How to Remove a Quick Weave

Co-authored by Ashley Adams and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: January 7, 2022 References

A quick weave can be a fun way to change up your look, but they're only meant to stay in for about 4 weeks. To remove your quick weave, coat the base of the hair wefts and the cap with lots of oil so it's easy to slide them off. If you end up with dried glue on your scalp or natural hair, apply a glue remover shampoo. Then, comb your hair before shampooing with your regular shampoo and conditioner.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Removing the Hair Wefts and Cap

1
Choose an oil to apply to your quick weave. You can purchase hair oils or shampoos that are designed for loosening and removing quick weaves. Buy these at your local beauty supply store. If you don't want to buy a new product, check your home for oil-based products you can use, such as:^{[1]
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- Conditioner
- Oil, such as almond, olive, coconut, or baby oil
- Dish soap
2
Apply the oil to each hair weft. If your oil comes in a bottle, you may be able to spray it onto the base of each hair weft. If you're using something that didn't come in a spray bottle, such as conditioner or oil, squirt or pour a little of it into a bowl. Then dip your fingers into it and spread it directly onto the hair weft where it meets your scalp or the cap.^{[2]
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- You can protect your clothes by wearing a plastic cape or a grocery bag over your body. Keep in mind that oil stains can be hard to remove from clothing.
- Since you're dealing with messy oil, consider wearing an old T-shirt while you remove the quick weave.
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3
Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it on for 1 hour. Put on a shower cap or nylon cap to keep the oily hair wefts from getting into your face. Leave the cap on for 1 hour to give the oil a chance to loosen the hair weft glue.^{[3]
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4
Remove the shower cap and rub the wefts attached to your hair. Take off the shower or nylon cap after the wefts have soaked. Then use your fingers to rub the wefts that you glued directly onto your hair. Rubbing should loosen the wefts so they start to slide down.^{[4]
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- If the weft feels dry or isn't moving very much, spread or spray a little more oil product onto it. After you apply the oil a second time, wait an additional 30 minutes before you try to work it again.
5
Pull off the wefts that are attached to your hair. Gently tug the hair weft down and away from your hair. Pull it completely away from your hair and continue to remove the individual hair wefts that aren't attached to the cap.^{[5]
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- If you're having trouble pulling away the hair wefts, saturate them with more oil product and let it sit for another 30 minutes before you try again.
6
Spray the edges of the cap with oil and massage it. Once you've removed the individual hair wefts that made up the top of your hair, spray or spread more oil to the edges of the cap. You should also be massaging and rubbing the edges of the cap, so it begins to slide off.^{[6]
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- You'll damage your natural hair if you pull off the cap without loosening it first. In some cases, the damage can be severe and even result in bald patches or alopecia. Take your time and allow the cap to loosen.
7
Continue to spray the cap with oil and lift it away. Massage towards the center of the cap and keep applying oil with your hands. More and more of the cap will loosen and come away from your scalp. You should now be able to completely remove the cap with the hair wefts attached to it.^{[7]
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- You can save the cap with the wefts to reapply or discard it.
- Some caps, especially stocking caps, will be ripped or damaged after the removal process. If this happens, remove the wefts from the cap, then throw the cap away. After you shampoo and condition the wefts, you can reuse them with a new cap.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Removing the Glue Residue

1
Apply oil directly to the glue spots to loosen the glue. Use your fingers to work the oil into your hair. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then gently pull your fingers or a comb through your hair to remove the glue. After you get out as much glue as possible, move on to washing your hair.
- You can use the same oil you used to remove the wefts and cap.
2
Rub glue-removing shampoo onto the glue. Purchase a glue removing product that's designed to dissolve glue that's attached to your natural hair. You can buy these online or at local beauty supply stores. Squirt some of the shampoo onto your scalp and massage it into your scalp and natural hair.^{[8]
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- The amount of glue removing shampoo you'll need will depend on how much glue is left in your hair.
- If you can't find glue removing shampoo, use a clarifying shampoo. This will remove buildup and all of the oil you used to remove the hair wefts.
3
Comb your hair with a plastic comb and rinse out the shampoo. While the glue removing shampoo is in your hair, take a plastic wide-tooth comb and gently pull it through your hair to catch any large pieces of dried glue. Then rinse the product out of your hair with warm water.
- It's important to use a wide-tooth comb instead of a fine-tooth comb since the fine-tooth comb can pull and tear your hair.
4
Shampoo your hair with your usual shampoo and rinse it out. Get your hair wet and massage your standard shampoo through your hair. Once you've rubbed it into your hair for a few minutes, rinse the shampoo out with warm water.^{[9]
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- This will remove any traces of oil that were left in your hair from removing the hair wefts.
5
Condition your hair to keep it healthy and moisturized. Since the glue remover and shampoo may have dried out your hair, work some of your favorite conditioner through your hair. Comb the conditioner through your hair to remove as much of the remaining glue as possible. Leave the conditioner in your hair for at least a few minutes and then rinse it out.^{[10]
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- If your hair still feels dry, consider using a deep conditioner that you leave on for up to an hour. You can also rub a little coconut or argan oil through your hair to add moisture.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I take care of my natural black hair?

Community Answer

Make sure you are always shampooing, conditioning, and deep conditioning every wash (every 5-7 days is when you wash your hair). You should be wearing a protective style (Bantu knots are my favorite) every so often. If you have been manipulating your hair a lot (heat tools, non-protective styles) or being rough with your hair, I recommend putting you hair in Bantu knots and wearing them for two weeks. Make sure you wear a satin-lined cap when you're sleeping on them, but this is good for when your hair is loose too.