The Good, Bad & Ugly of Locs

I have a confession to make: My hair is looking pretty darn crappy right now. Yes, we natural hair and loc'd folks always rave about how beautiful and wonderful our curls, kinks and knots are, and while they are that overall, I must recognize and acknowledge that we have our bad hair days (weeks/months) too. This is especially true for those of us with locs that are not yet mature (baby and teenage). I love my locs, don't get me wrong, but right now I wish I could wrap them up in headwraps til November (my 1 year mark). The term "teenage locs" is not a misnomer, and like real teenagers, sometimes they like to challenge you and disobey and must be put on punishment, or just sent away to their room so you can take a minute to think and breathe.

No, my locs are not cooperating right now. I twist them, they come untwisted. I part them one way, they flop the other. I plan elaborate styles that work one week and fail miserably the next. The ones in the back are doing some weird flip up thing at the ends. They're too long to be short, and too short to be long. A few stick out randomly in crazy directions. Most of them are solid locs, but a few of them are still like to hold onto their un-loc'd roots for a little longer than the others. And the ends show no sign that they ever plan to loc......ever.

So what am I doing to get through this phase? Nothing. Waiting it out. Carrying on like nothing is wrong, going with the flow of what my locs want to do on a particular day, and just not worrying about it. Part of having natural hair is letting go that desire and need to control, to tame, to train. I am working with my teenage locs, not against them, and in turn they are working with me. I may have a particular style all planned out in my mind, but if it doesn't turn out the way I thought it would, I just go with something else that does work. When people ask "How did you style your hair like that?" I have to honestly tell them "I'm not really sure." Things are just kind of haphazard and crazy right now.

Is this to discourage anyone from locking? Goodness....by all means, no. I still am having a very active love affair with my locs, and the vast majority of time my hair looks crazy and frustrating only to me. This is just a phase they--and I-- are going through. I embrace the challenges, but I am still recognizing that they are challenges. The reason why I'm bringing this to light in the first place, even though I'm natural hair and loc's biggest fan, is not to scare people away, but rather because I believe people need to know what they are getting into before they get into it. Before someone starts locking, they need to know "Yes, I will go through this rough phase, but yes, I will also come out on the other side with beautiful locs." It is better to know up front and mentally prepare for what to expect than have others gloss over this for you, leaving you surprised, bewildered and frustrated when it happens to you, and having you think that something has gone wrong with your head. I'd rather people decide up front that maybe locking isn't for them instead of getting months into it and giving up because they didn't know what they were going to have to (temporarily) deal with. I prefer to tell it like it is-- the good, bad, ugly and beautiful.

If you are someone going through this phase, hang in there; it will get better. If you know someone going through this phase, please don't give them a hard time because later you'll be eating your words when you're complimenting their mature locs. And if you are thinking about going through this stage (i.e. anyone thinking about locs), don't be afraid. We've all gone through it.

The 8 Month Update

It has been about 8 months since I started on my second loc journey, so I wanted to provide an update.  My locs are now well into the "teenage" stage of locking.  In this stage, the locs have definitely started to form and there is no more unraveling.  However, my locs are still somewhat "spongy" and are not yet as firm as a fully matured set of locs.  Different areas of my head have different textures, so the locking progress is going at different rates.  The locs in the back are much firmer and defined than the locs on the top and in the front of my head, where the hair is softer.  The back locs have about 1" of unlocked root, while the ones on the top of my head have about 3" of unlocked root:

In true teenage loc form, my locs are quite fuzzy and fluffy at this point.  Because of my hair texture and the way my loctician sectioned my hair to follow the curl pattern, the ends of my locs still have curly-q's, which I rather like because they somewhat mask the fact that I have a wild mess of teenage locs underneath.  Most people recognize that I have locs, but I still have a few people question whether I have locs or twists.  I actually try to keep my hair as full looking as possible by not overtwisting or using too much product (which is a good idea at any stage).  Even though the full length of my locs are fuzzy, I only focus on twisting and clipping the locs close to the root to maintain maximum fullness.  I actually prefer how my locs look the one to two days after a fresh retwist after I've had the chance to sleep on them and muss them up a bit.

My current maintenance routine involves washing and retwisting about once a week.  I tried washing without retwisting last week and discovered that my locs are not quite ready for all that.  They tangled and crept together and were just a mess.  I do an apple cider vinegar pre-treatment that I leave on my scalp for about an 30 minutes, shampoo, then follow with a rosemary infused apple cider vinegar rinse.  I retwist using a palm rolling technique with a teeny dab of Organic Root Stimulator Lock & Twist Gel and/or Carol's Daughter Loc Butter.  The loc butter has less hold to it, so I use it by itself when I want immediately full locs.  I usually leave the double prong clips in overnight and take them out in the morning.  For moisturizing, I use a small amount of Carol's Daughter Lisa's Hair Elixir every morning or every other morning.

