A sew-in done well is one of the best protective styles there is: your hair rests in braids underneath while the wefts take the daily handling. Done badly, it is traction alopecia on a schedule.1 The difference is decided before the first stitch.
The foundation carries everything
Wefts are sewn onto cornrows, and those braids are the whole load-bearing structure. Two rules protect your hair. The braids should be snug, never scalp-lifting tight; pain at braid-down is not a rite of passage, it is follicle damage being scheduled. And your hair should go under clean, deep-conditioned, and fully dry, because it will live under there for weeks.
Braid patterns, and why the layout matters
The pattern your braids follow is not decorative. It decides where the wefts sit, how flat the finished install lies, and how the weight distributes across your scalp. A straight-back pattern, cornrows running crown to nape, is the workhorse for a full sew-in and the easiest to sew onto in clean rows. A beehive or circular pattern, where the braids spiral inward, suits leave-out styles and closures because it keeps the ends tucked and gives a flatter crown. Ask your stylist which pattern they are using and why before they start. A good one will already have a plan for how the weight sits, especially at the nape and the perimeter, where too much bulk pulls hardest.
How many wefts you actually need
Weft count comes down to length and the fullness you want. Tighter coils carry more visual volume per weft, so a 4C-range texture often needs fewer wefts than a looser curl at the same length. As a rule of thumb our customers use two to three wefts for most installs and go up one for extra length or maximum fullness. A closure or frontal does not change how many wefts you need. Each Adéorí weft is roughly 100g and machine-sewn with a reinforced track, so it can be cut to fit rows without shedding its way through the install.
Cut the weft, or fold it?
Folding doubles bulk at the fold and stresses the track. Cutting to measure lies flatter and distributes weight more evenly; seal cut ends with a dab of weft sealant if your stylist uses it. Good stylists have strong opinions here. Let them.
Protecting your edges and hairline
Traction alopecia is not bad luck. It is tension applied to the same follicles, in the same direction, for too long, and the hairline is where it shows first, because the marginal hairline is the part of the scalp that carries that pull most directly.2 The braids at your perimeter should be the gentlest of the whole install, not the tightest. If your edges sting, throb, or bump up in small raised dots the day after braid-down, that is the warning, and it is worth speaking up before the wefts ever go on. Between installs, give the perimeter a real rest: no back-to-back sew-ins over already-stressed edges, and a lighter protective style or none at all in the gap. A sew-in is meant to save your edges, not spend them.
The leave-out decision
Whatever you leave out will be styled to blend every day, so match the texture to that exact section of your hair, worn the way you actually wear it. This single choice decides whether your mornings involve a spray bottle or a flat iron. If you would rather leave nothing out, build the whole thing as a glueless wig instead and skip the needle entirely.
Living in it
Wash every one to two weeks, and dry the braids underneath completely afterwards; damp foundations breed mildew. Satin or silk at night. Six to eight weeks is a healthy run for most sew-ins, and your own hair needs a rest between installs.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a sew-in last?
Six to eight weeks is the healthy window for most people. Past that, your natural hair has grown enough that the braids underneath loosen and shift, which puts uneven tension on your roots and invites matting where the new growth meets the braid. Some wearers stretch to ten weeks with meticulous care, but that is the ceiling, not the goal. The wefts outlast the install by a long way: with steam-set hair, a proper wash brings the coil back, so the same wefts carry through several installs. It is the foundation that ages, not the hair.
How do I wash a sew-in without ruining it?
Dilute a sulphate-free shampoo and work it onto the braids and scalp in downward strokes, not circles, then rinse until the water runs clear. Condition the wefts, scrunching rather than dragging, and rinse cool. The step people skip is drying, and it is the one that matters most: get air to the braids underneath until they are bone dry. A damp foundation trapped under wefts is how you get mildew and that sour smell, so a cool blow-dryer on the roots or a good stretch of air-drying is not optional. Between washes, refresh the coil with water and leave-in rather than heat.
How do I take a sew-in out without damage?
Slowly, and with scissors that only ever touch the sewing thread. Snip the thread, never the braid, and lift each weft away rather than yanking it. Once the wefts are off, do not undo the braids dry. Saturate them with conditioner or oil first so the shed hair, the hair that fell out naturally and has been held in the braid for weeks, slides free instead of tearing. That accumulated shedding is normal and looks alarming; it is not breakage unless you rush. Detangle from the ends up, wash, deep-condition, and let your scalp breathe before the next install.
How do I choose a stylist for my first sew-in?
Look for someone who works with textured hair regularly and can show you healed installs, not just fresh photos from install day. Ask how they brace tension at the hairline, whether they cut or fold wefts, and how they braid down for the style you want. The honest answer to "will this hurt" is a small tell: a stylist who treats tightness as necessary is one to leave. You want the one who braids for comfort and still gets a clean, flat, lasting install, because both are possible and the good ones do both.
First step, before any of it: know your texture. The quiz takes a minute, and the Texture Match Guide shows the whole range.
1 Syed HA, Kaliyadan F (2025). Traction Alopecia. StatPearls Publishing, NCBI Bookshelf. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
2 American Academy of Dermatology (2025). Hairstyles that pull can lead to hair loss. American Academy of Dermatology. aad.org.