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I WISH I WOULD’VE STARTED SOONER CAUSE I FREAKIN’ LOVE IT HEREEEE!!!!!
I took the leap and started my loc journey on Friday December 10th, 2021, and I haven’t looked back or picked up a wig since. I won’t say I’ll never wear wigs again (I most likely will at some point for certain events), but I don’t miss them like I thought I would. I knew for sure that I was going to be hiding my hair with wigs, scarves, and hats once I got my locs to avoid the “awkward” phase but honestly, I’m not going through an awkward or “ugly” stage at all.
MyHAIRstory
First things first, no one in my immediate family has or had locs so I never really thought locs could be an option for me but I have always adored them. I spent most of my life watching the women in my family struggle with hair issues. And unfortunately, they don’t see the beauty in locs like I do, especially the older women. I have to keep reminding myself that times were different back then and their idea of beauty was so close-minded.
Since I was a little girl, I have had every hairstyle imaginable. I’ve done the natural hair styling, perming, coloring, big chops, tapered cuts, press outs, braids, wigs, sew-ins, glue-ins, clip-ins. In conclusion, I have put my hair and edges through a lot, and I’m surprised I still have some on my head. If I knew what I know now, I would’ve begged to have my hair loc’d as a child.
Why I started my loc journey & the benefits of having locs.
I started locs simply because I wanted to and for the following:
To be more intentional with my time and what I spend my money on. Knowing that I could have done so much with all the money I spent on my hair makes me so disgusted. I could’ve used it for educational expenses, built my savings, etc. But no, I spent thousands of dollars on hairstyles that barely last a month without maintenance. That didn’t sit right with my spirit. Overall, I just don’t feel spiritually connected to wigs and weaves anymore. They are still very beautiful though, and I’m not shaming anyone who still likes to wear them. I just no longer have the time or patience.
Low maintenance styling= get up and go lifestyle! It already takes me forever to get ready and my hair was the main thing I spent the most time on. I felt like if my hair wasn’t done, I wasn’t going out. I would literally cancel plans if my hair didn’t look good.
To enhance my liberating self-love journey. My loc jouurney has become a big part of my self love/spiritual journey. I was ready to learn to love myself in my most natural state of being. I had to release the control I had over my hair and stop trying to force it to conform. I have never felt more spiritually connected since having my hair loc’d. I’m way more self aware.
Locs are beautiful, spiritual, and professional. I want to give a big F you to people who think locs are dirty and unprofessional because they’re not! They’re actually very clean depending on how you take care of them just like with any other hair type.
The moment I knew it was time to get locs…
Was when I got tired of losing my edges to “protective styling”. All the constant tension and manipulation was so damaging to my hair. I don’t blame any of the hair stylist that I’ve had, I solely blame myself for never knowing how to properly take care of my hair. It’s crazy how I would feel so beautiful with these protective styles but the moment it’s time to take them out or off I would become depressed.
If/when you have time, please check out this healing conversation about hair by thehoodhealer aka Imani Cohen below:
Prior to loc’ing my hair, I first experimented with faux locs in the summer of 2020 to see how I would look with them.
And it’s safe to say, I absolutely loved the look, so I knew I knew I was going to look good with the real McCoy!
The situation that finally broke the camel’s back was in September 2021. I went to my 10-year high school reunion and decided to get a quick weave with leave out on top. When I left the salon, my hair was so pretty, curly, and bouncy. It was giving BODY!
‘Leave out’ means having your natural hair left out on top in order to blend in with the extensions for a more “natural” look instead of a lace closure.
The problem was, I had completely underestimated the weather that day. I thought early Fall weather would be on the cooler side- wrong. By the time I got dressed and made it to the reunion, my leave out was a damn afro.
Basically, I sweated my hair out. Lucikly, I didn’t let it affect my entire night because I still had a great time. I was upset over the time and money I had just spent only for my hair to mess up within hours of getting it done. I was officially over it!
The Preparation Process
Over the past two years, I began educating myself on everything dealing with the process of loc’ing hair. I’ve watched hundreds of videos on YouTube and followed different people’s loc journeys. I learned about the different types of locs, the methods to starting locs, parting methods, loc stages, loc sizes, etc. Damian Walter’s videos were a big learning tool. I even made a board on Pinterest dedicated to the beauty of locs. Check it out here: Locs of Love.
