Alta Angel
Well-Known Member
My latest retwist.
Lock It Up! Support Thread (Sisterlocs, Dreads, Freeform, Etc)
- Thread starter Platinum
- Start date
divachyk
Instagram: adaybyjay
I have been really considering this for over a year but I don’t want to commit and have a change in heart. I have not been to a consultant because I need to make up my mind first.
hairsothick
Black and Magical
I took my retightening class last week. It took me two days to finish my head, including long breaks. I think I could finish in one day if I just power through without stopping so frequently. My consultant was surprised at how fast I was moving during my class, so I know it can only get better from here.
My Locs will be one year old in a couple of weeks. I'll make sure to post pics.
My Locs will be one year old in a couple of weeks. I'll make sure to post pics.
Whimsicalgodess
Active Member
Hey everyone. So I’m about 5 months in and my locs aren’t getting as big as I would like them too. I have very thick hair (amount and strand size) so I’m not understanding?? Only the top of my hair is getting poofy, but not the back. But even the top isn’t as poofy as I would like.
I have 117 locs. Should I combine them to make them bigger? I feel like 58 locs won’t look full to me which is the exact look I’m going for!
You couldn’t even see my scalp with my starter locs! Did I mess up having my loctition put styles in my hair and twist all the way down?! Please help!! I’m willing to start over to get the look I want
I have 117 locs. Should I combine them to make them bigger? I feel like 58 locs won’t look full to me which is the exact look I’m going for!
You couldn’t even see my scalp with my starter locs! Did I mess up having my loctition put styles in my hair and twist all the way down?! Please help!! I’m willing to start over to get the look I want
Guinan
Re-Branding
I would wait to see how your locs progress
Guinan
Re-Branding
This Nov will make it 3yrs. The color and style I did myself. I no longer go to the shops. I wash and retwist on my own.
Attachments
Guinan
Re-Branding
I have about 160 locs. Started with over 200
Foxglove
A drop of golden sun
They are probably not mature yet. I would wait a year at least from when you installed to decide about combining
fifi134
Well-Known Member
What are you ladies doing to maintain a fresh smelling scalp? I’ve never used heavily scented products, even as a loose natural. I’m finding that even if it’s not from working out heavily, my scalp smells old after 4 days or so. I wash my hair frequently but don’t know how to keep up with this in the cold. It seems like a never ending issue for me. I will always take the clean scalp over lengthening the style, but it’s really annoying to not find a scent that works best.
Guinan
Re-Branding
Whenever I feel like my hair smells "stale" I like to use cream of nature argon leave in conditioner and then holistic heights healing oil. Although, I don't put it on my scalp, I put it on the length of my locs. I usually do this about 1-2xs a week. Both products are really fragrant but in an earthy way.
MzSwift
Well-Known Member
I have stuck with using my own mixtures in a spray bottle. I try to spray it daily before wrapping my hair up at night but sometimes I use it in the morning. My spray is all water with drops of essential oils in it. The EOs I prefer are lavender and sweet orange oil. I wash my hair about once a week, sometimes twice. I don't work out in the traditional sense but I am a SAHM with a 4-year old with special needs and he keeps me on my toes. It's still hot where I am and head sweat is real. My hair doesn't seem to smell. DH and both of my boys have confirmed. Lol.
Also, I have a scalp oil mix that I use a day or so after washing. It's primarily EVOO and grapeseed oil with sweet orange and lavender EOs for scent. I use that as well throughout the week whenever my scalp is feeling dry.
HTH!
Guinan
Re-Branding
Platinum
Well-Known Member
My locs were looking ashy, stiff,, and dry so I did a deep cleansing shampoo and detox yesterday. Today, they're feeling lighter and soft. I may retwist today. Unfortunately, I found a loc that was thinning at the end. 
I’m thinking it’s the result of styling.My loctitian used rubber bands to hold some of my styles and I may have kept the rubber bands in too long. Lesson learned...
I’m thinking it’s the result of styling.My loctitian used rubber bands to hold some of my styles and I may have kept the rubber bands in too long. Lesson learned...Attachments
Guinan
Re-Branding
My locs were looking ashy, stiff,, and dry so I did a deep cleansing shampoo and detox yesterday. Today, they're feeling lighter and soft. I may retwist today. Unfortunately, I found a loc that was thinning at the end.
Sorry about the thinning loc. Do you plan on cutting it off or waiting it out? What's in your detox?
Guinan
Re-Branding
I washed my locs yesterday. It felt sooo good. It had been 3wks since I washed my hair and my scalp was super itchy because of the gel. I usually just use oil and water when retwisting but because it's been so hot and I wore a bun, I decided to use gel.
