Wash- Rinses- Interlocking and Regimens

Hey hey hey

I'm going to talk about regimen and loc maintenance today. Last night I decided to scour the internet on how to keep my dreddies from looking a hot mess. I personally like things simplified and uncomplicated, something I can use and not break a sweat to. I found that I had to dig through a lot of info so to put my many thoughts to screen here's my attempt at putting the puzzle pieces together for those who aren't ( perhaps maybe you know more then me :P) in the know about caring for them locs. Ive been locked now for 7 mths (LOving it!) and Ive learned a thing or two about keeping it tre simple. So I'm hoping that my regimen and maintenance can answer a few questions. Since there is a plethora of info on how to start locs I wont go there, I will just focus on the maintenance and on going care for those who are DIY or wanting to be. Anyhoo lets get to it:


The weekly or bi weekly wash

Washing the hair is important whatever some may say about helping your dreads to loc up your scalp needs help getting rid of residue and buildup left behind by product, elements and plain ol sebum and dirt. Washing the "scalp" helps to actually loc the hair. Water swells the hair and the more this happens the faster your desired result. Remember water is your best friend you didn't quit relaxer not to go play in the rain right?

• Wash the hair using a non residual shampoo (Suave, Nutrogena, Pantene or any clarifying brand you prefer Tresseme even has a deep cleanser that I hear is good and inexpensive brand) Instead of just adding it straight to the hair I put it in a small spray bottle so I can evenly distribute the shampoo and if your going to wash spend a good 20 mins massaging the scalp (this should definitely be your "me" time) so your scalp get a good cleaning but no finger nails.
  

1. Note: Between clarifying washes depending on your needs you can rinse your hair with plain water or you can wash as needed with cleansing bars, Dr Bronners castille soaps or any soap really that you like ( use non residual best suited)
2. Note: For those who don't interlock try using a stocking cap so you will not disturb your roots to much otherwise you'll be twisting again. (if you can let go and enjoy the fruzz more power to you)
   

• 1st Rinse the hair really well and get all the shampoo out, believe or not even non residual shampoo can leave residue behind as well, so your going to want to stand under your shower head or jet spray until your locs feel squeaky clean

• 2nd Rinse My favorite rinse and the only one I use is ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) for a final clarifying clean. I tell you I still had buildup after multiple washing but after using this product my scalp was debris free. You can put in in a spray bottle 1:8 spray or pour it on your scalp and locs, massage it in a bit and then put a plastic bag over your head (please do not obstruct the airways please you need to be alive for the next step) Then wrap a towel around the bag and leave for 12-15 min. After that stand under the shower again until you can no longer smell the ACV or water runs clear.

After all that washing you really don't need to put anything in your hair. I can honestly say washing alone and ACV will give your locs a nice sheen that lasts. You can add stuff in there if you feel the need some people just like extra moisturizers I just choose not to because they just leave buildup I don't want. If you do proceed to twist the hair all you need is a bit of aloe vera gel or a good chemical free, paraben free, non petrol mineral, non toxic cream your tool and your fingers and BAM simple!

Loc Maintenance

OK now on to the twisting, interlocking wrapping part. I have to say that there is a big difference in twisting your roots and maintaining the locs portion of the hair. Now as you wash you will notice hair frizzing and fruzzing up everywhere this is a very normal and wonderful phenomenon. We want this to happen because this is what causes your locs to form. People get very confused and think that every time they wash their hair they must twist the roots (Not so) personally you can go a whole month or even two without twisting the roots and still maintain neat looking locs. If you continue to twist the roots (like I did every chance I got for the first 3mths) you risk the chance of weakening the roots that forms the base of the loc. Here are a few simple methods you can use: First things first however I will talk about twisting/interlocking the roots to get that out of the way.

