what do you know about locs?

I have been doing locs for about 4 yrs now but not like professionally, just for friends &loved ones. I know a good deal of stuff about locs, maintence &starting but I am on a quest for knowledge to learn all I can! I don't really feel like sharing all that I know b/c I'm a little tired after just gettin off work, but I would love to hear what you ladies know about loc care! I haven't yet found a board, website or forum that I can glean a whole lot of info from so please feel free to share! I am open to suggestions and even though I may already know what you do, share it anyway cuz I'm know there are several here who will eventually take that journey! Ill update later and share what I have learned.

http://www.holisticlocs.com/

HTH

Nappturality.com has a very active loc community

Im going to loc my hair early next year...Im still doing my research..2 days ago I came across Bradelocz...which is essentially starting locs with braids ...i think i'll do that method...I also looked up different method of tightening...palm roll latch hook etc..

I had them twice, once 4 years, and then again 6 years. One thing I know for sure is Locs are work. Mine were always manicured, neat and well groomed.

Thanks clueless & lynnie! Ill be sure to check those out!

curlytee wrote:I had them twice, once 4 years, and then again 6 years. One thing I know for sure is Locs are work. Mine were always manicured, neat and well groomed.

When you say work what do you mean? and how would you compare it to your loose hair? I'm currently debating getting locs as my hair gets longer because I'm tired of the amount of time I spend styling, but if I got locs I would want them to be neat and well groomed. About how much time per month or week would you say you had to put into your locs if you don't mind me asking?

i have locs and i love them. wash and go? pshhhhh wake up and go lol.
nah, but seriously as far as maintenance goes. i only wash once a month, deep condition every 2 weeks, and spritz my hair with a distilled water/aloe vera juice/peppermint oil mix every morning. i retwist like every 2 months or so cause i just love the volume my hair gets from new growth.

@knc I believe she means the maintenece part of it. Don't be misled, locs are high maintenece especially in that first year. And really depending on your hair type and curl pattern you could spend a lot of time keeping them up. However, I will say that when you have well thought out &planned locs, it makes for easier up keep. For instance, what styling methods you or your stylist will use to start them, what products will be used, how many or how large they will be, how to sleep on them, how often you will shampoo, etc. There's a lot to consider and you don't want to do a whole lot of trial and error. Esp. W/ products because once you put something in your locs its either a pain to get out or it will become apart of the loc for good. Not to say you shouldn't try out different things, just do thorough research of anything you are considering trying on your locs before you jump into it. If I understand you, then you def have to start off well in order to maintain the ideal locs for you and keep time styling low.

@mechuono do you add a carrier oil to you spritz or just the peppermint EO? Does this give you softness on the actual locs or just keep them from drying out?

DerbyDiva wrote:

@mechuono do you add a carrier oil to you spritz or just the peppermint EO? Does this give you softness on the actual locs or just keep them from drying out?

just the peppermint oil, which acts a scalp cleanser and hair growth stimulant. i do, however, follow up with castor oil as a sealant. my hair just loves that stuff. i can always count on castor oil to soften and moisturize my hair because my hair absorbs lighter oils almost instantly, still leaving me with dry hair. however with castor oil, i dont have to worry about that. i forgot to mention that on top of the spritz and castor oil, i apply shescentit's jojoba hair milk to my hair as soon as i get out of the shower to act as a leave-in conditioner. my hair loves this stuff as well. i am really finding out that my hair loves creamy, thicker conditioners and heavier oils for moisture.

kinksncurls wrote:

curlytee wrote:I had them twice, once 4 years, and then again 6 years. One thing I know for sure is Locs are work. Mine were always manicured, neat and well groomed.

When you say work what do you mean? and how would you compare it to your loose hair? I'm currently debating getting locs as my hair gets longer because I'm tired of the amount of time I spend styling, but if I got locs I would want them to be neat and well groomed. About how much time per month or week would you say you had to put into your locs if you don't mind me asking?

Having well manicured Locs (good looking) you have to practically do the same as you would natural hair. Mineral oil or Vaseline products attracts lint, I used a silk scarf to prevent my sheets for robbing me of my moisture, I twisted my Locs using metal clips to hold down beginning of the Loc at the scalp least every 3 weeks to a month, I had a daily spritz and did hot oil treatments to keep my Locs soft.

