Loc Maintenance
Table of Contents
Keeping your faux locs or dreadlocks healthy and looking great is challenging. We will not lie to you; keeping up with the hair care of a professional look is the hardest part about wearing such a style.
The rest comes easy. Luckily for you, we have put together an excellent guide that touches on all your loc maintenance needs. So just sit back and get comfy as we cover everything you will need to know for proper loc maintenance.
WHAT IS LOC MAINTENANCE?
Loc maintenance is any pro-active measures you or your hairstylist take to help wash, clean, hydrate, nourish, or protect your natural hair and hair extensions. Maintenance can vary for different hairstyles. Some looks require daily, weekly and monthly maintenance. This can also change depending on what stage of your loc journey you are on.
LOC CARE FOR 3 STAGES OF THE LOC JOURNEY
No matter how long you have been on this loc journey, you will need to have some loc care routine to help proper hair growth and develop your dreaded plaits. Most hairstyles, including dreadlocks, go through a 3 stage loc journey.
STARTER LOCS
The first stage of obtainging any hairstyle is the starter stage. This typically lasts the first 3-7 days for new locs. This stage requires the most attention as you will need to correct any mistakes that appear to avoid potential damage later on.
- Use loc gels and wax to help clean up loose hair and baby hairs and separate parts.
- Wrap faux locs in a shower cap before taking a bath to avoid rinsing out the product.
- Keep your natural hair moisturized with a leave-in conditioner.
- Avoid over manipulation when cleaning or styling.
- Use residue-free shampoo when cleaning locs.
MATURE LOCS
These are your hairstyles’ teenage years. This stage lasts the second week up till the last week of your hairstyle life. Your roots are typically going to start a budding phase where they appear thicker and have more frizz. This can be handled with gentle palm rolling or re-twisting.
- Locs should be worn in a satin scarf during sleep
- Areas with dry locs should be given a lot of attention with plenty of moisturizing. Use essential oils like coconut oil, castor oil, jojoba, other natural oils.
- Be on the lookout for product build-up, and make sure to be using residue-free shampoos.
- Palm roll and re-twist any loose hairs to help lock them in place
- Follow up a thorough cleaning with a deep condition to help moisturize and dry hair.
ROOTED LOCS
This is the last stage of your faux locs journey. Depending on your loc style, this stage will be around week 6 to week 10. Loc styles should be removed after ten weeks to avoid any damage or breakage.
You will know you’re in this stage when you notice these signs
- Excessive build-up near the roots, including pillowcase lint, dust, and other contaminants
- After a deep moisturizer has been applied, the natural hair still appears dry.
- Breakage near the hair tips
These signs are a red flag that it’s time to start making appointments with your hairstylist to get those locs removed. But don’t worry, girl, we got even more tips for you below with some loc maintenance made easy.
LOC MAINTENANCE MADE EASY
It’s not always as easy as it sounds to start a good hair care practice. So check out this lovely queen’s video tutorial as she helps you put together your first maintenance routine below!
Five Vital Loc Maintenence Tips
Faux locs are a unique hairstyle, so taking care of them also requires their own set of rules. These are the top five tips that you should essentially follow to maintain those gorgeous locs. Before installing the faux locs, you should consider a deep cleanse, with conditioning, and moisturizing; then seal the moisture in.
1. Cleansing
They are called a protective hairstyle and cover your natural hair completely; it doesn’t mean they don’t require cleansing. They do! Every protective hairstyle does.
Loc maintenance is essential to keeping an updo looking prestigious. Just make sure that you do not entirely drench your head in the water. Instead, mix some shampoo and water in a spray bottle and spray it onto your scalp.
You’re going to need it to clean all the build-up of your scalp. Gently work the solution in your scalp with your fingers and then clean with a wet cloth instead of pouring water over your head. Make sure to avoid the locs getting soaked in water. Not only will this make your locs heavy, but it might also cause them to loosen.
2. Moisturizing
After cleansing, it is crucial to moisturize (just like you would do for any other body after cleansing). First of all, there are many creams available in the market; choose one according to your scalp needs, and moisturize accordingly after cleansing.
It would help if you also oiled your scalp regularly to avoid dryness. You can oil your locs occasionally as well for an added amount of shine. You can also spritz some rose water on your scalp to get that extra moisture level in your scalp. You can also use light oil like jojoba oil or tea tree oil for your scalp.
3. HANDLE THE FRIZZ
If you find your locs are getting frizzy, then don’t worry. We have got you covered. If the frizz is in an average amount, then you can apply a light moisturizer to control it. Also, a little frizz makes it look more natural, but it can become unmanageable if it is left unchecked.
To control frizz, you can use products that contain shea butter and five principal fatty acids – palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and arachidic. They provide essential nutrients, improve hair health, and smoothen out all kinds of hair strands.
HOT WATER DIPPING
Sometimes all it takes to control a frizzy loc is just a little dab in some hot water combined with a light palm roll. Faux loc hair fibers loosen up when warmed in heated water. Placing the tips of your frizzy locs in hot water will help loosen the hairs so you can roll them back together. Once they dry, they re-lock and stay in the new bound position.
4. LOCK IT IN WITH SILK PILLOWCASES
This is a tip that works not only for faux locs but also for every hair type. Cotton fibers rub out and absorb the moisture from your hair while sleeping, leaving your scalp dry. Also, the toss and turns you take while sleeping create friction against your pillowcase and leads to the breakage of hair.
Silk, on the other hand, helps to retain moisture. Not only will it keep your locs healthy, but it will also help in keeping your face healthy as well. It also helps in reducing split ends and keep the frizz at bay.
5. Hydrate Hair Underneath
To keep your roots hydrated and intact, you can apply naturally sourced oils to the roots and scalp. Coconut oil is a beautiful oil that has a very high moisture retention capacity. It can work wonders for your locs as they don’t allow the moisture to escape so easily.
Castor oil is also a staple in many places and can also work wonders for your hair. It helps nourish the scalp, strengthens the roots, keeps the bacteria at bay, and maintains the pH balance of your scalp.
CASTOR OIL FOR HAIR GROWTH
Check out how castor oil can help with hair growth in this video made by Kassie Depke on youtube.
LOC MAINTENANCE DON’TS
The last topic we will touch on is things you shouldn’t do when maintaining those locs correctly. Avoid these mistakes, and you will have a higher success rate and longer-lasting healthy hair!
- Direct sunlight for a substantial amount of time.
- Cleaning faux locs with too much abrasion.
- Ruffle locs when towel drying.
- Leave hair down when going to sleep.
- Swimming in highly chlorinated & bleached pools
- Thoroughly washing out conditioner with water during a shower.
CONCLUSION
With these helpful guidelines to follow, hopefully, we have enlightened you on some better loc maintenance practices that could potentially save you a lot of time and money. Faux locs are a beautiful hairstyle for everyone, so do your best to keep them looking friendly and healthy. Don’t forget to subscribe below to receive all of our most up-to-date news as well as any updates we do to our pages.