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