Uncategorized – Microlocs and Me: Journey to Hair Freedom

Microlocs and Me: A Woman’s Journey to Hair Freedom

Welcome to the blog! My name is Bettye. I established my DIY microlocs on April 2, 2021. I am obsessed with my 209 locs. I believe more women would love their hair and eliminate a lot of unnecessary anguish if they tried locs. This is the whole premise behind this blog. The goal is to make locs more accepted and appreciated as a hairstyle. Let’s get to this month ‘s issues.

As a relatively new loc wearer, perhaps like you, I am tuned into the video tutorials and length updates on YouTube, Instagram and occasionally Tik Tok. I also read other blogs to help me understand what is happening in the world of locs and dreads. A lot of my content is reporting back to you the results of experiments I have made with my locs so you have an idea what to expect and what to try based on my success or failure. Yep. Failure does happen. Fortunately, microlocs are forgiving and many times you can undo a bad experiment. I talk about how to do this too.

UPDATE

Currently, I am tweaking my loc maintenance routine. In August 2025, I interlocked my locs and joined 3 locs together. After 3+ years of interlocking, you have to ask, how did you do that? I was watching a football game on tv and drinking beer. A lack of attention and ability to focus coupled with 3 months of only retwisting my locs put me in a place where it was easy to lock 3 locs together.

What did I do? You can go back and read the excruciating details in last month ‘s blog installment. In short, I stopped the retie. I let my hair grow a week and retraced the last interlock to separate the three locs. I then made 2 locs out of the three. Combining locs is a personal decision that I had vowed was over for me. Yet, the thickness of those two locs had me concerned. I have not decided how long I want my locs to grow. I just know I need a good strong base for my locs regardless of their length. Those two locs are in my 4B section and retwisting instead of interlocking had caused them to thin and flatten.

I’m very fond of my two strand twisted ends. I have long ago cut those ends off my bangs. I regretted it; but, I wanted bangs to be a part of my hairstyle. So, off with the ends! The locs around my face were layered in January 2025. Good bye two strand twisted ends there, as well. The locs in the back however, have grown evenly and not required trimming in three and a half years. My thought process: if it’s not broke, don’t fix it!

The opposite is also true: if it’s broke, try, try, try to fix it. After more than three years I had a whole section of locs that were thin at the roots. This section of locs is where my 4B hair is located. I had been twisting my locs once a month and maybe twice a month to maintain my locs for about 3 months. The 4C strands which form the majority of my hair worked fine with retwisting for loc maintenance. Treating the two types of hair differently for maintenance was only a fleeting thought. I decided to return to interlocking… which was how I interlocked 3 locs together.

NEW MAINTENANCE EXPERIMENT

I decided to take on wrapping new growth around the loc as a maintenance plan. I will also take chunky bits of new growth, divide that into two sections and braid the new growth with the loc. The goal is to allow the loc to fill the section of hair in which it is based. This should allow the loc to grow fuller and fatter. I’m counting on the fuller base to support a long loc – just in case I decide I want locs down to my waist. The cons of this approach are the base of the loc will look very fuzzy for an inch or so. I embrace volume. Now the experiment will give me an idea how long it takes for my hair strands to lock on their own. What an experiment!

It is now November and the holiday season is upon us. I have been living with the new maintenance plan and discovering new things. I feared that shampooing my locs would cause me to lose track of the parts which keep my locs separated and leave me with a head full of uncontrollable new growth. That has not happened. I continue to shampoo my hair once a week. To apply shampoo I continue to use a spray bottle to spray shampoo on my scalp and on the length of my locs. I lather my hair by massaging the scalp with the balls of my fingers. I rinse well. My second shampoo is with a moisturizing or hydrating shampoo which I focus on the length of my locs. I do occasionally add a conditioner especially in the fall and winter. I rinse out the conditioner very well. I squeeze my locs in the shower to remove as much water as possible before wrapping my hair in a microfiber towel. My low porosity locs dry in 2-3 hours.

I do not try to separate my entire head of locs as soon as I remove my towel. I do however separate every loc before my hair dries completely. To separate my locs, I separate individual strands of hair from errantly embedding into the wrong loc. I wrap the adventurous strand around the right loc and keep it moving.

The new growth is nice and thick . I have consequently interlocked my bangs since starting my “new maintenance” routine. Last week I had an evening event. I thought my bangs were standing too high and each loc was standing separate from the group. So, I interlocked the bangs. A few days later I interlocked the locs at my temples because the new growth was growing away from the locs. To do this, I wrapped the new growth around the nearest loc and interlocked them. I will continue to reassess the need to interlock new growth in these areas. The remaining locs, which constitute the majority of my locs, are thriving under the new maintenance routine. Most of the new growth grows into these locs. The 4B locs are also growing well. They are no longer thin and curling at the roots. For that I am thankful!

If you have locs, or if you’re thinking about starting locs, I hope you will take this to heart: you can change your locs by changing your maintenance routine, schedule or habits. This is probably true for all hair but I know it to be true for locs.

Have you noticed changing how you maintain your locs changes their appearance and even the way they feel? Locs really make you pay attention to your hair. What parts of your routine have you changed to make your locs respond and look the way you want?

STRAIGHT HAIR TRENDS

One thing I’m noticing is there seems to be a trend towards straight hair in the black hair community today. I’m not sure if it’s the absence of summer humidity or the many gatherings fostered by the holidays; but, straight hair whether pressed with a hot comb or permed is growing very trendy.

I am compelled to ask if anyone has noticed how straight hair styles are the basis for most loc styles? I am now very spoiled. My locs fall out of my sleeping bonnet in the morning looking a little wild but with a spritz of water and a little manipulation my straight hairstyle is ready for the day. When I wrap my locs around my head the way I once wrapped my permed hair around my head to get a wrapped bob, I get the same swingy look. This satisfies any need I have for straight hair.

WATER AND LOCS

If you know, you know. Water helps your locs expand and shrink up. In essence, water helps your hair lock up. Water also allows your hair to be flexible and pliable. When hydrated your locs are bouncy and squeezable, it’s truly amazing.

Last month I mentioned Dreadlock Kulture a blog hosted by loc wearer Nadia. One of the things she does that I love is she gives recipes for loc hair sprays using water and blends of essential oils. I thought I might try some of my own mixtures and share those I believe are really good. I find the essential oils are really very light; they have beneficial properties that can support hydrating your locs; they add a beautiful fragrance to your locs and do not leave build up on your locs. Tea tree oil especially is good for its antimicrobial properties and it will keep you from having lice in your locs. Lice are contagious bugs that will live in human hair. They are gross. I grew up thinking lice only lived in Caucasian hair because black hair was permed and chemically treated regularly. Since that is not my black hair reality, the concern about lice is very small. Shampooing regularly, in my case weekly, keeps pests away.

Nadia’s hair texture is different than mine. She has 1A hair strands.The amount of essential oils she uses in her recipes leaves a feeling of a light film on my locs. To fix this I reduce the amount of essential oils I use and I get the same benefits. If you try this or any recipe using essential oils, be experimental and observe. You may be able to add more or less depending on your hair.

FLORAL FANTASY – Loc Spray

Start with 10 ounces of distilled water. Add 5 drops of Ylang Ylang, Jasmine and Peppermint essential oils. Add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil. Mix in a spray bottle. Shake before spraying on locs. This mixture should last a week or two. Please let me know what you think.

Best wishes for your loc journey as we go into winter here in the Northern hemisphere. The plan is to publish an update on the new semi free form loc maintenance routine before the end of the year. Hope to see you then.

Microlocs and Me: A Woman’s Journey to Hair Freedom

Welcome to the blog. My name is Bettye and on April 2, 2025, I celebrated my 3 year Locaversary! It has been 3 years since I finished installing approximately 212 two strand twists with a goal of having my hair strands interlock together for strength, ease of maintenance and length retention. I knew it was possible. I had seen others make this decision again and again on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. Even closer to home, my daughter had Sisterlocs installed years ago. Her locs were “bra strap length” when I started my loc journey. In case you didn’t know, “bra strap length” is a term of measurement in the loc community. It is a reference to locs that end in the general area of the base of the shoulder blades where a woman’s bra sits.

My baby locs looked like two strand twists for a month to maybe 6 weeks. They shrunk up on my head and laid on my scalp. I had a few misconceptions that probably didn’t help. I thought my locs needed water and oil daily. The water was a good idea. The oil every day not so much. I was dealing with an itchy scalp.

