When I stretch my hair to its full length it is about four inches although my afro is only half that long because it curls so tight.

I don't see why I should have to cut my hair to loc it. I can twist it and it will stay twisted. I can braid it and the ends will curl up. In other words the curl pattern is very strong.

My hair is also very soft. A white girl touched my hair and asked me how I got it so soft. I said "I use Downy."

So my question is will the strong curl in my hair allow me to loc it without cutting it or using beeswax andd what not?

Also, I like variety. Is it possible to get temporary locs that I can take out when I want to wear an afro? By temporary I don't mean extentions but locs that can be loosened so I can wear my fro from time to time.

Sister River ... i don't know anything about locs ... surely not enough to advise anyone on them.

One thing that kinda steers me clear of them, is the fact that i've heard they are forever ... i don't want a forever hair style ... i just left forever (known as permanent)! It would be nice to know if there were some temporary locs available! :)

:heart:

Destee

SISTER RIVER, I HAVE A VERY CLOSE GIRLFRIEND WHO HAS LONG BEAUTIFUL LOCS AND I RECALL HER TELLING ME THAT WHEN SHE DECIDED SHE WANTED TO GO NATURAL SHE DID HAVE TO START SHORT AND CUT HER HAIR AND SHE DID ADMIT SHE HATED THIS STAGE OF THE PROCESS. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS TODAY WOW! HER HAIR IS LONG, LONG, LONG NATURALLY AND IT IS GEORGEOUS I GUESS IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW BADLY YOU WANT THEM THOUGH.

SWEETTEE,LOVE

No.. River youd do NOT have to cut your hair before you lock it.. you already have natural hair as i recall...
so all youd have to do is lock it..
I had the very same question when i kept reading of "the big chop" on different sites... referencing a point where the women cut thier permed hair off.. to grow natural.. but no you do not have to do this..



When I stretch my hair to its full length it is about four inches although my afro is only half that long because it curls so tight.

I don't see why I should have to cut my hair to loc it. I can twist it and it will stay twisted. I can braid it and the ends will curl up. In other words the curl pattern is very strong.

My hair is also very soft. A white girl touched my hair and asked me how I got it so soft. I said "I use Downy."

So my question is will the strong curl in my hair allow me to loc it without cutting it or using beeswax andd what not?

Also, I like variety. Is it possible to get temporary locs that I can take out when I want to wear an afro? By temporary I don't mean extentions but locs that can be loosened so I can wear my fro from time to time.

Hey River,
I'm a HairStylist and yeah if you call twist temp locs you can get them...you would have to use product on your hair such as some kinda gel and oil so it would be too hard....and you have to comb those out within 2 wks. cus they will loc on you.....thats the secret behind locs twisting once they start locing you just continue to twist the new growth and you will have locs ....so I hope I helped you out.....Much Luv "Sky"

Hey Poetic and sky,

That sounds good. I'm like Destee. I hesitated to lock my hair thinking I had to throw away the key. But if I don't have to chop I will tast it first on a little piece to see how long I can go before it locks.

Thanks

Hey River,
I'm a HairStylist and yeah if you call twist temp locs you can get them...you would have to use product on your hair such as some kinda gel and oil so it would be too hard....and you have to comb those out within 2 wks. cus they will loc on you.....thats the secret behind locs twisting once they start locing you just continue to twist the new growth and you will have locs ....so I hope I helped you out.....Much Luv "Sky"

How long should you wait if your hair was once relaxed?

SISTER RIVER, I HAVE A VERY CLOSE GIRLFRIEND WHO HAS LONG BEAUTIFUL LOCS AND I RECALL HER TELLING ME THAT WHEN SHE DECIDED SHE WANTED TO GO NATURAL SHE DID HAVE TO START SHORT AND CUT HER HAIR AND SHE DID ADMIT SHE HATED THIS STAGE OF THE PROCESS. BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS TODAY WOW! HER HAIR IS LONG, LONG, LONG NATURALLY AND IT IS GEORGEOUS I GUESS IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW BADLY YOU WANT THEM THOUGH.

SWEETTEE,LOVE

My friend has them also and she hates it!
It's very short and she complaines about them sticking up.
I think they look nice on her.
The only thing is why do people color their dreads or dread tips blonde?
Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

lol.. some dont some do.. to most its a natural reaction to the sun having dead hair...
i do plan to color my locks red with blonde tips... just because i think thats that fire! And it will look HOTT! lol..
if you have relaxed hair you have to wait at least 6 months of deep conditioning.. and so on.. keeping your ends trimmed.. and such... id tell you to braid it for six months.. cause thats the only way i could take it... intitially...


My friend has them also and she hates it!
It's very short and she complaines about them sticking up.
I think they look nice on her.
The only thing is why do people color their dreads or dread tips blonde?
Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

As long as the hair is natural, you do not need to cut it. I locked my hair with approx. 10 inches of natural hair.

The hair is healthy and grows quickly, especially after 2 years. Long locks allow you to make lots of different styles. Its truly a blessing. :hearts4:

How long should you wait if your hair was once relaxed?


Until you have enough new growth to cut off the relaxed ends. If all of your hair is natural (unprocessed), you can loc it.

Until you have enough new growth to cut off the relaxed ends. If all of your hair is natural (unprocessed), you can loc it.

Thanks!:pool:

Though i am terribly late a responding to this post i still feel the urge to....in reading the responses i noticed the common thread of "how they look" and "can i get rid of them"...

The origin of locks have been atributed to the MauMau tribe in Africa and to others the Ethiopians by way of the H.I.M. Emperor Haile Sellassie I...

