Growing Locs Quickly

If you do enough research on YouTube you will come across my loc god Damien Walter. He is a firm believer of having a establishing a healthy hair regimen. According to him you must use a clarifying shampoo followed by a moisturizing shampoo then a deep conditioner with protein. I am a firm believer of this method. By clarifying, moisturizing and conditioning you increase the strength of the hair on a superficial level. If the hair is not properly moisturized, the individual strands will break and by extension, the locs with thin or break. 

To truly moisturize and strengthen the hair you should ensure you drink enough water. This varies from person to person so experiment until you hit the perfect amount. Strong hair is less likely to break and will assist with hair growth. Avoid products that have waxes or that are not water based. They may feel moisturizing but actually add nothing apart from build up to your hair.

Speaking of less likely to break, monitor the amount of tension you place on you scalp. Locs may be thicker than individual hairs but there is still a very real risk of losing hair due to the stress. Constant pulling of the hair at the roots will lead to balding in the areas where the pulling occurs the most. 

Let your hair grow free. Over manipulation of the hair can cause breakage. Relax every once in a while. Use hair bands or scarfs to cover your wild looking roots. You can also experiment with semi-free forming. Checkout Jasmine Rose on YouTube to get an idea of how to keep locks looking neat when not retwisting. Do not be afraid to leave styles in your locs for two weeks at a time. Believe me, your hair will do its thing and in no time you'll start to notice growth when you least expect it.

The final secret to growing your locs is to be patient. Don't measure your hair growth every two weeks. Ignore them particularly during the initial phases of locing. Your hair will shrink while it locs and take up to two years to regain the length you lost initially. If you want long flowing locs now or within the next six months, forget about growing them and invest in loc extensions or faux locs. 

That's all for now. 

Til next time - Lata!

Palm Rolling vs Interlocking

There are two ways of maintaining salon locs - palm-rolling or interlocking. There is often debate over which one is the safer or better method so I'll be exploring that topic today.

Let's start with the pros and cons of palm rolling.

Pros

• It is easy to perfect. As long as you remember the direction to roll the loc, you're good to go. It took me five minutes to learn this technique and it only took that long because I used those five minutes to practice and perfect it.

• Can take a relatively short time to complete maintenance with this technique. By this I mean that, based on how quickly you can palm roll one loc you can be finished in as little as half an hour. If you are more meticulous it can take upwards to three hours. Most professionals finish within half an hour to forty-five minutes depending on the number of locs the client has.

• Gives a neat appearance. When done right, palm rolling can allow all of the hair within a part to be integrated into the shaft with little to no fuzz.

• Works well on larger locs as well as the thicker microlocks.

• Gives each loc a more uniformed look. Palm rolling shapes the shaft of the loc into a more rounded shape which a lot of people prefer.

Cons

• Uses products. To keep the shape after palm rolling, some form of product is often used. This is not always the case as persons with mature locs can use just water or oil and water for their retwists but usually gels are used.

• Unravels when wet. If you sweat a lot or go swimming often this method of maintenance will be difficult to keep looking neat for more than a few days.

• The risk of breaking locs is greatly increased on thinner microlocks. Locs created with fewer hairs are more likely to break under the pressure created by twisting the strands.

• Can lead to thinning locs. If done too often or tightly, individual hairs can break causing locs to thin over time. This can also lead to traction alopecia, and suffers can have bald spot in their hair.

• Must be done frequently to maintain the neat look. If you don't mind seeing your roots grow wild then this is not a true con but if you love having you edges laid then this is definitely a con. It's usually recommended that retwists be done every two weeks but I have found that as long as you do not twist the hair too tightly you can maintain the hair as often as once a week.

Interlocking

Pros

• Does not require products to maintain the neat look. According to Damien Walter, it is a form of free form locing but I disagree with that. 

• Does not unravel when wet. This is the main reason why a lot of active people choose this option. Admittedly, during the initial stages the hair can slip and persons are advised not to wash the hair to often but once the hair has started loc this becomes a non issue.

• Can be done once every four to eight weeks. This results in less manipulation of the hair which means that the hair is less likely to break.