I was not a two strand twist wearer as a natural hairstyle. Two strand twists for me were a means of stretching my curl pattern while my hair dried. I washed my natural hair once a month. I also applied henna every other wash day to keep the grey hair away. Being a loc’d lady meant I had to readjust my hair care regimen. It was a little scary at first. All my life I have had certain misconceptions about my hair. I thought my hair would only grow to a certain length and then the ends would split and trimmed and so I saw length retention only when I was pregnant. After each pregnancy, I would see the inches added trimmed off until my permed hair was just at my shoulders in the front and reached the nape of my neck in the back.

I did a big chop of all my permed hair in the summer of 2013. I had stopped perming my hair in December of 2012. Had to do it one more time for the holidays. I then waited for my huge natural hair afro to grow. I waited about 8 years and realized that my hair had indeed become my hobby. I had a shelf of products and a box of essential oils. Over the years I discovered oils that my hair loved and oils that did nothing for my hair at all. It was a time of experimentation. No bleaching. No blonde hair. I had lost a lot of blonde highlights back in college after going to a professional hair stylist. Once in a lifetime was enough for me.

I cannot say that I loved my natural hair. I thought that I loved it. I wore my hair out for special occasions. Usually my hair was pulled back into a little ponytail. Often I would braid the perimeter as a style. I tried some of the hair growth trends like chebe powder but it was messy, and I tired of the smell and maintenance before I saw any improvement or length retention only.

After 9 years of natural hair I was ready to try locking my hair. Unfortunately we were in a global pandemic and getting someone to start my locs was not possible. I tried. I think this was one of the biggest reasons I decided to DIY my locs. I couldn’t find anyone to install them. I approached several women with loc’d hair to find a loctitian. After a few months I decided I would try to do it myself.

In March of 2022, I installed 96 two strand twists. I decided on an offset brick pattern because I didn’t want to have rows and squares. I got to install my locs the way I wanted them to be. At the end of March I reassessed my install. My concerns were how big and heavy would each loc become over time; and how would I style my hair over time. I decided I needed more locs to have more styling options. I can say now that I would have had enough locs to style my hair had I stopped at 96 locs…but technically they would not be microlocs. Microlocs is a subcategory of locs where there are at least 200 locs on one head. Many microioc wearers have 400, 500 or even 600 locs. My daughter has over 700 Sisterlocs. Personally, the high loc counts were a little overwhelming. I had no illusions I would find a loctitian to maintain my locs when I couldn’t find one to start them. Making sure I could handle my retightening or retwisting was of paramount importance.

Let it be known that after taking days to get my original 96 locs installed in straight lines, I decided to go row by row to make each loc smaller. Some locs I divided diagonally and I regret that decision every time I have to separate those locs. Little squares are just easier to retwist.

MAINTENANCE AT 3 YEARS

So much has changed. I am more confident about taking care of my hair. I have options but every thing is easier now. I still watch loc videos for community. I communicate with my chosen influencers and they respond with valuable insights. I encourage you to develop a community to support your journey and to inspire you.

I wash my locs once a week. During the winter I spray my locs twice a day most days. My house is dry and there’s not much humidity inside or outside.

I continue to use Dr. Bronner’s castile soap. I started my journey with peppermint and now I’m using the rose scented one. I also use Cecred moisturizing shampoo and conditioner during the winter. Spring is just starting and I have to see if a conditioner is necessary. This is the first winter I used conditioner. It does encourage hair strands to leave their assigned loc while it softens the feel of my locs.

I typically wear my locs down. I wanted hair that would let me get up and go. I have that now and I truly love my hair.

Picture taken at Art of the Belly in Ocean City, Md 2 weeks before my 3rd Locaversary. Note the layers around the face and the length!

MicroLocs and Me: One Woman’s Journey to Hair Freedom

Living the Loc’d Life : Winter Edition 2025

We are halfway through winter here in the North Eastern United States. Punxatawney Phil was frightened by his shadow on February 2 and apparently predicted 6 more weeks of winter. I think it was an easy call.

The weather has been very cold and windy due in part to the polar vortex that seems to dip down from Canada more often than in years past. What I have done with my loc maintenance this winter has been really a game changer. Let’s call it my Canadian vortex loc response. Surprisingly, it has been a very easy routine to follow. My locs have grown and now sit thickly on my shoulders. I have gotten used to the warmth on my neck and the way my hair curls inside of my collars and turtleneck sweaters. Having my locs feel moisturized and soft against my neck has made the cold winds tolerable.

Winter Loc Maintenance Routine

I continue to wash my hair once a week. Depending on my daily schedule, wash day is either Friday, Saturday or Sunday. No stress there.

I usually apply Dr. Bronner’s diluted castile soap with a spray bottle in the shower. Usually, I will follow with a second lathering of hydrating shampoo by Cecred. During this winter I decided to combat dryness in my locs with conditioner after the shampoo. I have been using Cecred’s moisturizing conditioner.

I finish my shower then, rinse the conditioner thoroughly and squeeze the water from my hair. I do not wring the water from my hair. Twisting the locs together while wet causes loose wet hair to migrate into neighboring locs. Its much better to just grab sections of hair and squeeze the water out from root to loc tips.

I wrap my hair with a microfiber towel. While I dry off, the towel has time to absorb some excess water. At almost three years loc’d, it now takes two hours for my hair to fully dry. I don’t mind. While I am waiting, I will run my fingers through my locs to separate them. I take time to wrap loose strands of hair around the appropriate locs. I move my locs into the style of the day. My last wash day task is to apply oil. I don’t always apply oil immediately after shampooing my locs. Most weeks I wait until the next day and apply aoil after I have sprayed my locs.

There are a few oils I am currently using. I have my staple Black Jamaican Castor Oil, Cecred Hair Oil, a blend of oils I bought on vacation in St. Martin and a mixture of oils I concocted by blending Argan oil, rosemary and amla oil with a little teatree oil and peppermint essential oil. I do not use all of these oils together -simultaneously. I will apply a small amount of one or two oils in the palm of my hand and use my finger tips to apply in several areas around my temples and scalp. Most of this oil will go to the length of my locs to help keep moisture in. I will not apply oil again until after my next shampoo.

Using less oil allows my own sebum to do its job and I have had no dandruff since locking my hair. I had a lot of itching during my first 4 months wearing baby locs but I stopped applying oil for a month as an experiment and the itching stopped. Since this revelation, I use oils sparingly on my scalp and locs.

The biggest difference this winter is I am spraying my locs with water twice a day and using instant conditioner after I shampoo. This winter my locs have felt supple. They have also continued to grow. My first two winters as a loc wearer I noticed my hair growth slowed during the winter. I expected this. My loose natural hair would also stop growing during the winter… or so I thought. I am taking the same vitamins and supplements as the last two winters and yet this winter my locs have continued to grow. I can tell there is growth becuase I see the new growth at the roots but due to the shrinkage I don’t see longer locs until I retighten them. This year I will let my locs tell me when they need to be retightened.

Steam Your Locs

For Christmas my daughter gave me a steamer. I have used it four times since then; so, every two to three weeks. I used it first with only water on my locs. Next, I applied a leave in conditioner. Finally, I applied the conditioner in the shower and used the steamer with a goal of seeing what changes if any were apparent. The steamer softened my locs with just water. My locs felt supple for the rest of the day. I did not reapply water during the day. When I applied leave in conditioner I did not notice any difference from applying just distilled water. When I used the steamer after applying conditioner in the shower my locs were supple for two days. I did spray water on my locs the next morning but I could have gone without. My experiment with a steamer shows me that a steamer is a good tool to use on my locs at least during the winter. The steamer does help keep my locs supple and moisturized.

The Knotted Locs Experiment

If you recall, at the end of August 2024, I installed 10 (ten) knots at the base of what I felt to be thinner locs. I had not retied or interlocked my hair in more than 3 months in keeping with Melissa Blake’s Knotted Locs. During the first night I removed 7 of the knots. They were too close to my scalp and caused too much tension, In other words, I felt they were too tight. I left 3 knots in and they remain in place to this day.

My observations have been: tThe knotted locs experienced less slippage. I did not have to retie the knotted locs when all of the other locs were retightened. As time passed the new growth between the knot and the scalp had very few loose strands. In February, when I retightened my locs I was able to use my interlocking tool and interlock the three knotted locs. That was six months after the knots were installed. I can still feel where the knots are on each loc. Due to there being only 3 of them there is no real change in the way my locs look.

I am finally beginning to embrace interlocking as the loc maintence method I want to use on my hair. From around six months on this journey I have been afraid that interlocking is stressful on the roots and scalp. I now think that infrequent reties without trying to catch every millimeter of new growth are a healthy way to maintain my locs. Also, retying or palm rolling locs is fine for me for maintenance between retightenings, because I wash my hair once a week, retwisting my locs doesn’t last very long. Sometimes I am happy with just separating my locs after a shampoo.