I hope that before you take the vow to grow your locks you consider a few things....vanity has no place when considering this covenant....this was not intended to be a fashion statement, it was more a statment of strength...Samson and Delilah, the Lion in the Concrete Jungle and so on.

Locks represent the strength of a people who have been persecuted for just that...their hair....

Think about this...in the days of old prior to us inventing the scissors or knife or any cutting apparatus...what do yo uthink our hair resembled...if we did not cut it, comb or brush it, it will take the natural form of locks...the hair of lambs wool untrained will grow into locks...we were shown pictures of a long stringy hair light skin person who was supposed to represent people of that time LOL!

So to get back to my point....your locks are a living part of YOU and will act as an anchor to remind you olf the greatness we once had and lost to VANITY...those that wear them and embrace the strength that it contains will "over"stand....

I personally wear them and not for any fashion or vain reason....i also work in professional environments and they do not take away from my capabilities...in fact they stimulate conversation when i expose them... this provides the opportunity to teach about them and create acceptance not tolerance....

just an opinion....guidance and protection
bless up//~ ~\\

Though i am terribly late a responding to this post i still feel the urge to....in reading the responses i noticed the common thread of "how they look" and "can i get rid of them"...

The origin of locks have been atributed to the MauMau tribe in Africa and to others the Ethiopians by way of the H.I.M. Emperor Haile Sellassie I...

I hope that before you take the vow to grow your locks you consider a few things....vanity has no place when considering this covenant....this was not intended to be a fashion statement, it was more a statment of strength...Samson and Delilah, the Lion in the Concrete Jungle and so on.

Locks represent the strength of a people who have been persecuted for just that...their hair....

Think about this...in the days of old prior to us inventing the scissors or knife or any cutting apparatus...what do yo uthink our hair resembled...if we did not cut it, comb or brush it, it will take the natural form of locks...the hair of lambs wool untrained will grow into locks...we were shown pictures of a long stringy hair light skin person who was supposed to represent people of that time LOL!

So to get back to my point....your locks are a living part of YOU and will act as an anchor to remind you olf the greatness we once had and lost to VANITY...those that wear them and embrace the strength that it contains will "over"stand....

I personally wear them and not for any fashion or vain reason....i also work in professional environments and they do not take away from my capabilities...in fact they stimulate conversation when i expose them... this provides the opportunity to teach about them and create acceptance not tolerance....

just an opinion....guidance and protection
bless up//~ ~\\

Brother IrayOne ... i'd been meaning to get back to this post, and thank you for sharing historical and cultural meaning behind locs.

Very informative ... again, thanks for helping me and others understand.

Much Love and Peace.

:heart:

Destee

I must admit, these are very interesting questions and answers. Many reasons for wearing a hairstyle have been expressed from wanting it long, to wanting it spiritual. But to answer the question, I didn't cut my hair, but grew my locks from shoulder length relaxed hair. At the time my new growth came in, my locks were two different textures. I admit it was slightly unique looking so eventually, I cut the relaxed portion. But, I had started from short hair before when I began my locks from twists earlier and didn't want to go back through it again. So, I twisted the relaxed hair once it grew out a bit. I figured, since it was not bone straight, if euros I saw wearing them could grow locks, then my relaxed hair should have enough curl to lock.
I have been wearing mine for over eleven years now and mine are still a good length. I thought at first that length depended on how fast our hair grows, but after much introspection realize that it's not rapidity of growth that gives hair length, but the distance of its journey. The journey of hair depends on the amount of the curl. Caucasiod hair is a straight distance, thereby appearing to have greater length. We know by experience that when we straighten our hair we get more length. Thereby, if your curl is tight your journey is longer. If we get the mentality of measuring our hair's journey instead of its length, we can truly emancipate our misperceptions about hair length.
My journey is a little longer than say, my little sister's whose curl is looser and who wears sister locks. However, the breakage I experience is not nearly as great. I have less thickness than my big sister who always relaxes and/straightens. My daughter's hair is thicker than mine, but her method is to slightly relax. My three granddaughter's who all want locks when they grow up have each taken on various degrees of our hair.
Thinning becomes a problem later for those who have less curl. The exception goes against those who use more processing in their hair to include braiding and weaves.
I hope this has helped. My hair journey began with the sixties natural and has come full circle from twists, to locks, back to corn rows and extentions, to my own braids and then in between a blonde wrap and then back to the finale with my current locked style which I have worn for over a decade and will never change. (But, I said that about my fro.)

The nappier the better, especially for locking, braiding, etc.

i, too, am a licensed cosmetologist. I specialize in natural hair care. I went to school to learn about skin and hair because I have been natural for over 10 years, this is my second go-round. the first time, i texturized my hair and went back to a relaxer for a short period of time.

i have wore locks off and on during this time. though, tightly curled hair and unrelaxed hair will take less time to loc, you DO NOT have to cut off the relaxed hair. however, i would not attempt locking if there is more relaxed hair than natural hair.

i know alot of people think and can start their own locks but i advised going to a natural hair specialist (if one is available in your area.)

also beeswax is NOT a good product for locs; it attract dust and lint and is hard to wash out.

you do need good products, most you won't find in your local beauty supply shop.

also, some stylists have not kept up-to-date in natural hair and styles and are not using good products and techniques.

also note of caution, african braiders do a wonderful job. i can not top some of their work. however, they are not required to be licensed and therefore they may not have valuable and essential information on hair structure, scalp conditions, and causes of hair loss.

overtwisting and braiding too tight will cause hair loss and or thinning, sometimes permanently particularly around the hairline.

the women who started this thread is hopefully loc'd and happy by now!