I want to write about something light.

There’s a lot going on in the world and I am tempted to throw my two cents in the mix, and maybe I will soon but for today readers I want to keep it light. It’s Friday and although it is chilly on this March morning the sun is out and shining high in the sky. As I walked into work this morning I purposely kept my face upward and basked in the warmth of the sun rays hitting my face. Damn that feels good I thought as I pulled my face mask up and entered the building.

Loc Maintenance

I want to focus today about locs.

I have had my locs for over ten years now and many people are surprised at how long it’s been since my hair isn’t flowing down my back towards by bum (unlike my beautiful cousin whose been growing her hair for a shorter time period). I readily share my short go to speech about getting haircuts when my hair is damaged by color, or just for a change. During my pregnancy I experienced a lot of breakage at the base of my crown; it was literally an afro and then locs! After the birth of my son I experienced a lot of hair loss (this is normal for most mothers as the hormones that allow our manes to grow thick, long and shiny drops considerably after birth). I was horrified at how much hair fell in the shower or how often I would find hair all over my apartment. I quickly realized it was important to keep my head covered during the day with a soft and silky head wrap, especially as my son got older and began to pull on my hair during our breastfeeding sessions.

At the beginning of my loc journey I was obsessed with my locs always being freshly twisted. I wanted my scalp to show with clean neat parts and tightly twisted roots. However, over time I have learned to not focus so much on freshly twisted locs. I began to embrace hair that wasn’t “perfect” all the time. I also became a student of YouTube university. I spent a lot of time exploring tutorials that featured people with locs and here are my big takeaways:

1. Drink a lot of water (staying hydrated will help to keep one’s scalp healthy, healthy scalp yields healthy hair).
2. Embrace protective styling, especially in the cold months to retain moisture.
3. Find the right essential oils that work well with your hair based on hair porosity (I usually mix tea tree oil, peppermint oil with water, lavender oil with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water to cleanse scalp in between washing or I use rose hip oil directly on my scalp for added moisture).
4. It’s okay to not always have perfectly twisted locs, over twisting may cause thinning and breakage.
5. Keep hair covered with appropriate bonnets or wraps often to protect from lint and debris.

The most important take away I have learned over the years is to have fun! I like to cut my locs, color my locs, and add hair jewelry to my locs. I am a big fan of the current bead phase that I see sweeping my timeline! Colored beads, wooden beads and clear beads are all a vibe and I am here for it. My favorite hair beads at the moment are huge black jumbo beads that click and clack as I turn my head from side to side! Yes dear reader, I am EXTRA.

During this time of uncertainty and continued restrictions I have found myself leaning more into fun and creative ways to express myself while still maintaining healthy hair practice. What about you dear reader? What are your thoughts on hair maintenance? What does your hair routine look like? I am looking forward to reading your responses! Blessings.