Locking Hair: Getting Started

Amina recently asked for advice on starting to loc hair. I therefore turned to hair genius Laquita (She does it all braids, twists and locs...check out her blog!). She is also the fantastic writer behind the clutch magazine natural hair articles. Here are a few tips from her

1. The 'normal' routine you would apply to free hair, applies to locs. For example if you normally wash, condition and moisturise, then there is no need to change the routine because hair in locs is still just hair.

2. How you start the locs and the products you use are both important. If you use a gel type product, it could have an effect on the scalp perhaps causing itchiness or flaking. Laquita has used Organic Root Stimulator styling gel to start off her brother's locs (started as comb coils). She picked this gel as it rinses out well. As for moisturing the hair, she says ' I doubt that he (her brother) uses anything to moisturize aside from water - you know how the guys do.' lol!

3. Laquita suggests if using two products like a locing gel and oil, perhaps try switching to a single pomade for both moisturising and retightening. She recommends something like TayButta, a loc twisting pomade and moisturiser which works well with no build up.

4. You can also start locs without any product if your hair can do this. You would simply wash and retighten the locs when necessary. You can use water with a little essential oil for moisture.

Thank you Laquita for responsing so fast! I have often seen people have trouble starting locs so if you have been there, done that, let us know what worked for you.

My personal story - I have no interest in loc'ing my hair but it has an interest in wanting to get loc'ed. I no longer twist my hair because the hair actually starts to loc on its own when I do. I think it is about having kinks in hair that makes the process easy, step 4 would definitely be what I would choose if I was locking.

** Why loc and not lock? I don't know someone somewhere dropped the k and I have just followed the leader. If you notice, I use them interchangeably, I'm confused lol.

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Comments

  1. Ok, you all have to got be inside me head, lol. I am going through this with my son right now. He wants to start locs.

    Thanks for the helpful post Jc!

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  2. lol CallaLily! Laquita is really talented, check out her blog, she regularly updates with all her hair exploits.

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  3. thank you soo much!!!!
    I just can't make up my mind about locking or not. When I wear twists, they are dying to lock and I did lock for 3 months last spring but missed my fro...sigh..

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  4. Your are welcome Amina. This is the reason I know that I could never loc. I love my afro too much.

    Thanks for contributing Laquita - much appreciated! :)

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  5. ''I have no interest in loc'ing my hair but it has an interest in wanting to get loc'ed.'' Lol

    You might want to try this for your twists. Always rollerset them withe some gel after you wash them . I have noticed that it is easier to undo even a week after i rollerset. I think it keeps the hair from shrinking . Yes . Shrinkage while twisted seems to be the cause of the hard time we have untwisting. If you rollerset without somme gel, it will shrinke after few days. I can keep it for 2 weeks and wash and rollerset it once. I'm going to try it for 3 weeks and wash it twice ....and see.

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  6. Hmm interesting theory Kadiane, I may try this in a couple of weeks. I am not sure if it is just shrinkage (I do have super extra shrinky hair). My hair just seems to fuse together during the twisting process. I never actually use any product when I twist because my hair doesn't need it to twist. I'll do a few twists though and see if I have success.

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  7. I tried locing for 5 days due to the hinted advice of my mom, (beautiful blonde colored loc'd woman)but missed my coils.
    I do want to try again because I hate detangling and I love the look locs have. Looking up the buttah LOL :-)Thanks for the post JC!

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  8. I always twist on stretched dry hair. i apply the gel at the end just to put the roller. Not too much. You can also cornrows the twists instead of rollersetting. The importance is to stretch them till the tip. I'm unravelling half of my 2 weeks old twists right now. No locking but i have to pull the hair from the strands at the bottom. It slides most of the time. Sometimes I takes longer because of the shed hair. This week i did not use any gel so i had to cornrow twice during the week on top of the rollersetting i did a week ago. I'm trying to find the right moisturizer that will not cuz flaking with my gel cuz i do not like the regular touch up.

    If you want ot try it, i suggest you do a bang and see. Let me know how it works.

    Oh! i now remember the other reason i avoided the gel. I noticed that it makes is harder to unravel due to the hardness. I know i was going to unravel half of my twists today so i avoided the gel after the last wash. If not i would have used it and try to find the non-flaking combination.

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  9. lol Jaded - Yep I hear you detangling can be long and boring work.

    Thanks for the details Kadiane. I'll see how it goes!

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  10. I enjoyed reading the commnets. Another main reason I can't lock: I love products!! LOL!
    with products you have to be very minimal and I'll miss that

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  11. End of the experiment:

    I undid the 3 weeks old twists. No locking problem at all. this is like a miracle. The only thing is i should not have put the gel in it last week so i still had to be careful when unraveling the tip. It was not as bad as before though cuz i did not abuse the use of the gel this time.I also found a solution for my flaking problem. I used a silicone serum to replace the oil or the shea butter i use before applying the gel. I did not notice any white stain.
    Keeping the twists for 1 month will be too much due to the shedded hair to my mind

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