My reasons for wanting to lock my hair

[carameldelight87]

I had locs for 2 years. I started from scratch with tiny gel twists. It took my hair a year to loc, I have 4a/3c natural hair. I combed my hair out because I really got sick of the maintenance.

I thought locs were the easiest to maintain. They aren't, unless you don't mind the "rough" look. I hate the rough look. I like neat locs so I was shellin out $65 every 2 weeks for retwisting, $80 if I got a style and it'd only last about a week before it was untwisting or just growing out.

Then I tried doing it myself, I'm not good at doing hair so it never came out quite like my loctician's. It was frustrating at times. Don't get me wrong, I got great compliments and I thought I looked pretty cute most of the time.

I tried the pipe cleaner curls. Those pipe cleaners leave furs in your hair, stay away from those. I'd suggest maybe using Loc Loops or something like that. Or regular perm rods. But for all the heat you think you're saving, you're gonna use even more heat in retwisting, especially if you're going to have someone else to do it.

If you're sure you wanna embark on this journey, go for it. But know that it TOO is a JOURNEY!! You will have that awkward stage where your hair's too short to do one thing but too long to do another.

People seem to choose locs as a solution to their problems with natural hair, but they forget that it's STILL hair. Lol. It has to be washed, conditioned, deep conditioned, twisted, moisturized etc. It's simply the styling and the detangling that you save a little time on. But what you save in time, you spend triple in actual money.

But whatever you do, I wanna see pictures!

 

[blackberry815]

I had locs for 6 years and I loved them...I always had new styles and they were always done and neat. I combed my locs out about 9 months ago because my airline started thinning due to the weight of my locs. And also probably due to the twisting. I tried not twisting for a while and it was still too much stress for my hairline I loved my locs but my forehead is already big so I couldn't deal with the hairline shifting back. Now that I'm without my locs my hairline is filling in... That's just my story. I think after a while they just get too heavy. My brother is dealing with the same thing. He's had his locs about 10 yrs.

Sent from my ADR6400L using ADR6400L

 

[Imani]

My aunt has sisterlocks and my mother has had about 3 sets of locs. We all have 4b hair. So it didn't take then any time at all for it to loc. No horror stories, no complicated regimens. Its fairly low maintenance for both of them.

My aunt with the sisterlocks has a family of 4 small kids, she tried relaxers, braids, etc, either it didn't work or she didn't like the time commitment. So now, she really likes the sisterlocks and they look good. Only thing, if you are a length fanatic, its taking hers forever and a day to show any type of length bc she has major shrinkage and also a large head. She pays someone to redo the roots every 6 wks.

My mother does her own hair, has not paid anyone to do her hair since the mid-eighties when she first went natural. She can do low cuts with clippers, twists, cornrows, puffs, etc. She started and maintained her own locs. She is one of those who will cut her hair on a whim just because or "getting rid of negative energy" lol. When she was loc'd she would wash her hair about twice a week with some peppermint castille soap. Always smelled and looked fresh.

 

[Harina]

My aunt has sisterlocks and my mother has had about 3 sets of locs. We all have 4b hair. So it didn't take then any time at all for it to loc. No horror stories, no complicated regimens. Its fairly low maintenance for both of them.

Yeah, my hair is straight up 4b so I think I should be fine with the whole locking thing. When you say it "didn't take them any time at all for it to loc", could you provide me with a rough estimate of how long it took to lock?

 

[Evolving78]

GO for it! i love locs! if the price of sisterlocks is a bit much for your pockets, try braidlocs, you can get the parts and the size just like you want and you can start latching once you have new growth. i was loc'ed for a year. i loved them so, but missed my loose hair. i didn't get a chance to play in it enough before committing to locs, but i will be back soon one of these days. with braidlocs, i was able to rinse my scalp and hair daily. i would spray a light leave-in and go on about my business.

you will love it!

oh the braidlocs were micro braids with my natural hair. no extensions. when to the braid shop and paid $100. she didn't have to blow dry my hair, i just gave her a spray bottle of water to keep my hair from drying and shrinking up while she braided.

 

[Imani]

Yeah, my hair is straight up 4b so I think I should be fine with the whole locking thing. When you say it "didn't take them any time at all for it to loc", could you provide me with a rough estimate of how long it took to lock?

I think about 3 months but I will ask them.

 

[Harina]

I'm combing my locs out right now. I locked because detangling was a nightmare and I just couldn't deal with it anymore. I've had my locs for 2.5 years, and it's taken about 3 months to get them out, probably because I maintained by latching instead of twisting.

I decided to take them out because I just missed my loose hair and wanted to play with it again. I did like then though. They are pretty low maintenance, and it's easy to make then look nice.

Is that your hair in your siggy after you combed out your locs? How long was your hair when you started? How long did it take your hair to lock?