I also didn't like stray hairs protruding from the length of the Locs so every now and then I would have my sister trim them. Below is a picture with my Locs.

finally, I'm not trying to discourage you in any way. I just want to share my experience of having Locs.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with locs. I have been thinking about getting them for a while because my hair is getting long and I usually wear it in natural braids which takes me about 9 hours to put in now, and I wear them for a month. I was looking on cutting down on time and styling so maybe I have some thinking to do...My hubby doesn't want me to get locs so I guess I'll continue to do my research and then decide between locs or a big chop.

my dad has had locs for as long as i can remember
my sister and her husband both have locs too

i know that you can't add a lot of product to them like you would on loose hair, because its easier to get product buildup and harder to get that buildup out.

And thats about where my knowledge ends.

what I don't get is why people warn that if you don't comb your hair for a week, it might "loc up" . . .doesn't it take up to 6 months for the hair to loc, and that is when the person is trying?

I also learned recently that you can take locs out--I thought it was a permanent style.

JazmineB wrote:my dad has had locs for as long as i can remember
my sister and her husband both have locs too

i know that you can't add a lot of product to them like you would on loose hair, because its easier to get product buildup and harder to get that buildup out.

And thats about where my knowledge ends.

what I don't get is why people warn that if you don't comb your hair for a week, it might "loc up" . . .doesn't it take up to 6 months for the hair to loc, and that is when the person is trying?

I also learned recently that you can take locs out--I thought it was a permanent style.

it depends on the person. i know if my mom keeps her 2 strand twists in for too long (like more than a couple weeks), they start to get matted up and "lock"

JazmineB wrote:my dad has had locs for as long as i can remember
my sister and her husband both have locs too

i know that you can't add a lot of product to them like you would on loose hair, because its easier to get product buildup and harder to get that buildup out.

And thats about where my knowledge ends.

what I don't get is why people warn that if you don't comb your hair for a week, it might "loc up" . . .doesn't it take up to 6 months for the hair to loc, and that is when the person is trying?

I also learned recently that you can take locs out--I thought it was a permanent style.

chile! i know what you mean!! i used to go weeks without combing my hair & i would definitely have fully formed locs after just 2 weeks!! my hair is uber curly but the coils are so tight that they curl back on themselves and shrink as soon as the comb leaves my head. I used to go long periods of time w/o combing when i was a permie (when i was younger) and the same thing would happen. a big matted mess. im SO lazy about combing my hair, and i have no intention (as of now) of loc'ing so i guess i need to check that its funny cuz my bestie whose 1/2 black 1/2 white loc'ed for about 6 months and he was so impatient waiting on them to bud cuz it was taking forever. his hair is kinky; not much curl to it even when soaking wet. guess it just depends on your texture.

ok so i promised i was gonna share my knowledge so now that im bored at work i will dedicate some time to this.

Starting:
-i personally think that braids or two strand twist are the easiest way to start as they require less intial maintence than coiling.
-whatever direction you turn the first loc (clockwise or counter) turn them all the same direction and always turn in that direction. even fully mature locs can start unraveling by twisting the opposite direction.
-waxes and mineral oil/petroleum based products are a no-go especially when starting on short hair. its hell on the scalp and creates a messy twisting session.
-when locs are babies they require more frequent retwisting sessions than mature locs.
-starting on shorter hair give an advantage because when starting you will require more frequent twisting sessions (usually weekly depending on the texture and preservation techniques used by the loc'er) and there is less hair to twist and apply product to. its also easier to dye tips when the hair is shorter.
-shampooing undoes all your hard work until they start to bud. spraying with cleansing agents (i.e. tea tree, witch hazel) directly on the scalp during retwisting helps correct scalp issues and keep it dirt free.