Wearing Bangs or A Fringe

I have followed the loc trimming instructions Pauline Walker, En Toi Beauty gave earlier in December 2024 on her YouTube channel to trim your locs. I don’t know if I can describe the technique here as well as she demonstrates. Basically, you determine where you want your locs to stop and where you want the bangs to start. Comb the locs forward that will make up your bangs. Going from the top of your head to the bottom of your bangs pick up one row of locs. Cut the lowest one so it ends where you want your bangs to stop. The loc immediately on top of this one is cut next. It is cut slightly shorter than the lowest loc. Make sure each cut is made at an angle, not straight across. Continue to cut each loc in this row making sure the top one is a little shorter than the one before. Then go to the next row and cut those locs the same. When you have finished cutting you need to go back to each loc, spray water and palm roll the loc to close the end and keep hairs from escaping and making a ball at the end of each loc. This advice was given to me by Lillian Okibe.

After I used this technique to trim my bangs, I parted sections down the side of my face and trimmed those locs as well.

If you have not signed up for the Lilian Okibe Locks course, I highly recommend it. The cost is $59.99 US Dollars. Currently, you will have one year’s access to the course at that price. As a bonus, Lilian Okibe adds modules to her course and you will have access to the new information as it rolls out. I was recently made aware there is a loc cutting tutorial in the course. After reviewing that section, I picked up my shears and cut my bangs a second time. Please note that my bangs had been trimmed 6 to 8 weeks previously and I had no need to cut the locs framing my face. Lilian Okibe’s cutting instructions are similar to Pauline Walker’s. Since they are both trained hair stylists that should be no surprise. Ms. Okibe’s focus however is to keep your locs looking fuller after your cut. Ms. Walker’s focus is to cut the locs in a style. Both work!

Really excited to be approaching three years on this microloc journey!

Any thoughts or concerns about trimming your locs? What is the worst thing that might happen? Please note that I am only asking about trimming not cutting off locs. In fact, I hope you

Stay loc’d!

Bettye

Microlocs and Me: Year 2

Friends it has been a while since I last posted a blog. I had been lulled into a false sense that locs were becoming mainstream and my very small effort to mormalize them was not necessary. this week I saw a television clip where two Caucasian looking women were throwing shade, that is, talking in a very derogatory manner about the actress Zendaya because she had chosen to wear faux locs for a talk show appearance. The catty statement that got my blood boiling was pronouncement that Zendaya looked like she smelled of weed! When I looked at the photograph Zendaya was nicely dressed and smiling. Her faux locs were long and she looked lovely – much nicer in fact than the two who were tearing her down on national television.

I realized the fire and ire I felt then as an impetus for me to return to the blog – o – sphere…not because I have developed a large following of readers but on the off chance these epistles will eventually find the ones interested in knowing more.

The other reason I have not written is I have not been able to upload any pictures and I had a sense that photographs would be appreciated by any readers I might have. I will try to attach pictures to this blog; however, the need to make my voice heard now out weighs my desire to share pictures of my progress.

You may well ask what kind of progress have you made? Well, I am so glad you asked!

Today, June 2, 2024, I am celebrating 2 years and 2 months of being loc’d! Am I surprised? Yes and no. I am not surprised I am still loc’d. I truly believe this is the way my hair was intended to be maintained. My hair is thriving and I have never looked better. I look back on photos of my hair before I established my locs and my hair does not look finished, not even when it’s a picture with newly styled hair. Some of that may be due to me having been the sole caretaker and stylist of my (loose natural) hair for 10 years before I established my locs. I was not trained in a beauty or cosmetology school to take care of my hair. I got tired of spending all day in a beauty salon every 4 – 6 weeks getting my hair permed, colored and having the ends trimmed off. I also got fed up with all of the ways I was not helping my hair grow especially when I followed my hairstylist’s suggestions between visits. It was frustrating, my hair never retained length even after having 3 children and lengthy continued used of prenatal vitamins. My hair was always growing unevenly when I got to the hairstylist chair and cut into a style.

That nightmare is over for me and I will never go back to permed hair.

Recently, I heard a comment on how people of color are the only people who call the hair that grows out of their head “natural hair’. That got the cogs a whirling. No other group calls their hair, as it grows from their scalp, natural. The assumption is that all hair is natural. Their hair must be altered to to earn a descriptive like “dyed” or “permed” or “blow dried”. However, as a people, we (people of color) specify whether or not our hair has been chemically altered in our description of our hair because altered hair is the usual treatment of our hair.

Now, my hair has been in locs for more than two years. I am ecstatic to say that the length retention I desired has happened! My locs sit on my shoulders and fall below my cervical vertebrae. My locs look thick and healthy because they are well cared for by my own two hands. I have gotten used to wearing my locs loose. At first I had no choice. My locs were too short to pull up into a bun or pony tail. Then, they shrunk and looked like a cap of locs. Today, I have the full bangs I wanted as a child. I have decided for the time being to trim my locs monthly. I am shooting for the first day of the month so I can have neat looking bangs when I take a photo to show my new growth for the month. I did try to let my bangs grow with a high side part in the front. That look lasted about one day. When I last interlocked my locs in January, I did it so that the locs would radiate from a point 3 inches in front of my crown. This is the pattern I have always used. Since that is the way they were trained to grow and they do not wish to depart from it. Keep this in mind if you are thinking about starting locs.

After the first year or so I could pull my locs up into a beehive but my locs do not like to be pulled. The tension was so uncomfortable I only wore my locs in a style for about 4 hours if I was going to an event. Usually, whether at an event or just in my every day life, I wore my locs loose. This actually made my soul sing. One of my goals when deciding to establish my locs was to be able to wear my locs loose and down. I had always worn a lot of protective styles as a loose natural or pulled my hair back into a pony tail at the base of my neck. Since I was at the gym at least 3 times a week (before the Covid pandemic) a pulled back ponytail was my go to hairstyle. I dressed this up with headbands. You are probably wondering, “What happened to her edges with all of that pulling back?: My edges suffered. My hair never responded well to gel and so slicked “baby hair” was never a hairstyle accessory for me. Today, locs from my edges fall to below my chin. I am cautious with new growth along the edges around my face. I gently handle the new growth to coax it into the existing locs. Wearing bangs helps keep my edges free from extra tension, too.

I have made a few changes in my maintenance routine. I am still washing my locs weekly with Dr. Bronners soap. I continue to dilute this in a spray bottle on a 1:1 ratio with water. The local health food market closed a few months ago. During the going out of business sale I picked up a bottle of Jasön shampoo with biotin. I have used it twice and that is enough for me. I found this shampoo left my locs feeling almost squeaky clean. Since I do not use conditioner on my locs, not even diluted with water, I wasn’t sure the squeaky clean feeling was good. By the second time I used this shampoo I knew for sure it was not agreeing with my locs.

I use my microfiber towel to towel dry my locs. I am not aggressive with this. My hair has low porosity so it doesn’t absorb a lot of water during the wash. After squeezing the water from my locs with my hands, I wrap my head with the microfiber towel and since I always wash my hair in the shower now – something I seldom did before – I dry off my body and apply shea butter to my skin. I occasionally apply a small amount of shea butter to my locs by rubbing the shea butter in my dry palms and applying to the locs. Before applying the shea butter to my locs I will apply a small amount of oil to my scalp and massage it in. The amount of oil I use has dropped drastically. I attribute this routine to keeping my scalp clean and free from the itching I experienced during the first 3 months of my loc journey. The oils I use continue to be Jamaiccan black castor oil, argan oil, and Mielle’s rosemary oil. Recently, I purchased a bottle of Beyonce’s Cecred’s oil. The Cecred oil is a blend and it works well with my loc maintenance given I have used it only twice at the time of this writing.

In my daily spray bottle I use distilled water mixed with sweet orange oil and/ or peppermint oil. I find the sweet orange essential oil gives me a little mood boost. The peppermint oil used to help with the itching and I often get compliments on the smell of peppermint in my hair; so, I will keep using it until I have emptied this bottle at least.

If Life gets in the way and I cannot wash my hair on Friday or Saturday I will stand under the shower head and wet my locs. This gets me through until the next week. Occasionally during the week I might stand in the shower with no shower cap to let my locs absorb some moisture. When these things do not happen I will usually spray my locs with a mister I purchased from Amazon.

