Two Years Locs Journey: Growing Thicker Dreads

Dreads thicker and longer at 2 yearsIt’s a new year now and I just had my two years locs anniversary in December. Looking back on my journey growing my dreadlocks, it’s a bittersweet moment, as I remember the different stages I have been through. I was recently looking at some photos starting from my baby locs stage to now, 2016, and I can see a  huge difference in the length and thickness.

Caring For My Dreads to Make Them Thicker

One of the common  problems that people encounter with their locs as it grows, is that it may tend to get thinner. This doesn’t have to be so though. Taking care of your hair and using the right hair products, can help your locs grow thicker and stronger. Here are some locs maintenance tips that I’ve been using for the past two years.

Keeping it Clean: Washing your dreads regularly is necessary in order for growth and thickness. Some people wash their hair every week or every other week. This prevents buildup of grease and dirt, which blocks the hair follicles. Also, make sure that you wash your locs thoroughly with a shampoo such as the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Shampoo and rinse well.

Drying Your Dreads Properly: Always make sure that you dry your hair thoroughly before covering it with a head wrap or a scarf. This will prevent mildew or mold, as well bad odor.

Moisturize Your Scalp: For softer locs, moisturize your scalp with your favorite moisturizer or hair-nourishing oils to grow thicker and stronger dreads. When you’re moisturizing your scalp, take the time to massage the oils into the scalp. Don’t overdo it because you don’t want to attract dirt and grime to  your hair.

Covering Your Locs at Nights: It is recommended that you sleep with your locs covered to protect them from lint, hair-loss and to retain moisture. Choose whatever you use to cover your hair at nights very carefully. It is better to use a sleep cap or scarf that doesn’t leave behind lint. If you have long dreads, try wearing spandex dreadlock skull cap at nights before sleeping.

 Healthier Locs Hairstyles: As your dreadlocks starts to grow, you may want to try different trendy hairstyles. However, you may want to choose your styles carefully. Certain hairstyles can cause damage to your hairline or your roots. To learn more about how you can protect your edges and how to grow them back if you’ve already lost them, check out my blog: Disappearing Hairline – Natural Ways to Regrow Your Edges Fast.

Motivational Words For Those With Starter Locs

There will be times when you feel like giving up and just cutting them off, but don’t give in to that temptation. All the hard work that you put in will be worth it in the end. I’ve been there and felt the same way some days.

People will make remarks about your hair, but don’t let that get you down. In the end when they see your long beautiful locs, they may come to you for ideas on how to grow  or care for their hair.

Always remember that nothing comes easy. If you want the best, you have to do your best. Your hair will pass through the baby locs stage, the budding stage, the frizzy stage, then transform into smooth long beautiful flowing dreadlocks.

 

 

Keeping Your Locs Neat – Trimming or Pruning the Frizz

Over a period of time your locs may become really frizzy, so you may decide to trim/prune the excess hair to give a more neater look. That is if you are not going for a freeform look. This is not a post about cutting your locs, but instead to give it a more uniformed look.

Time for Locs Pruning

My 2 year loc anniversary is approaching fast, which is this month, so I decided to freshen them up by trimming some of the extra frizz along each strand of loc. These are stray hair that didn’t get locked with the others.

Honestly, I love my frizz because it makes my hair look more fuller with more volume, but I just want my dreads to look a little neater for the holidays.

Benefits I See After Pruning My Locs

I finally finished trimming away the frizz from my locs and was pleased with the way they turned out. They looked much more smoother and neater. They even looked a little longer than before.

The first day I trimmed them, they didn’t feel too full to me, but as the days went by, I started to feel back the fullness in my hair.

Dreadlocks Maintenance for Healthier Hair

I just used a scissors to clip off the stray hair along the length of my locs, but I did not cut any of the length off. No way, I’m not going down that road. Right now I have a little challenge with myself to grow longer dreads. Check out my earlier blog post, The Pros and Cons of Having Locs – My Story, to see what I am using in my hair to stimulate hair growth.

To keep your hair looking its best, in addition to trimming your locs, part of the maintenance process may include maintaining new growth, interlocking or repairing your dreadlocks. You can either go to a loctition or save some dollars by using a specially designed loc maintenance tool such as the EasyLoc Hair Tool  to get the job done.

Reminiscing on My Loc Journey

Looking back at my older photos, I can see a lot of improvement in the growth of my hair and how much more they look like genuine locs. At first when I just started my journey, I thought my ends would never look rounded and neat like other people’s ends that I’ve seen. Now they look like how I wanted them to look. Here is a comparison of past and present locs improvement below.

 

Almost a year into my loc journey
My locs in November 2014
Pruning my locs final look
Present-December 2015 After Pruning

Disappearing Hairline – Natural Ways to Regrow Your Edges Fast

Extra virgin coconut oilDisappearing hairline or what African American Culture would refer to as “Losing your edges” is a common problem. The correct term for this is actually called Traction Alopecia. It tends to occur more frequently in people who do certain hairstyles that causes the hair along their hairline to pull. Wearing hairstyles such as braids, locs, and ponytails, that are styled too tightly will cause thinning hairline over a period of time. Finding the right treatment that’s right for you, can regrow your edges fast.

Preventing Balding Edges

It’s okay to style your hair into ponytails or braid your hair, but simply avoid doing them too tight. Some signs that will let you know if you are damaging your hairline is if you feel pain a few hours after styling your hair or you might see some small painful bumps starting to appear. Braiding your hair or having locs do not cause hairline damage. In fact, braids can actually help your hair grow faster than putting a perm in it.

Naturally Regrowing Edges

Losing your hairline is not something that has to be permanent. There are various natural products that can quickly regrow your hairline, thicker and healthier than before.

Organic Coconut Oil: One of the oldest natural ways to grow longer hair is by applying coconut oil to the scalp and hair. Organic virgin coconut oil is the best type to use.

The Viva Labs Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is a recommended brand. Apply the oil to your scalp, paying special attention to the balding edges. Make sure to massage the area where your hairline is missing or short, as this will help stimulate hair growth.

Vitamin Enhanced Products: Regrow your receding hairline with hair growth support vitamins. Feeding our hair with essential vitamins, minerals and herb extracts can boost hair growth. Both men and woman can benefit from this. When choosing the right product for you, the closer you get to natural, the less you will have to worry about side effects.

Castor Oil for Edge Regrowth: Castor oil is yet another popular and effective treatment for balding edges. Try using the Tropic Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil, as it is really effective. The suggested product above this text comes with the applicator, which makes it less messy and easier to apply the oil to your edges.

Some people reported seeing signs of new hairline in as little as 2 weeks, but this depends on how often you use it. It also depends on your hair type. For example, African-American/African dreadlocks may take a little longer to grow.

Taking the Steps to Regrowing Your Hairline

Now that you know that you don’t have to live with bald edges, get started on your natural treatment right away. The longer you try to cover up your head with a wig or hang your head in shame, the longer you will take to say hi to your edges again.

Once your new hairline appears, take the best care of it in order to prevent the same problem again. To learn how to regrow your hairline and keep it that way Click Here! Pass on the information to someone you may know who is suffering from this condition and don’t know where to turn for help.

Remember that disappearing hairline does not discriminate. It can happen to both male and female, even little girls can lose their edges if their hair is pulled back too tightly continuously.