Here’s Your Sign to Change Your Hair (+ 6-month loc update)
Today makes my six months loc'd — and I love it!
And before you click away... Even though my hair is locked, my experience still applies to your straight, wavy, or curly hair — especially if you've been dying to cut, color, bleach, or shave it all off.
It feels like last year people were changing their hair left and right — maybe because of the quarantine crazies or because we all realized life is too short not to do the things you want. After all, it's just hair — it may take forever, but it will grow back.
So, why did I lock my hair?
For me, the choice to lock up wasn't just because it was lower maintenance (although that was a major contributing factor). But I had realized that for a year, I was cycling between box braids and mini twists (with crochet styles here and there). Basically, my go-to styles gave the illusion of locs already, so why not take the leap officially?
Plus, I figured I would turn into my mom eventually, so I may as well start early by getting locs now.
I ran the idea past a few friends who didn’t welcome the thought, but good thing I didn’t listen because it was definitely the move!
In the last six months, it feels like I’ve seen more people locking up than ever (literally, all my sister's friends have gotten them since I started #trendsetter) — or maybe I just never noticed them before.
It could also just be that effect when you buy a red car, and now you're hyper-aware of every red car that crosses your path. But seriously, it's almost as if I've been initiated into an elite society of people with dreadlocks. We compliment each other, admire each other, and share tips all the time.
How I started my locs
My dreadlocks were started by @marveloushair.beauty using comb coils. I would so recommend her for starter locs, and you can find her at Studio Ci Salon now!
Originally I wanted two-strand twists, but because of my fine hair strands, they weren't as thick as I'd imagined they'd be. At the advice of my loctitian, I made a split-second decision to start with comb coils. In the beginning, I would've considered them small — just one step up from micros — but as they've begun budding, they are definitely thick babies.
If you're wondering which method you should use to start your locs, you have so many choices. I consider comb coils the best way to start locs on 4c hair since the matrix will form faster.
Booking a consultation beforehand may help, but always be flexible in case you need to change like I did!
6-month loc update
At 6 months, my locs are still considered babies but are moving into the teenage stage. And they are budding all over the place.
Budding is when your hair starts to tangle inside the loc and forms its own matrix, or net that catches the hair as it begins to shed. My hair actually started budding at 3 months and has only continued to thicken since.
They are a little on the dry side still, which is normal. My hair is definitely still adjusting to the wash schedule (aka dandruff), but I think I’ll start incorporating more wash days soon.
How I care for my locs
I have created a super low maintenance routine for my locs; however, I could serve to beef it up a bit. One major downside of locking up: I can't wash my hair as regularly as I'd like, especially since I don't anticipate ever doing my own retwists.
So, my personal loc maintenance routine looks a little like this:
⁃ Wash, retwist and style every 4-5 weeks with @sacredcrowns
⁃ ACV pre-treatment to remove some build-up
⁃ Moisturize and oil my scalp every other day with Heritage Store Rosewater Spray and Oil.
These products feel amazing on my hair. I've tried a couple of loc sprays, but I've landed on this simple one because it moisturizes my hair without leaving a residue of any kind. As for oil, I prefer MARvelous Growth Oil — it's super lightweight, and my low porosity hair actually drinks it up.
Lessons I've learned since changing my hair:
First Retwist 10/30/20
Giving what it was supposed to have gave!!
They say that you learn a lot about yourself and your hair when you get locks, and I'll agree.
This is partially because you have to learn to love the early "ugly stage." But because I started with a lot of hair, I don't consider that I had one of those. Okay, yes... my coils were awkwardly flat the first month. But thankfully, my real length started showing after my retwist!
This is what I've come to learn in the past 6 months:
Patience - I've been learning the importance of patience in my loc journey a lot more lately. I want to know what my locks will look like once they are fully mature. I want them to change and form faster, but alas, I can't do anything except wait.
It's okay to shop around - I felt so much stress when I decided to switch loctitians because I didn't know if it was allowed or rude. But somebody told me it's just how men have to look around for barbers until they finally find "the one." I think I finally found my "one," with sacred crowns. It's such an intimate experience when you're in her chair, and it feels like she remembers you.
Disclaimer: I did get burned by the first person I switched to when I started jumping around. I loved the style, but the products she used were so gunky... like literally caused a ton of build-up.
Stop the comparison – Your locks will not look like anyone else's because your hair type is unique. I used to scroll through hashtags for hours looking for other people who had hair like me before they locked up just to have a glimpse at my future. However, it's been so much more fun to just watch my hair do its thing without expectations.
PLEASE REMEMBER WHICH WAY YOUR HAIR IS STARTED — This is a BIG ONE. So when I first visited a new stylist, she twisted my hair in the opposite direction that it was started. (My hair was established to the right, and she retwisted it to the left). Apparently, this affects how well your hair locks, how bumpy it looks, etc.
Thankfully, my new stylist noticed it immediately and made a plan to correct it for me!
All in all, I am soooo in love with my hair, and I can't wait to see where it is in another 6 months. If you’ve been thinking about switching up your look, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s just hair after all. (I’ve even been considering when I’ll finally do a big chop and go bald like Tiffany Haddish lol.)