Lock It Up! Support Thread (Sisterlocs, Dreads, Freeform, Etc)

Damaris.Elle

Well-Known Member
Has anyone here ever used this product for retwists? Someone on my FB loc group uses this, but I wanted to ask you all. TIA

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I've been using this gel for my retwists since I first started my loc journey (10 months in) and haven't had any problems yet.

I use those two shampoos, so you are in good company!

Sometimes, I use Mizani or Silk Elements Neutralizing Shampoo (to clarify) and the rich moisturizing shampoo & conditioner (the brown bottles). I have a huge bottle of Elucence Moisture-Acidifying shampoo as well. It’s concentrated, so I only use a small amount and rinse like crazy.

I have the ION hard water shampoo that I plan to use once during the winter.

I started using creamy conditioners around the 9th month. I use a leave-in conditioner spray for daily moisture.

I think you moisturizing spray and oil will be good for your locs!

I think you wash and retwist schedule sounds ideal and will prevent issues later on down the line.

I believe your locs are going to mature beautifully!

What leave-in conditioner spray do you use for your locs? I need to find a way to moisturize my hair other than just spritzing with water and sealing with olive oil or coconut oil...I'm feeling like that doesn't provide me with enough moisture.
 

shortycocoa

Hair Weave Killer
I've been using this gel for my retwists since I first started my loc journey (10 months in) and haven't had any problems yet.



What leave-in conditioner spray do you use for your locs? I need to find a way to moisturize my hair other than just spritzing with water and sealing with olive oil or coconut oil...I'm feeling like that doesn't provide me with enough moisture.

Try adding aloe vera juice and glycerin to your spray first.

ETA: are you using plain water or rosewater?
 

Ivonnovi

Well-Known Member
Sooooo.... I got my interlocs installed on July 15... went back on July 22 (a week later) to get her to fix the front part and then I just took them all out last weekend. I didn't love the parting and I knew if it bothered me now, it would always bother me. I was so concerned about the method of starting, I never thought that I'd need to worry about parting.

Anyway I have an appointment with a different loctition next Tuesday, so hopefully I can come back here with good news next week.

@Cheekychica and others, the bolded was my problem with the namebrand interlocking process. The Grid does not compliment everyone's face/taste.

I've always told my clients to take down the parts they don't like and I'll redo them..(not for free though). I infact did this to my Sisterlocks early on; I redid the crown in a staggered pattern, and was much happier because the results were way less scalpy.
 

Arian

Loc'ing Up!
Hello Ladies! I have not been on the boards in 3 years. Life stuff and I felt that some boards on here were not as progressive as my mindset, so I took a break. But... I still have locs and love them so much! I have lots of pictures over the years and will upload more as I log on! I hope everyone’s journey has been as awesome as mine has been lately.
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shortycocoa

Hair Weave Killer
Hello Ladies! I have not been on the boards in 3 years. Life stuff and I felt that some boards on here were not as progressive as my mindset, so I took a break. But... I still have locs and love them so much! I have lots of pictures over the years and will upload more as I log on! I hope everyone’s journey has been as awesome as mine has been lately.
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Hey Stranger! We have asked about you a couple times. Glad to see you're doing well. Your locks are gorgeous!
 

shortycocoa

Hair Weave Killer
I finished my retightening this evening! The locks I combined are doing pretty good. I had trouble interlocking a couple of them because of the fact that they haven't married further along the length of the locks yet.

I had a lot of loose hairs I had to reincorporate back into some locks and lots to fix/clean up along my hairline. Overall I still love my hair and love how full it is and how it looks after a fresh retightening. I'm not sure I will continue to go past 14 weeks or if I will make this the new retightening schedule or go back to 12 weeks.

A few pics:




 

Arian

Loc'ing Up!
Okay, I'm back now. So, a little backstory (from the history of this thread): Installed starter locs in December 2014. Had some ups and downs--some breakage, some dryness, a lot of bunching. Since then, I started to develop a mullet of sorts, almost like a lioness mane that I did not like...sure, I had length, but the shape of my locs was not flattering. So, I had armpit length locs that I cut to shoulder length in October 2018. The purpose was also to cut off some of the color on the ends. I dyed it a deep brown after that, but it kept some tone on the ends. Here recently, I decided to dye it black and I am immensely happy with that decision. Every time I have gotten color in my life, somewhere along the way, I return to black. I think I will stay there for a while.

