowl. Repeat this for about three minutes.
• Next, mix ¼ cup ammonia with ¾ cup warm water in a third bowl and dip your hair in it while shaking it gently. Then lift your weave back up. Do this one more time and then and then and shake gently for a second before lifting. Do this twice and then repeat the previous step with the shampoo bowl, but this time skip the combing part.
• When you are absolutely sure there is no more bleach in your hair, apply a good moisturizing conditioner to your weave and put it in a plastic Ziploc bag and let it soak up all the goodness from the conditioner for a few hours. If you want to speed up the process you could also put the hair in a microwavable bag and warm it up for about 20 seconds. Be careful when you take the hair out of the bag because it will be very hot.
• Rinse out the conditioner in the shower or sink and use clothespins and hangers to let it air dry.