Locs!! -- Any members have them / had them / want them?

eunique

New Member
I've known I've wanted locs for like forever, but I hadn't been able to just sit and do it but I'm looking to start them right before school starts. I was just wondering if there are any members who have formerly had locs who have tips, who have them, or want them like I do!
 
P

patient1

Guest
I started a set and then changed my mind. I might one day. My eldest daughters had locs that I released and I'm in the process of releasing my niece's locs. I'm halfway through. Two more Sunday sessions and we're done.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have about locs. I've started, maintained, and released them for others so I feel very confident in my knowledge on this particular subject. I'm waiting for a client now. We latch his new growth because he's an athlete.

p1
 

Nonie

Well-Known Member
Dayummm, Patient1, you're DOING YO' THANG! Mama couldn't be prouder! Waiting for the book, y'hear?!
 
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patient1

Guest
Dayummm, Patient1, you're DOING YO' THANG! Mama couldn't be prouder! Waiting for the book, y'hear?!

Whatchoo talking about??? MY book. Shoot, where in the heck is your book???? Everytime I see your name I know that 9 out of 10 there will be detailed information WITH pics! LOL!!

Nonie's Encyclopedia of the Universe. I tell you. And I think you're probably the most knowledgable braider on the board. No lie!

p1
 

DMJ's Mom

Well-Known Member
I've wanted them for years (since 7th grade) I never got them because back then I wasn't allowed and didn't have to money. When i did start working between school and work I didn't have the time to get them done then when time did free up I joined the military where they are considered eccentric
Best of luck to you on getting them!!
 

Afro-Indi

New Member
I'm glad you asked this.
Coincidentally, I hadn't been here ever since I'd firmly decided to loc :ohwell:

I'm going the Sisterlocks route.
I have my test locs in right now; 6 of them behind my right ear. I'd got them 07/04/08 and they will end up being my decorative locs when the rest of my head is locked. I have gold thread that I will wrap those locs in and attach a cowrie shell at the end of the wrap, like in this pic>>>>


I'm going to get them done towards the end of the year.
I'm waiting this long because, by then I'll be BSL stretched and I have dimensional color that has grown out a bit and I want my dimensional color back; I'll recolor and then loc.

It's taking everything inside me not to just go for it RIGHT NOW!!!!:drunk:

I literally cannot WAIT!!! :dance7:

A$$-length locs, here I come! lol
 
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victorious

Relaxed/4A/Fine/Thin/APL
Check out Justice4alw's detailed fotki album. Her locs are beautiful.

Shoot her a pm too. She's very nice and helpful. :yep:
 

anon123

Well-Known Member
NappyRina recently got Sisterlocks:

http://members.fotki.com/NappyRina/about/

I will lock some day, at some point in my life. Mine will be traditional locs that I already know I will start with twists. I even know about how many I will have: 75-90. Can you tell that I've thought about this. :grin: Some day, but not for a long while, I think.
 

JustKiya

Well-Known Member
I had locs for five years, maintained with latchhooking, and I took them out in May 06.

I loved them - they were truly the ultimate wash & go style - I didnt have to do ANYTHING to my hair but occasionally conditioner, and retighten the roots every 6 weeks or so, and I was good to go! :look:

Sometimes I miss them, but I'm having so MUCH fun with my loose hair, it's okay.
 

tocktick

Well-Known Member
i have thought about it a lot but i think i'm too fickle for it. the thought only ever arises when i see someone with some amazing locs or when i'm really hating my hair so there is no true desire to loc. i think locs are gorgeous though and i stalk loc fotkis.
 
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I had my first set of locs for 6.5 years then I cut them off in October of last year.
Those I started with two-strand twists and maintained by palmrolling and occasionally fingerlatching my new growth.
I am in my second month for my second set of locs.
While I luved my fro, I missed having locs.
This set I started with braids and while I thought that I was going to exclusively latch my newgrowth, I decided that I prefer palmrolling better and will go back to what I know :grin:
I’ll be honest. Locking your hair can be a tough journey for some just like transitioning from relaxed hair or deciding to BC. But once you are locked, you’ll be happy.