My avi is where I am now. I cannot wait to see what else it does over the next year. I was struggling a little when the pandemic first hit because I was not getting my hair retwisted during that time; however, curls can hide roots so well! So I kept those the majority of the time. Just as I was as a loose natural, I am a lazy stylist. I just let them be. If my loctician does not style it, I do nothing. I may throw it in a ponytail--high or low.

I look at each loc and the intricacies are interesting...I can see just what the bunching has done. They are NOT smooth and cylindrical as I imagined they would be. They are bumpy, some are smaller than others, I even have a few that are flat on the ends. Some of the ends are not closed now because of the little snip I did. But they are mine...and they have character.:spinning:
 

Damaris.Elle

Well-Known Member
Yesterday was my first time washing with shampoo and not retwisting. I can tell my locs are really maturing...there's a lot less frizz than there used to be after washing my hair or getting it wet. I'm planning to retwist sometime this week or next week, but I'm excited to see that I can wash my hair at least once and get away with not retwisting.

I've been swimming in the ocean a lot lately and I think the salt water is helping my hair to lock up faster. I also spritzed my hair with rose water and aloe vera juice yesterday after washing and my hair felt more moisturized.
 

nothidden

TeamNatural95-Fractals/Zigzags
Oh wow!!! How long were your Sister locks? A lot of people end up using a push pin to take them down. How will you start your traditional locks? Have you decided on how you plan to maintain them? I look forward to seeing your starter locks later on down the line.
Sorry just seeing this. Hmmm. The back was shoulder blade length I think. For my traditionals I want diamond parting, but as I discovered this weekend that’s challenging to do on my own. But the plan is to achieve the diamond parting and wear less than 100 two strand twists for a while. Eventually I’ll just leave them in and maintain with palm rolling.
 

Cattypus1

All loced up...
Sorry just seeing this. Hmmm. The back was shoulder blade length I think. For my traditionals I want diamond parting, but as I discovered this weekend that’s challenging to do on my own. But the plan is to achieve the diamond parting and wear less than 100 two strand twists for a while. Eventually I’ll just leave them in and maintain with palm rolling.
I love the look of diamond parts, especially for updos and styling. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have enough information about the parting systems before I went to the loctician and let her do what she wanted. I can’t wait to see pics of your starters, please share.
 

shortycocoa

Hair Weave Killer
Yesterday was my first time washing with shampoo and not retwisting. I can tell my locs are really maturing...there's a lot less frizz than there used to be after washing my hair or getting it wet. I'm planning to retwist sometime this week or next week, but I'm excited to see that I can wash my hair at least once and get away with not retwisting.

I've been swimming in the ocean a lot lately and I think the salt water is helping my hair to lock up faster. I also spritzed my hair with rose water and aloe vera juice yesterday after washing and my hair felt more moisturized.

Yay! So glad that worked out for you! I've been trying to tell ya'll, it is a game changer. I love how soft, fluffy and nourished my hair always feels immediately after I spray and really days after. Especially when I seal with oil.
 

Damaris.Elle

Well-Known Member
Yay! So glad that worked out for you! I've been trying to tell ya'll, it is a game changer. I love how soft, fluffy and nourished my hair always feels immediately after I spray and really days after. Especially when I seal with oil.

I think I'm going to start making my own rose water. I'm visiting my parents in a few days and they have rose bushes..I'm going to steal their rose petals :angeldevil:
 

msdeevee

Well-Known Member
@Arian , you’re so cute . You have such a dewy fresh face , oh and your locks are pretty too. :p

@Damaris.Elle , I believe that the saltwater does help when I was first installed I made a salt water mixture that I sprayed on my locks often and they matured in less than a year. Also that Dutch loctitian said that she swims in the ocean in her country regularly and that helps her hair to lock.


Opinions needed before I see My consultant on 8/10. I Was Looking at 1 of the Sisterlock Ladies I follow on YT last night. She’s been locked for 9 years and her locks are beautiful. She feels that if you get your locks retightened less than 10-12 weeks out that’s too much. My consultant has me on a every 6 weeks schedule. I had thought about this before being too much.

