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Getting Started With Locs
Starting Locs And What To Expect
Before starting locs, it’s important to understand the process and what to expect, and there are several important facets to consider. This quick-starter guide, along with the real-life experience of our boy Danny starting his locs, will help you make your choices ahead of time and get to loc luxury as stress-free as possible.
Twisted Locs vs. Crochet Locs
The two most popular methods for starting locs are twisting and crocheting.
Twisted locs generally look more natural and can easily be retwisted to incorporate new growth. That being said, twists can easily unravel themselves, especially if washed too often. They are also known to take longer to mature, which can lead to frizzy locs.
Crochet locs are much more secure than twists, resulting in less frizz and faster overall locking of the hair. The main drawbacks for crochet locs, however, are they are much more time consuming, and require more skill to incorporate new growth.
Hair Preparation
Once you’ve decided on which method you prefer for starting locs, it’s time to get your mane ready by washing your hair thoroughly.
Some experts recommend avoiding conditioner when starting locs because the smoothing of your strands can make the tangling process more difficult. Lower quality conditioners can also leave residue on your hair, which will be trapped in your locs and lead to issues down the road.
Sectioning
Now that your hair is washed, it’s time to dry it and prep for the sectioning process. Some experts say combing out knots isn’t mandatory, but it’s generally recommended.
If you’re going with the twist method, you’ll likely be combing out knots in the process by default.
Loc Count and Thickness
Now that your hair is washed and free of pesky knots, it’s time to separate your hair into the desired number of sections or bunches. How many locs do you want, and how thick do you want them?
A standard thickness is about half an inch. Fewer sections or bunches means thicker locs, while more sections will result in thinner locs.
If your locs are too thin they can start to meld together into larger locs unless you stay consistent with maintenance. If they’re too thick they can become cumbersome and be a nuisance during activities such as sleep.
That being said, thick locs (aka Wicks) and thin locs (aka Sister locs) are styles unto themselves.
We recommend using a small rubber tie; the kind of tie generally used for braids. Once you have your bunch in hand, tie it off all the way at the root.
Loc It Up
Possibly the most important advice we can give you is trust the process. Locs done right take time, and the process is a journey. When starting locs correctly, they take months to mature.
An important consideration going into your locs journey is deciding how you want to deal with loc maintenance. Falling behind on your maintenance can totally ruin the time and effort you’ve dedicated.
Now that you have the quick rundown on starting locs, if all this sounds like a little too much work, consider hiring a loctician! There are many qualified professionals out there just waiting to hook you up. Tell them The Longhairs sent you!
A Real-Life Experience In Starting Locs
A few years back, our boy Danny went through the entire process from start to finish. He dealt with lots of common difficulties and frustrations, but it clearly paid off. We were there by his side every step of the way, documenting his journey through various forms of media, showcasing what it really takes to get a full head of beautiful locs.
While everyone’s hair and their journey to locs is going to be a little different, Danny’s experience can help to illustrate what the process is like and what you can expect.
Starting Locs With Danny, Part 1
The Beginning
Danny is a San Diego local and close friend of The Longhairs. As you can tell from the picture, he has extremely curly hair, which grows in every direction except for down. For him, the only solution to the madness was starting locs.
Listen to part one as we sit down with Danny to get a better understanding of the beginning stages of starting locs.
What you'll hear about
- Danny’s last time with locs (and the issues he had)
- The decision to wear locs again
- How long it will take to get perfect locs
- Why choosing locs will close some doors for you
- The many ways to rock your locs
- Advice for men starting locs
Starting Locs With Danny, Part 2
The Setup
Danny sat anxiously at Hyde Edwards Salon, waiting for his name to be called. Eyes closed and head leaned back, he contemplated the coming weeks of effort, commitment and awkwardness he must endure before reaching a full head of locs.
“This is the beginning” he murmured to himself over the sound of blow dryers and amusing background conversations. “I’m doing this and it’s gonna be siiiccck!!”
“Danny...”
He looked up to see Kyra walking his way. It was time to get this extreme mass of hair under control.
Danny’s goal was to have about 50 individual locs, evenly sized and spaced out. To achieve that, sections of hair needed to be tied off, forming groups. This sets the hair up for consistent separation, length and pattern throughout the head. It’s difficult to get even sections by yourself, so he commissioned help from Kyra.
Before any sectioning, Kyra did a deep wash with clarifying shampoo (if you’ve never had someone wash your hair, do yourself a favor and make that happen). From there she blow dried and combed all the knots and tangles out, taking his hair from ultra curly to relatively straight, providing a smooth, healthy body of hair to work with.
In starting locs, clarifying shampoo was important for Danny as he knew it would be several weeks before his next thorough cleansing. His plan was to allow the oils from his scalp help bond the hair together, allowing his locs to take shape naturally.
Once his hair was completely dry, Kyra began to section off chunks of hair, using tiny black rubber bands at the root to hold each section together. This is where the extra help is crucial, as the person helping can easily measure out each section, allowing for even groups and, eventually, uniform locs.
With the sectioning complete, Danny was off on his own to start twisting, which begins to form the locs. This takes a lot of time. It’s not like you just twist them up and BOOM you have a full head of locs.
It’s constant work, back combing and twisting each section individually, working the hair to rope together and getting it to stick. This was even tougher for Danny, who was against using any type of wax or bonding product, determined to have them form naturally.
After a few days of steady effort he was a little frustrated. The sectioned-off hair he’d been diligently working on wasn’t twisting up as he’d hoped, poofing and frizzing out instead. He was at a point of real awkwardness, where the sections were more like their own little afros rather than that rope look he wanted.
He even felt a little self-conscious and rocked a beanie for the next few days, hoping his head’s natural oils would start bonding the hair. Each day he continued rolling individual sections, trying to get them to stick.
A week into the process he had enough. He needed to find something that could help speed up the process. Then there was a breakthrough.
The crochet hook! This little tool became a life saver, allowing Danny to weave the hair together, accelerating the bonding process and quickly forming the poofy sections into rope-looking locs. Self-consciousness made way for excitement. With each pass of the crochet hook he was getting closer to fully formed locs.
Six hours of True Detective later, Danny was loc’d up. Even sections, tight ropes, clean lines and looking dope. He was ultra stoked, going from starting locs to the perfect outcome.
This video depicts how Danny was feeling throughout, from the highs and lows to the end results.
The Road To Locs, Part 2
with Danny RamirezStarting Locs With Danny, Part 3
Loc Maintenance
Listen to the final installment in Danny’s journey to locs, where he reflects on the process, how he felt throughout, and maintenance of his locs going forward.
What you'll hear about
- Forming locs without using beeswax or resin
- Caring for locs—washing, maintaining and treatments
- Working in a professional environment with locs
- How locs are like the economy
- The three things you need to consider if you’re thinking about locs
Tons of love to all our brethren and their beautiful locs out there.
Yani Care Products & Services
If you’re seeking help with your locs in the Orlando, FL area, we highly recommend Yani Care, offering experienced, professional services and products for locs and natural hair, including maintenance, repair, styling, starting locs, interlocking and overall rejuvenation of budding or existing locs.
Yani Care…helping you achieve Your All Natural Image.
Visit Yani Care
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