Anyone who has locs. PLEASE help!!

[Whimsicalgodess]

So I am getting locs put in on the 29th of this month. I have no idea if I should get twists put in or coils. I LOVE the fluffy look you get from coils, but I feel twists will be easier to manage on my own since I’ll be doing my own retwists from here on out.

I’ve also been going back and forth with the number. I want hair that is super low maintenance, but I want enough locs for thickness since my hair is on the finer side. I’ve been going back and forth between 100-110 with a brick parting.

I also need help with shampooing. For some reason when I got my first set of micro locs put in my scalp just never felt clean. I was thinking of washing every 2 weeks instead of every month to fix that issue. I also want to only use all natural products.

for leave in: mixture of aloe Vera juice and rose water
For sealing in moisture: jojoba oil
For oiling scalp: MCT oil with rosemary essential oil
For retwists: 100% natural flaxseed oil

no clue what to use for an all natural shampoo since I have Seborrheic dermatitis. I feel like African black soap would dry my scalp out since it dried my face out so bad. I don’t any all natural clarifying and moisturizing shampoos. Since my locs are going to be bigger, so I need to worry about fungus and mold?

I know this is a lot and I appreciate any help you guys can give me. I was in Facebook groups and they were more interested in posting pics then helping out newbies and all 3 loctitions I’ve seen have all had conflicting advice on how to take care of my locs! It’s very stressful

 

[water_n_oil]

Hi there. Not currently loc'd but I've had them in the past. 100-110 is a nice number. Whether you go with twists or coils is more personal preference. I always liked starting mine with coils but they're also the most prone to unraveling early on. Your scalp will have the same needs it did prior to loc'ing so go with whatever washing schedule currently works. I'd never go a whole month but some people can. Your product list should work great. As far as shampooing you could try diluted castile soap followed by an acidic rinse (depending on your water hardness, the soap can cause buildup without the acidic rinse). A shampoo bar is also an option but note some bars are merely soap being called shampoo. Mold and fungus are certainly risks especially if you aren't drying them properly. I'd advise blow drying or a hooded dryer.

 

[Whimsicalgodess]

Hi there. Not currently loc'd but I've had them in the past. 100-110 is a nice number. Whether you go with twists or coils is more personal preference. I always liked starting mine with coils but they're also the most prone to unraveling early on. Your scalp will have the same needs it did prior to loc'ing so go with whatever washing schedule currently works. I'd never go a whole month but some people can. Your product list should work great. As far as shampooing you could try diluted castile soap followed by an acidic rinse (depending on your water hardness, the soap can cause buildup without the acidic rinse). A shampoo bar is also an option but note some bars are merely soap being called shampoo. Mold and fungus are certainly risks especially if you aren't drying them properly. I'd advise blow drying or a hooded dryer.

thanks for the quick reply! Can I do an acidic rinse every 2 weeks, or will that dry my locs out? If I invest in softening the water, is that step unnecessary? Also, would I just wash once then if I use Castile soap? Is a moisturizing shampoo unnecessary? Or do I shampoo twice with the Castile soap? Sorry for all the questions!

would I blow dry until they are completely dry? Or just blow dry until like 50% dry and then air dry the rest of the time?

 

[water_n_oil]

thanks for the quick reply! Can I do an acidic rinse every 2 weeks, or will that dry my locs out? If I invest in softening the water, is that step unnecessary? Also, would I just wash once then if I use Castile soap? Is a moisturizing shampoo unnecessary? Or do I shampoo twice with the Castile soap? Sorry for all the questions!

would I blow dry until they are completely dry? Or just blow dry until like 50% dry and then air dry the rest of the time?

Every two weeks should be fine. Whether you'd need to invest in a softening system I guess would depend on if your water is extremely hard. I currently use a shower filter (which isn't the same as a softener) which helps some. I personally only wash once with castile soap. I dilute it with either plain water or green tea. I'd either air dry for some time then blow dry the rest of the way or blow dry til like 70% or so.

 

[Whimsicalgodess]

Every two weeks should be fine. Whether you'd need to invest in a softening system I guess would depend on if your water is extremely hard. I currently use a shower filter (which isn't the same as a softener) which helps some. I personally only wash once with castile soap. I dilute it with either plain water or green tea. I'd either air dry for some time then blow dry the rest of the way or blow dry til like 70% or so.

Thank you!! You’re a life saver
I just wanted a simple regimen with natural products without having to make concoctions or being a DIYer. This is as simple as it gets!

 

[Cattypus1]

So I am getting locs put in on the 29th of this month. I have no idea if I should get twists put in or coils. I LOVE the fluffy look you get from coils, but I feel twists will be easier to manage on my own since I’ll be doing my own retwists from here on out.

