Lock It Up! Support Thread (Sisterlocs, Dreads, Freeform, Etc)

[ChasingBliss]

I liked it, and it had solid hold.

Question: Is it wise to change loctitian's in the middle of the transition? Mine is really on my bad side right now. She is unprofessional when it comes to appointments...I'm just fed up with her.

I've wondered this too. I think it's always good to have a back up. A real loctition is going to know what to do to keep in tune with your hair....I hope.

 

[Arian]

I've wondered this too. I think it's always good to have a back up. A real loctition is going to know what to do to keep in tune with your hair....I hope.

I'm SO upset. The last thing I wanted was a negative experience tainting everything. I JUST started budding, so I am really mad. Idk how to retwist yet, otherwise I would do it myself. I really wanted to have a loctitian on hand until I fully loced.

 

[LavenderMint]

I'm SO upset. The last thing I wanted was a negative experience tainting everything. I JUST started budding, so I am really mad. Idk how to retwist yet, otherwise I would do it myself. I really wanted to have a loctitian on hand until I fully loced.

Just like everything else, this is a journey.

I started mine on my own after I read a lot of websites and watched videos of others doing their locs. I paid close attention to how they washed and dried their baby locs.
And if you don't want to fully immerse them, there are other options like just cleansing your scalp. (I think someone I knew used a product by Taliah Waajid?) You should be able to feel the direction she twisted them in.
Hopefully, that could hold you until you find a new loctician. The hardest part is getting your hair all parted and the locs started and those are the only things I would change if I could do mine over!

Also: please don't think of it as "tainted". This is a journey and sometimes there are unexpected stops, turns and waits. This is a "wait". What if she hadn't shown her colors so early and REALLY jacked your locs up?

The journey continues and YOU keep on being positive!!

 

[Arian]

Just like everything else, this is a journey.

I started mine on my own after I read a lot of websites and watched videos of others doing their locs. I paid close attention to how they washed and dried their baby locs.
And if you don't want to fully immerse them, there are other options like just cleansing your scalp. (I think someone I knew used a product by Taliah Waajid?) You should be able to feel the direction she twisted them in.
Hopefully, that could hold you until you find a new loctician. The hardest part is getting your hair all parted and the locs started and those are the only things I would change if I could do mine over!

Also: please don't think of it as "tainted". This is a journey and sometimes there are unexpected stops, turns and waits. This is a "wait". What if she hadn't shown her colors so early and REALLY jacked your locs up?

The journey continues and YOU keep on being positive!!

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to diligently look for someone tonight. One of my friends is helping me as well. I'm just going through so much right now and really wanted this part of my life to be smooth. *sigh*

 

[bklynbornNbred]

When I was researching locs I came across Damian Walter on you tube. He is based out of Houston. His videos are long as heck but the results speak for themselves. He has plenty videos where he has had to fix the mistakes made from inexperienced locticians. If you're not happy that negative energy will not get any better. Find someone else (or see if he's coming to your city soon). Good luck.

I love watching the regulars post their journey. I'm cheering for you all!

 

[Harina]

Does anyone use Joie gel to retwist?

 

[Harina]

I was very interested in having sisterlocks but decided to go with the interlock method which is very similar. There wasn't a sisterlock tech in my area at the time. I'm very happy with the size of my locks.

BrandNew do you have more pictures of your locs?

BrandNew I wish I could contribute to this thread but I combed out my locs a little over a year ago. After 4 years my locs just didn't suit me anymore.

MrsMe why do you say that? What about them did you not like? Do you have any pics? How did you start yours?

Also how long did it take you to comb them out?

Arian

Rogaine is number 1. I massage my edges and temples morning and night with it.

ChasingBliss what Rogaine product do you use?

I will be lurking this thread. Been thinking about locking since i was in my teens.

But i wanted to post this amazing loc utuber. Her locs are absolutely gorg! Her name is joy marilie. She has sum great hair styles too.