• Is recommended for persons with smaller locs. Interlocking forms the foundation (middle) of the loc while allowing the rest if the lock to form around it.

Cons

• Is not as neat as palm rolling. By pulling each loc through itself as interlocking does, the fine hairs are usually not captured and remain outside the loc giving a less neat appearance.

• Hair can easily slip during the starter loc phase. For starter locs slippage us a major concern when using interlocking as the hairs have not tangled as yet and will unravel especially when wet.

• Requires a lot of practice to perfect. Persons new to this method of maintenance can find themselves unintentionally merging locs. Can also lead to split locs or holes in the locs if done incorrectly. There are techniques associated with interlocking that avoid this problem but mistakes are easy to make.

• Takes longer to complete maintenance. Can take anywhere from one to two hours if done by a professional to days for the DIYer. The amount of time taken varies according to the amount of growth and the number of locs.

I can't think of any more pros and cons for each method but if you think of any I may have omitted let me know. 

In the meantime, as you can see, there are several pros and cons to each method of maintaining locs and neither is superior to the other. When choosing which method you prefer just bare in mind some of the pros and cons of each before committing to one. Alternately, there is nothing stating that you cannot change maintenance methods if you choose. 

Many people alternate methods as they see fit. Some palm rollers interlock their hair a few times  a year to reduce the amount of unloced hair at the base. Some interlockers palm roll occasionally to keep a neat appearance between retightenings. I have done both and I like each method for different reasons.

Remember to let me know if I left something out and I'll be sure to add them.

Til next time - Lata!

Update

Yesterday my consultant contacted me to arrange my four week retightening after my two week check. Oh joy! I get to walk around for another two weeks while letting my roots grow even longer. I was hoping I would get an appointment this week but once again Bad Luck Chuck comes charging in. At least all of my appointments will be every four weeks from here on out. 

My hair has the ability to frizz regardless of the weather and right now those fly away strands are tangling with each other, making it difficult to run my fingers through to comb out my cork screws (bantu knots). I am not sure how I will keep this up for another two weeks. In the meantime, I have reduced the amount of manipulation I do to my hair on a weekly basis and hope the styles stay at  least a week.

I dislike using a lot of products and have been weaning myself off of them for years, Before starting microlocks I only used oils and water after my washing routine. I clarified, moisturized then conditioned meaning at any given time I had no less than eight products but most of them were shampoos or conditioners I experimented with to see what worked with my hair. The oils I used consisted of coconut oil, mineral oil, rosemary oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil and castor oil. Now I get to treat my hair as though I got sisterlocks, thanks to my consultant.

My consultant has been amazing so far. According to her, I am a walking talking advertisement for her work so she will make sure that the quality of work is always high and as long as I follow her directions, she will be proud to say so. Speaking to her I learned that she has had customers who have ignored her instructions and returned to her weeks or months later hoping for a miracle after messing up. Apart from that I love the fact that she calls all her clients to set up and remind them of upcoming appointments and clearly stated the price to new customers.

I am excited to see where this goes and enjoy having a consultant just excited as I am along for the ride. 

Til next time - Lata!

5 Signs You Aren't Ready For Locs

1. Someone told you to get them

One of the worse things you can do is commit to something just because someone else mentioned you should do it. Sometimes it works out but let's be honest here, most of the time it doesn't and you resent the position you are put in because of it. 
If a family member or significant other suggests you get locs, you should know if it is something you want and can commit to before jumping in. Write a pros and cons list, learn about starter locs, the phases of locs, the do's and don't's and decide for yourself.

      2. You change your hair every week (colour, length etc)

If you like trying out the latest hair tends or the newest hair dye then you might want to give locs a pass. I know people who seem to be stuck in a cycle of cutting their hair, growing it out, relaxing it then cutting it again. One minute their hair is blonde, the next it's purple, then blue then red all withing three months. If you cannot be bothered to stick to one style for more than a few weeks then locs aren't for you. By the time your hair starts to bud you'll be bored with it and ready to cut it off in a heartbeat.