Mentally and emotionally in relation to my locs, I have my good and bad days, but on the balance things are good.  Going through this the second time around (and having the benefit of being a few years older) I don't worry about how they look as much.  Yes, I still like to look good, but I've accepted and embraced the organic beauty of teenage locs as opposed to a manicured, no hair out of place look.  I do have my days (or weeks) when they just do not act right, when one renegade loc will not lie down, or the whole lot of them are just lying flat.  I have my days when I wish I could just wrap them up for the next 4 months and not think about them at all.  I do find that my locs look better when I am in a better mood and worse when I'm feeling down, so I try my best to stay in good spirits (but I'm human so I don't always succeed).

Overall I'm very pleased with my progress and am thoroughly enjoying this round of teenage locs.  While I'm definitely looking forward to a head full of fully mature locs, for now I'm embracing this phase of my journey.

Shampooing Locs 101

There is a pervasive (and hopefully lessening) myth that people with locs don't/can't wash their hair.  This is completely and entirely false.  If anything, I think I started washing my hair MORE since I've had locs (and certainly way more than when I had a perm).  Locs should be shampooed regularly, at a minimum every two weeks; though if you work out, have dandruff/dermatitis issues, or live/work in dusty environments you should really shampoo more often.  I thoroughly shampoo at least once a week.  This keeps dirt from accumulating and permanently becoming part of your locs.  For fully mature locs, you should gently squeeze the locs while shampooing and rinsing to make sure the shampoo penetrates the locs as much as possible, and so the shampoo is thoroughly rinsed out.  Special care should be taken when washing new locs (see below).

It is important to wash locs with a good moisturizing shampoo.  Remember, the key to beautiful natural hair is moisture, moisture, moisture!  My current favorite shampoo is Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Herbal Shampoo for dry to very dry hair.  I like the Black Vanilla shampoo because it moisturizes very well without the use of a conditioner. Look for shampoos containing natural oils (olive, coconut, safflower, sweet almond, etc.) and/or shea butter. If your locs are fully matured, the use of conditioner is fine every 2-3 washes; it is not necessary to use every time you shampoo.  Too much conditioning can lead to build up in locs. 

Special Note for Baby/Teenage Locs:

If you are new to locking, you need to take special care not to agitate your baby locs too much.  For the first few weeks you should clean your scalp with astringent (like Sea Breeze) or witch hazel (which is less drying).  Saturate a portion of a clean washcloth and gently rub your scalp along the parts and between each loc. When you do start to use shampoo, you should avoid vigorous scrubbing for a few months.  During the first 3 months of locking, I sectioned my baby locs into 4-5 sections and rubber banded the ends together to keep the locs from untwisting.  Instead of using the shower head, use a container of water and gently poured that over the hair to wet and rinse the shampoo out.  Take special care to just focus on washing the scalp for the first few months and not do too much vigorous washing of the baby locs themselves.

You also want to avoid any shampoo that espouses to help with "manageability" or "dangling". Locs NEED to tangle; that's what makes them locs. This seems very obvious, but I almost ruined my first set of locs using Organic Root Stimulator Uplifting Shampoo (an otherwise great shampoo) because I didn't think about the word "manageability", I just was focused on clarifying (see below).  For someone with baby/teenage locs (I'd say up to one year) conditioner is not your friend.  Conditioner will cause locs that are not fully matured to unravel.  

Clarifying (and Dandruff Treatment):

It is important to avoid build up in your locs as much as possible.  The best way to avoid buildup is to prevent build up.  Shampoos, conditioners, styling products, dirt and lint can all accumulate and contribute to build up, making your locs dull and stiff.  The best way to avoid build up is to avoid using too many products in the first place.  However, every few weeks you should use a clarifying shampoo to remove any products that have built up in your locs.  You don't want to use clarifying shampoo every time you shampoo, as they can be somewhat harsh and drying.  You can use a clarifying shampoo such as Neutrogena or Panteen, or seek out a shampoo with more natural ingredients such as Avalon Organics Lemon Clarifying Shampoo.

Another way to clarify your locs is with the use of an apple cider vinegar rinse.  There are many recipes for ACV rinses out there.  Personally I simmer 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes, then add 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, 3-5 drops of tea tree oil, and 2-3 drops of either peppermint or lavender essential oil (depending on my mood).  You can use this rinse either before shampooing by saturating your hair and scalp and allowing to sit for 15-20 minutes, or use it as a final rinse after you shampoo.  The apple cider vinegar smell will dissipate as your hair dries.  ACV is great for removing build up and helps treat itchy, flaky scalp by balancing the pH of the scalp.  Rosemary is good for people with dark hair (i.e. most of us) to help bring out the natural highlights, and also helps treat thinning hair.  For additional clarifying, you can add the juice of 1/2 lemon to the rinse.  Lemon juice also helps break down oil and product build up. 

Products to Avoid:

It is important to read the labels of hair products just like you would with food, and like food, products with natural ingredients are better for you than artificial.  My general rule of thumb is that if I can't pronounce, I don't want to put it on or in my body.  Not everything I use is "all natural" and I don't think you should feel pressured to use all natural products just because you have natural hair.  It's just a rule of thumb to stick with as much as you can.  However, here are a few products you should look out for and try to avoid when you look for a good shampoo, particularly if you have sensitive skin: 

Sodium lauryl/laurth sulfate.  This a very common detergent found in shampoos that causes soaps and shampoos to create lots of foam, but is also a skin irritant.  It dries out skin and hair because it is an effective degreaser; however our skin and hair needs some level of oil to be healthy.  We have been conditioned to believe that more foam means better cleaning, but this is not necessarily the case.  Natural products will have less foam than shampoos containing this chemical, but work just as well. 