I feel bad for saying this but I don't like her parting? Like how scalpy it is. Is that just because it's a fresh retwist or something? I think her dark roots make it more obvious as well.

I asked my loctician what pattern she uses for my retis. She doesn't know it but December is the last time I'll be seeing her. I think she charges too much and there is a new loctician who just got sisterlock certified much closer to where I live

I don't understand what you mean by the pattern for the retwist? Is that because she combined some of them so she is resetting the pattern or something??? Foxglove

Arian my locs started to bud within the first two to three weeks of my journey. It was probably because I rinsed my hair frequently. Most of the buds formed in the middle of the loc, others formed closer to the root. I don't think I had any of them to form on the ends.

Platinum is that bad if the buds form in the middle first?

 

[Foxglove]

Harina There are different interlocking patterns used for sisterlocks. Pattern 3 is for looser curls and gives a different look than type 4 which is for tighter curls. There's also a reverse 4 and another one maybe reverse 3?

http://www.kreyolasjourneys.com/2013/12/how-to-interlocking-patterns-with-clock.html

http://nubianlockedprincessnyc.blogspot.com/2008/10/interlocking-patterns.html

 

[Platinum]

Harina it's not a problem if the buds form in the middle.

I forgot to check in on February 27. I'm 9 months loc'd now.

 

[ChasingBliss]

When I was researching locs I came across Damian Walter on you tube. He is based out of Houston. His videos are long as heck but the results speak for themselves. He has plenty videos where he has had to fix the mistakes made from inexperienced locticians. If you're not happy that negative energy will not get any better. Find someone else (or see if he's coming to your city soon). Good luck.

I love watching the regulars post their journey. I'm cheering for you all!

Yes his vids are long as hayell but his personality makes it bearable. He is too funny.


@Harina

I use the men's rogaine. This was recommended by my derm. However something has revisited my mind after watching one of my fav loc'd youtubers Jasmine Rose. She has been talking about her edges and decided to take the plunge with hair replacement surgery. She told us that she would be keeping us posted on everything. I am soooo looking forward to this as I thought that it might have been difficult to have this procedure when hair is loc'd. But apparently it is doable. I cannot wait to see her results. I have little corners I'd like to fill in and would like to stop using day and night applications all together. If her's turns out well...I may take this plunge myself.

Oh and when she returned briefly after the procedure to make a vid, she had a cute little strip wrapped around her edges which further made me see you dont even have to go into hiding when done

 

[Harina]

Anyone here take hair growth vitamins?

 

[kulikuli]

Hi guys
New to the forum, joined because of this thread

1. How long have you been on your loc journey?

2.5 months

2. What made you decide to embark on a loc journey?

I get bored with my hair around the 2 or 3 year mark, so it was either cut my hair or dreads

3. How long do you plan to stay loc'd?

5 years or till I have my first child

4. What type of locs do you have? Sisterlocs, Traditional, Cultivated, Freeform?

Traditional...i guess

5. What process did you use to start your locs?

Two strand twists, started in a salon. I should have done them myself because the chick did such a poor job.

6. How do you maintain your locs?

I have used a crochet hook once, I plan to palm roll when I hit the 3 month mark. Then alternate, every two months.

7. What, if any, products do you use on your locs?

Water, olive oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, tea tree eo, peppermint eo and rosemary eo. I was using aloe vera gel but I've stopped. Black soap, acv and red zinger/hibiscus tea.

I mist my locs with a water/orangeblossom water/tea tree eo/rosemary eo/peppermint oil mix daily (honestly the orangeblossom water is because I like the smell it doesn't really seem to do anything). I was putting a bit of oil everyday after misting but that just seemed to attract so much lint. Now I just oil once a week.

I wash my dreads every two weeks with black soap but that seems to be causing build up, so I am switching to Shea Moisture's Raw Shea Shampoo for my next wash. After every wash I clarify with a tea and acv rinse, then let my hair air dry.

 

[LavenderMint]

Anyone here take hair growth vitamins?

