5 Tips for Healthy Locs

Locs are one of the most versatile and low maintenance hairstyles known to humankind, just shy of a full buzz cut. Although, this style is low maintenance there are a few things you can do to ensure your locs remain healthy and you experience exponential growth.

So, what can you do to keep your locs healthy and from day 1.

• Shampoo & Condition your locs regularly

One of the misconceptions surrounding locs is that you should not wash, let alone, condition your hair for long periods of time. This is something that is not only unhealthy, but highly detrimental to your hair health and the locking process. The avoidance of water actually slows down the locking process. And having dirty hair can equal not only trapped smells, pollution, and all sorts of other issues; Dandruff and an oily scalp can lead to hair breakage in the long run. Your hair/ Locs should be washed typically every 1-2 weeks but I would not exceed more then 4 weeks personally. Locs get a bad rep because they are seen as dirty and smelly, something that is preventable. The first sign of healthy locs are locs that are clean and smell great.

• Hydrate & Seal in Moisture

Another common issue I have seen in my years in this field is that often clients are not properly hydrating their hair/locs. One of the best practices for hydrating and sealing in moisture is essentially lightly misting the hair daily with plain drinking water; every 2-3 days massage loose oils, (ie. Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Grapeseed Oil, etc.) from the scalp to the hair tips. Oil does not moisturize hair, using this over dry hair only seals in the dryness.

On a side note, essential oils like Tea Tree or Peppermint are to abrasive for use on their own. These types of oils need to mixed with a carrier oil first to prevent scalp irritation or possible burns to the skin. Also, oils should not be mixed with oils. There really is no benefit to this as water and oil do not mix, they should be applied separately.

• Avoid excess tension when styling

I know, I know.... We all have heard this tale as old as time. But this is the best reminder that whether you have locs or loose hair your styles should never be tight. Pulling the excess tension for the sake of "neatness" is detrimental to your hair and scalp health. However, in the case of locs this extra pulling paired with the natural weight of healthy locs the damage can be seen very quickly through base breakage, locs popping off, and even complete hair loose. So ease up and accept that locs are meant to be more freeing rather than neat all the time.

***PS. This also applies to just a basic retwist, this is a process that should happen between 4-6 weeks on average to keep them healthy and allow for a wonderful journey. ***

• Protect your locs nightly

Well, locs are freeing and certainly beautiful there are some things that cannot be avoided. Using a satin or silk bonnet, scarf, or loc sock will help to prevent your locs from having an excessive amount of lint build-up happening during your journey. Although lint trapping in the loc can happen when you pull shirts over your head or just rubbing against different fabrics.

***Bonus: Using a boar hair brush to lightly brush your locs helps with removing lint or fabric particles by doing so daily. It also helps with the training of your locs so that they do not appear as fuzzy (if your not big on fuzziness) in the long run.

• Maintain a healthy diet

And finally one of the biggest components to not only having healthy locs but healthy hair overall is maintaining a healthy diet. Ensuring that you are consuming not only proteins but also enough fruits and vegetables. Having a healthy and balanced diet filled with a variety of foods ensures that your body has all of the necessary vitamins and nutrients. So with allergies in mind try to incorporate foods like eggs, dark leafy greens, garlic and onions, as well as seafood will give your hair the internal boost to grow healthy and strong. These same nutrients are essential building blocks to having your hair be a reflection of the amazing person that is you!

With these tips in mind I know you will have a happy and healthy and beautiful loc journey.