The biggest maintenance change for me has been not retightening my locs for four and a half months. Some of the locs around my crown do feel like they are locking. Others feel like they are just an inch and a quarter of new growth. However, this time I am not seeing strands of hair in the shower or on my fingers when I wash my locs. I am following Lillian Okibe’s method of loc maintenance and I would like to commit to doing this for the remainder of 2024. I would like to, but; this is an experiment that I have to undergo very carefully. We have a pool now and the water will be swimmable on June 8. I plan to swim every day that I can this summer. I’m not a great swimmer but I like to try. Swimming with locs was a real treat at 3 months in. My daughter had advised me to interlock my hair so I could swim. We were on vacation in Mexico and we jumped in the pool just about every day we were there. Last year we contracted to have a pool built. Almost one year later our pool is inviting but not yet swimmable. If my locs react badly to the new swimming regimen, I may have to interlock again.

So, why am I not interlocking? Thinning locs and traction alopecia are not issues I ever want to have. As I look at the never ending parade of loc videos on YouTube I am noticing that sisterlock wearers are often complaining about thinning locs after around 5 years. I’m only two years into the game but I am looking ahead. I see me wearing locs from this time forward until the end of my time here. By not interlocking I am avoiding a lot of tension and pulling on my locs. I do not palm roll. I think that type of maintenance will also cause thinning locs and traction alopecia if it is done too aggressively for a long period of time.

This maintenance may not work for everyone. i am one of those who will run her fingers through her locs every day. I am feeling for strands of hair that are trying to marry into other locs. I gently pull those strands out and wrap them around the appropriate loc. In effect, I do a daily rewrap of any loose hairs.

I have actually done some reading on this. If you Google the question: “Do locs cause traction alopecia?” The short answer is “yes, if…”. Traction alopecia is caused by the pulling of hair strands repeatedly for a long period of time. Every 4 to 6 weeks (for a retwist or retightening) is repetitive and 4 to 6 weeks of pulling and rolling over a period of years may just cause your hair to fall out. I did not embark upon this journey to have my hair or my locs fall out. Both can happen if your locs are over manipulated repeatedly. When I see videos where a lot of scalp is shown between the locs, I am interested to know if the wearer has low density locs or if the grid has been too aggressively maintained.

Anyway, in an effort to keep my locs from becoming islands on my scalp, I am going to see if I can maintain my locs without interlocking. I have not thrown away my interlocking tool set yet. I am observing how my locs respond. One thing I have noticed is that after I wash my locs it is easier to put them into a style. The new growth is easier to manipulate.

We will be traveling out of the country this summer for two weeks. I will take my interlocking set with me just in case I feel the need to retighten my locs while we are gone. I will also bring my microfiber towel, satin bonnet and mister or spray bottle. These are things I will not be able to find in most other countries. When we went to Florida in February, I forgot to bring my bonnet. I could not find one in Hollywood Beach, Florida. I worried the entire time we were there that I would bring home a head of lint. Fortunately, I did not.

Locs and Lint

Lint has not been an issue for me, so far. First, I believe that is because my locs have been short. My first winter loc’d I had little to worry about from wool scarves or sweaters transferring lint to my locs. This winter with longer locs it may be a little different keeping lint out of my locs. I knit (and sew) a lot of my clothes and accessories. This winter I may have to wear silk scarves to cover my wool collars and to line my wool caps and hats.

Locs are pretty insulating. I don’t typically wear a hat when it’s raining because my locs love the moisture. I will wear a sun hat with a big brim as long as I can plop it on my locs and have the hat stay in place. My collection of headbands that I referenced earlier from my loose natural days, gets very little wear on this loc journey. I can wear many of them. They don’t hurt my head but often I feel they are superfluous rather than adding to a particular look. Perhaps my tastes have changed.

Lint also is not an issue because I do sleep in a satin bonnet. Washing my locs once a week also keeps the lint away, I think.

Loc Jewelry

One new addition I have enjoyed is loc jewelry. I started with little colored metal cuffs ordered from Amazon. These can be slid up the length of your loc or opened and wrapped around the loc. These are very user friendly and great to wear on special occasions.

I have now branched out and purchased loc jewelry from Etsy sellers who make metal and semi precious stone circles for locs. To buy these it is necessary to have an idea of the diameter of your locs before shopping for loc jewelry. The thicker your locs, the more choices you will have. My locs are a chunky 5mm in diameter which is often the smallest size you can get for semi-precious stone jewelry. To put the loc jewelry on, I crafted a tool out of a metal twisty tie from the end of a package. I bend one metal end up (about a quarter of the length of the twist tie) and place the end of my loc inside this “U” shape. I squeeze the loc and the twist ite through the loc jewelry and pull the jewelry up onto the loc. I like to place a little metal cuff under the semi precious stone loc circles to act as a warning. If the metal cuff comes off, I know the stone circle will be coming off soon and it’s time to do something about it.

I am able to wash my locs effectively without removing the loc jewelry; however, I take the jewelry out and replace it with different colors to match my outfit or mood. The stones I have purchased have different attributes or characteristics attached to them. As my locs grow longer, I hope to try more of the longer loc jewelry pieces.

Finally, I mentioned that I am trimming my bangs once a month to keep them relatively neat. If my locs grow to armpit length, I believe that is when I will start trimming my locs. I want to keep thinning at the roots and along the loc nonexistent. The literature suggests that the weight of locs as they grow may also cause thinning. Clearly this is not a problem for the loc wearers with locs to their butts or ankles. However, I know how long my hair grew before it was loc’d and I know hair down to my butt is going to have some weight.

If you have read this far, thank you for your time! Would you share in the comments whether or not you are loc’d. If you are, do you have microlocs, traditional locks or Sisterlocks and why you chose the size of loc you chose. If you style your locs, how do you style them? Do you have any concerns over thinning locks? Would you trim your locs ? Let me know if you are interested in the Etsy shops where I buy my loc jewelry.

I inserted this last photo because I am happy to have reached two years and two months on this journey. I hope you love your locs as much as I love mine! Best wishes until next time. Bettye

Microlocs and Me: A Woman’s Journey to Hair Freedom

Chapter 2 January 20, 2024

Gentle Reader, this blog post is being published late because I have not been able to attach pictures. i have decided the information is relevant even without the visuals. Today’s date is May 7, 2024.

Expriments in Microloc Maintenance

Welcome to the blog. I’m Bettye. I have 212 microlocs which I established over 21 months ago. My second anniversary of being loc’d is coming up in a few months. I am surprised at the growth and length retention of my locs over such a relatively short period of time. I continue to be obsessed with my locs.

Time passes. While it’s passing, we live and we learn. Several maintenance practices have changed from the ways I maintained my locs when this journey first began.

Washing locs is the biggest task in maintaining locs in my opinion. You want to keep your locs clean and not let dust or lint settle inside the strands. Starter loc wearers are told not to wash your hair for the first 4 weeks, or 6 weeks of having your locs established. I washed my locs at 3 weeks. I had to. My scalp was itching so much I had to try something.

On starting my loc journey, I had been ready to wait 4 weeks to wash my locs. As a loose natural, I regularly washed my hair every 4 weeks or so. In my mind, the advice not to wash my locs was solid. I didn’t even give that advice a second thought. It was 3 weeks after my microlocs were established, that the reality of my itching scalp, made washing my locs and scalp imperative.

Apparently, not everyone experiences itching. On my journey however, my scalp began itching about the third day after I had finished the final two strand twist. At first, I searched YouTube. I had not heard about the itching issue or maybe I had glossed over it in my loc research. The prevailing wisdom was to apply oil. So, I applied oils directly to my scalp. The oils I used (and continue to use) included Jamaican black castor oil, argan oil, grapeseed oil as well as peppermint, tea tree, lavender, sweet orange and eucalyptus essential oils to calm the itching. In retrospect, I now think I was applying too much oil to my scalp and the oils may have clogged pores in the scalp and caused additional itching. Why? Read on.

During the sixth month of my loc journey, I decided to experiment with NOT using oils on my locs and scalp to see how my locs would respond. After three weeks of not applying any oil to my scalp, I noticed an oily substance on my scalp. It was sebum! My body was producing sebum and oiling my scalp. I was surprised to say the least. As a loose natural I had never experienced my own sebum. Nor had I experienced my own sebum in all my many years as a permed hair girl.