I tried some hair, skin & nails that made me feel constantly nauseous. I've been adding collagen to my coffee three times a week for about two months and have noticed a huge increase in nail growth but I can't really say on my hair.

 

[Harina]

So I went to a consultation recently.

The locs I ultimately want my hair to look like are the below. Full but not super big. I do not want skinty locs...











...so she did a little sampler of how she would do the parting if she was doing my whole head. This is my second consultation. The 1st woman said I should start smaller because it would swell but this lady said I should start bigger because in her experience the locs get smaller as they condense not bigger. I know for a fact that both ladies do good work so I found it odd that they had such differing views on that. Maybe one of them just didn't explain themselves properly or maybe I didn't full understand what they were saying. From my research, I thought that locs eventually takes the size of the square/diamond/section so I was really confused by that.

My wooly little head

 

[Platinum]

Anyone here take hair growth vitamins?

Harina I haven't taken any hair growth vitamins since I started my loc'd journey other than Biotin. I haven't taken Biotin lately but I plan to start back on it. However I started taken Diatomaceous Earth a few weeks ago and I'm seeing a growth spurt.

 

[CocoGlow]

...so she did a little sampler of how she would do the parting if she was doing my whole head. This is my second consultation. The 1st woman said I should start smaller because it would swell but this lady said I should start bigger because in her experience the locs get smaller as they condense not bigger. I know for a fact that both ladies do good work so I found it odd that they had such differing views on that. Maybe one of them just didn't explain themselves properly or maybe I didn't full understand what they were saying. From my research, I thought that locs eventually takes the size of the square/diamond/section so I was really confused by that.

Harina

I understand your frustration girl! The parting and sizing of my locs has been such a source of anxiety for me because I too want my locs to have a certain look and not be too thin or thick.

I've watched sooo many "Loc Journey" videos trying to figure it all out and I believe that there is no set answer to this. It really all depends on your density, strand thickness, parting size, etc. For instance, let's say 2 ladies with the same texture get their starter locs done by a person who parts/sections their hair the same size with the same amount of locs- but let's say 1 lady has thicker strands than the other- her locs will end up thicker in the long term regardless. Also if the 2 ladies had different hair densities, 1 lady would end up with more locs than the other if they go for the same size parts, etc. So as tempting as it may be to look at 1 lady and say "I want my locs to look just like that!" and then ask her how many locs she has or how large her parts are, your locs may look completely different if you follow her path to the letter.

As for which consultant is right, I would say the 2nd one! The 1st consultant is right in terms of the fact that locs will certainly shrink & swell dramatically during the 1st phase of the locing process which can take a few years depending on your texture but then over time, like your 2nd consultant said, they will condense to their set size which will be thinner than in the shrunken phase. They do oftentimes settle to the diameter of your part/section, but again this depends on your density and strand thickness. Right now I am 2 months in and my locs are half the length they were when I first installed my twists and thicker from the shrinkage but I know they will get a little thinner over time but hopefully not too much thinner. Letting go of trying to control how exactly they will turn out is difficult for me but there really is no way to know for sure

I have several textures on my head as well as 3 different levels of density so I couldn't start my locs using the same size parting all over. The nape section is dramatically different than the rest of my hair (very soft, silky and thin density) so I had to make the parts bigger in order to create twists that are of similar size as the ones throughout the rest of my hair. I also have sections that are much kinkier but less dense than other areas where I needed to make the parts larger as well. The sections that are kinky and dense have smaller parts but the locs are similar in size to the other sections due to just how thick my hair is there. This is the reason I decided to start my own locs because I felt that no one else would be sensitive to the varying textures on my head and make the needed changes to the part sizing. In addition to wanting my locs to look a certain way I don't want to have to deal with roots that are too thin to accommodate the locs throughout their thicker shrunken stage and the thinner condensed stage.

