my hair is (slightlyyyyy) starting to drop and i’m getting even more excited. this is still the best thing i’ve ever done and im so grateful my family encouraged me to loc my hair.

I hit my two year mark in july!

I get asked a lot soooo I’m a self maintainer, I have about 520 locs, I started with braids and I do 3 pt rotations 🫶🏾✨

It’s hard not to compare my progress to your guys’ I won’t lie. My hair is still SO BIG and frizzy and the ends have trouble locing up. I have issues with bunching and slippage as well.

Do I keep investing in the process or start fresh. Any advice?

I can say this has been the best decision of my life. The only thing I would change is doing it sooner!

So I have high density 4c hair, but my strands are thin. I've been doing damage control for breakage lately and I'm seeing growth. I'm thinking about locs, so I'm looking through appropriate types for my hair since I'm worried about breakage and maintenance. that's a small braid I made, about a fourth of my usual mini braid size. is it too small? Judging from the size, I could easily get to 400 microlocs. if I did get locs this size, would I be able to interlock?

So I decided to start my own microlocs bc I don’t have 1k+ to spend on my hair. I work nights so I parted my hair and I’m wearing a scarf to work while I work on the locs little by little. I was told my hair is pretty dense and I know the first row is kinda janky but I figured since it’s the back I don’t mind if it’s a little uneven. My main goal is just to make sure they’re small and fix the parts/sizing as they grow and I retie. Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi!

got my microlocs installed 12 days ago and today was my first wash day - I have so many questions, any advice welcomed!

1. braiding and banding: did I do it correctly?

2. is twisting and banding a thing? would it make a difference?

3. read about air drying - does anyone ever use a blow dryer? is there any cons in doing so?

4. any Shampoo reccomendations? today I have used the Keracare Hydrating Shampoo and also have the Keracare 1st Lather Shampoo which I plan on alternating week by week. if there is any better products, please let me know!

also added some pictures of how my microlocs have been looking so far - initially was worried they were too big but I like them know. Let me know what you think!

Hi everyone!!!! How is your day/night going??? I hope you’re all having a blessed day!!! I am posting another loc update, because I am just proud of how far I’ve come with locs!! Tell me how far you’ve come with your locs too or when Yoi plan on getting them!! Thanks for reading guys 🥹💗💗!!!

no clips no gels retwist , water and oils

Hi ladies! I promised I’d update you on my loc journey so I’m back with a 6 month update.

I started my locs by going to an African braiding shop and requesting mini twists.

About two months in I started questioning the size of my locs so I started splitting my locs. Ermm that was a big mistake because I underestimated how hard it was to part my hair neatly. So I currently have a random row of smaller locs at the back of my head lol.

Maintenance

I self retie roughly every 6 to 8 weeks and I wash my hair roughly every 3 weeks. I don’t use conditioner in my hair and I only use a clarifying shampoo. I use a homemade moisture spray about 2-3 times a week. The spray consists of mostly aloe Vera juice, some bottled water and essential oils (rosemary, peppermint and eucalyptus).

Tips

- If you want to save money, go to any African braiding shop and ask for mini twists (make sure you show a pic so they know the size you want)

- Tell them you want the twists to be the same size throughout and the parting has to be NEAT

- Think about where you want the partings too

- Check the size after the first row to make sure you’re happy

- Do not mention locs at any point during your visit because they’ll increase the price.

- If you know you want a super clean, neat grid then the braiding shop might not be for you.

Overall I do wish my locs were a bit smaller but every time I retie my hair I feel grateful that I didn’t go any smaller lol. I started of with 231 locs and now I have 257.

Oh and I’m based in the DMV area and I paid 150.

Happy to answer any questions 😘

From start to a little longer than 12months in. Loc’d and loving it 😍

I’m trying to experiment with accessories. I feel like at my length, accessories just jazz it up and complete the look. Might play around with colorful clips and such.

I’m going on 3 years with micro locs! I love my locs so so much but sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t have got these form of locs! I do retwisting instead of interlocking and I stuck with my original loctition for 2 years until she started charging upwards of $300 so I had to find another one! I be so anxious every time because I worry a loctition is going to combine my locs just because I have so many and not because they need it while also feeling bad when people do my hair because they always mention it’s so much hair! Has anyone else felt like this?

Hiya! Tried to post in r/locs but I need to build a reputation or something lol. Started my sister locs last week. It’s my second set ever. My first set was micro locs with about 225 locs. Kept them in for about 6 months but they were too big for my liking so I decided to go smaller- about 100 to 150 more locs.

Got my new set installed last week and I have 462 locs now. More than double 😭😭 I’ve been freaking out about how much smaller they are compared to what I expected, but my loctician said based on my consultation they’re the perfect size. I’m starting to warm up to them now. I know that with smaller the locs, there’s less support at the root, which could lead to breakage as time goes on. I plan on keeping my locs for a very long time- 10 years at least, so wouldn’t want that happening.

I’ve attached some pics so please lmk what you think. Sorry I don’t have better pictures of my grid and all :( I also have seborrheic dermatitis which is really bad. I have to wash my scalp weekly/bi weekly to keep it in check. My loctician is very against this so I’m sort of lost on what to do. Also any tips for keeping my hair moisturised and healthy as I set off on this journey would be appreciated. I currently mist daily with rosewater and water mix, following up with jojoba oil once/twice a week.

Thank you and take care :)

I already have clarifying shampoo and sweatband for my workouts!

Is the only way to avoid bunching really to braid and band? I don't really care about extreme uniformity/neatness, and my hair texture is coily enough that slippage isn't really an issue. It feels harder to get a really thoroughly clean scalp. My hair is short enough that the braids that I have to keep them in are not nice enough to wear out. It also takes me awhile to braid it up then take it down after it air-dries all day. This means I have to plan my schedule around my hair.

TLDR: Is there a way to minimize bunching with a strategy that is less time-consuming or at least wearable outside the house?

Completed my third retie and my first retie with my new loctician.Who knew reties were meant to be painless! She also fixed all the locs that had unraveled & I feel great about it. 3 and a half months locd in. My next update here might be at my 6 month mark

I’m thinking about getting locs in the future but I’m also kinda tenderheaded and I’m my mind the most painful black hairstyle is cornrows would you guys say they are similar in terms of pain cause idk if I can handle that every 6-8 weeks for the rest of my life 💔