Tips(Some of this maybe common sense though):
  • Less is more. Don’t slather on a whole bunch of product(s) to maintain your locs. It WILL cause buildup :sad:
  • Water is your friend. You can wash your hair. A clean head is a happy head. I wash/rinse my hair just as often as I did when I was loose.
  • Beware of lock-envy. No too locked heads will be the same and it is hard to not want your hair to look like so and so’s.
  • It takes time. Some heads will take up to a year to loc. Some sooner.
  • Patience, patience and even more patience. Just like growing loose hair long :yep:
I can go on and on :spinning:
HTH
 

eunique

New Member
I'm glad you asked this.
Coincidentally, I hadn't been here ever since I'd firmly decided to loc :ohwell:

I'm going the Sisterlocks route.
I have my test locs in right now; 6 of them behind my right ear. I'd got them 07/04/08 and they will end up being my decorative locs when the rest of my head is locked. I have gold thread that I will wrap those locs in and attach a cowrie shell at the end of the wrap, like in this pic>>>>


I'm going to get them done towards the end of the year.
I'm waiting this long because, by then I'll be BSL stretched and I have dimensional color that has grown out a bit and I want my dimensional color back; I'll recolor and then loc.

It's taking everything inside me not to just go for it RIGHT NOW!!!!:drunk:

I literally cannot WAIT!!! :dance7:

A$$-length locs, here I come! lol

Congratsss! I'm really excited to start my journey.
 

thefineprint

Well-Known Member
I have sisterlocks and I LOVE them! They are the very best hair decision (outside of going natural) that I have ever made.

Here is my ultimate hair goal:

 

pink gator

Well-Known Member
I've had them twice: 1995-1997 and 2000-2006.

The first set didn't look too hot--back in the mid-90s, there weren't a lot of good products and salons that catered to loc wearers. I looked like a serious bushy-haired hippie whom people offered weed to or asked if I had any whenever I entered a club or party! LOL!

When I started my second set, there were so many products and services and people with them that having them was a breeze!

My second set was started via two-strand twists with 3-inch long hair. It's so much better to start with shorter hair than longer because that way your loc will start "weighing" itself better. Starting off with longer hair tends to make thinner locs. Also, don't start really wide locs because when they grow, they will get too thick (ALL locs thicken as they grow) and will stress your scalp and cause alopecia. Ever see folks with mature locs with really thin edges and roots? That's why. Overtwisting when tightening is another cause of thin edges/roots.

My hair is naturally curly; I couldn't use moisturizers until I was fully locked--three months later. I did, however, use aloe vera gel for moisture and fresh lemon and/or lime juices to facilitate the locking process.

How locs are formed:
When you comb your hair, you tend to shed 100-200 hairs a day.
When you don't comb your hair, the shed hairs tend to fall to the end of your loc and form a little knot. DO NOT REMOVE THIS KNOT because you will hinder your locking proccess.

As the hair sheds, the loose hairs will clump and attach themselves to the knot at the end of your loc. As they grow, it will harden.

Everyone I know who's ever locked will concur that locs begin to grow like crazy after the second year. I would cut a few inches off mine just to have them grow back in a couple months!

Your hair will go through so many phases as they grow and mature! My favorite was the "teenage" phase (first two years) where my locs stood up and had a mind of their own. I got so many compliments.

Maintenance and Styling:

STAY AWAY FROM BEESWAX, PURE SHEA BUTTER, AND OTHER WAXY POMADES! They form unremovable buildup and will literally turn your locs ashen! My sorority sister started hers in 1999 with Carol's Daughter Loc Butter; they looked good for a couple years but they got so much trapped dirt, lint and oils that she couldn't remove. Dawn dish liquid, boiling water dips, etc., didn't even work, so she had to cut nearly seven inches off to her heartbreak. That equates to about 3.5 years' growth!

Tighten your new growth monthly; any more often would be too much and cause breakage. Around my fourth year, I found a really awesome salon (Oh My Nappy Hair! in ATL) that actually used a braiding-type tightening method that gave me a really clean look.

I got really glam around the fourth and fifth years. That's when I would go get professional color jobs and do rod sets and "hang man's rope sets." (It's a really twisty set; I've attached finished photos at the bottom from 2006; you can click on each one to enlarge.) I got tired of using so much product for BSL locs and wearing high buns that I cut them to shoulder length.

My locs LOVED Aveda's Sap Moss line when I didn't go to the salon. I used Paul Mitchell's styling gel to tighten. Also Royal Roots makes this awesome jojoba-based locking gel that's really good. Taliah Wajiid makes it.

I didn't use any oils directly on my locs. I made herbal rinses (essential oils, flowers, Irish Moss, and jojoba oil steeped in soft boiling water) and poured them over my hair when cool.

Contrary to popular belief, you CAN remove locs without cutting them. That's what I did. It took a month, though, but I could have had them out sooner had I not learned--with seven locs left--that it's faster to remove FROM THE ROOT DOWN. I was undoing from the end (the oldest part of the loc) up.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

--Pink Gator
 
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KiSseS03

Well-Known Member
I have sisterlocks and I LOVE them! They are the very best hair decision (outside of going natural) that I have ever made.
I love your hair!!

I have loved locs since Lauryn Hill went solo. Clean, healthy, locs are incredibly beautiful to me!

