Locs Maintenance: 5 Tips For a Perfect Retwist

Retwisting your locs is a natural part of locs maintenance. Unless you have freeform locs, you will most likely want to retwist your hair after washing it. Here are five tips for a perfect retwist.

How to Get Professional Looking Retwist

Washing Locs: First things first, before you even think about retwisting your locs, you need to make sure that it is clean. Always use a good shampoo to wash thoroughly to remove any buildup. Consider using a deep conditioner to prevent or restore damaged hair.

Palm rolling Locs: When retwisting, using the palm roll method can be quite effective. When you palm roll, the new growth starts out smooth and continues to grow in a smooth pattern without any knots.

Retwist Direction: Always make sure that you are retwisting your locs in the exact direction it was originally twisted, for example, counterclockwise. Doing it the opposite way your starter locs were created, will prevent it from locking correctly and tightly.

Rewisting Locs Carefully: If your locs are matured or you had them for years, by now you should know how much hard work it is to get them to where they are. Therefore, it is imperative that you don’t overtwist them and avoid putting too much strain on delicate areas such as the hairline, because over a period of time, your locs will start to break.

Drying Your Locs: After retwisting, drying is the next step. You can use a hair dryer or hair bonnet to keep you retwist firmly in place. However, do not use too much heat. It’s recommended that you put your dryer on the medium setting instead of on high. This is to prevent heat damage to your dreads.

My Locs Journey: From Starter Locs to Present

A lot of people have been asking me about my locs, so I decided to share with you my loc journey experience. Come follow me on this adventurous journey I’ve been on over the last 3 years, while learning a few tips and tricks along the way.

How I Got Started

I started my locs by doing coils, which is similar to comb coils. I didn’t use a comb, but instead twisted mine. I permed my hair over the years, but after a while my hair although was growing long, was getting thin at the same time and I also had breakage. I decided that I was going back to my natural hair, and that’s just what I did.

Going Back to Natural Hair

I grew out my hair and went natural for about a year. During that time I tried so many things to tame my hair. I braided it, used a hot comb to straighten it, or just simply wore it in a ponytail.

Early days before locs

After a year of wearing my natural hair, I came to the decision to grow locs. I must say that it took me on a journey I never expected. I knew nothing about starter locs or maintenance. I just took the plunge and went ahead and did it. I did some research along the way and learned from trial and error,  and applying what I learned.

No Big Chop Before Locs

Most people who are transitioning from perm to locs usually do a big chop. The benefit of growing out the perm is that you can get starter locs with  a good length of hair without having to cut it too short. I started with a fair amount of length, but it eventually shrunk as my hair started to lock.

Washing Starter Locs the First Time

Washing your starter locs for the first time can be a bit tricky. You want to have clean hair, but at the same time you don’t want your dreads to loosen. I’ll tell you what I did. Other people may tell you otherwise, but this is what worked for me.

How I Washed My Starter Locs

I washed my locs 2 weeks after I got them. You just have to wash them gently. Actually, you should concentrate more on the scalp than anything else. When washing your baby locs, you should gently massage the scalp. You can’t wash them like how you would normally wash non-locs hair or matured locs.

Wash Starter Locs
First Starter Locs Wash & Retwist

The Secret to Locking Dreads Faster

Everyone including myself always want to know what home remedies makes hair lock faster.

Believe it or not, water helps your hair to lock faster. Spritzing your hair every day with water and a few drops of natural oils will keep your dreads moisturized and help the strands of hair to intertwine and tighten.

Do not soak your hair because you want to avoid mold and mildew. Just lightly spritz it, using a hair spray bottle.

Shrinkage in Young Locs

Another surprise I experienced during my locs journey is how much my hair shrunk. My dreads also got fatter. When I just started my journey, my hair was thin and lifeless, so I was surprised to see how much they got bigger. I would assume it’s the result of not combing the hair and the natural curl pattern of the strands of hair during the locking phase.

Almost a year wearing locs
Nearing My 1 Year Locs Anniversary

 

 Locs Growth Spurt

After the ups and downs of my loc journey, as my dreads started to mature more, I gained some length. My hair steadily grew longer as I applied some of the techniques I learned. I shared many health locs tips in my previous blogs, that helped me achieve a healthy head of dreadlocks.

My babies are now 3 years old, and I’m still learning. It’s been a pleasure sharing my knowledge with you, and I will continue to include you in my locs journey. Here are some of my most recent photos.

locs growth spurt
My 3 Year Locs/side sweep Hairstyle
loc journy 3 years
My Locs Presently 2017

Natural Hair: Dreadlocks Care Routine

Thick healthy dreadlocksIf you have natural hair and/or have dreadlocks, it’s best to put in place a care routine for daily maintenance of your locs. This will keep your hair in tip-top condition. Being consistent with this hair care routine will come easy within a few days.

Natural Locs Wash Routine

Before anything else, when it comes to taking care of your natural hair, washing it is one of the most important steps. Choose your shampoo carefully. Find out which shampoos are best for dreads. Keep it simple. Shampoos with natural ingredients are less harsh on your natural hair.

Use the technique you would use when washing a piece of sponge, by squeezing and releasing your hands, so that the shampoo can work its way into each strand of loc.

Get to the Root of the Dirt

When washing your dreadlocks, although massaging your scalp with your fingertips is effective, using a shampoo scalp massaging brush  is even  better. It is specifically designed to target build-up on the scalp, while increasing your scalp’s blood flow, which is great if you are looking to grow your hair longer at a faster rate.

Daily Moisturizing Tips for Dreads

Washing your  natural hair and keeping it clean is important, but also keeping it moisturized throughout the day is just as important. To prevent dry locs, use natural oils or a deep conditioner with natural organic ingredients. This will help to retain moisture, leaving your dreads feeling soft and shiny.

Protecting Your Locs During Bath Time

Another important dreadlocks hair care routine, is covering your hair with a X-Large shower cap while taking a shower/bath. Although spritzing your locs on  a daily basis is healthy, leaving your hair soaked repeatedly can cause mold or mildew to grow inside the strands of your dreads.

Although dreadlocks is still considered to be natural hair, it differs in a few ways. For example, regular natural hair is easier to dry because the strands are not intertwined like locs. Therefore, you have to make sure that while taking a bath, water doesn’t soak your hair and stays there without completely drying.

Night Time Hair Care for Natural Hair and Locs

Whether you have traditional natural hair or dreadlocks, it is recommended that you cover your hair at nights. When we sleep, a lot of us toss and turn during the night. This can cause hair breakage on the already delicate strands of hair.

Natural Hair Protective Styles for Sleep Time

Protective styles for dreadlocksBefore you cover your hair, you can do a basic protective style for your natural hair or dreadlocks. This could be as simple as plaiting your hair in two or four big plaits. Don’t do them too tight because you don’t want to put any strain on the roots or the strands of your hair.