Tag Archives: locs

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