I still don't know if I did everything right but something I noticed from watching all of those Loc Journey videos is that almost EVERYBODY ends up tweaking their locs over time (most end up combining a few locs that are too thin - especially around the hairline). And depending on how long you want to keep your locs you might want to go with the 2nd consultant that says go bigger because it's rare to find someone with long locs complain that their locs are too thick - so many people end up combining locs because the longer heavier locs require more support from the roots.

 

[Katrice]

^^ this plus locking technique will also influence the ultimate dimensions/integrity of the lock....will both women use the same technique to start your locks?

 

[Harina]

Harina


I still don't know if I did everything right but something I noticed from watching all of those Loc Journey videos is that almost EVERYBODY ends up tweaking their locs over time (most end up combining a few locs that are too thin - especially around the hairline). And depending on how long you want to keep your locs you might want to go with the 2nd consultant that says go bigger because it's rare to find someone with long locs complain that their locs are too thick - so many people end up combining locs because the longer heavier locs require more support from the roots.

Wow thanks for that CocoGlow. Yeah it's a head trip. I really don't want have to start over again. I was leaning towards the second already because I've asked three random people who did their locs and it was always the second lady. I also like the actual shape of the section she did. That she doesn't do this rigid square/brick pattern. I think it will make it look more natural.

I have fine hair but a lot of it. I have experienced some breakage and thinning recently due to damage but i think once it fills back in my hair will be even denser.

What are some of the journey videos you've watched?

 

[Harina]

^^ this plus locking technique will also influence the ultimate dimensions/integrity of the lock....will both women use the same technique to start your locks?

They both said that two strand twists would be the way to start and I said I wanted to palmroll to maintain because I eventually probably somewhere down the road would like to cut a chunk off and comb them out.

 

[Arian]

Went to my new loctitian this morning at 7AM. Man, am I tired! But she was very knowledgeable and she did a thorough job shampooing my scalp. (Seriously, it felt AMAZING!)

I like her. Plus, she actually has locs, so that was a big difference from my last loctitian. I may have to make some adjustments to the appointment time (7am is a bit much). She used an aloe twisting gel to twist, and it felt wonderful. I doubt if it will flake too much. I was the only client and I felt like I was important. No waiting or listening to shop gossip. She also showed me some of my buds, and updated me on my progress(that was also missing from my last loctitian).

I am happy!

Under the dryer now, so will post some pics later.

 

[Foxglove]

Went to my new loctitian this morning at 7AM. Man, am I tired! But she was very knowledgeable and she did a thorough job shampooing my scalp. (Seriously, it felt AMAZING!)

I like her. Plus, she actually has locs, so that was a big difference from my last loctitian. I may have to make some adjustments to the appointment time (7am is a bit much). She used an aloe twisting gel to twist, and it felt wonderful. I doubt if it will flake too much. I was the only client and I felt like I was important. No waiting or listening to shop gossip. She also showed me some of my buds, and updated me on my progress(that was also missing from my last loctitian).

I am happy!

Under the dryer now, so will post some pics later.

I'm glad your new loctician is working for you. Sometimes switching can be for the best

 

[Arian]

So here is a picture of my re-twist from this morning

I just get a completely different vibe from this loctitian--almost like her energy is more positive. I literally felt better there.

I was SO uncomfortable at the other place, and I couldn't figure out why. I think it was affecting my hair's progress somehow.

It's funny how things work out. This young lady wasn't taking any more clients, but my friend that lives in DC (I'm in Bama and they are sorors) messaged her and pleaded my case. So she graciously agreed to take on just ONE more person...

ETA: I wish someone would tell me how to upload my pics upright.

 

[Guinan]

So here is a picture of my re-twist from this morning

I just get a completely different vibe from this loctitian--almost like her energy is more positive. I literally felt better there.

I was SO uncomfortable at the other place, and I couldn't figure out why. I think it was affecting my hair's progress somehow.

It's funny how things work out. This young lady wasn't taking any more clients, but my friend that lives in DC (I'm in Bama and they are sorors) messaged her and pleaded my case. So she graciously agreed to take on just ONE more person...