Matured Locs:
-palm rolling is heaven sent!! it takes much less time to palm roll longer locs than to finger coil short ones.
-clipping is a fine art. clipping individual locs is cumbersome so fitting 3-4 locs into one clip saves time &space. this is something i am still struggling to fully master.
-applying product to the entire loc isnt necessary. i can just apply whatever loc'ing agent to the unloc'ed portion then use a spray or lotion over the remainder of the locs. its a whole lot easier, and less messy.
-ringing out locs hurts . locs hold like 50 times their weight in water. no seriously. and getting them things dry is a beast!
-soaking locs in hot water will reveal some NASTY stuff. and reveal the hairs true color. a LOT of stuff gets trapped inside the loc and soaking them loosens up dirt, oils and build up. (i soaked my ex's hair in boiling water for 20 minutes, the water was dark gray afterwards and his hair was 3 shades lighter )
-regular washing is a must. since all that stuff gets trapped inside the loc, they can get really smelly quickly. which is really gross. no one wants to be THAT person.
-styling locs is not as easy as one would think. smaller locs are a lot easier to braid, twist, what have you.
-moisture is still key! dry, stiff locs are not attractive and not easy to style. just like loose hair.
-a routine is still necessary, and protection is still required. dont toss out your satin scarfs and silk bonnetts yet.
-cutting your locs is a bad decision when you dont know how to cut locs. its a totally different ball game than cutting loose hair and even natural hair. frayed ends take FOREVER to repair. if you decide you want to cut, do your research or go to a pro.
-locstiticians charge a grip for simple stuff you can do yourself, if your not lazy. just like natural hair get to know your locs personally instead of relying on someone else.
-maintaining locs isnt rocket science. its actually pretty simple, it just takes time &patience; just like the process of loc'ing.

Hope this helps someone considering loc'ing! please add on ladies!

DerbyDiva wrote:ok so i promised i was gonna share my knowledge so now that im bored at work i will dedicate some time to this.

Starting:
-i personally think that braids or two strand twist are the easiest way to start as they require less intial maintence than coiling.
-whatever direction you turn the first loc (clockwise or counter) turn them all the same direction and always turn in that direction. even fully mature locs can start unraveling by twisting the opposite direction.
-waxes and mineral oil/petroleum based products are a no-go especially when starting on short hair. its hell on the scalp and creates a messy twisting session.
-when locs are babies they require more frequent retwisting sessions than mature locs.
-starting on shorter hair give an advantage because when starting you will require more frequent twisting sessions (usually weekly depending on the texture and preservation techniques used by the loc'er) and there is less hair to twist and apply product to. its also easier to dye tips when the hair is shorter.
-shampooing undoes all your hard work until they start to bud. spraying with cleansing agents (i.e. tea tree, witch hazel) directly on the scalp during retwisting helps correct scalp issues and keep it dirt free.

Matured Locs:
-palm rolling is heaven sent!! it takes much less time to palm roll longer locs than to finger coil short ones.
-clipping is a fine art. clipping individual locs is cumbersome so fitting 3-4 locs into one clip saves time &space. this is something i am still struggling to fully master.
-applying product to the entire loc isnt necessary. i can just apply whatever loc'ing agent to the unloc'ed portion then use a spray or lotion over the remainder of the locs. its a whole lot easier, and less messy.
-ringing out locs hurts . locs hold like 50 times their weight in water. no seriously. and getting them things dry is a beast!
-soaking locs in hot water will reveal some NASTY stuff. and reveal the hairs true color. a LOT of stuff gets trapped inside the loc and soaking them loosens up dirt, oils and build up. (i soaked my ex's hair in boiling water for 20 minutes, the water was dark gray afterwards and his hair was 3 shades lighter )
-regular washing is a must. since all that stuff gets trapped inside the loc, they can get really smelly quickly. which is really gross. no one wants to be THAT person.
-styling locs is not as easy as one would think. smaller locs are a lot easier to braid, twist, what have you.
-moisture is still key! dry, stiff locs are not attractive and not easy to style. just like loose hair.
-a routine is still necessary, and protection is still required. dont toss out your satin scarfs and silk bonnetts yet.
-cutting your locs is a bad decision when you dont know how to cut locs. its a totally different ball game than cutting loose hair and even natural hair. frayed ends take FOREVER to repair. if you decide you want to cut, do your research or go to a pro.
-locstiticians charge a grip for simple stuff you can do yourself, if your not lazy. just like natural hair get to know your locs personally instead of relying on someone else.
-maintaining locs isnt rocket science. its actually pretty simple, it just takes time &patience; just like the process of loc'ing.

Hope this helps someone considering loc'ing! please add on ladies!

WOW. This is a lot of great info! I'm glad I dropped in on this thread! I AM loc'ing my hair soon (within the next three months) so this is really REALLY helpful! Thank you so much for posting!

@ladymika youre so welcome! please fill us in with knowledge as you learn along your journey! and take lots of pics!