Locs Unraveled: Reflections, Maintenance Must-Knows, and Choosing Your Path

I started my natural hair journey in 2011 and enjoyed it; by the time my second child came around in 2016, I started thinking about getting locs. I was so nervous and LOVED having my huge fro, but what I didn’t like was taking care of it, lol. I got a tapered cut in 2019 and was sure this would be the new look I had going into my 40s. Then 2020 happened, and I found myself constantly putting mini twists in my hair. I saw the growth my hair was having, and I knew that Locs would be the next best thing for my lifestyle.

I just wasn’t sure what kind. did I want traditional? Wicks? Micro? Sisterlocs? what was the maintenance for each? What was the difference between micro and sister locs?( Sisterlocs is a technique that is patented and you interlock your hair all the way down. Microlocs, you can start as two strand twist, braids, or interlocking all the way down, but unless you do the specific grid and tool used for sister locs, they are just micro locs) so after seven years of going back and forth, and MANY MANY weeks of research and learning about each kind of locs. I decided to get microlocs put in April 2023, exactly one week after I had turned 40.

When I first saw my locs, I was so excited but also nervous. I was so used to having so much volume and not seeing as much SCALP as I saw the first day. In all my research, I learned to trust the process, and that is precisely what I did. I had a fantastic location in Tampa (shout out to Mandi Locs; she was so amazing the first six months I had my locs, and when I moved to MI, Keshia, the loc lover, has been holding me down. These two women have been phenomenal in helping keep my locs healthy my first year.)

So, what does it take to maintain the health of your locs and ensure a great foundation? The first lesson I learned is that LESS IS MORE! You don’t need to do much for your locs, especially with 4b and 4c hair. It will lock up fast. I only used water to spray my hair and oiled my scalp when needed. I waited the fist six weeks until my first retie. I now have a retie every nine weeks (that is my sweet spot). I wash my hair every two weeks to ensure my scalp is clean.

no need to over manipulate your hair. I was about 6 weeks into my loc ourney here.

Depending on your hair texture depends on how long you will need to braid and band your locs when you wash them. You have invested time and money to install the locs, and you want to ensure they don’t unravel. Braid and banding are the ways to make sure there is no unraveling. Before each wash, I would take small sections and braid them loosely from the top(you want to make sure your hand can reach and wash the scalp) and then tie the bottom with a rubber band. My wash routine was simple. Clarifying shampoo (no need to spend big; you can use a basic dandruff shampoo) and moisturizing shampoo. NO CONDITIONER until your locs mature, and even then, it’s on a needed basis. Remember to wear your silk bonnet or have a silk pillowcase when you lie down at night. Learning to keep my routine simple has helped my locs mature and flourish.

Another lesson I learned is there is no need to manipulate your hair into so many styles. Just let it be. Personally, after a retie, I want to let my hair breathe and hang loose. After the first week, THEN I would do a style.

Now, going from lose natural to locs was a nice break from manipulating my hair, but I did have to trust the process. I remember hearing that from so many people who were loc’d, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. Now I do. NO ONE will be able to create the locs and look they see on someone else. Everyone’s hair, hormones, and bodies are different, and with that, your hair may need things others do not; it may take longer to loc fully, etc. You may havean idea of how thick you want them, how many you want etc but that really is dedicated by the density of your hair. I knew I wanted no more than 300 because if I ever retire myself I didn;t want to have to retire 400-800 micro locs.

I have high density hair and I was able to get the size I wanted and I have 264 locs in my head. This was the perfect number for me to maintain. So really do your research and look at pictures and have a consultation with a location so you know what would work for your hair.

Locs are an investment whether you pay to install and maintain them or do it yourself. You will pay with your money or your time. But one thing I love is the time I GET BACK from having to do my hair all the time. Locs are a permanent protective style, and we all know how much we enjoy the break of a protective style. There is something about just waking up, shaking your hair out, and getting out the door. I am so sad that I waited for seven years before I decided to loc my hair. You always hear from people who have locs that they wish they did it sooner.

I have learned so much about myself in the last two years. Doing this to my hair was about freeing up time for myself and being able to use it in other avenues of my life. Seeing how healthy my hair is and how fast it’s growing now that I am just letting it do its things is the perfect metaphor for what has been going on with me since 2020.

Have you been thinking about locs? I suggest you research and figure out what style of locs you want to go with first. Wicks, Traditional, Micro, Sisterlocs,

How do you want to maintain them? Freeform, palm roll? interloc?

How do you want to start them? Coils? Two-strand twist? Braids?

What is the density of your hair? If you don't want to figure this out on your own, take these questions to a local loctition and have a consult. The foundation is so important to start your loc journey. If you are in Tampa, check out my girl Mandi Locs; if you are in the Grand Rapids area, check out my girl Keisha Loc Lover. They are both an encyclopedia of loc knowledge, and I am so grateful they have been part of my journey.

Don’t wait. Start your journey, and before you know it, you will have past a year as well. You will see all the tips I’ve shared to help your hair thrive and grow. Happy locaversary to me, and I can’t wait to see what the next year brings. Have you thought about locs? What is stopping you from getting them? GO! GET THEM :)