Discovering my own sebum was an eye opener. I began massaging my scalp to distribute the sebum every day. I know. The generally touted rule is “keep your hands out of your locs”. This has been impossible for me. Let me explain. Massaging my scalp is one of the maintenance steps I do every day. To massage, I apply a very little bit of pressure through the balls of my finger tips while moving my finger tips in small circles against my scalp. I like to massage my scalp while watching Netflix or YouTube in the evening or when I am driving. This massaging may have encouraged hair growth. It certainly has not led to thinning of my locs, yet. Honestly, I hope I am not setting myself up for problems down the road but I love the feel of my locs.

Eventually, after almost 2 months of not applying any oils, I decided that a small amount of oil would not be so bad. Besides I had these bottles of oil sitting in my hair care drawer. I don’t like to waste products or money. I had given away all of my conditioners and setting gels when I loc’d my hair. I didn’t want to give away the oils I had bought for my locs. So, I poured JBCO into the well of the palm of my hand and rubbed my hands together and distributed the oil through my locs. Just this small amount of oil made a difference. There was more shine in my locs. It occurred to me that oils used sparingly could enhance the appearance of my locs.

Today, I usually apply oil after washing my locs. I pour a small amount into my palm, rub my palms together and distribute the oil around my the hairline with the ball of my fingers. I then run my hands through my locs to distribute a small amount on my locs. I have been using the same oils mentioned above in combination with a few fragrant essential oils, specifically a Black Oud and Rose mix to maintain the healthy appearance of my locs. I do not apply oil to my locs on a daily basis. I do not apply oil to my scalp other than to run my oiled palms through my roots. Also, I wash my locs every one to two weeks. Itching is no longer an issue for me.

Keeping Locs Separate or You’re Too Young to Marry

One piece of advice I wish I had followed was to braid and band my locs before washing them. Let’s be clear. My starter locs were too short to braid. I think that is not unusual. At first, I could only band them so, I banded my locs in about 12 groups when I washed them. “Banding” simply means placing a rubber band around a group of locs to hold them together while you are washing them. Banding helps keep hair from coming out of your locs while the locs are being manipulated, washed and rinsed.

I admit it. I have “hand in hair syndrome”, I do so love the way my locs feel. It will come as no surprise to learn that I run my fingers through my locs every day…. ostensibly to search out and separate any wayward strands. It’s a Win/ Win. I use my roaming fingers to keep me informed of any locs trying to marry – that is, two locs trying to become one.

About 3 months into my loc journey I stopped banding my hair. I thought the water would make my locs mature quicker. I don’t think it did. You see, I wash my locs in the shower. The shower spray pulled hair strands out of quite a few locs though. Sadly it took about 3 weeks before I realized what was happening. Fortunately, this gave me an opportunity to discover a maintenance technique I call “the Bettye”. I use a stainless steel yarn needle to thread loose hairs back through the loc where they should be.

I like to wet my hair in the shower; but, I do like to have my locs contained to keep down the incidence of locs “marrying”. Now that I am almost two years loc’d, I still band my locs when washing them. I have fewer hair strands leaving their locs and eloping with a neighbor. Banding really does help keep the locs intact while you shampoo them. My current practice is to separate my locs into 7 or 8 sections with a ponytail elastic, before washing my hair. I use the brand that advertises no hair breakage. This helps keep the hair inside of my locs. This also reduces frizz, but frizz is not an issue with me. To the contrary, I learned early on to embrace the volume frizz gives your locs.

I continue to shampoo my locs with Dr. Bronners soap. I dilute it one to one with tap water. I wet my hair fully under the running water and then apply the shampoo onto my locs with a spray bottle. I rinse and then lather a second time. I, again, rinse well. I squeeze out excess water from each of my banded groups of locs. I then use the same microfiber towel I bought at the beginning of my loc journey from Amazon to squeeze the water out of my locs.

More Changes in the Maintenance Routine

In my spray bottle which I still use most days, I keep distilled water. It is winter here and humidity inside is about 30% so, it’s dry. Occasionally, I will spray rose water and glycerin after first spraying my locs with disttilled water. I do not use rose water two days in a row because i feel a slight build up on my locs. Even though I will wash this build up out within a week, I don’t like to think of it attracting whatever might be in the air into my locs. Often, however, I will add some essential oils to the water. I like the way it makes my locs smell.

I always sleep with a satin bonnet or a silk scarf covering my locs. Last winter I was careful to wrap a silk scarf around my locs before putting on a light colored hats. This winter my locs are longer. I am not wearing light colored hats. I am wearing light colored sweaters though. At the end of the day, I shake my locs over the sink to see what, if anything, shakes out. I have tried brushing my locs but I don’t feel comfortable with this. For me, at this point in my loc journey, shampooing once a week and sleeping with a bonnet seems to be keeping the lint out of my locs. Next time I will talk more about wearing a sleep bonnet.

I have experimented with not intertlocking and let’s face it, I need control. Even the illusion of control can be calming. I have gone as long as four months without interlocking, trying to retwist instead. I have come to terms with my hair and my need for control. I interlock about every 8 weeks. I use a two point rotation usually. It depends on how much new growth I have and the number of passes I can make with the interlock needle. No matter how I loose I leave my retied locs they always seem to tighten up after I finish and remain tight for about a week after. The last two times I retied my locs I retightened on dry hair. The premise being wet hair stretches so your locs feel tight after you interlock because when they dry, the locs shrink up some. On dry hair there’s no shrinkage. This may be true, however, there is still a feeling of tightness art the base of the loc. This tightness fades in about a week.

Finally, I have to trimmed my bangs three times. At first, I felt some kind of way about losing the little curls at the ends of the locs across my forehead, but those little curls were blocking my vision. They also gave me a somewhat shaggy appearance which was new because my locs have been short. Trimming my bangs is a small but important maintenance task that I hesitate to give to anyone else. I don’t mind being mad at myself for cutting bangs too short. i don’t want to be mad at someone else because i let the cut my bangs too short.

As I get closer to my two years locaversary, I now find myself able to pull off more loc hairstyles. I have been content wearing basically one loc style for almost two years. I have used loc jewelry to create different looks. If you have started your loc journey, when did you start styling your locs? What types of styles were you able to achieve? Have you worn any loc jewelry? If so, what was your experience with styling your locs and with wearing loc jewelry? I will talk more about loc styling and loc jewelry in the next chapter.

Be well. See you next time.

Bettye

21 months loc’d

Experiments with Microlocs Maintenance

What experiments have you tried on your locs? How did it go?

Hi! My name is Bettye. I have had DIY microlocs for fifteen months and I am obsessed with my hair. If you have locs (also known as dreadlocks or dreads) or if you are thinking about installing microlocs, you have come to the right place. Today, I am talking about experimenting with microlocs.

When you have DIY microlocs, pretty much everything you do with your locs is an experiment. Let me tell you what I mean. I started my loc journey by installing two strand twists throughout my head. I wore them for a month to get an idea what locs would look like on me. As a loose natural, I was not a two strand twists wearer. I used two strand twists on wash day as a way to keep de tangled hair separated from still tangled hair. The two strand twists allowed my hair to dry and stretched what I thought was 4C and 4B curls into a longer, more manageable curl pattern. Two strand twists was my favorite way to dry my hair.

The concept of wearing two strand twists as a hairstyle for public consumption was fine for other people. I wore them as bangs occasionally as a loose natural. But, this was not a go-to hair style, rather a last ditch “I can’t do anything with my hair” style. So, I experimented with wearing two strand twists for a month. My hair was not long. The ends of my twists touched my neck at about the 3rd or 4th cervical vertebrae. I tried a few loc hairstyles and thought maybe I don’t have to loc my hair, maybe just wear it twisted. There were actually a lot of fallacies to this line of reasoning. Fortunately, I didn’t figure that out until after I installed my microlocs.

So, why didn’t I just twist, untwist, wash and retwist my hair? It took me all day to accomplish. Locs held out a promise to make hair maintenance easier and much less time consuming. I did not count the number of twists during this first experiment. Instead I installed 96 two strand twists and decided to let them lock into that shape.

This begins the second big experiment with my locs. How does one know the right number of locs has been installed. Some will tell you it is based on the density of your hair and some will say the length of your hair or the texture. The truth is all of these are important but it is the way you feel about your locs that is the most important determinant on what is the right loc count. It is a highly individualized decision.

After 3 weeks I decided my future self needed more versatility – that is, more locs – besides I could always combine them if needed. Row by row I deconstructed 96 locs. Some of these locs I divided diagonally. I don’t recommend doing this. The smaller, pointy ends have no respect for the grid. They often don’t choose to recognize the artificial divisions I superimposed.

