Hey, y’all!! Daneen here, back with loc care tips as we close out our 3 part LOCtober blog series. So far, We have gone over the history of locs, starter locs, and different types of locs. This week, we’re getting into how to care for your locs, in and outside of the salon.
Locs are a low maintenance style. I often remind clients during their loc starting process that this will be the last time their hair has to be combed or detangled for a very long time. If you’re tender-headed like me, this can be music to your ears.
During your starter loc appointment, your stylist will share tips on how to care for your locs at home. I always tell my clients to keep a leave-in conditioner and a light oil spray next to their toothpaste and toothbrush. Do you see where I'm going with this?
Lightly spray your locs all over with the leave-in,
then follow up with your light oil spray.
ALWAYS cover your locs with a scarf or a bonnet. If you have difficulty keeping on a scarf or bonnet during the night, you could always use a satin pillowcase.
Try to avoid sleeping on cotton pillowcases or sheets. Cotton, being extremely absorbent, will pull the moisture and oil from our hair. This will over time dry out your hair and can also cause breakage. This is the best at-home care method unless you’ve got some great skills and can style your own locs.
Before you leave the salon, your stylist will advise you on when you should make your next appointment. Traditional locs, instant locs and loc extension clients can come in every 3-6 weeks. This all depends on how polished you prefer to look. Locs tend to get a lot fuzzier in the starter loc stages and some locs just aren’t long enough for styling yet. It can also depend on the maintenance method. Palm rolled or interlocked. With palm rolling, your hair is its ecosystem and does the work of locking over some time. With interlocking, the purpose is to intertwine the loose hairs at the root to resemble the internal structure of the shaft of the locs.
These methods of loc grooming are either client preferences or suggested by the stylist. The same goes for sister locs and micro locs. With sister loc and micro loc grooming, clients should come in every 6 weeks. Missing that six-week mark can cause your appointment to take longer than expected.
A salon visit is a mini getaway to 'self-care' world. A time to be pampered, feel refreshed, and look fabulous when you leave. If you’ve been to N, then you know that our shampoo experience is one for the books.
The process starts with a clarifying or therapeutic shampoo. This shampoo strips any oils or gunks from your scalp and hair that need to go. Next up is an intense moisturizing shampoo that adds moisture while softening your hair. At N we do not use cream conditioner on locs. We’ve found that if not rinsed out well, it can stay in the locs and cause buildup. Instead, we've made an herbal rinse! It's like tea for your hair. We also have essential oils of your choosing! The rinse is slowly poured over your locs and scalp. Followed up by a nice scalp massage.
Before you head to your stylist's chair, your hair is moisturized with leave-in and oil, and you are placed under the dryer to pre-dry.
Next up is your loc grooming, which would be either palm rolling or interlocking. Depending on your stylist's experience level, your loc grooming can take anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Caring for your locs can be easy, if you can develop a regiment, it can be even easier! Your locs can suffer if you don’t care for them, so be sure to show them some love! Following the at-home care tips above and getting some salon care for your locs will help your hair thrive and be beautiful.
See you next month with a new topic!