The woman I follow Tunisia Ali feels that retightening too often will eventually cause thinning but then I’ve read that not retightening regularly Like every 6 weeks can cause thinning.

I’ve always pre and post Sisterlocks had thick fast growing hair. I’m too old now to be trying to lose my hair.

My last appt was around the 1st week in June then my next appt was scheduled for July 13th. I got sick and had to cancel so she booked me for 8/10. I think she was a little miffed at me but I was really in a lot of pain. So that puts me at about 10-11 weeks.

Even though my locks marry at the roots and I’ve had a lot of new growth I’m not upset about that. I try to separate them and keep my locks in shape .

Opinions please!!
 
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Evolving78

Well-Known Member
@Arian , you’re so cute . You have such a dewy fresh face , oh and your locks are pretty too. :p

@Damaris.Elle , I believe that the saltwater does help when I was first installed I made a salt water mixture that I sprayed on my locks often and they matured in less than a year. Also that Dutch loctitian said that she swims in the ocean in her country regularly and that helps her hair to lock.


Opinions needed before I see My consultant on 8/10. I Was Looking at 1 of the Sisterlock Ladies I follow on YT last night. She’s been locked for 9 years and her locks are beautiful. She feels that if you get your locks retightened less than 10-12 weeks out that’s too much. My consultant has me on a every 6 weeks schedule. I had thought about this before being too much.

The woman I follow Tunisia Ali feels that retightening too often will eventually cause thinning but then I’ve read that not retightening regularly Like every 6 weeks can cause thinning.

I’ve always pre and post Sisterlocks had thick fast growing hair. I’m too old now to be trying to lose my hair.

My last appt was around the 1st week in June then my next appt was scheduled for July 13th. I got sick and had to cancel so she booked me for 8/10. I think she was a little miffed at me but I was really in a lot of pain. So that puts me at about 10-11 weeks.

Even though my locks marry at the roots and I’ve had a lot of new growth I’m not upset about that. I try to separate them and keep my locks in shape .

Opinions please!!
I don’t have sister locks, but I tried interlocking and I have micro traditional locs. My hair would not be able to go 10-12 weeks because my hair grows away from the loc and the new growth like to revert and shrink back up to the base of the loc. So I have to constantly wrap loose hairs around the entire loc to prevent thinning. I realized I have to stop with the weekly washes.
This is why I tried interlocking, but the same thing happens. I interlocked all of the loose hair, but it remained at the base and after a couple of washes, came out of the loc. 3616722B-6DB0-4401-9297-A4E223490FEB.jpeg
With that being said, if you go that long, you will have to make certain you separate your locs often and wrap loose hairs around your locs to prevent thinning, locs marrying, and matting. I see several videos of the YouTuber you mentioned and her hair might not grow away from her locs. I know someone that goes every five weeks, but the have this biggest size sister locks you can get. They go every five weeks because they have similar hair issues.

I know my scalp can’t handle interlocking every six weeks, even though my hair would need it. I would have to retwist in between interlocking. But I have over 200 locs, I’m sure you have double or more.

sorry for the long post, just wanted to let you know how it is out here. I would do a consultation with a sister lock consultant who knows I’m not coming to her for reties. This way she could give me an unbiased opinion. Like a virtual consultation.
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
I retwisted my hair and it’s not lasting this time around. I used a new gel and it didn’t give me any hold. I used some Tight Hold in the front and it started to flake. I think I’m going to try a new gel that is like MyGel.
Now most locticians recommend a client comes in 3-4 weeks for maintenance. I’m trying to see if I can make it to the three week mark to wash and retwist. 3 weeks feels gross to me, so I will wash after the second week of my retwist and on the 3rd week wash and retwist.
loctician DW recommends using a light oil twice a week, drinking water/healthy diet, and your moisture comes from the shampoo and conditioning process and retwist every three weeks.
I don’t know how that could work for me.
I have a ton of loose hair in the back. I have fine coily hair..
 

msdeevee

Well-Known Member
I have the same issue @Evolving78 .

My locks marry at the roots and my hairs grow out too. I wrap the loose hairs around the root when I try my hand at retightening a couple of locks here and there.

I’ll have a serious consult with my loctitian next week. I think I may suggest maybe going 8 weeks btwn appts not 10-12 weeks.

Thanx lady for responding.​
 
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