Interlocking/Twisting Roots

Interlocking
Now Ive addressed the whole Point rotation system awhile back and postulated that the 4pt was the far superior rotation compared to the 2pt or 3pt. However as Ive progressed I have to take back those word because as your locs mature it does not matter what pt rotation you use. It has everything to do with how thin you want your locs. Earlier on I started using 2pts and noticed that my locs were getting holes all over them (this drove me batty) so pondering over this and searching the internet, I found that other people were using 4pt and 3pt rotations to keep things tight. I decided yes this is a better solution, but I did notice that my locs were getting to thin almost scary break off at the root thin (turns out my hair is just really soft and unravels easily I just needed to be more patient and let my hair do its thing). This was to much for me so Ive gone back to my 2pt rotation. Considering that the loose hair around your locs are going to fill into those holes anyway. Whatever you choose to do make sure you refrain from interlocking more than once a month unless you absolutely think you need to and preferably when damp. You will need an interlocking tool of choice (many different kinds on the web I prefer to make my own) some water in a spray bottle a little gel and that's it. You can find rotation methods throughout my blog or again in tutorials on the net.

Twisting
Most people who start traditional use this method as their mainstay. Simple and straight forward but a little long winded for my taste. I do not prefer this method because I like rinsing my hair more often then usual. It produces lovely locs however so give it a shot if your inclined. You will need a spray bottle of water, Two pronged Hair clips and some gel. If you have one a bonnet dryer is good investment for this method as well. Now all you have to do is grab a loc spray some water add some gel and twist in one direction only (same way every time)that you want the locs to lie, then clip hair at root in place. Never twist hair back and forth otherwise hair will never produce those cylindrical locs your after. Repeat all over head and sit under dryer until hair is no longer damp.

After completing both methods wrap hair in a satin or silk scarf to keep it fresh befor you go to bed or if your just about the house and your cleaning or something.


Wrapping
Now on to my favorite past time. I like to do this when I'm in the mood after a rinse in between shampoos. I take some water, little bit of gel and my fingers and you see all that fruzz that surrounds the loc? I take that and wrap around my locs in a clockwise motion. I do this while I watch T.V or when I feel I really need a maintenance check. Personally this keeps me from touching my roots and keeps my hair looking cute and neat when I need it. Personally as Ive said before you don't always need to touch the roots because its the locs you want to conform really. After interlocking my locs looked a bit chewy and bumpy (I don't like the look) but after wrapping them again and again they are starting to shape up quite nice in that cylindrical shape I adore (that's a good look) :)

Itchies

I buy a bag of Rosemary seeds and boil them, strain them then let it cool. I then either pour it over my entire head or a put it in a spray bottle and spray. I usually just leave it in no need to rinse really

So this is my regimen it took me forever to write but really its straight forward. No mucking around lets review shall we:

Weekly/Biweekly Wash
1. You wash
2.You rinse with water
3. You rinse with ACV (recommend biweekly some are sensitive, can be a little harsh)
4. You rinse with water
5. Micro fiber cloths work best to dry hair (less lint)

Interlocking/Twisting
1. Pick your poison (method)
2. Twists roots at least 1nce a month max (if you can stand it)
3. Always move in clockwise fashion (same way every time)

Wrapping
1. Wrap when needed after a rinse or whenever you feel
2. Use precaution dampen hair first and use gel or preferred cream
3. Go the same way every time (clockwise etc)

Protect
1. Cover your hair when your sleeping or doing house work to keep lint down
2. Have fun with it make them fancy when your going out ( I wear hair bands and wraps all the time they're cute)

Let me know if I'm missing anything IMO this is what I do for my hair. Everyone is different and I just wanted to share what works well for me over the course of 7 mths who knows maybe it will change again. Whatever you choose keep it positive and fun for you.

Enjoy

Peace and Blessings

NAt

Loc Transplant

So I did the stupidest thing ever yesterday, while interlocking I ended up combining two locs together and while this is a common practice to do they just happen to be locs that were farther in distance from each other. It just didnt look good is all I'm saying and it hurt like crazy. So I went (Bing! Bright idea!) and took scissors and tried to free the culprits from each other. Now befor all this I tried untangling them but to no avail everytime I tried to run the interlocking tool backwards through the root it was like I was making a new rotation ( ouch) and it began to form a huge clump at the crown of my head. I was so desperate and in pain that I bust out the scissors and snip! there went a neighboring loc that was minding its own business. Now if I would have just calmed down and breathed a little maybe I would have thought to pin all the other locs out of the way first but no..... the pain got the best of me and I went a little nuts lol.


