So you finally made it to the stage where your locs have dropped and you’re gaining more length. Continuing to maintain and care for your locs is crucial for keeping them healthy and retaining length. Below are my top tips for maintaining and taking care of your locs.
Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
It’s inevitable, you are bound to get lint in your locs. Every few months try doing an apple cider vinegar and baking soda soak. You can find out more about it here.
Aloe Vera Gel
Consider using aloe vera gel when retwisting your locs. Unlike regular gels, aloe vera gel is 100% natural. This means that your locs won’t have as much product build-up.
Dr. Bronner’s Shampoo
At least every 3 weeks, I wash my locs. Over the years, I have tried a ton of shampoo brands. But the one brand that has given me the squeakiest clean has been Dr. Bronners. Dr. Bronners comes in a variety of scents and sizes. I prefer the tea tree oil or the peppermint scented ones. Best of all Dr. Bronners is 100% natural.
Fewer Products The Better
The fewer products are better. I try not to use a ton of products in my locs because it’s very easy to get product build-up and lint in your locs. Product build-up can lead to damaged locs. Plus it allows me to save both time and money. Find your staple products and stick to them.
Beware of hair ties and Scrunchies
As my locs grew longer, I used to keep my locs up in a bun all of the time to keep them out of my face. Little did I know that I was damaging my locs. The parts of locs that were in direct contact with my hair ties were starting to thin out. Limit your usage of hair ties and scrunchies and instead use scarves or loc socks that come in many different colors and are less damaging to your locs.
Try Wrap A Loc Instead
At the beginning of my loc journey, I would use pipe cleaners to get those nice, bouncy curls. However, the pipe cleaners would snag my hair. Then I stumbled upon a product that changed the game, wrap a loc. Although they are a little pricey, they are worth the investment. No longer does my hair get snagged. They are easier to use than pipe cleaners. They last a long time and are easy to store. Can you tell me I stand by these?
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
This was a challenge for me because I couldn’t use the same products as when I had loose natural hair. I also didn’t want to build up products into my locs. Now, I moisturize every other day using water and coconut oil or sweet almond oil. In fact besides my shampoo, and aloe vera gel, I only use light oils on my locs. Find oils that are lightweight.
Leave Them Alone
Seriously, leave you’re locs alone. Locs grow best when you’re not touching them all the time which can be very tempting, especially in the beginning. That also means not retwisting your locs every 2-3 weeks. Retwisting too often can lead to breakage. I retwist only four times a year. Now you don’t have to be as extreme as me but retwisting less really does allow you to retain more length.
Those are my top tips for maintaining and retaining length when it comes to locks. What are some of your tips? Let us know in the comments section below!