Propylene Glycol.  This is another common ingredient in shampoos and conditioners.  It is a humectant, which are supposed to retain moisture in hair and skin by attracting water, however, they can also leave a suffocating film on skin and hair.  Propylene glycol is also used in industrial products, and can cause skin irritation. 

Silicone Oils (eg. Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Copolyol).  These chemicals are classified as emollients, which are supposed to prevent dryness.  They are often included in hair care products to produce shine for the "appearance" of healthy hair.  However, these chemicals create a coating on the hair that blocks the absorption of substances that are actually moisturizing and nourishing to the hair and scalp.

You can find a more extensive list of common harmful chemicals in cosmetic products here. 

3 Months: Those Unruly Teens

So it's been about 3 months now since I started my second foray into locs, and I must say that I'm very pleased with the progress. A lot of people find themselves frustrated with the "teenage" phase of locs. They're no longer the cute little spirals that they were 2 months ago, but rather, just as the name implies, they are somewhat unruly and have a mind of their own, and are a little harder to control. It is during this phase that "budding" starts to occur and you have a perpetual case of the frizzies. This is the phase that deters most people from locking, especially if you're one of those people who can't stand to have a hair out of place. These are the same folks who will ooooh and aaaaah over your mature locs and tell you how they are "thinking about" locking (with their bone straight perm), but will talk about what a hot mess someone with teenage locs look. Insert your favorite cliche phrase here, but the one that comes to mind is "you can't make wine without crushing some grapes"...... oh, wait..... maybe it's "you can't make omelets without breaking some eggs." But I don't like omelets, or eggs period for that matter, but I do like wine. A lot. So we'll go with that one. In any event, basically shit has to get messy before it's perfect.

I have actually been quite enjoying the teenage phase this time around (I wish I could say the same thing about dealing with my son). My locs are the perfect size such that the ends are perpetual curly-q's, which look a lot like how my un-loc'd hair looked when I put gel in it and shook it out. The curly-q's sort of mask the chaos going on underneath. I'm also enjoying the fullness I get after 1 or 2 days following a re-twist. This is actually the look I was trying to go for when my hair was un-loc'd, but it would never stay that way for very long and was a pain to have to wet and gel all the time. Now I literally get up, take off whatever head covering I had on the night before, put a few drops of Carol's Daughter Lisa's Hair Elixir in my hands and vigorously tousle the fuck out of it. A fluff and a shake and I'm ready to go.

Products.... every natural girl's favorite subject. The most common discussions I read between natural hair ladies is about what products people recommend. And for good reason; the right products can make all the difference between hot and hot mess. Thanks to my very thoughtful beau, I'm currently using Carol's Daugther products in my hair, and I LOVING them. I use Black Vanilla Herbal shampoo (after washing my scalp with some t-gel shampoo cuz my scalp is quite mutinous) and retwist with Loc Butter. The gift set also came with Hair Milk and Black Vanilla Hair Smoothie conditioner, but conditioner on baby/teenage locs is bad (m'kay?) so I use it on my daughter's locs.

I had a bit of hesitation with using the Loc Butter because one of the ingredients is beeswax, which is a naughty no-no for grooming locs due to build up (and attracting dirt and causing stiffness). However, I've found Loc Butter to be satiny smooth, not tacky, and doesn't cause any more build up than Organic Root Stimulator Loc & Twist Gel, if not less. And it smells fantastic. And speaking of smelling fantastic, I am in love with Lisa's Hair Elixir. I wish I could cover my body in it (but then I'd have none left for my hair) because it smells SO good. Though I put it on my daughter's hair one day (because I was feeling generous, but normally I'm a product Scrooge) and she said "Ewww Mommy! Now I smell all herb-y!" I love the smells of patchouli, lemongrass, rosemary, peppermint, sage, and all those other "herb-y" essential oils so it is perfect for me. My hair ends up smelling good, is shiny, and the loc butter gives it just enough hold (I hate skinny overtwisted locs on my head). Bueno.

Oh, and just in case it's not readily apparent, I haven't been back to my loctician since she first started them. I do my own washing, retwisting and styling. I think everyone with locs should at least learn how to do basic loc grooming (wash & retwist). Sadly, a lot don't. I really could do basic loc grooming as a side hustle, but I've already explained the reasons why I don't.

So there we are. Wild, happy, unruly, drama free locs. I love it.


*I would be remiss if I did not once again emphasize the dangers of product addiction. When it comes to locs, less is more. You could cultivate locs with 2 products: Shampoo and a light oil. That's it. All the butters and creams and gels and pomades are just extra grooming products and aren't going to make your locs form any faster. Just remember, the more product you put in your locs, the more product will be (and possibly stay) in your locs. So be easy.