I thought 200 would be a manageable number of locs for me to maintain in my own. I ended up with 212 locs. I was very happy when I saw the fullness doubling my loc count gave the shape of my hair. Even though I have combined 4 locs into 2 and reduced my loc count to 210, this experiment at the beginning of my loc journey has made the biggest impact. My scalp does not show even after retwisting or maintenance interlocking. This is my preference.

In the beginning, I was excited to see how my locs would grow and develop. I am still excited. I sprayed my new locs with water daily. Sometimes several times a day. I applied oils to my scalp, sometimes several different oils 2 or 3 times a week. Within the first week I began to experience itching not flaking just itching. I now believe I applied too much oil to my scalp. I reached this conclusion after another experiment. At 7 months loc’d I decided to stop using oils on my locs. One Youtube favorite, Lauren from Holistic Flow, touted that she was not going to use oils on her locs any more. I decided to see how my locs might respond. The next time I washed my hair I did not apply any oils. No Jamaican Black Castor oil, no peppermint essential oil… no oils at all. I didn’t change any other aspect of my loc maintenance. At the time, I washed my locs every other weekend. I sprayed my locs daily with water or water and rose water or water and (strained) aloe vera juice or a combination of the 3. Adding rose water and aloe vera juice were both experiments based on comments and Youtube videos. I found rose water by itself left a build up and needs to be diluted.

After following the “no oils” experiment for 3 weeks, I noticed oil on my scalp and realized my scalp was producing sebum. This is the first time I had ever noticed this phenomenon.

I noticed the sebum while I was massaging my scalp. Scalp massage is a daily practice. I press the pads of my fingertips on my scalp while making small circles. I lift my fingers and repeat in another area of scalp. Youtuber Sammy Da Gawd recommends daily scalp massage and it’s a beloved part of my loc maintenance regimen. I have returned to adding oils on my scalp and rubbing a little oil in my palms to distribute along the length of my locs. Why? I still love the way my locs respond to Jamaican Black Castor oil and because I have oils I purchased for use in my locs. I’m not throwing those out or giving them away like I did with my other hair care products. I just use them very sparingly. I mix peppermint oil with argan oil or apricot oil and apply to my scalp maybe every other week. I will apply a little JBCO about once a week. A small amount of oil rubbed into my palms and applied while massaging my scalp is enough.

My last big experiment is semi free forming. This means different things to different people. Basically, it means not retwisting or retightening your locs for months. I have been extending the period of time between retightening since watching Yanni, the Locologist on Youtube at about 6 months into my loc journey.

In the beginning I interlocked my hair every time I noticed two fingers of new growth. Two fingers held together and placed on the scalp next to a loc. If the new growth was as long as the two fingers held together, I interlocked. This was about every 6 or 7 weeks. I was amazed at how quickly my hair grew during my first summer. I’m noticing that my hair grows faster in the summer and growth slows during the fall and winter.

In February, I retightened my hair with interlocking. I decided to see how long it would take my hair to lock with minimal manipulation. When I wet my hair in the shower I would re wrap loose hairs around the appropriate loc. On a daily basis I ran my fingers through damp locs to make sure no locs were joining together. Some tried to “marry” but I gently pulled (and when necessary pulled hard enough to snap a few strands) until all hairs are associated with the right loc. At one year loc’d, I’m not trying to make new locs with loose hair. I’m keeping the integrity of each loc.

In July, just before going on vacation, I washed my hair and noticed 3 strands of hair on my fingers as I rinsed out shampoo. It had been 5 months since I last retightened or interlocked. I have not had 3 strands of hair come out at one time since I loc’d my hair. I have not had consistent length retention of my hair until I loc’d it. These loose shed hairs told me that strands of hair held together was key for my hair to grow and retain length. So, it was time to wrap up this experiment.

On vacation I leisurely and gently interlocked. I did not interlock to the scalp. I left the locs lying in the direction I want them to fall but I did not make rookie mistakes like interlocking until I could barely get the loc needle through the loc. I believe for my locs interlocking every 4 to 5 months is sufficient. That was a great experiment! Now that my locs are more mature, they don’t require frequent interlocking. Of course this knowledge just makes my loc journey that much easier.

If you have read this far, please let me know if you have tried any of these experiments or if you have tried other experiments. This is a safe space. How did your experiments go? What did you learn about your locs?

All loc journeys are a little different but armed with information we can learn what might best work for us…and what we should leave alone.

Next time I will talk about traveling with locs.

Stay lovely. Stay loc’d.

Bettye

Microlocs and Me: a Woman’s Journey to Hair Freedom

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.

Close up you can see the individual locs, but from a distance microlocs look a lot like loose natural hair. At 14 months, you can still see the curl at the ends of at least a third of my locs. The ends of the other locs are closing.

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: A Woman’s Loc Journey

Issues. What Issues?!

The thing about issues is one woman’s issue is not necessarily the issue the next woman has. My extensive YouTube research led me to believe unraveling and bunching would be big problems. Very few videos mentioned itching.

As I reviewed the entries in my loc journal, I was surprised to see that I mentioned itching on April 2, 2022, the day of my loc install. Full disclosure,I finished my microloc install in April but I had previously installed 96 locs the previous May. When I divided those locs, I went row by row , spraying my hair with water and separating each loc. I did not take them down, or rewash my hair.

Some women take issue with not washing your starter locs for 4 weeks. I did not have an issue waiting four weeks to wash my hair. As a loose natural, I usually washed my hair every four weeks. With newly loc’d hair I had a hard time going four days without washing my hair because my scalp itched so badly from the first day. The intensity of the itching was unexpected. Fortunately, I found a few ways to make the itching stop. First, I sprayed my scalp with rose water. I used a clean, regular spray bottle hijacked from spraying another hair product. I sprayed the rose water 2 or 3 times a day on my scalp. After 3 or 4 days I felt a build up on my locs from the rose water. I wonder if this is specific to my locs because this surprised me. I had not heard about rose water causing a film on hair or face. I wonder if anyone else has had this minor issue?

I decided to cut the rose water with tap water fifty/ fifty. That resolved the issue for me. Please note, we have a whole house water filter because our water comes from a well. If you have hard water you should try distilled or spring water when spraying your locs.

Moisterizing my scalp with the rose water mixture worked but, I knew better than to go to bed with wet locs. They might crink up, shrink up or worse mold up and smell. I knew there had to be another solution to the itchy scalp situation.

Essential oils, specifically peppermint and tea tree resolved the itchy scalp issue. I used either sweet almond oil or apricot oil as carrier oils for the essential oils. I used 2 drops of tea tree oil in a 4 ounce bottle. To that I added 10 -15 drops of peppermint oil and then filled the bottle with either sweet almond oil or apricot oil. Occasionally, I added Jamaican Black Castor oil to the mix. For adding fragrance to my locs, I would use lavender or orange essential oils added to Jamaican Black Castor Oil or Argan Oil. These are my favorite scalp oil blends.

At one year loc’d the itching has subsided. if my scalp itches now it is a sign of dryness or a need to be washed. I now apply oil to my scalp after washing or after rinsing my locs only if my scalp feels itchy after I massage and towel dry my locs.

My first shampoo did not happen for 4 weeks; however, with the itching I had to run water over my scalp. My locs were too short to braid and band. I did twist a few together before deciding to just section my locs , fold over the ends and place a black hair tie on the little bundle. This left plenty of space for me to massage my scalp WITH THE PADS OF MY FINGERS – ONLY. Despite the itch, using my nails to scratch would have only made matters worse. So, again, the issue was a non issue. I washed my locs at my one month “locaversary” but I had been wetting my scalp completely by the end of my first week of being loc’d.

One thing I did to ensure I did not change my mind was to interlock my newly installed two strand twists. I chose to do a 4 point rotation. I think this helped by minimizing slippage – that is, hair strands slipping out of the loc. When I retwisted my locs after this first retie, I have used a 2 point or a 3 point rotation.

In the sections where my hair has a looser curl pattern, over time I have noticed more slippage and more expansion and contraction of the size and shape of the locs. I am now one year loc’d and at the ends of my locs , the two strand twist section, there is a little more thickness and a longer retention of the curl created as the two strand twist locks up on it self. This size difference has not been an issue for me. I admit I do manipulate my locs. I will roll a wildly shaped damp loc between my fingers. I roll it back and forth between my thumb and forefingers – only the section I want to shape. I don’t roll the whole loc between my fingers or palm roll it. Palm rolling looks like it applies a lot of tension to the roots.

I started my locs with two strand twists. Bunching is usually an issue with locs started from twists. When my locs started bunching at about 3 weeks along the journey, initiallyI was excited. Bunching was evidence my hair was going through the process of becoming locs. My hair stated bunching mostly at the top of my head where my loose natural hair had a softer curl pattern. I believe it is 4B. I have not had a professional give me an opinion. Not a priority.

