5 WAYS TO PROPERLY CARE FOR YOUR LOCS

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!

Hairstyle Lounge on African Naturalistas - My Journey to Permanent Locs (4)

Hello beautiful people, I hope you had a wonderful Easter break.

It's been a while since I visited the salon or did anything on my hair at all. Before last week, I had not been to the salon in six weeks. It was with so much joy that I went to the salon, as  my scalp was on fire.

We are still om the journey to permanent locs. For the first time since I embarked on this journey last December, I finally got to wash the hair two weeks ago, though the hair is not fully locked. The roots unravelled in the process of washing, but a large chunk of the hair is locked.

I got to O'Naturals, and met with the loctician in charge of my hair. I discovered good news and bad news.

Good news: My locs were forming pretty well

Bad news: I lost a loc on my right temple. Thank you Post Partum Shedding. I thought I was going to escape you *side eye*

For the second time around, I forgot my medicated shampoo at home, so I had to go straight to using regular shampoo and conditioner. When this was done, we proceeded to separate the roots as usual, and then a scalp treatment on my head. I didn't need to go under the dryer yet, which is very good for me, as I am not a fan of dryers. We washed again, and dried with a micro fibre towel. Once this was done, my hair was sprayed, and we proceeded to lock it loc by loc. This took a bit of time because my hair is quite full and the locs are quite lengthy

Learning my lesson from the last time I was at the salon, I wasn't in as much hurry as I was previously, so I could get my locs properly styled after they were done. I now know that I won't want to wear my locs out right after leaving the salon. I asked for a style that would cover the area where I lost a loc, and this is what we ended up with.

Once again, I am glad I started my locs properly, and well arranged. This always allows my lock to style properly.

Also, this style will yield three styles, just like the previous ones. The second will be the one where I unravel the side bangs, to reveal slighly curly loc strands, and then the regular locs, when I unravel them all.

What do you think about this hairstyle? Yay or nay???

P.S: Don't forget about the In-salon Trichology consultation we are having this weekend. Spaces are fast filling up. For more details, please click here.

Hairstyle Lounge was brought to you by O'Naturals Salon. No money exchanged hands in making this lounge a reality. To make your hair at O'Naturals, visit the salon at 54 Ogudu road, Ogudu-Ojota Lagos or book an appointment by calling 0818-802-4444 / 0815-802-4444.

Hairstyle Lounge on African Naturalistas - My Journey to Permanent Locs (2)

Hello everyone. I hope 2018 is being good to you all so far. Now that January is over, we can say that 2018 is officially ended cos once new year fever is over, February comes, life happens, and before you know it, it is December, lol.

So my journey to permanent locs is going pretty good. It is looking more like locs now, and less like comb curls, lol. I was supposed to relock my hair three weeks after the first locking session, but O'Naturals salon was on their annual break, so I had to make it four weeks. Thankfully, the locs were thriving, and didn't unravel, so I was good to go.

As agreed on the terms of my pre-booked appointment, I got to O'Naturals at a certain time, and we got to work. To my sad amazement, my hair wasn't washed. I was really looking forward to washing my hair because I hadn't moisturized, cleansed, or washed for the past 4 weeks, since the first locking session. This is because when you are newly locking your hair, moisture will unravel it, and not let your hair lock, so your hair must be completely and permanently locked before it can be washed.

So the O'Naturals loctician did a thorough oil cleansing on my scalp, using an oil mix and cotton wool. She then proceeded to handle her business lock by lock. This took a bit above one hour. We both observed that my locs were making good progress, so I asked her if I could style my hair in those beautiful locs style I see online, and she said I could. This was good for me, as it would get me away from the regular flowing down dreadlocks look, and having to pack my hair up every night. I also felt it would enable to let the locks stretch out more, since shrinkage had dealt with it in the process of locking. And that is exactly what we did. I must say that it was a win win win win win solution for all stakeholders involved, lol.

In the end, we ended up with a great style that I could convert into other styles as I wished. I had chosen a dreadlocks styled in side bangs. See the variations below.

Okay, I confess. The two pictures above were taken almost two weeks after I made the hair, hence the frizz. I kept forgetting to take pictures. Let me just console myself that you are reading this to see how the style turned out to be.

The three pictures below were taken almost three weeks after I made the hair, a night before I switched the style up.

And then, this was the second style I got out of it

I will have this new look for the next 4 to 5 days, and then I will let everything down to have a proper locs look.

So what do you guys think? Yay or nay? Which was your fave look of the two style? Let's know in the comment session.

Hairstyle Lounge was brought to you by O'Naturals Salon. No money exchanged hands in making this lounge a reality. To make your hair at O'Naturals, visit the salon at 54 Ogudu road, Ogudu-Ojota Lagos or book an appointment by calling 0818-802-4444 / 0815-802-4444.

Hairstyle Lounge on African Naturalistas - My Journey to Permanent Locs

Hello Ladies. I hope the year of 2018 is being good to us all so far.

Just like I said in the last edition of Hairstyle lounge, I am making some major changes when it comes to my hairstyling. Some of the readers of this blog will remember that I used to be on dreadlocks before I cut it all off to wear my natural hair out a little over seven years ago. Well, after over a year of consideration and toying with the idea, I decided to go back to dreadlocks, this time, with my long hair.

I told Omozo of O'Naturals about it last year, and forgot about it. Towards the end of the year, she reminded me, and even though I was still quite hesitant, I was like "let's do it. What's the worst that could happen?"

After I took down the frohawk of last edition, the O'Naturals locticial proceeded to detangle my hair using African Naturalistas Moisturising and Detangling conditioner. We then went on to wash with a medicated shampoo, to make sure my scalp was in good condition, and followed it up with a regular shampoo. We dried the hair, and proceeded to steam with African Naturalistas Deep Conditioning Mayonnaise.

After this, I had to say goodbye to my free long hair and get it locked up (in jail), lol.

Strand by strand, she did her work on my hair, and I was amazed at how short my long hair looked.

I never expected shrinkage to take its toll on locked hair. Even though she said it would stretch later, I know it will never be it's real length.

After some four hours, we were done. She trimmed off the tips of my hair, and I went under the dryer to use the heat to set the wax in place, and this was what my hair ended up looking like.

I know it looks more line fingercoils or combcoils now, and less like dreadlocks. The loctician said it would take about an average of three months for my hair to actually lock, and the hair will keep stretching in the mean time. I was asked not to let water touch it, and to just spray it with oil for shine.

Now, the deed has been done, we are only keeping our fingers crossed to see how this will pan out in the end. I hope to start rocking waist-length locks by the end of 2018.

Have you ever considered locking your hair. If you have done it, how did that go for you? If you haven't, what is stopping you?

Hairstyle Lounge was brought to you by O'Naturals Salon. No money exchanged hands in making this lounge a reality. To make your hair at O'Naturals, visit the salon at 54 Ogudu road, Ogudu-Ojota Lagos or book an appointment by calling 0818-802-4444 / 0815-802-4444.