Ur locs look sooooo beautiful. I'm glad that u like this loctician.

 

[Arian]

Ur locs look sooooo beautiful. I'm glad that u like this loctician.

@pelohello, thanks so much! I feel that this was the best decision for my hair at this point. I enjoyed my loose hair and all its wonders, but it was time for something new. She told me that I had ONE loc in the back.

One loc down, 132 more to go.

 

[Platinum]

Arian I understand how you feel when it comes to the vibe you get from your loctician. I haven't been back into the salon since last May (the day that I got my Locs started). The young lady was nice and she used natural products but I started feeling negative energy from the other locticians in the shop.

I haven't been back since.

 

[melisandre]

ETA: I wish someone would tell me how to upload my pics upright.

You have to hold your phone sideways when you're taking the pic. You have to test it to see which side is right side up and which is upside down though.

*goes back to to lurking and admiring the lovely locs in this thread*

Sent from my SGH-M919 using LHCF

 

[CocoGlow]

Wow thanks for that CocoGlow. Yeah it's a head trip. I really don't want have to start over again. I was leaning towards the second already because I've asked three random people who did their locs and it was always the second lady. I also like the actual shape of the section she did. That she doesn't do this rigid square/brick pattern. I think it will make it look more natural.

I have fine hair but a lot of it. I have experienced some breakage and thinning recently due to damage but i think once it fills back in my hair will be even denser.

What are some of the journey videos you've watched?

Harina

Honestly I don't remember the exact vids (there were sooooo many ) ... you can just type in "Loc Journey" on Youtube and voila, tons of vids ETA: Try to filter for vids with the highest view count for the best ones.

Most of them don't talk about their parts or loc size but I was just observing from the pics how their starter locs looked then down through the fuzzy stage and then the mature stage.

Looks like the 2nd consultant will use diamond/diagonal parts on your head, which I think are just gorgeous! The locs fall nicely and it looks more natural to me as opposed to the brick pattern. I tried so hard to do my starter locs with the diamond/diagonal parts but unfortunately it was too difficult for me

Oh and for inspiration, it helps to know whether the person interlocs or twists for maintenance because the interlocs are always more compact (thinner) and uniform per section than locs that are twisted/palm-rolled ... for instance, from the inspirational pics you posted, the lovely lady with the thin curly red locs (3rd pic) interlocs her hair ... here is her Instagram: https://instagram.com/patience_edet/

ETA: Some vids to get you started...

BronzeGoddess01 (Lovely Lady in your 1st inspiration pic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y7LYQk8jKo

chescaleigh/chescalocs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MP5UGV0W-s

 

[Oasis]

BronzeGoddess01 (Lovely Lady in your 1st inspiration pic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y7LYQk8jKo

omg im drooling. her locs are gorgeous. i want to restart mine now.

 

[ChasingBliss]

Got my retwist on Saturday. I can actually make a ponytail now...and only 3 locs in the front fall out ....but it was so easy to tuck them under. It's been so long since I had nice neat hair.

 

[ChasingBliss]

@Arian I understand how you feel when it comes to the vibe you get from your loctician. I haven't been back into the salon since last May (the day that I got my Locs started). The young lady was nice and she used natural products but I started feeling negative energy from the other locticians in the shop.

I haven't been back since.

My loctician shop is the same. They gossip and talk about EVERYBODY including each other. They are a mess. My own loctitian has told me about another lady's personal story as soon as she walked out of the salon. I said to myself, why do these clients tell these women their business??? I wouldnt share a thing with any of them.

On my last visit, this gay client was recently dumped by his boyfriend who also goes there. Well the dude brought his new boyfriend there knowing he'd bump into the one he dumped and apparently the whole dern salon knew about his issues and it was a drama the whole time. Apparently he knew his ex would be there and wanted to rub it in. How cold is that. You dump him then want to rub your new boytoy in his face.

These ladies are good at what they do so I plan on going no where...at the same time, I wont see them as much because I am also loving the 5 month freeforming intervals.