My locs in the back were not experiencing any bunching and very little slippage. Those locs in the back fell like ringlets of curls the first time I wet them with water. The sizing of each of these locs was perfect for my hair. Each loc filled its grid and still does. These locs’ new growth consistently grows into the loc. This is the area where I am currently thinking about semi freeforming.

How I would maintain my locs was an issue, or so I thought. I had 212 microlocs. I wanted versatility but I also wanted to maintain my locs myself. The summer before I loc’d my hair , I met a woman with locs down to her calves. She had been growing her locs for 20 years. She told me that she didn’t retwist her locs any more and hadn’t retwisted in years. She maintained her glorious 4C silver, white and grey locs by keeping them separated. She washed her locs with “regular” shampoo. She sometimes used conditioner. She usually wore her hair down. I sensed immediately that she was giving me encouragement while describing her simple loc maintenance routine. The message was clear. I have this beautiful head of long hair and it is not hard to maintain.

After I installed my two strand twist locs, I told my daughter I was unsure whether to retwist my hair or interlock. She scoffed and said “You better interlock.” I ultimately did interlock my hair.. I couldn’t understand how rolling the hair was going to create locs. I didn’t see how the hair would stay twisted long enough to lock up. At least, not my less coilly hair.

I did my first interlock within one week of having installed my locs. I didn’t want my locs to disintegrate into loose hair. At 4 weeks, I washed and hennaed my locs. It was the best henna application I had ever done. I didn’t worry about henna particles getting into my locs. I already knew how quickly they fade out of my hair. The coverage was good but I decided I would not apply any more henna. Instead, I would see what my natural hair color looked like.

After squeezing most of the water out of my locs I wrapped my head in a grey microfiber towel and squeezed out more water. I then began interlocking my locs. I interlocked again at two months and again at 3 months. I then started seeing videos about interlocking too frequently and the types of damages that can occur. I raise for your attention the YouTube channels that brought me awareness: Yannie, The Loctologist; Alexis Harris; and Naps Are The New Black (who actually has microlocs.)

When I was 3 months loc’d, we took a little vacation to Mexico. My daughter and I were in the pool pretty much everyday. I had been to Mexico at least 3 times before and never gotten my hair wet in one of the pools. With locs, I was free to jump into the pool any time I felt like it. I would wash the pool water out of my locs with my mixture of Dr. Bronner’s and water which I applied via spray bottle. By dinner my locs were ready to go out for the evening!

While in Mexico I I brought home a bottle of luxury shampoo from the hotel. My daughter had used this shampoo conditioner mix on her locs while we were in Mexico and she loved the way it made her locs feel. I tried the same shampoo conditioner mix sparingly when I returned homeand the slippage was really alarming to me. I have not used conditioner in my locs since. I will probably try conditioner again at some time in the future when my locs really need conditioning. Right now, they are doing well without any conditioner at all.

My final issue was the mental hurdle I had to climb to see my locs as beautiful when they began to bunch or unravel. I had had two locs unravel the first week which was another reason I chose to interlock my locs.

I have been told that I “Rock my short locs”. I think the tricks I used to process the changed appearance may be helpful. First, I told myself that nobody cared what my hair looked like. I did not tell my husband I had loc’d my hair. When we were in Mexico he asked me if I had done the same thing to my hair that Schuyler had done. I said, “Something similar.” I had been wearing twists for the month of February and March. I had finalized my loc install on April 2 and this was July. Obviously, my hair being loc’d was not a big issue for him.

It was May before anyone asked me about my sisterlocs. I thanked them for noticing and explained that I had microlocs and I had installed them myself. So, so proud.

The image at the beginning of this post is from my 3 month loc journey. It was taken in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. Shrinkage is really real, but locs will grow. It takes patience.

This one got away from me and its a long blog post. If you stuck with me this far, thank you for your time and attention. I will talk about loc structure, how it affects loc growth and length retention in my next blog.

Until next time, blessings and I hope you love your hair!

Microlocs: the Basics

It is the most simple thing in the world really. Coilly, curly hair will curl on itself. The tangles my mother combed out of my coilly, curly hair every month until I was twelve are a testament to this. At age 12, I graduated to having my hair permed to make it more manageable. I imagine a lot of women can identify with this ritual. I left my hair permed for the next decade except for a brief period when I got a hair cut in Denmark and the stylist gave me a fade. Not the look I was going for but I wore my hair short and natural for a year before I went back to perming my hair.

In December of 2012, I decided I had had enough. My hair would not grow past a certain length because I always had breakage or split ends or some type of damage. I felt like a failure and I felt like my hair was a failure. I decided to go natural. I decided I would grow a thick afro that would sit on my shoulders. Occasionally, I would twist it and have waves of curly hair. Much to my surprise, that never did happen.

My daughter decided to go natural, too. She was in college, not far away. We shared notes and made comparisons. She was more adventurous. She made wigs, wore wigs, added extensions, colored her hair. I too colored my hair. I used henna to cover the grey and white hair that peaked out every month. I loved my natural hair. I learned a lot about it. I learned that all of my hair is not 4C, There are some looser 4B curls in different sections. I learned that my hair loves Jamaican black castor oil. I had a shelf in my closet just for my hair care products my hair didn’t like as much. I was the poster child for the slogan: “My Hair is My Hobby”.

Sometime in 2016, my daughter had Sisterlocs installed. She cut her hair to reduce her cost of installation. I couldn’t imagine spending a thousand dollars for a hairstyle. I was perplexed, stymied, not convinced that this was a good decision. She tried to convince me to loc my hair with her. My husband was just as insistent that I did not. So, it was very easy not to loc my hair. But, my curiosity was piqued.

As time passed, my daughter’s locs grew and grew. They are now mid back length and very beautiful. It was Christmas of 2021 when my daughter came home for the holidays, when I knew for certain I had to start my loc journey. It did not matter that my husband’s opinion had not changed. After 35 years of marriage, I felt pretty sure a hairstyle change would not be a big issue. What drove my decision more than anything was the thought that I didn’t want to leave earth, that is – die, without ever having had long hair.

All of the old concerns about locs being unwashed, uncared for hair had been swept away by my very thorough research at YouTube University and vicariously through my daughter’s lived experience. I knew that whether I chose to wash my hair once a month or once a week was a decision for me to make. How I would maintain my locs would be my choice. I set out to find a loctitian.

I had reached out to a friend’s loctitian in 2019 for a consultation. She was not taking on any new clients. In December of 2021, I reached out to another local loctitian. She replied in November of 2022 that I should call to get on her schedule. By that time, I had already installed my locs and I was seven months into my loc journey.

In January of 2022, I installed two strand twists to see if I would easily get bored of wearing my hair in the same style. I have friends who have worn their hair in the same style for years. While none of these friends are black, I thought perhaps I could try to adopt their approach. Clearly, a one month trial was in order. Usually, Sisterloc consultants install a few “test” Sisterlocs for clients to see if this is a style they will enjoy. Anyway, it seemed like a good idea.

I had not been much of a 2 strand twist wearer. Twists for me were typically a means to getting curly or stretched hair. It turned out I enjoyed the way my two strand twists looked. It did not bother me that they did not look like locs. It was enough to get an idea what living with locs might be like.

January’s experiment went well. In February, I took down the twists; washed and hennaed my hair and re-installed two strand twists. It occurred to me, “why not just install two strand twists in your hair each month?” In March, I noticed that as I took down my twists, conditioned, detangled, washed, hennaed, conditioned, and oiled my scalp and hair before installing two strand twists again that the effort was taking about as much time as wash day with loose natural hair. It also occurred to me the detangling process would at least be eliminated if I left my hair in two strand twists. As I write, I now know combing, parting and detangling two strand twists keeps the hair strands from matting together to become locs. In March I decided this time I am going to install two strand twists and officially start my locs. Making the mental declaration is the first step.

Over the course of one day I installed 96 two strand twist baby locs on my hair. I felt pretty accomplished. I told my daughter. She was happy for me and proud I had finally taken this step and loc’d my hair. She was also surprised I had actually done it and, I found out later, she told her old college roommate she wasn’t sure how long I would keep them. Meanwhile, I liked getting up in the morning and not having to stress over what was I going to do with my hair today. The feeling of freedom for me was almost instantaneous. That was March 26, 2022.

