Slightest Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Locs
Having locs is a beautiful journey to begin with. It takes you back to your roots and it really is a simpler way of living. If you have locs or considering to have locs, there are major steps to take in ensuring that you never suffer breakage with your locs. What? You thought locs can’t break? They sure can and I’m here to share with you some of the biggest mistakes myself, and others have made with my locs journey.
10 Biggest Mistakes Made with Locs
1. Not moisturizing.
Moisturizing is super important as it prevents dryness, brittleness and breakage of your locs, and dryness and flakiness of your scalp. Moisturizing enables healthy and beautiful growth of your locs, so, why not invest in the right oils for your hair and scalp? Your locs will thank you for it. While I have not had any flakiness of the scalp since I’ve started my locs journey, my hair has felt and looked dry because of inadequate use of oils. Luckily, I haven’t suffered any breakage. I have taken up the responsibility to purchase a new oil for my hair, so in another post I’ll give a review on it and compare it to the oil I previously had.
2. Not knowing the size you want.
To start your journey, you need to be in the know. So understand the different sizes and types of locs and consult with a Loctician to find out which would best suit you. But while you’re here, consider this; as your locs grow it will thicken in size. So if you set out to have thick locs, your starter locs will not remain at the size it’s at currently, they will grow thicker so you’ll have to decide if you want to keep it or loosen them and get them sized down. Also depending on your hair type your locs will look different from how you imagine them to be, so you’ll end up loving them or not liking them so much, so do a consultation so you won’t have any regrets.
3. Not using shampoos that have protein.
Are the shampoos that you’re now using giving your locs body and strength? Are they making your locs feel excessively dry? Or does your locs feel slippery? You might now realize that you need a new bottle of shampoo. I recommend getting one that has protein as an added bonus for the strength and growth of your locs. Protein will help to restore hair follicle strength and health.
Your locs require a lot of TLC so you need to be using the right shampoos.
I know, when you were a loose natural, protein shampoos made your hair super thick and it would be hard to manage. With locs your hair will need it, especially if you found out that your locs are getting thin, these shampoos will help to thicken your hair follicles and encourage healthy new growth.
4. Not taking care of your curls/ends.
If you have curls at the ends of your locs then you should never neglect them. In fact, they might be a favorite feature of your locs. Make time to moisturize them thoroughly with oils, and don’t forget your flaxseed gel to help redefine your curls.
I honestly have been neglecting my curls so I found out that my ends weren’t strong enough anymore and they’d break (not much) due to dryness while earning myself some split ends. To redefine my curls I used to use ECO Style Gel, which after it’s dried I’d have to apply generous amount of oil, for my ends would be stiff and crunchy. So definitely use flaxseed gel as a substitute for branded styling gel.
5. Trimming off frizz.
Do you have a lot of flyaways or frizz on your locs? Seeing them everyday makes you think your locs are messy and ugly, and you feel like you have to trim them off, right? Yeah, I know exactly how you feel because I’ve done it, only once, and I regretted it. Thankfully, they are back.
Our hair types are different so not everyone is going to have an excessive amount of frizz on their locs. But no matter if it is a lot or just a few, do not trim them off. Although not obvious, our locs will rely on these frizz when we shed hair (yes we do shed hair even if it’s not as much as a loose natural). Your locs will use these frizz to maintain the thickness of each locs so that they won’t lose their form.
6. Shampooing after a retwist.
No one puts in a hairstyle and shampoo their hair afterward. That’s literally counterproductive and this is something that I have done nonetheless. I am tender head so after I’d reloc my hair, I’d realized that I did them tight at the roots. An easy way to sooth this pain is to allow water to run all over your head. With that being said, I used to choose that time to wash my hair, because I used to think that it was better to have freshly relocd and clean locs. Big mistake and it took me long enough to realize I was doing this the opposite way. My hair is soft at the roots so I’d have to redo them, sadly.
It’s pretty easy to have a clean reloc/retwist without the hassle, but let me still share this knowledge with you. Shampoo your locs thoroughly, moisturize, then go in with the retwist/reloc. There you go.
7. Not having a bonnet for your locs.
The purpose of having a satin bonnet for your locs are: to protect them from dust particles, to prevent your hair from lints coming off your pillowcase and sheet, to not lose hair moisture, and to keep your hair protected when you have a hairstyle.
You want to ensure that you have a bonnet for your locs so that you’ll prevent any loose particles from getting trapped in your locs.
8. Using conditioner on locs.
If you have locs I hope you have been avoiding the use of conditioners. If you are ready to start your locs journey, here’s why you will not need conditioners anymore. Conditioner on locs weakens or softens the shafts, which overtime your locks will lose its thickness and body. So to avoid that, stop using conditioner. Get used to the idea that conditioner will no longer be on your beauty supplies list.
Probably you do not like the idea of your locs feeling course. Invest in the right oils for your hair type. You’ll never have to reconsider conditioners again.
9. Bleaching or dying your locs.
Bleaching or dying your locs can be horrendous, and you’ll be faced with the consequences if it’s not professionally done or haven’t received a consultation. We have melanin in our skin, likewise we also have melanin in our hair. Our hair also has a percentage of protein called carotene which gives our hair the strength to combat the harmful rays of the sun and/or products that have not being good to us. The chemicals that are found in bleach and dye for hair are what strips the melanin and carotene from our hair. These products will literally strip your hair of it’s moisture and thickness, which causes weakness, thinning, breakage, and slows growth.
Not everyone’s hair has the ability to maintain that strength to keep these colors without any damage or stunt growth. So if you’re totally interested in coloring your locs, please consult with your professional who has knowledge in coloring.
10. Not starting your locs on healthy hair.
Locs can be for everyone, but if you realize you have suffered hair loss such as Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia or any hair shaft abnormalities, you should reconsider wanting locs until you have received treatment and seeing hair growth results.
Your locs will need the oil, melanin and protein from your own hair and body to have a healthy growth. Adding products is what helps hair growth in the event where your body is not producing enough in a certain climate or season.
I always encourage people to let your locs be free and grow, but do not resent the fact that you must pay keen attention to them by giving them the necessary care they will need to grow, strengthen and remain healthy.
