After 2yrs of loc'ing my hair.....

[RockCreak]

I decided to comb them out!

It took me a total of 7 days to get them all out (started on a Thursday.. well here's my story:

The very first loc that I took out took me about 45 minutes.. mind you I did that dry. The second loc, I added conditioner.. it took me about 30 minutes... The 3rd loc took me only 20 minutes maybe less because I added oil to the conditioner for added slip.

I work the late shift with very limited staff so in the evening, I would sit there and pick at my locs... (hood I know, but whatever, I wanted them out) I managed to take a row or more out in one evening... Then I really picked at my hair over the weekend, but still couldn't get them all out. So I bunned the back half of my head and put the top in a ponytail. People looked at me confused not sure what I was doing to my hair. They just noticed that my locs weren't as full anymore. So Monday I picked at it and Tuesday.. then just said forget it... took off on Wednesday and went to town.. by that Thursday morning.. they were all out. Yayyy!

Here are a few pics....

This is how my hair was:

Alot of shed hairs just from that little bit

This is about how much hair shed I had per loc.. mind you I had 108 locs

Getting there

me looking crazy

All OUT!!!!!

Good to be free!!!!

 

[bibs]

Your hair looks great!!! What made you decide to take yours locs down (if you don't mind me asking)?

 

[RockCreak]

Your hair looks great!!! What made you decide to take yours locs down (if you don't mind me asking)?

There were numerous reasons as to why I decided to unloc but the main two reasons were that my loc's were to heavy for my hair type. My hair is naturally thin and fine. The other reason was due to health issues. I was preparing for a treatment which would have resulted in hair loss. Thank goodness for alternative treatments.

So I just decided to take them out and continue on my natural hair journey to MBL for right now!

 

[venusfly]

I had no idea it was possible to unloc (that sounds do strange lol!) hair. Your hair looks pretty thick after unlocking! Good luck with your health issues and treatment. God bless!

 

[danniegirl]

well that is great i have watched a few videos and read a few stories about unlocking hair and yours is the shortest and best i have seen

 

[RegaLady]

Very nice OP! Your locs looked good on you too.

My question has been how in the world does one take their locs down? That has always puzzled me.

 

[Fhrizzball]

Do you miss your locs and do you ever plan to get them again? How long was your hair length when loc'd and does your hair feel different now then it used to before you were loc'd? Also I would have thought it would take way longer to unloc hair. I wouldn't have the patience myself so kudos to you.

 

[Misseyl]

I glad this worked out for you but combing out locks, I didn't think that was possible. Where these the locks that you get done at a salon or was it the type that you do yourself over time? Comb out locks, I thought that was nearly impossible.

 

[D.Lisha]

Wow! I was always told that in order to successfully "un-loc", you would have cut the dress down to a certain point and Then comb them out.
Your hair looks great OP!

 

[BraunSugar]

Wow! And I complain about taking down braids! Your hair is beautiful!

 

[Royalq]

Was the comb out damaging at all? That seems like a long detangling process. Your hair look great by the way. I remember i saw a youtube video of a woman unlocing her hair.

 

[RockCreak]

Very nice OP! Your locs looked good on you too.

My question has been how in the world does one take their locs down? That has always puzzled me.

Simple! I started by using a metal rattail comb but soon realized that it wasn't sharp enough to penetrate the loc easy. So I opted to use a thumb tack. It's small and can be easily gripped. It's great for picking the bottom of the loc loose and whenever you get into those tight spots. Hth

 

[southerncitygirl]

very niceRockCreak ....i like locs on others but its too permanent for me. i heard that the takedown can be crazy, one of my co-workers said hers took about a week as well and hers were even longer...i would have gotten frustrated and shaved my head! some folks end up with tons of breakage or splits but yours is looking good!

 

[RockCreak]

Do you miss your locs and do you ever plan to get them again? How long was your hair length when loc'd and does your hair feel different now then it used to before you were loc'd? Also I would have thought it would take way longer to unloc hair. I wouldn't have the patience myself so kudos to you.

I don't miss them yet because I just took them out a little over a week ago and I don't plan on getting them again (but I so love locs). When I had the locks my hair was right below the shoulder blades. When I took the out my hair was right at bsl but I decided to take off two inches because Rey were scraggly ends. My hair pretty much feels the same as it did before I started the locs. I made sure to keep up the moisture with the locs.

 

[RockCreak]

I glad this worked out for you but combing out locks, I didn't think that was possible. Where these the locks that you get done at a salon or was it the type that you do yourself over time? Comb out locks, I thought that was nearly impossible.

I started my locs myself. All my hair no extensions. So yes it's possible to take locs down. It requires a lot of talc and patience!

 

[RockCreak]

Was the comb out damaging at all? That seems like a long detangling process. Your hair look great by the way. I remember i saw a youtube video of a woman unlocing her hair.

I can say that for me the damage was minimal that's why I opted to cut off 2 or so inches. I really didn't see much breakage in between thanks to the 2 big bottles of conditioner and the huge bottle of olive oil! Lol

 

[leiah]

Looks really good! I can't believe you had the patience to do all of them!

 

[CHI10]

wow!! your hair looks good either way!

 

[bhndbrwneyes]

wow good for you girl. That takes a lot of patience. I would have gotten frustrated and shaved my head, which by the way, was what I was told was the only way to get out locs. Glad to know that's not the case and glad to see you retained a lot of length!

 

[Just11412]

i combed out my 4 yr old locs in 2007. they were about midback length. took me 5 damn days. i still had to cut some inches and nurse my hair back to health. and re learn how to take care of loose natural hair. but now i have the hang of it.

congrats!

 

[Carmelella]

So for anyone out there complaining about knots ... Stop, lol. Apparently all tangles can be detangled. Beautiful hair OP, and fix h dye it afterwards?

 

[Marand13]

That awesome and your hair looks great after the fact!! If I had the patience to take them down I would totally loc my hair. But I opt for kinky twists instead.

Good job!

 

[Harina]

i combed out my 4 yr old locs in 2007. they were about midback length. took me 5 damn days. i still had to cut some inches and nurse my hair back to health. and re learn how to take care of loose natural hair. but now i have the hang of it.

congrats!

Your hair looks healthy either way.

Just11412 Please post before and after pics if you have them. My plan is to loc my hair over the next 6 to 10 years then comb them out.

 

[greenandchic]

Very nice OP! Your locs looked good on you too.

My question has been how in the world does one take their locs down? That has always puzzled me.

I've always wondered that too, especially since I've had some hard core locks (from improper detangling) that I had to cut out.


RockCreak - I wish you the best of health! Your hair looks great.

 

[Just11412]

i aint gonna lie that was some rough ish to take down. at one point my mom was like give up. but i was determined. my friend took hers down but she only had them in for year. mine were about to be 4 yrs old.

i had so much build up and it was crazy because i was very diligent with my hair. like i never used heavy products. to retighten my locs i used aloe gel. i clarified my locks all the time. and i brushed my locks. still had build up when i took them down.

i used conditioner and several types of detangling sprays to saturate the locks. and to pick them out i used the end of rattail comb. i had 115 locs and it took about 30-45 min per loc.

once i got them out i had to deal with my hair naturally wanting to gather together and loc. it did that because it had been in a locked state for so long.

if i had to do it all over again i would just cut my hair off. i still had to cut some serious inches off but i wanted enough hair to make a decent bun and i was able to.

and its crazy because even now that my hair is loose i dont wear it out often. i am a protective style type of girl. but next year once i end my mini braids challenge, i am going to wear my hair out a lot more. i thought what is the point of being loose if im never gonna wear it out, might as well of stayed locked. lol.