I’ve also been going back and forth with the number. I want hair that is super low maintenance, but I want enough locs for thickness since my hair is on the finer side. I’ve been going back and forth between 100-110 with a brick parting.

I also need help with shampooing. For some reason when I got my first set of micro locs put in my scalp just never felt clean. I was thinking of washing every 2 weeks instead of every month to fix that issue. I also want to only use all natural products.

for leave in: mixture of aloe Vera juice and rose water
For sealing in moisture: jojoba oil
For oiling scalp: MCT oil with rosemary essential oil
For retwists: 100% natural flaxseed oil

no clue what to use for an all natural shampoo since I have Seborrheic dermatitis. I feel like African black soap would dry my scalp out since it dried my face out so bad. I don’t any all natural clarifying and moisturizing shampoos. Since my locs are going to be bigger, so I need to worry about fungus and mold?

I know this is a lot and I appreciate any help you guys can give me. I was in Facebook groups and they were more interested in posting pics then helping out newbies and all 3 loctitions I’ve seen have all had conflicting advice on how to take care of my locs! It’s very stressful

Hey there! I’m loced. I started with coils on November 19, 2018. I didn’t do enough research and had no idea about parting. I was determined to not go back to the loctician though. She told me not to get my hair wet for 3 weeks and then to come back for my first retwist. I scheduled the appointment but decided to try my hand at my first ever wash and retwist just before my appointment. If I failed then I could always keep my appointment. I never went back...it’s not that serious. I have fine hair, too. I have about 85 locs and sometimes wish I had more because I like big hair but on washday my 85 locs are perfect. I use mostly Design Essentials products and I also use a deep conditioner almost every time I wash. The first 6 months, I washed and retwisted every two weeks—I know they don’t recommend that but I couldn’t go any longer. My parts are crazy and I have some “random” loc sizes in places. My coils were about 4 inches long and shrunk to nothing.
I say all that to say that I was brand spanking new to locs but there are some things I do without fail...I always wear a bonnet to bed, I always dry under a hooded dryer and I took pictures like they were going out of style. The rest takes care of itself. The pics helped me to see my progress. You can do it! There is a loc thread on here and YouTube is my friend.

 

[Whimsicalgodess]

Hey there! I’m loced. I started with coils on November 19, 2018. I didn’t do enough research and had no idea about parting. I was determined to not go back to the loctician though. She told me not to get my hair wet for 3 weeks and then to come back for my first retwist. I scheduled the appointment but decided to try my hand at my first ever wash and retwist just before my appointment. If I failed then I could always keep my appointment. I never went back...it’s not that serious. I have fine hair, too. I have about 85 locs and sometimes wish I had more because I like big hair but on washday my 85 locs are perfect. I use mostly Design Essentials products and I also use a deep conditioner almost every time I wash. The first 6 months, I washed and retwisted every two weeks—I know they don’t recommend that but I couldn’t go any longer. My parts are crazy and I have some “random” loc sizes in places. My coils were about 4 inches long and shrunk to nothing.
I say all that to say that I was brand spanking new to locs but there are some things I do without fail...I always wear a bonnet to bed, I always dry under a hooded dryer and I took pictures like they were going out of style. The rest takes care of itself. The pics helped me to see my progress. You can do it! There is a loc thread on here and YouTube is my friend.

What do you use as a deep conditioner? I was told to steer clear of those due to build up

 

[Cattypus1]

What do you use as a deep conditioner? I was told to steer clear of those due to build up

I use the Design Essentials Rosemary & Mint. I was told not to use conditioners also. I watched umpteen videos and read everything I could before deciding to go for it. No build up. I use heat and rinse in the shower. I recently started dunking my locs in the sink and squeezing after rinsing in the shower just to make sure they rinse clean.

 

[water_n_oil]

I use the Design Essentials Rosemary & Mint. I was told not to use conditioners also. I watched umpteen videos and read everything I could before deciding to go for it. No build up. I use heat and rinse in the shower. I recently started dunking my locs in the sink and squeezing after rinsing in the shower just to make sure they rinse clean.

That's definitely a good choice! I used to use the DE clarifying shampoo, moisturizing shampoo, then the dc. Damian Walter on YT had always used those three on his clients.

 

[Cattypus1]

That's definitely a good choice! I used to use the DE clarifying shampoo, moisturizing shampoo, then the dc. Damian Walter on YT had always used those three on his clients.

Damien was one of my favs. I watched his process for retwisting and did my best to emulate him. I really hate the scent of that honey-something moisturizing shampoo but they have an avocado one that I like. My hair is never dirty enough to require 3 shampoos but I like his technique and he seems knowledgeable about everything locs.