I am thinking of using sisterlocks as I transition out of my relaxer, and later combining them so I can have the thicker locs that I think would look best on me.
 

ronise

New Member
I had locs for 12 years and did the big chop last July. It took my hair a year to completely lock and after that they were a joy! I agree with the tips given by AZAfroGurl, don't load your hair with products and just enjoy the journey!
 

thefineprint

Well-Known Member
I love your hair!!

I have loved locs since Lauryn Hill went solo. Clean, healthy, locs are incredibly beautiful to me!

I am thinking of using sisterlocks as I transition out of my relaxer, and later combining them so I can have the thicker locs that I think would look best on me.

thanks! sisterlocks make locking so easy. i did a rollerset 2 days ago and it should last for a week and a half. i just shake the curls in the morning and go. i absolutely love being locked.
 

Afro-Indi

New Member
Congratsss! I'm really excited to start my journey.
So those are your baby locs in your siggy, right?
How long have you had them now?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for all that good info, Pink Gator!
Out of my 6 test locs, 2 of them have small knots at the ends!!!
I'm so giddy about it and I'm not even fully locked yet!!!!:trampolin
Thanks to everyone for posting the album links:yep:


I've had them twice: 1995-1997 and 2000-2006.

The first set didn't look too hot--back in the mid-90s, there weren't a lot of good products and salons that catered to loc wearers. I looked like a serious bushy-haired hippie whom people offered weed to or asked if I had any whenever I entered a club or party! LOL!

When I started my second set, there were so many products and services and people with them that having them was a breeze!

My second set was started via two-strand twists with 3-inch long hair. It's so much better to start with shorter hair than longer because that way your loc will start "weighing" itself better. Starting off with longer hair tends to make thinner locs. Also, don't start really wide locs because when they grow, they will get too thick (ALL locs thicken as they grow) and will stress your scalp and cause alopecia. Ever see folks with mature locs with really thin edges and roots? That's why. Overtwisting when tightening is another cause of thin edges/roots.

My hair is naturally curly; I couldn't use moisturizers until I was fully locked--three months later. I did, however, use aloe vera gel for moisture and fresh lemon and/or lime juices to facilitate the locking process.

How locs are formed:
When you comb your hair, you tend to shed 100-200 hairs a day.
When you don't comb your hair, the shed hairs tend to fall to the end of your loc and form a little knot. DO NOT REMOVE THIS KNOT because you will hinder your locking proccess.

As the hair sheds, the loose hairs will clump and attach themselves to the knot at the end of your loc. As they grow, it will harden.

Everyone I know who's ever locked will concur that locs begin to grow like crazy after the second year. I would cut a few inches off mine just to have them grow back in a couple months!

Your hair will go through so many phases as they grow and mature! My favorite was the "teenage" phase (first two years) where my locs stood up and had a mind of their own. I got so many compliments.

Maintenance and Styling:

STAY AWAY FROM BEESWAX, PURE SHEA BUTTER, AND OTHER WAXY POMADES! They form unremovable buildup and will literally turn your locs ashen! My sorority sister started hers in 1999 with Carol's Daughter Loc Butter; they looked good for a couple years but they got so much trapped dirt, lint and oils that she couldn't remove. Dawn dish liquid, boiling water dips, etc., didn't even work, so she had to cut nearly seven inches off to her heartbreak. That equates to about 3.5 years' growth!

Tighten your new growth monthly; any more often would be too much and cause breakage. Around my fourth year, I found a really awesome salon (Oh My Nappy Hair! in ATL) that actually used a braiding-type tightening method that gave me a really clean look.

I got really glam around the fourth and fifth years. That's when I would go get professional color jobs and do rod sets and "hang man's rope sets." (It's a really twisty set; I've attached finished photos at the bottom from 2006; you can click on each one to enlarge.) I got tired of using so much product for BSL locs and wearing high buns that I cut them to shoulder length.

My locs LOVED Aveda's Sap Moss line when I didn't go to the salon. I used Paul Mitchell's styling gel to tighten. Also Royal Roots makes this awesome jojoba-based locking gel that's really good. Taliah Wajiid makes it.

I didn't use any oils directly on my locs. I made herbal rinses (essential oils, flowers, Irish Moss, and jojoba oil steeped in soft boiling water) and poured them over my hair when cool.

Contrary to popular belief, you CAN remove locs without cutting them. That's what I did. It took a month, though, but I could have had them out sooner had I not learned--with seven locs left--that it's faster to remove FROM THE ROOT DOWN. I was undoing from the end (the oldest part of the loc) up.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

--Pink Gator
View attachment 15529

View attachment 15531

View attachment 15533
 

eunique

New Member
:grin: Thank you so much for this information! I'm definitely saving it now!