      3. You don't know how to take care of natural hair.

You may have been natural your entire life but if you still struggle to grow you hair past six inches or have managed to make your edges disappear or worse yet, you've been using the same products for years even though they're clearly not working then put off your loc journey until you sort that ish out.
If your hair is always breaking, that might be a sign that something is wrong. You could be dehydrated or putting something in your hair that's damaging it like too much heat. Start changing things up. See what works for your hair and get real comfortable with it before you do anything else.

      4. You think you can treat them the same as loose natural hair.

Locs are not the same as loose natural hair and should not be treated as such. You can easily wash out anything from loose naturals but not from locs. I have had glitter in my locs for two years! Nothing I did would get it out. I spent hours picking at this purple/green reflective piece of torture at every opportunity. I washed my hair, did apple cider vinegar soaks and for a short time it would be hidden in the other hair but that one fleck stayed. I say all of that to say this, things like waxes, shea or cocoa butter will be near impossible to get out. Not only that, they will also trap lint and you'd have no choice but to use dyes to hide it or risk leaving holes in the shaft of the locs after trying to pick it out.

      5. You are impatient.

If you expect your locs to mature in less than a year, babes, you're in for a rude awakening. Locs can take up to two years to fully loc up. If you are expecting your hair to reach your target length withing months after starting them, prepare to be severely disappointed. 
But, if you are willing to stick with it, growing locs can be a rewarding venture that allows you to fall in learn about yourself and your hair. It can help you appreciate the journey while striding towards your end goal.

So that's it. I may not be a professional but I do believe that locs aren't for everyone and I hope people read this before decided to start their journey.

Til next time - Lata!

My Addiction

Since my big chop in 2008 I have started locs a whopping 5 times. This time being the fifth and hopefully last time. The first time I used "box braids" with wool to start them. These locs were doomed from the start and lasted about six months.

When I started, I knew nothing at all about locs except that I wanted them. The hair dresser advised me to use Jamaican Mango and Lime products and I faithfully used them all through this and the next loc journey. After six months my hair had barely grown an inch and when I took out the wool, the amount of grease and build up grossed me out completely. This led to me combing out the locs and washing my hair several times. I attempted to repeat the process using wool a few weeks later but did not like how the braids look and took them out after a month or so.

My next attempt to grow locs started with what I call plait-twists. Basically, the hair is twisted except at the base where it starts as a braid. I got a cousin to do as many of these as she could. I didn't know it then but that had been my first set of microlocks. For 18 months I loved them - right up until one fell out. I still hadn't learned much about locs. Every other month I tried a new product but always went back to Mango and Lime products. When that lock came out in my hand I freaked out and started to take down my locs once more. It took a week and a large plastic bag but I did it. I would have inserted pictures here but I can't find any for my first two sets of locs.

After that, I kept my loose natural hair for five months before I gave in. My longest lasting loc journey started in May 2011 around my birthday. I had asked the hairdresser for medium locs which she started with twists but the final result turned out way larger than I intended.I had minor issues I thought would go away with time with this journey. I didn't like the way the parts had been made, the fact the ends were thicker than rest of the loc nor the fact the middle locs were nearly twice the size of most of the other locs and three times bigger than the smallest ones. But I struggled with it for nearly five years - afterall, I did't hate them. 

During that time I finally learned about locs. I stopped using a lot of products and found that using just oils and water could hold my retwist but I still resented the size of my hair. What made me take them down though, I'm not sure how to explain. My first apartment had mold and I think it got into my hair but I didn't notice until I fell asleep with wet hair and woke to find the 'lint' in my back row had moved from two inches to one inch away from my scalp. I immediately took out the back row. I knew it would take a long while to do a complete take down so I waited until I got time home. It took three days while sick to complete but by the end I had loose natural hair again along with a damaged thumb - that's a story for another day. 

My next loc installation started a mere two months later. I knew I wanted smaller locs but I also did not want to spend to much time on my hair. I used finger coils and spent weeks trying to get all of them close to the same size. I even enlisted the help of family members but something was still off. They started budding and locing faster than any of my other locs but the middle of my head felt exposed. I didn't mind it too much but one day I found myself reluctant to wash my hair because I knew I would have to spend the rest of the weekend maintaining it. My chosen maintenance method at the time, interlocking, took a lot longer than palm rolling to finish and I hated it. Week after week I struggled to bring myself to dedicate that much time to one task and finally, two weeks before my birthday I made a decision. I would get a professional to deal with it for me. It didn't take long for me to start wondering if I am letting someone else deal with it why not get the locs I really want? And so I took down my locs for hopefully the last time.

