Locs, also called dreadlocks, dreads, or “dada” (by our Nigerian people) is a great way to carry your natural hair. When done right, they are beautiful, versatile, and unique. You will be able to rock your natural hair in so many different ways and also, nurture them to attain an impressive length. Locs are not your easy-way-out to treating your natural hair. If you don’t take care of your locs, they end up looking unhealthy, unattractive, and most importantly, like the dreaded local dada. You don’t want that.
Locs need as much TLC as your normal natural hair, maybe even more. Following a regular regimen for caring for your locs will leave you with healthy, beautiful, and enviable locs. Below are some tips to help you on your journey to locs that people want to copy!
Condition Your Locs and Keep your Locs Moisturized
Locking your hair doesn’t mean it no longer needs to be moisturized often. The last thing you need is locs that are dry and brittle, not a good sight to behold. It is possible that your locs may not need as much moisture as your loose natural hair, however, it still needs to be moisturized regularly to avoid breakage. The African Naturalistas Leave-In Conditioner is a great place to start. You can also use the African Naturalistas Daily Mist to leave your hair smelling nice and with all the goodness it needs. You don’t need to deep condition your locs regularly as you would your loose natural hair. Deep conditioning once a month should suffice. Also, as a new member on loc-Ville, you may want to wait until your hair begins to loc before you deep condition it. The African Naturalistas Deep Conditioning Mayonnaise is filled with all the goodness your hair needs and zero chemicals or harmful ingredients.
Don’t Retwist Your Locs Too Often
Retwisting your locs often causing a strain on your hair and scalp, leading to breakage. Also, try to keep your hands out of your hair. The same way touching your loose natural hair was frowned upon because it causes your hair to dry out and become brittle, that’s the same way you should keep your hands out of your locs. Twisting your locs repetitively can cause a strain on your hair follicles and scalp and cause your locs to fall out one at a time. Retwisting should be done after a number of months, it shouldn’t be too tight, and it shouldn’t hurt.
Wash Your Locs Regularly
You may have heard a myth that says you don’t need to wash your locs as often as you washed your loose hair. Well, that’s what it is, a myth. Locs are more prone to dirt and gathering build-up more than loose natural hair, so you need to wash them, maybe not as often as you did your loose natural hair, but about twice a month. Use a sulfate-free shampoo like the Africa Naturalistas Moisturizing Natural Shampoo that won’t leave your hair dry but cleans and moisturizes.
Keep Your Scalp Oiled
Our scalp doesn’t produce enough sebum to keep our scalp and hair moisturized, so we need to give it a little support by applying the right oils to the scalp. Use natural oils like coconut oil and olive oil to protect your locked hair from getting dry. You can also use tea tree oils because they have antifungal properties that help clean the hair. Moisturized and healthy scalp will give you stronger and longer locs that you will be proud of.
Patience Is Key
When you start out on your loc journey, it is normal to start seeing people with long, healthy locs everywhere. But you must remember that growing your locs takes time and you need to go through the process. Everyone’s loc journey is different just as your loose natural hair journey is different too. Enjoy your loc process.
With these tips, you can be sure that even if you are just starting your loc journey, you will have amazing locked hair that is healthy and growing beautifully. You can also book a session with Africa Naturalistas Atilola, a trichologist in Nigeria, to know all about your hair and scalp, and what you should do to begin your loc journey.
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