For style, I think I'll just retwist the front. For shampoo I used dr. Bronner and then I used this black owned body bar, that I also like to use for my hair. It has turmeric and neem.
For style, I think I'll just retwist the front. For shampoo I used dr. Bronner and then I used this black owned body bar, that I also like to use for my hair. It has turmeric and neem.
Platinum
Well-Known Member
I decided to mend the loc with a needle and thread. I used Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking soda, a little sea salt, and lemon juice. I really helped to remove some dirt and build up in my locs.
Guinan
Re-Branding
Your sisterlocs are gorgeous!!!
I no longer have locs but I’d loved them when I had them. I woke up with great looking hair everyday and I practically did nothing with it. If I can help in anyway, let me know
1. How long have you been on your loc journey?
July 2017-April 2020
2. What made you decide to embark on a loc journey?
I was frustrated with wash and gos. Tired of having either wet slimy hair all day or hair as hard as a brick. I started to really like braids and wanted to have something like that permanently. Plus I moved far far away from my mom who was always against them.
3. How long do you plan to stay loc'd?
Well, they fell out due to chemo last year, but the plan was to keep them until death.
4. What type of locs do you have? Sisterlocs, Traditional, Cultivated, Freeform?
I had self installed microlocs that I retied every 4 to 6 months
5. What process did you use to start your locs?
I braided the first inch and then twisted down the rest of the way. I set it up in a bricklay pattern.
6. How do you maintain your locs?
At first I used an interlocking tool but eventually just used my fingers. I did an 2 point rotation interlocking pattern. Everything else was confusing and I would wind up with holes.
I washed with a clarifying shampoo and occasionally used rose water. Eventually, I went to Yannie the Locologist. She did hot oil treatments. I’m not sure how she interlocked them. I went to her to make them a little bigger because the front of my hair grew away from the locs. I went to her 3 months before I found out I had cancer.
7. What, if any, products do you use on your locs?
My favorite products were from the Dr. Locs brand. I didn’t really use oils, butters or conditioners. My favs were the prepoo and shampoo.
I started on natural hair that stretched to armpit length. My hair shrunk up so much while in locs. The first 7 months my hair looked like tiny curls all over my head. Then shortly after that my hair began to stick out and had little balls all over the ends. I use to wear it in a ponytail of sorts but that stopped it from looking right when loose. So I gave up putting my hair up or wearing headbands. At first I looked like a palm tree for a few months. Then it settled down and hung properly. I never covered it and just slept on a cotton pillow case. By the end of the 2nd year, my completely unprocessed hair started to fade in color. It started turning brown and my ends blonde.
My locs were super soft and spongy. They still had a spring factor. Before they fell out, they reached arm pits length
1. How long have you been on your loc journey?
July 2017-April 2020
2. What made you decide to embark on a loc journey?
I was frustrated with wash and gos. Tired of having either wet slimy hair all day or hair as hard as a brick. I started to really like braids and wanted to have something like that permanently. Plus I moved far far away from my mom who was always against them.
3. How long do you plan to stay loc'd?
Well, they fell out due to chemo last year, but the plan was to keep them until death.
4. What type of locs do you have? Sisterlocs, Traditional, Cultivated, Freeform?
I had self installed microlocs that I retied every 4 to 6 months
5. What process did you use to start your locs?
I braided the first inch and then twisted down the rest of the way. I set it up in a bricklay pattern.
6. How do you maintain your locs?
At first I used an interlocking tool but eventually just used my fingers. I did an 2 point rotation interlocking pattern. Everything else was confusing and I would wind up with holes.
I washed with a clarifying shampoo and occasionally used rose water. Eventually, I went to Yannie the Locologist. She did hot oil treatments. I’m not sure how she interlocked them. I went to her to make them a little bigger because the front of my hair grew away from the locs. I went to her 3 months before I found out I had cancer.
7. What, if any, products do you use on your locs?
My favorite products were from the Dr. Locs brand. I didn’t really use oils, butters or conditioners. My favs were the prepoo and shampoo.
I started on natural hair that stretched to armpit length. My hair shrunk up so much while in locs. The first 7 months my hair looked like tiny curls all over my head. Then shortly after that my hair began to stick out and had little balls all over the ends. I use to wear it in a ponytail of sorts but that stopped it from looking right when loose. So I gave up putting my hair up or wearing headbands. At first I looked like a palm tree for a few months. Then it settled down and hung properly. I never covered it and just slept on a cotton pillow case. By the end of the 2nd year, my completely unprocessed hair started to fade in color. It started turning brown and my ends blonde.