Presently, I have 312 locs and I love it. It takes my consultant one hour to do a complete retightening so I have plenty of free time. I also don't have to use any products in my hair which means no build up. If I do decide to start another loc journey after this then it might just be sisterlocks.  

Til next time - Lata!

Two Week Update

A few days after my microlock installation I got a message from my consultant reminding me of the two week update I didn't even remember making. Thirteen hours of sitting tends to play with your mind after a while. I thought she had been heaven sent. In all my life I have never scratched my scalp or had as much flaking as I did during those two weeks. I thought I would go crazy when my consultant told me not to wash my hair more than twice a month and not to use any conditioner. 

I had been directed not to use any oils or hair products apart from shampoo and a witch hazel, vinegar and water combination. I barely made it three days before I shampooed my scalp to alleviate the itching. That did not work at all. To make matters worse, I forgot to take the scalp cream recommended by the consultant. I tried to meet her to get it but she had already left by the time I arrived. I seriously contemplated using oils and weekly washing. With the two week appointment in about five days I decided to suck it up and wait it out. I arrived on the day an hour early. 

After explaining to me why she scheduled a two week instead of four week appointment  she did a quick check. Basically she wanted to ensure I had been following orders. No oils, no moisturizers, no nothing not water, witch hazel or vinegar. Apparently, she's had customers whose hair she could not recognise when they returned for the two week check. Those customers would ignore her orders completely and do their own thing, use whatever product they felt like, then complain about slippage. She had been pleased with my progress so she gave me the requested hair wash, ran the cream through my scalp, retightened the locs along the edges and sent me on my way. 

I have barely had to scratch since then. Of course the flaking still happens but it's less noticeable now I'm not scratching every thirty seconds of the day. I'm hoping I stay the course cause I love the idea of not having to buy and use a million products or maintain my hair more than once a month. My retightening will be in about a week and I am excited. 

That's all for now. 

Til next time - Lata!

Why Microlocks

Remember in my first blog post I mentioned flip flopping between having sisterlocks or microlocks installed? And how I finally managed to decide? Well today I will be covering how I came to a decision.

First off, I must say that I love the look of all types if locs but I adore the smaller ones even more. So the first question I had to answer for myself (as a former self maintainer) encompassed two issues in one. 

• What loc size are you comfortable with if you decide to maintain the locs yourself?

My second foray into locs resulted in small ones. And I loved them. So far they have been my absolute favourite and I wish I knew then what I know now so I could have saved them. To make up for that I decided at least 250 - 300 locs would be ideal (well below the sisterlock minimum)

• Will you regret the size of loc you choose in a few month or years?

I took down my locs on two separate occasions because I disliked the size. The second set, though smaller by half, still felt too large and left me with a vague feeling on dissatisfaction the entire time.

• How much time are you willing to devote to maintaining your hair?

After nearly three years of self maintenance I am no stranger to spending entire weekends with my hands in the air. Ideally though I wanted to spend no more than an hour getting my hair tightened every month by a professional and no more than 10 hours spread across 5 days if done by myself.

• Are you willing to save up for the sisterlock installation?

Yes and no. I wanted the locs installed as soon as possible after the last loc take down. I may love the softness and texture of my loose natural hair but I hated dealing with it and was too tender headed to let someone else style it for me. Saving up for the installation would have meant a month of dealing with loose natural hair.

• Do you have two or three consecutive days to spend sitting in a chair?

Two days? Yes. Three? No. One weekend dedicated to my hair? Not a new concept. Regardless of which loc I chose I knew I would be spending over eight hours with the installation. The real question was really "Are you willing to spend two days sitting in a chair barely moving?" Since you already know I got microlocks, there is your answer.

• Which type of loc can you afford right now?

Microlocks. Sisterlocks would have cost $1,100 but microlocks were just $500.

