Why Microlocs?
I installed microlocs on my hair fourteen months ago and I am obsessed with my locs.
Johanna asked, “Why microlocs?” It was a simple question and I gave her a quick reply ; however, I think it is an important question. One which I have not fully answered. It may be impossible for me to fully answer, but I will explain as best I can.
The decision to loc my hair having been made, in March of 2022 I washed and hennaed my hair and then partitioned my hair into what I considered reasonable sized two strand twists. I had 96 locs. What turns a two strand twist into a loc? Intention and time.
I was deep into my research of all things loc’d and dreadlocked. One thing I heard a few times is it is hard to determine the mature size of your locs but a good determinant is the size of the grid or parts you use to establish your locks. It is reasonable to expect your fully mature locs to grow and expand to fill the size of the part at the base of the loc where the new growth emerges. That made sense to me. I began to consider the size of my parts realizing that my locs were compressed. To my eyes, my locs looked fine but they were not filling the part. To my eyes, there was a lot of scalp showing where the hair had been parted, that is, my grid. I was concerned that should my locs grow to fill the size of the parts they might be too thick for me to style. As a loose natural, the ability to style my hair in a myriad of ways was a benefit and a comfort to me despite me not having a lot of long natural hair. In other words, my (loose natural) hair was not long but I could style it in a lot of different ways. While I had chosen to loc my hair to give myself a chance to gain and retain length, I did want to give my future self as many styling options as possible.
At the time, my research uncovered video after video where microloc and Sisterlock content makers showed a multitude of loc styles. As a loose natural, being able to style my hair was very important. following my big chop my hair style options had been very limited. I did not want a repeat of that.
It would not be until after I had made the decision to take down my first set of two strand twists and re-install smaller locs that I would see a video by Naps Are The New Black where she and another loc content creator with traditional locs compared loc hairstyles that I began to see the flexibility of traditional locs. Flexibility in styling my locs seemed greater with microlocs.
Another reason I chose microlocs is my hair density. I have medium to high density hair. Microlocs allowed me to minimize the visibility of my scalp. To this end, my parting grid also helped hide my scalp. Across the back of my head my parts are offset. I do not have a straight center part down the back of my head. As a loose natural, I seldom parted my hair down the center. I preferred a side part. So, my parting grid has high and low side parts and a center part from the front hairline about 4 to 5 inches towards the crown. If I need to part my hair in the center, it will be a sloppy part. Not having a center part has been a blessing in disguise. Instead of a center part I have bangs! I have wanted bangs since I was a child. My mother did everything she could to give me bangs, too. My bangs always stood at attention and seldom lay down on my forehead. With microlocs my little girl dreams have come true. I have bangs that lie down across my forehead and they are luscious thick bangs, too. I wish my mother could see my bangs. Once again, I thank God for leading me to locking my hair.
In my next post, I want to talk about experiments I have tried with my locs. If I can share something I learned, it may help inform you on how a particular practice or routine might work for, or against, you.
Be well. Stay Loc’d!
Bettye
Microlocs and Me: Journey to Hair Freedom 