 

[MysteryMermaid]

Me personally, I dont like feeling "locked" into anything and this is one thing you WILL be stuck w/ this ish until you cut it off.

If you intend on having the locks the rest of your-life unless you shave (overexaggerator I love it lol) your entire head off- go ahead and get locks.

BUT...if you dont want to feel chained down (and you will be, my dear!) just cont. to rebraid your hair and go swimming in braids (and on a daily basis!!!) Cause when you think about it, you gon have to retwist your dreads JUST AS OFTEN UNLESS YOU WANT A BRILLO SCALP hahahhahaha! Thou entire head of 4 hair shalt not be loosed in water!



I mean, but they're sexy on buff dudes...so if a buff dude asked I'd be like YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!! *breathing hard* GEEET THEM!!!!! YOU HAVE TO!

 

[Harina]

. By the time they started to drop below my shoulders, they were very thick & heavy, mainly because of the texture of my hair. .

Ipanema. This is an old thread, but are you not 4b?

 

[FoxxyLocs]

Is that your hair in your siggy after you combed out your locs? How long was your hair when you started? How long did it take your hair to lock?

Wow, I just saw this, lol. Yes my avi & siggy are post locs. I started with MBL hair and twists. Over the first 4 months it shrunk up to my chin, then grew back to BSL before I took them out. It took over a year to be fully locked.

Sent from my HTC Evo

 

[Ipanema]

Ipanema. This is an old thread, but are you not 4b?

Harina Yes, I'm 4b. My strands are thick & wiry. It made the locks very heavy.

 

[Ipanema]

Wow, I just saw this, lol. Yes my avi & siggy are post locs. I started with MBL hair and twists. Over the first 4 months it shrunk up to my chin, then grew back to BSL before I took them out. It took over a year to be fully locked.

Sent from my HTC Evo

I wish I could have combed my locks out. Now I'm in the process of growing my hair back when I could have had MBL hair by now. I'm never cutting my hair again!

 

[GoodMernin]

I like the look of locs but have been unsuccessful the 5 or so times that I have tried to loc my hair because I get bored with one style really quickly.

Now, I have just learned how to do the "loc" look to my hair by using small sections of my hair, braiding the root, then rope twisiting the rest of the length. Then when I am ready to wash it about 4 to 5 days later, my hair swells and I look like I have fluffy locs.

I love doing this because I can have the look of locs but still loose them if I want to and switch up styles.

Good luck on your hair locking journey!

 

[Saga]

I'm gonna be locing soon too! I was trying to figure out whether I wanted to pay $65 at a loctician to start them then $55 a month to maintain, or just buy some Locing Gel and do it myself. I've decided to do the latter.

I'm going to start them using finger coils, I've done this style many times and thought about letting it loc up. In the end I always took them down. After spending months researching locs and loc maintenance on and off, I'm finally ready to do it for the long haul.

I want to do the same thing u do, stay loced for at least 4 years and if I ever want to have loose hair again (don't know if I will, I may just love my locs so much that I'll never want to elt them go) then I'll take them down. I practiced taking down a loc with som water and conditioner on one of my mom's old locs and I managed to do it, so I personally know that it can be done! The larger your locs are, the easier it is.

I have watched countless videos, been all up and down Nappturality, and been reading and asking people about their locs. I'm excited to try something different but also I want my hair to be less high maintenance because right now all this washing in sections and air-drying and stretching is proving to be too much.

Can't wait to see what they look like mature. I want medium sized locs. Not too big, not too small. My decision was made after much thought and seeing the many beautiful pictures of so many loced beauties. I hope you put a lot of thought into and make sure you're 100% sure to make the commitment. It's the same thing for when we go natural, weigh your pros and cons. Once u know it's right for u, don't second guess yourself. Just do it!

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

My mom has been loc'd for about 6-7 years, Then are MBL now. Hers are a little smaller than pencil thickness, but not as tiny as sista locs. She loves them. She does trim them-especially the front, and she wears them up a lot if she can. Her hairline has not thinned yet. She started out with 1/2 inch little twists....She gets them "groomed" (re-twisted, washed, conditioned, styled) every other month professionally due to cost, but she has learned how to twist the new growth herself. She mostly does the front though because she has so much hair now. When she grooms it, it looks professionally done.

My baby sister has been locked for 1 year. She started out with BSL natural hair and when she locked it was like CBL. Now they are approaching her shoulders. Hers are a little bigger than my moms and she loves them! She has already dyed them jet black which just looks awesome with her skin tone. Like my mom, she gets hers done every other month professionally, but she has learned how to groom them herself and does a great job......They like waiting too because its a newer length after they get the new do....Anyways...Anything you do is a "journey", and if you don't like it, you can always cut them, comb them out and start over.