I've had them twice: 1995-1997 and 2000-2006.

The first set didn't look too hot--back in the mid-90s, there weren't a lot of good products and salons that catered to loc wearers. I looked like a serious bushy-haired hippie whom people offered weed to or asked if I had any whenever I entered a club or party! LOL!

When I started my second set, there were so many products and services and people with them that having them was a breeze!

My second set was started via two-strand twists with 3-inch long hair. It's so much better to start with shorter hair than longer because that way your loc will start "weighing" itself better. Starting off with longer hair tends to make thinner locs. Also, don't start really wide locs because when they grow, they will get too thick (ALL locs thicken as they grow) and will stress your scalp and cause alopecia. Ever see folks with mature locs with really thin edges and roots? That's why. Overtwisting when tightening is another cause of thin edges/roots.

My hair is naturally curly; I couldn't use moisturizers until I was fully locked--three months later. I did, however, use aloe vera gel for moisture and fresh lemon and/or lime juices to facilitate the locking process.

How locs are formed:
When you comb your hair, you tend to shed 100-200 hairs a day.
When you don't comb your hair, the shed hairs tend to fall to the end of your loc and form a little knot. DO NOT REMOVE THIS KNOT because you will hinder your locking proccess.

As the hair sheds, the loose hairs will clump and attach themselves to the knot at the end of your loc. As they grow, it will harden.

Everyone I know who's ever locked will concur that locs begin to grow like crazy after the second year. I would cut a few inches off mine just to have them grow back in a couple months!

Your hair will go through so many phases as they grow and mature! My favorite was the "teenage" phase (first two years) where my locs stood up and had a mind of their own. I got so many compliments.

Maintenance and Styling:

STAY AWAY FROM BEESWAX, PURE SHEA BUTTER, AND OTHER WAXY POMADES! They form unremovable buildup and will literally turn your locs ashen! My sorority sister started hers in 1999 with Carol's Daughter Loc Butter; they looked good for a couple years but they got so much trapped dirt, lint and oils that she couldn't remove. Dawn dish liquid, boiling water dips, etc., didn't even work, so she had to cut nearly seven inches off to her heartbreak. That equates to about 3.5 years' growth!

Tighten your new growth monthly; any more often would be too much and cause breakage. Around my fourth year, I found a really awesome salon (Oh My Nappy Hair! in ATL) that actually used a braiding-type tightening method that gave me a really clean look.

I got really glam around the fourth and fifth years. That's when I would go get professional color jobs and do rod sets and "hang man's rope sets." (It's a really twisty set; I've attached finished photos at the bottom from 2006; you can click on each one to enlarge.) I got tired of using so much product for BSL locs and wearing high buns that I cut them to shoulder length.

My locs LOVED Aveda's Sap Moss line when I didn't go to the salon. I used Paul Mitchell's styling gel to tighten. Also Royal Roots makes this awesome jojoba-based locking gel that's really good. Taliah Wajiid makes it.

I didn't use any oils directly on my locs. I made herbal rinses (essential oils, flowers, Irish Moss, and jojoba oil steeped in soft boiling water) and poured them over my hair when cool.

Contrary to popular belief, you CAN remove locs without cutting them. That's what I did. It took a month, though, but I could have had them out sooner had I not learned--with seven locs left--that it's faster to remove FROM THE ROOT DOWN. I was undoing from the end (the oldest part of the loc) up.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

--Pink Gator
View attachment 15529

View attachment 15531

View attachment 15533
 

pink gator

Well-Known Member
!
Out of my 6 test locs, 2 of them have small knots at the ends!!!
I'm so giddy about it and I'm not even fully locked yet!!!!:trampolin

That's AWESOME! And you're welcome!

Here's another thing I did (may sound weird, but I'm a lil' sentimental like that): When I got my FIRST loc, I "rewarded" it with a trinket. I sewed a tiny 10K gold ankh on it. That way I could also remember which one loc'd first.

I also, on every "loc-a-versary", I would put another trinket on another loc. I liked my trinkets to be hidden under my other locs, only to be shown if I wore my hair up or something like that. :grin:
 

eunique

New Member
Naa, thse aren't my starters but I do plan to start with comb coils ... I think. They are some comb coils I got back in March that my mother did for me. I had planned to begin the locking process at the beginning of the summer but I'm a broke college student so it was out of the question. Lol.

So those are your baby locs in your siggy, right?
How long have you had them now?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for all that good info, Pink Gator!
Out of my 6 test locs, 2 of them have small knots at the ends!!!
I'm so giddy about it and I'm not even fully locked yet!!!!:trampolin
Thanks to everyone for posting the album links:yep:
 
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