Weaves in South Africa: types, cost and how long they last

Weave types, and what they start at

Cheapest first. No store pays to be listed or ranked here.

Weaves and related pages

Find a stylist in your city

City pages open once we have verified three stylists there.

Weaves, explained

What a weave is

A weave is hair added to your own, most often by sewing it onto a braided base. Hermosa Hair describes a sew-in as braiding your natural hair to give a foundation base and then sewing the wefts on top, and says it takes between two and four hours. Honest Hair Factory says a weave integrates with your natural hair, which is the main difference from a wig.

Weave hair is sold as bundles. On SA listings a bundle is a pack of wefted hair sold by length and weight. Virgin Human Hair lists its bundles at 100 g, plus or minus 5 g, and Mayvenn gives 100 g as the standard bundle.

Weave, wig or bundles?

A weave is worn on your own hair, braided down and sewn onto. A wig is worn over the whole scalp. Honest Hair Factory puts a weave at 2 to 8 weeks and a wig at 3 to 12 months. Unice says a weave suits adding length and volume and a wig suits thinning hair, and also says tight braiding can cause traction alopecia.

Bundles are the hair you buy for a weave. Our wigs page covers the other route, and our hair bundles page compares the hair itself.

Human hair or synthetic?

On 6 Oct 2026 single 14 inch bundles priced between R249 and R599 across seven stores, from a Takealot one-piece body wave at R249 to a Hair City kinky straight bundle at R599. Store pages describe these as human hair, and several say they can be dyed and styled. Virgin Human Hair says its 13A bundles can be straightened, curled, dyed and bleached. Hair City says to keep heat to 120 degrees Celsius (250 degrees Fahrenheit), while Mayvenn says to keep hot tools under 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Follow the lower figure.

Synthetic weaves cost less. Takealot lists Magic Bouncy Curl, a short curly weave titled synthetic, at R129. Splendit lists Magic pieces under Hair Pieces and Weaves from R46 to R113, and its pages for Magic Freedom and Magic Super Lexi do not state the fibre, so check the pack. Hermosa Hair, a seller of human hair, argues human hair outperforms synthetic for longevity, and notes that a complete set of human hair bundles is a large outlay that reuse makes worthwhile.

Bob cut and short weaves

Hermosa Hair says a bob is versatile enough to do with your natural hair, a bob wig, a sew-in weave or a quick weave. For a bob cut weave you are shopping at the short end of the length range. Luvme, a US seller, says 10 and 12 inch bundles fall between the chin and the shoulder, and Volure Hair says 2 bundles cover 10 to 14 inch. Curly and wavy hair sits shorter than its measured length, so our length guide shows how a 10 inch bundle reads on the body.

Sew-in or glue-in?

The American Academy of Dermatology says to opt for sewn-in weaves rather than ones that use bonding glue, to wear weaves for short periods and to remove them immediately if they cause pain or irritate your scalp. Honest Hair Factory says a sew-in lasts 6 to 8 weeks and a glued or bonded weave 2 to 4 weeks.

A sew-in is not risk free. Hermosa Hair says one installed too tightly can damage your natural hair, and that the braided base limits air and makes it harder to oil or moisturise your scalp. Ask for a base that is flat and comfortable.

What a weave costs

Hair and fitting are separate costs. For the hair, two 14 inch bundles at Virgin Human Hair's R358 each come to R716 (our multiplication), before any closure. For the fitting, Fresha listings opened on 6 Oct 2026 showed these ranges for sew-ins:

• Johannesburg: R420 to R700 for most plain sew-ins, R550 to R600 with a closure, and one closure install from R1,210.
• Pretoria: R250 to R750, including a synthetic sew-in at R550 and a closure sew-in at R670.
• Cape Town: mostly R450 to R650, with two listings that exclude the hair, at R200 and R500.
• Durban: R450 for a 3 hour sew-in and R550 for a 1 hour 40 minute sew-in with your own bundles.

How long they last, and how to care for one

Mayvenn, Hermosa Hair and Honest Hair Factory all give 6 to 8 weeks for one install. Mayvenn says to take it down in that window, because beyond it the tension on your own hair at the braid line and the buildup at the root compound. Mayvenn adds that a well-cared-for virgin set can go back in three or four times, which is the useful way to read the long claims on store pages: Virgin Human Hair says its bundles last more than 24 months and Remore Hair says 12 months or longer, which refer to the hair, not one install.

Mayvenn's care advice is to comb from the ends up, keep a flat iron between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat protectant, use a silk or satin scarf or bonnet at night, use light water-based products and never store hair damp.

Weaves: questions