I also prepped my hair a couple months before loc’ing. For a fresh start, I shaved my sides off and got a tapered cut in January 2021. This helped me become more comfortable with wearing my natural hair out. I was so self-conscious about having short hair and looking too masculine. I love softness and femininity.
I strongly believe in ‘moving in silence’. I never like telling people what I’m planning to do, so I made sure I didn’t tell anyone when I was going to loc my hair. I didn’t want any outside judgement or opinions. If I was going to do this, it was going to be 100% MY choice and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself.
My Loc Specifications and Goals
- Loc Size: Medium.
- Parting: Brick.
- Method: Coils.
- Number of locs: I just wanted a full head of locs, I have no idea how many I have but I’ll count them at some point.
- Who started and maintains my locs: Locs of Honey. I also maintain them myself in between retwists by keeping them moisturized and wrapped up at night.
- Loc products I use: Plain water, rose water, a light oil moisturizer, a brush for my edges, and a silk/satin bonnet and scarf at night. I’m amazed to see how much I’m saving on hair products cause I really don’t need much.
My loc goals are to keep them for as long as possible, at least 5+ years. I’m not planning to take them out anytime soon. After they mature, I plan to try some color after a year or so, maybe a nice brown, ginger, or red. My ultimate goal is to have healthy hair rather than long hair, but my goal length would be shoulder-length. Also, I want to explore different loc styles. The styles I can’t wait to try the most are pipe cleaner curls, loc knot-bobs, and bantu knots.
How the loc community has treated me so far and my initial reaction
The moment I walked into the salon for my loc install, I felt welcomed. My locticians and her assistants eased all my worries. They spoke words of affirmations to me: “you’re going to look so good with locs”, “welcome to the loc gang!”, “your curl pattern is so nice”, “I’m so proud of you for starting your loc journey”, “you made the right decision”, “you’re doing a good job maintaining your locs”, etc.
I have received more compliments on my starter locs than I ever did with any hairstyle I’ve ever had. Let that sink. My locs have been a great conversation starter. Random men and women will come up to me and ask me about my locs and we’ll start chatting it up (usually they have locs too). It’s an instant bond like no other. The girls that get it, get it and the girls that don’t, don’t. I know quite a few people who have started their loc journeys after me and I feel so happy for them.
My initial reaction: I literally almost cried tears of joy in the salon chair. I was amazed how long my locs were after they were installed. I knew for sure they were going to be standing straight up on top of my head, but they were not. Yes, they were thin and ‘straggly-looking’ at first but I still couldn’t stop looking in the mirror. Nobody could tell me anything. I felt so empowered and liberated.
But I must admit, it took me some time to start feeling feminine with my locs and I still struggle to at times. My fear was someone mistaking me for a man or a Dom especially since I don’t wear makeup like that. At the end of the day, men (and women) are still very much attracted to me. It’s the confidence that truly counts anyway. So, in order to feel more feminine- I plan to stock up on a lot of accessories and make sure I keep my nails done. Learning to do a basic makeup beat on myself is a big goal of mine as well.
Loc Update
I’m now in the “pre-loc” baby stage and as of March 4th, 2022, my locs are 3 months old. Lots of budding and frizziness goin’ on. The frizziness is actually insane right now. The shiny appearance of the starter locs has disappeared, they’re more dull which is a good sign of budding.
I’m especially loving how my hair appointments are no longer than 2.5 hours now since being loc’d. I get my locs washed, retwisted, styled (or no style), then I’m out. The days of starving at the hair salons all day are over. I only pay $75 to $80 to get my hair done and I can go 6 to 8 weeks without maintenance.
You can keep up with me and my loc journey on my Instagram highlights. Pictures of my locs and more details are on there 😊. I make sure to document as much as I can. I’m so excited to watch my locs transform and flourish over the next couple of months. I’m trusting the process and learning patience along the way.
That’s all for now!
Till next time,
Blog banner images courtesy of: Red Bubble.
Tiffany’s Diary 