• Can you afford the long term costs of having them maintained my someone else?

Yes. $100 is not too much to pay every four to six weeks until the locs mature. It is a small price to pay to have my weekends basically free instead of struggling with my hands in the air.

• Is there really that big of a difference between micro and sister locs?

Apart from the grid? No. Microlocks can be done as small or even smaller than sisterlocks. With the consultant I chose, the difference fell to the microlocks being larger than sisterlocks. I still got the grid and just over my ideal number of locs.

So there you have it. My reasons for choosing microlocks over sisterlocks. 

Braid out on three week old microlocs

Til next time - Lata

Sisterlock vs Micolocks

I know I promised to discuss how I managed to make a decision of microlocks over sisterlocks but I thought it would be too long for one post so I split them up. Today, I will be answering the most asked locing question - what is the difference between microlocks and sisterlocks? Answers are often confusing and sometimes misleading. Many people believe sisterlocks and microlocks are the same thing but they aren't. 

All sisterlocks may be microlocks but all microlocks are not sisterlocks.

Confused? Well continue reading.

Microlocs are classified as any loc smaller than the size of a pencil. Sisterlocks are a form of microlocks trademarked by its creator and has even been called a lifestyle. 

There are rules and guidelines for every aspect of sisterlocks. Only a sisterlock consultant or trainee can install sisterlocks based on a specific grid pattern taught by the company, using the sisterlocks tool. The loc must be maintained using the sisterlock (interlocking) method. Using as few products as possible is emphasised mainly shampoo, and conditioner for the mature locs.

These restrictions are not placed on microlocks. In fact, apart from the size there is no other requirements needed to be able to refer to locs as micro. Microlocks can be started with twists, braids, coils, interlocking and extensions. Maintenance can be done with palm tolling or interlocking. Any product you feel like trying can be used in your hair. Go nuts with it!

Simple enough, right?

So why are so many people confused?

Basically, it's the DIYers that confuse things. You can research DIY sisterlocks and find a lot of results for persons with microlocks installed by a friend or themselves to mimic the size and/or grid of sisterlocks. Many are started from twists, braids or using the interlocking method but none of them should be referred to as sisterlocks unless the installation is done by someone who has completed the sisterlocking course.

The next post will cover why I chose microlocks over sisterlocks.

Til then - Lata!

Are They Sisterlocks?

A few weeks ago, on June 1st 2016 to be more precise, I got what I am hoping to be my last set of locs installed. For weeks prior I flip flopped between microlocks and sisterlocks; sisterlocks or microlocks? How do I choose? Which do I prefer? How will I afford the installation and maintenance? Where can I find someone to do it?

Yadda. Yadda. Yadda.

Initially I visited everyone's favourite site for information. Youtube. There are so many videos on DIY microlocks and sisterlocks I got a bit overwhelmed by it. Eventually I stumbled across DecodedDeviny who started chronicling her sisterlock journey about a month before. Her excitement and in-depth look at everything that had happened so far convinced me to get sisterlocks.

Finally the debate was over! Within minutes I began to research sisterlock consultants and trainees for my country and tried finding some of them on Facebook. One name stuck with me and I made a note to contact her later. Everything had fallen into place perfectly. Or so I thought.

A few days before my birthday, as I walked through the office I noticed a co-worker had begun her new loc journey with microlocks. A short conversation later and I became indecisive once again. To settle things once and for all, I made a list of questions to help me and set about finding someone I could trust.

On Friday May 20th, I had a consultation with sisterlock consultant. She measured my hair, showed me the sizing chart, gave me a price and scheduled my installation appointment. By midnight of June 1st, after thirteen (13) hours, I returned home the proud owner of a crisp grid pattern and more locs than I had ever had before. Come the morning of June 2nd, in the midst of all the compliments I got about my new hair came the inevitable question. "...are they sisterlocks?"

No.

They are not.

They are microlocks.

How did I end up here you ask?

Well it's quite simple. The list of questions or my locing concerns so to speak.

My next post will address the difference between microlocks and sisterlocks and the follow up will give my answers to the questions.

Til then - Lata!

Installation