My locs were super soft and spongy. They still had a spring factor. Before they fell out, they reached arm pits length
Wait! Once you combine, it’s really hard to separate. Your locs will swell up as they get older. I know it’s hard to wait but patience is key. I don’t feel you have gone through the adolescence/teen stage yet.
I’m not sure of your maintenance method (sorry, haven’t looked yet.), but that can give a temporary look of compacted individual locs. Once I decided to combine most of mine, I wasn’t really happy with the density. My hair was no longer light weight and blowing in the wind. I lost a lot of my fullness even though it still looked very full.
I suggest you wait until your locs mature some before you make such a big decision. My locs were far from mature at the 5 month mark. I still had people complementing me on my curly ends not realizing my hair was locked. I could have easily taken them out by that point too.
Give it some time before you rush into combining them. Joining your locs may still not give you your desired outcome. Also, what did your loctician say?
nothidden
TeamNatural95-Fractals/Zigzags
Sorry for the hella late response. My consultant cancelled a re-ti appt due to arm and neck pain and it scared me. The thought of maintaining 400+ locs myself defeated the purpose of getting locs for me: easy, shortened maintenance. Combing them out took about 2.5 to 3 months, but I took long stretches where I didn't touch them. I now have traditional locs started with two strand twists and the diamond parting system. I'll have to post pics as they're really progressing.
Platinum
Well-Known Member
My last retwist was an epic fail. The summer heat is no joke and I ended up sweating everyday. It practically defeated the purpose of a retwist. I may just wait November before I do it again. In the meantime, I’ll probably stick to shampooing and conditioning.
Speaking of conditioner, I’m looking for a good one now. I also may go back to using a leave in again.
I was going to post a pic of my hair but I’m having trouble uploading.
Speaking of conditioner, I’m looking for a good one now. I also may go back to using a leave in again.
I was going to post a pic of my hair but I’m having trouble uploading.
imaginary
Well-Known Member
One year (and a couple weeks) strong. I cannot wait to put highlights in my hair. I eventually want to go blonde, but baby steps ha.Hi all
1. How long have you been on your loc journey? Since Sep.16.2020 so about 3 days
2. What made you decide to embark on a loc journey? I feel like I've gotten most of the experiences I wanted out of being natural. The only thing I didn't manage was to bleach it, but my hair was honestly too damaged (mostly from all my experiments over the past year or two with heat styling and keratin treatments) to manage it and I knew I didn't want to spend another year nursing my loose natural hair back to full health. I've been taking care of my own natural hair for over 12years and I've been quite ready to do something different. It was either going to be relaxed or locs and I knew I didn't want to commit to the baby-ing that relaxing would require.
3. How long do you plan to stay loc'd? No time limit really. For the foreseeable future.
4. What type of locs do you have? Sisterlocs, Traditional, Cultivated, Freeform? Sisterlocs
5. What process did you use to start your locs? I went to a loctician who installed my locs over the course of 3 days. But before I started the process I went and got a significant trim (4in or so) to get rid of my damaged ends. Luckily it still left me with some length to work with.
6. How do you maintain your locs? Still working that out
7. What, if any, products do you use on your locs? still working that out. I know I want to continue incorporating my tea sprays and FRW sprays/rinses. But I also don't want to cause any slippage if I don't need to.
Images:
Before cut: View media item 130679After cut: View media item 130683Locced: View media item 130681
View media item 130801
View media item 130799
Alta Angel
Well-Known Member
Platinum,My last retwist was an epic fail. The summer heat is no joke and I ended up sweating everyday. It practically defeated the purpose of a retwist. I may just wait November before I do it again. In the meantime, I’ll probably stick to shampooing and conditioning.
Speaking of conditioner, I’m looking for a good one now. I also may go back to using a leave in again.
I was going to post a pic of my hair but I’m having trouble uploading.
Can you retie in the summer months and retwist in the cooler months as an option?
Platinum
Well-Known Member
I haven’t done a retie since the early years of my loc journey. I actually liked that technique back then. I may have to consider your suggestion. Thank you!
Woo!
lol.
imaginary
Well-Known Member
I finally got around to bleaching my hair. Hoo boy this henna said it wasn't gonna ever leave my side. And I thought I'd love this contrast, but the more I look at it, the less I like it I think. I do love that some parts managed to get to the blonde I like though. But until I can go back and have her lighten the dark parts, I think I may put a brown rinse on it.
View media item 130805
I do love that she managed to do this with any apparent/immediate damage. My curls at the end look the same and the locs also feel the same. When I head back to my loctician next week I'll be more certain though.
View media item 130805
I do love that she managed to do this with any apparent/immediate damage. My curls at the end look the same and the locs also feel the same. When I head back to my loctician next week I'll be more certain though.
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