Category: loc maintenance

Living Locs: Natural Dreadlocks Hair Root Care Routine

dreadlocks with healthy hair rootTaking care of your hair root is just as important as taking care of the rest of your dreadlocks. Without the roots, you wouldn’t even have dreads. That’s something to think about. Isn’t it? If you’re really serious about growing healthy natural hair, you have to get serious about finding the time to care for them.

Fresh and Clean Dreadlocks

The first and most important part of any dreadlocks hair maintenance, is to always keep your hair roots clean, meaning you should wash your hair often, well, at least every two weeks, with the right dreadlocks shampoo.  This will not only help to keep your dreads flourishing, but also to prevent dreadlocks buildup, which is quite a common complaint.

Go Natural with Oils for Dreadlocks

Another important thing that many people with dreadlocks fail to do, is adding natural oils to their scalp. When you wash our hair, you lose some of your natural oils, so you need to replace them by massaging your scalp and hair roots with oils such as coconut oil and castor oil. These important oils are great for super hair growth, stronger dreadlocks, and healthier scalp.

Scalp Stimulation for Healthy Hair Root

Your hair root can get thin as it gets more mature and starts to grow longer. So, you want to make sure that you give your roots the best possible treatment. You don’t need a whole lot of products in your hair. This is not recommended. Just go simple and natural. Try using peppermint essential oil with lavender oil, and coconut oil or castor oil, to help stimulate your scalp.

Steaming Dreadlocks

Add steaming to your dreadlocks hair care routine. Yes, you can steam your locs by simply adding essential oils to your hair. Put a portable hairdryer attachment cap over your locs, so that the heat will penetrate the strands of your dreadlocks, getting to the root of the problem.

No-hassle Locs Maintenance

Many people with dreadlocks make this common  mistake of twisting their hair root too tight. You have to take it easy on the roots. They need space to breathe. If you keep twisting them too tight, they will eventually become weak, resulting in breakage of the hair roots. That is when you will notice that your hair is becoming thinner and more fragile.

Using all of the above tips will ensure that your hair root stays healthy, so that you’ll continue to grow a healthy head of dreadlocks. You’ll therefore wear your natural crown with pride.

Secrets Revealed: What You Need to Know Before Getting Dreadlocks

Secrets to Growing Healthy Dreadlocks
Secrets to Growing Healthy Dreadlocks

If you’re planning on growing dreadlocks, I know your mind must be buzzing with tons of questions. You are here because you want answers, and answers you will definitely get. I am in my fifth year of growing my dreads, and can give you tons of tips and tricks to grow a healthy head of natural locs.

The Early Days of My Dreadlocks Journey

The funny thing about my locs journey, is that I wasn’t planning on locking my hair at all. I was however, thinking about going natural for a while. I was tired of perming my hair, dealing with thin damaged hair, and buying tons of weave to braid my thin lifeless-looking hair. I somehow built up the courage to go natural, and my locs journey started thereafter.

The Journey of Growing Dreads

Growing your dreadlocks will take you on a journey that will either strengthen you are weaken you. If you’re not really sure if you want them or you’re worried about what others are going to say, you may just give up in no time. There are also some surprises that’ll pop up along the way.

Workplace and Dreadlocks

One thing you have to consider before growing dreadlocks, is whether or not it’s allowed in your workplace. If you’re self-employed, most likely that won’t be an issue.

Some employers are really strict on workplace appearance, while others are pretty laid-back. It’s good to find out before you invest too much time and energy into your locs growth, to eventually find out that you can’t wear them at your workplace.

Taking the Bad and the Good on This Locs Journey

During your dreadlocks journey, you’ll notice that your natural hair is going to go through many different phases. During some phases, your dreads may not look like how you would want them to be, but that’s just the nature of this journey. You have to work through the tough times, to get to the light at the end of the tunnel.

The “Bad” Days of Locs

I won’t lie and say I didn’t feel like giving up on my dreads sometimes during the early stages, but I just don’t like to quit on things without giving it a fair chance.

Another thing, people may start bugging you about how your hair look.  If you worry too much about what people say about you, it’s going to be hard to ignore them and continue on your locs journey. Just remember that this is about you, so if this is something that you really want and it will make you  happy, go for it.

The Importance of Locs Maintenance

Maintaining your dreadlocks is a must, if you want to see them flourish and grow. They have to be kept clean and nourished. It’s such a beauty to see nice, clean, healthy dreadlocks. You’ll have to find time to give your locs some good care.

Don’t forget to treat your scalp right. Without healthy scalp, your dreadlocks won’t survive the journey. It’s recommended that you feed your scalp with natural essential oils to keep your hair growing healthy.

Locs Update: Five Years Journey and Counting

Dreadlocks length growth comparisonMy 5 year-old Locs is still growing and flourishing. I know a lot of people are shocked that I still have my locs and haven’t given up yet, but I have no intention of cutting or combing out my locs at all. At this point in my life, the journey that my hair has taken me on, has been a wonderful, eye-opening one. It’s not just about having locs anymore, it’s much more than that.

How Do You Feel About Your Locs at Five Years?

Five years is a lot of time to commit to something, but this something means a lot to me. It is now a part of me, and I’ve grown to love and cherish them. Also, now that they’re more than fully locked, it’s so much easier for me to handle them.

Do You Still Retwist 5-Year-Old Locs As Often As Before?

five years locsNow that my locs are over five-years-old, I don’t really re-twist them that much. I tend to go for months with semi-freeform dreads. I’ll just catch them up in a ponytail or use a few strand of locs to slightly tie them in place.

Nature and some maintenance from me has formed my dreads already, so there’s little need to re-twist them that much at this stage.

I think it’s a personal choice to re-twist or not to re-twist, depending on whether you want them super neat or with a few fuzz. I don’t mind going fuzzy head sometimes. That’s as natural as it gets. As long as I keep my hair clean and smelling nice, that’s what really counts.

Do You Maintain 5 year-old Locs Differently?

As your locs get older, you still have to maintain them just as before. I still use my Jamaican Black Castor oil with organic coconut oil to massage my scalp. I’ve added a few more things to those two oils, such as lavender essential oil and peppermint. I love the tingling feeling of the peppermint, and the lavender not only keep my locs healthy, but helps to relax my tired nerves at times.

Do 5 year-old Locs Get Thinner as They Grow?

I have noticed that my locs have become thinner at the roots, so I have to be careful with the new growth. However, what has helped me tremendously with strengthening my roots, is the use of my favorite oils, castor oil and extra virgin coconut oil. These oils nourish my roots and help them to thicken as they grow longer.

What Natural Herbs Would You Recommend for Locs?

I have fallen in love with the rosemary herb. Lately, I’ve been using it to wash my dreads. Rosemary has a nice smell and is healthy for your scalp. The rosemary herb tea can also be used to naturally color your hair. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t keep some dry leaves in your kitchen.