5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Loc'ing My Hair...

          I was one of those people who believed loc-ing my hair would equal super low to no maintenance. What a misconception! Let’s get into things I wish I knew before loc-ing my hair that I want to share to help newbies have an easier time.

 1-The first thing I wish I had known and understood was the type of hair I had and that hair can be trained. I was  loc’d over 10 years before I knew what hair porosity was. I was struggling with extreme dryness and brittleness. No kind of moisturizing product would penetrate through my hair shaft. The most hydrated my hair ever felt was when I washed it, and even that unfortunately was short lived. This lack of knowledge led me on a repeated cycle of trying all the wrong products. Knowing your hair porosity will change the game for your hair. Hair porosity refers to your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. It indicates how well moisture and oils pass in and out of the hair cuticle.  To determine your hair porosity, you can perform a simple test by placing a strand of clean, dry hair in a glass of water. If it floats, you have low porosity hair; if it sinks to the middle, you have medium porosity hair; and if it sinks to the bottom, you have high porosity hair. We will delve further into hair porosity in another post.

 2-The second thing I wished I’d known was just how much locs are prone to dryness. We all know kinky-curly textured hair, usually referred to as type 4 hair, typically has a tendency to become dry more than types 1, 2 and 3. Natural oils from the scalp do not readily travel down the shaft of curly and kinky hair. The propensity towards dryness for locs is increased because locs are sections of hair strands matted together. This makes it a little more difficult for moisture and oils to penetrate through the entirety of the loc.  When it comes to locs and moisture I learned the hard way that there were a few elements to consider regarding acquiring and maintaining hydrated locs. 1-Is moisture penetrating the hair shaft? Think hair porosity. Determining that will help reveal your next steps. 2-Keeping the hair conditioned to retain moisture between washes & 3-minimizing buildup-it’s the antithesis to moisturized hair. I learned the hard way that the source of my hair problems was that I hadn’t learned and practiced a good hydration routine. Stay tuned for more information on this. I will be sharing so much more on this topic.

3-Speaking of buildup! The third thing I wish I had known was how much buildup could derail all your plans towards a head full of beautiful, thriving locs. Buildup is caused by using certain products. Buildup will cause moisture and products to sit on top of your hair building up more and more over time to where nothing can penetrate the hair shaft. Over time the hair will look ashen and lackluster. The first way to avoid buildup is to watch your products. Avoid waxes, most gels, butters, creams and silicone-based products. Be wary of conditioners with locs. There aren’t many conditioners that are not predominately made with heavy creams making the product difficult to absorb into the loc.

Another hidden way you could be creating build up inadvertently is by using a shampoo that causes residue. Ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and shampoos with Silicones can leave residue on the hair.

Washing your hair with a clarifying shampoo every 6-12 weeks is a good way to minimize buildup.

4-The fourth thing I wish I had known was how locs can be lint and dust attractors. I wasn’t always diligent about covering my hair and deliberately protecting my ends. Wearing your hair down often where it rubs against fabrics is a surefire way to have lint trapped in the back of your locs. Keeping your hair covered while lounging and sleeping will help to minimize excess lint. Another great way to minimize dust and lint is to adopt a regular loc brushing schedule. This technique is for mature locs past the budding stage.

Another effective and simple technique is to vigorously finger comb your locs and shaking your locs out while leaning over. It sounds simple but doing this every day can easily eliminate any surface lint, dust or light debris from your locs.

Lastly wearing your locs in a protective style can also minimize lint from your clothes getting trapped in your locs. Loosely fastened updo’s, two-strand twist and braids are some examples of styles that will protect your hair by helping to retain the moisture and eliminate any friction on hair from clothing.

5-The fifth thing I wish I knew about locs is how detrimental tight and high-tension styles can be. Wearing your hair pulled back tightly will thin your edges and locs if worn like that consistently over time.

The freshly twisted updos are so beautiful, however be sure to allow your hair to rest. Constantly wearing styles like these can cause locs to become thin. Ask your loctician to lightly pin hair while styling in those creative and artistic styles.

Excessive retwisting can also create thinning at your roots. Going longer between retwists can help to promote thicker hair.

My intention is that this blog post will add value to your loc journey whether you’re considering loc’ing your hair, have baby locs or are a matured loc’d goddess already.

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