I was sure I had done the right thing locking my hair. But, I was afraid I had not given myself enough locs to satisfy my desire to have loc style flexibility.I Sprayed my locs with my new mister spray bottle and divided each loc into two or more sections. This dividing took place over two days. On April 2, 2022, I declared my microlocs installed. I had 212 locs. In 3 months time this number would shrink to 210 microlocs as I combined 4 locs into 2. I had thought if I have 200 or so microlocs and I decide I want more traditional sized locs, I can simply combine some together.

First week loc'd after DIY install of 212 locs. The shrinkage from the first day with 96 locs was significant. Even so, I loved the curled ringlets at loc ends. — First week loc’d after DIY install of 212 locs. The Shrinkage was significant. Even so, I loved the ringlets formed at the ends of my locs.

I Know What I Know

I had done my research. I knew I was supposed to keep my locs moisturized by spraying daily with water, or rose water, or aloe vera gel. (Over time I have refined what goes into my moisturizing spray bottle.)

I knew I wasn’t supposed to wash my locs for 4 weeks. Some people seem shocked to hear this ; but, as a loose natural, it was common for me to wash my hair once a month. I was more surprised by the YouTubers who washed their locs within the first month. Today, I’m pretty sure you do not have to wait 4 weeks to wash your hair…especially if you interlock to maintain your locs. Even if you started your locs with finger coils there are ways to wash your hair. You can braid and band your locs.

I knew about braiding and banding my locs if, and when, I was going to wash them. One big surprise was my locs had shrunken so much after the daily misting moisturizing I did not have enough hair to braid. So, if your locs are short, you just band your locs together before washing. At one year loc’d, I can now braid and band. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

I now know that when you wash your locs for the first time should not be dependent upon some arbitrary date. The need to shampoo your hair is particular to your scalp and locs’ requirements. You should feel free to wash or my favorite, rinse your locs when they need it.

I knew to use a clear shampoo and not creamy detangling shampoos or conditioners. I was ready for the first wash with Dr. Bronner’s Castle soap in Peppermint. I have since bought Dr. Bronner’s Shampoo in Rose and in Eucalyptus. These are the only shampoos I have used with the exception of a conditioning shampoo by Giogio Di Acqua I used while on vacation. My daughter had used it on her locs and was pleased with the conditioning. In my defence, the product is mostly clear, certainly not creamy and I forgot that she has been loc’d about 7 years while I was only 3 months loc’d. Her mature locs enjoyed the conditioner. I, on the other hand, could feel the coating of conditioner on my locs even after I rinsed my locs three times. As my locs dried, I noticed a lot of strands slipped out of my 4B locs. If you have a looser curl pattern, I recommend that you do not use conditioner on your locs during the first year.

The use of conditioner in locs is one of those “Hot Button Topics”. If you use conditioner on your locs, how long have you been loc’d and when did you start using conditioner? How do you use conditioner?

I am curious as to how you use conditioner because while I do not use it, I also do not use shampoo the same way I did as a loose natural. I now put my shampoo in a spray bottle and dilute the shampoo with water. Dr. Bronner’s Shampoo is a concentrate which has to be mixed with water. I dilute a little more than specified. Spraying the shampoo places it directly on the scalp. I use the balls (tips, pads) of my fingers to massage the shampoo into a lather. I rinse this out and reapply shampoo. Again, I focus my attention on the roots and the scalp. I then squeeze soap through the length of my locs. I rinse them several times with warm water until no soap washes out of the locs.

One of the freedoms microlocs has given me is the freedom to wash my hair in the shower. Let me expand on that. For the first time in my life I have the freedom to just let water run through my locs every time I get into the shower. I no longer worry if, and when, my hair gets wet.

I used to wash my loose natural hair in the kitchen sink because I hate hair from my head getting stuck on my body. To my very pleasant surprise, I don’t mind washing my hair in the shower because loc’d hair sheds only a very little bit. If you’re not looking for it, you will likely miss, or maybe not miss, the shed hairs.

I knew I needed to use a microfiber towel to dry my hair. Some YouTube loc stars only use a teeshirt. I have never tried that. I bought extra large grey microfiber towels from Amazon. I love them. They leave no lint and they dry my locs pretty quickly. Once towel dried, damp locs are easy to style. Again the joke was on me. 210 microlocs and I usually just “play the harp” while running my fingers through my hair until my locs are shaped the way I want them to be for the day. To “play a harP’ one curls ones fingers and gently plucksat each individual harp string. In this analogy, your microlocs are the harp strings. I find myself “playing the harp” through my locs several times a day. I know the conventional wisdom is to keep your hands out of your hair. I really love the feel of my locs so much I thank God for bringing me to this new state of being where I truly love my hair and all of the weird things it does. So thankful for having installed my microlocs.

For 12 years, I had been a “loose natural” (loc terminology to describe someone with natural hair that is not loc’d). So, I knew about hair shrinkage. Shrinkage comes with the territory when you have 4C and 4B textured hair. Even with this knowledge, I was surprised that my hair went from longish 2 strand twists to skull hugging baby locs.

I knew that I needed a silk or satin bonnet or scarf to tie up my locs at night to keep them from having all the moisture sucked out of them by cotton sheets; as well as, to protect my locs from lint. A satin or silk pillowcase would not have been effective for me. I enjoy pulling the covers over my head when I sleep. As a loose natural, I already had a collection of satin like bonnets. As a sewer, I decided to cut up a satin pillowcase to make a bonnet for sleeping. This is my favorite bonnet. I toss it in the wash once a week.

Why Microlocs?

As you may have noticed, I started my loc journey with 96 locs . I then started second guessing my decision. I went back to YouTube University. It began to become obvious, the more locs I had, the more opportunities I would have for styling my hair and hopefully, there would be fewer reasons to become bored and cut off my locs. I thought about the versatility my daughter has with 700 Sisterlocs. I knew, however I did not want to maintain 700 locs. But, I could maintain 200 locs. I went to work untwisting and retwisting my locs. Two strand twist microlocs gave me the flexibility to change my mind about the number of my locs.

I have always been sensitive about my forehead. My edges have always been sensitive to tugging and friction. I decided that I would make my locs extend down from the crown of my head towards my face and neck. I did not want a scalpy look. Sharp, crisp, well defined parts or a grid were not on my list of “must haves” for my locs. Microlocs gave me the ability to have fringe bangs that stayed on my forehead for the first time ever! Microlocs allowed me to protect the delicate hair around my temples and hair line edges. The general shape of my hair with microlocs was pleasing to me.

With microlocs, when you are styling your locs, it is the shape of the hair around the face that matters. This is especially true with short microlocs. I used my fingers to guide my locs into the pattern or shape I wanted them to assume while they were damp following my morning misting spray. Typically, I did not have to think about my locs again until it was time to wrap them up at night to go to bed.

I installed my locs on a brick pattern, more or less. There are definitely horizontal lines across the back of my head from the nape of the neck up to the occipital line – which I interpret on my head as just above the ears. The section above the ears moving to the crown of my head has a few locs that have a diagonal edge. Not my best decision. I believe installing an all over diamond grid relies on larger partings. With my smaller partings, I have occasionally interlocked these angled edges with the wrong loc. Based on my experience, I recommend you stick with a square shaped loc base or rectangular for microloc installation. Let me know if you have a different take on the shape of the base of the loc. Two strand twist microlocs were easy for me to determine the size and shape and location of each of my locs.

At the top of my head, I wanted to have the flexibility to style my locs with a center part as well as a part on either side. I was careful to install my top and front locs after these partings were made. I did not intend to part my hair exactly down the center in the back. If I want to wear pigtails I will have an uneven line down the back of my head. I thought that was less of a problem than not having full coverage of my scalp in the back. The offset brick pattern I used insures fullest coverage possible of the scalp. Not breaking that pattern with a straight line was a design choice I made. Thus far, it has not been a problem.

This picture shows how I installed my locs from the crown going towards my face and neck. This design protects my edges from over manipulation and gives me bangs!

The biggest joke I think is this: most of the time since installing my microlocs in April of 2022, I have worn my locs without imposing any style on them. With microlocs, especially when they are short, it’s about the health and shape of your hair. If your locs are healthy, they are going to look good. One morning while walking in the park, I started a conversation with a woman whose behavior interested me. Turns out she was very receptive to electricity in the air. As she finished explaining her actions, she said, “You take really good care of your hair.” I took that as a compliment. My baby locs had been sprayed and they were luscious. I know that some mornings the sun strikes my gray hair and makes it look like a halo.

This post got a little lengthy. In my next post I want to share some of the issues I have dealt with as a new traveler on this loc journey. Itchy scalp was a particular problem.

What types of issues have you encountered on your loc journey?

Wishing you peace and hair freedom,

Bettye