(These pics dont show the damage I fixed it befor I took these pics)

You know from my recent posts its seems Ive gotten a little scissor happy these days and I think its from my obssession with perfection but today was a total different story the name of the game was pain and it just had to be released. Anyway as the story goes I did manage to save my newly developed bald spot from shame and embarrassment. About 3 mths ago I got a bright idea to add extentions to my locs that did not work out but I did have some kinky human hair left over and I'm glad I did because I used some of it to salvage the loc that got mowed down. So now that everything is IRIE again I have learned my lesson and pin my locs back to keep any from straying if the scissors are needed (rare as they should be), and if I wait every 4~6 weeks as opposed to the 2 then I shouldnt really have a problem. I just had to share this because I know I'm not the only one who's gone and messed up bad (lol) this my friends is a true lesson in my journey and now I definately know that this is not a race and like my hair it is what it is.


(Here is the loc I fixed with an extention, Ive managed to blend it in pretty well hopefully it holds up until major growth happens (I need some miracle gro). Behind it is a puff of hair that is to short to loc and was apart of the collision unfortunately. Going to wait out some growth then fix it up, it's hardly noticable so I'm happy)


So for those of you who would like to know exactly what I did and perhaps have some locs that they liked to add a bit of length to :

1. Get some Kinky human hair and I stress kinky human because it wont work with synthetic the aim is to just keep it in there and leave it for good.... no it doesnt belong to you but if you have a dwarfed loc in the front that sticks out like a sore thumb then yup this is for you.


2 If youve managed to salvage a least an ince of growth grab some of the human hair thats a little thicker then the loc itself. If its thinner loc beefing it up a bit will help it just be careful not to over do it otherwise you'll have weak roots.


3. Make like your going to put in braid extentions and braid the human hair onto the loc if you like you can add a thinner piece of human hair if you want to add length.



In the end it will look like a braid loc and will take awhile to loc up in that nice cylinder shape but as it grows you can continue on as usual with whatever maintenance regimen you were using It will just have the added length. If youve managed to gain some growth but it falls out you can leave it be or you can try adding it in again. If you are looking for lenght right away adding kinky human hair to your locs will help you achieve the look you are looking for. For myself I think I'm just going to leave my knotties alone for awhile I think they have endured enough abuse from me already. Keep rockin those locs and keep smiling.

Peace and blessings

Nat

4 vs 3 and 2 pt rotations

Hey yall
Ive been interlocking my hair now for awhile and my hair is curly enough to have naps but not nappy enough to stay put go figure. Anyway Ive been using 2 pt rotations since I started locking my hair but Ive been noticing that my hair has a bunch of holes in them and as soon as the hair starts growing my locks have become very loose so I guess it doesnt pay to use shortcuts. This def is not good in my books so I did a little experiment. Some locks that started with 2 pts I left alone, and some other locks I did 3 pts because they couldnt go further and lastly others that have grown a mile Ive used 4pts. I found that the 4 pts are denser and look more uniform. I suppose in the beginning I was being lazy but now I know that to acheive the ideal cylinder shape you must use 4 pt rotations. You wont get the lumpy bumpy locks and not to mention those blasted Ys every where (*hate em!) yeah well thats my little tid bit of wisdom. Ive made a chart hope it can help anyone who would like to use this method : ) .... See yall later going togo change all my 2pt to 4pt.

Update (May 11/09)
Here is what you can get if you use a certain pt rotations technically no point rotation used is bad for your hair, but for my hair I found that it was looser using the 2pt rotation. What I failed to remember was that everyone has different textures of hair so use the rotation system as to your requirements. 2pt rotations can work for you if you would like a quick way to lock up and have denser hair, this might provide a way for your hair to mesh within the holes but for my hair this rotation left spaces which I did not like so I switched over to a 3 pt and 4 pt rotation. Here are the differences as follows

~2pt rotations leave a looser more softer lock I personally did not like this rotation because it left spaces in my locks. For some it might work for them because hair does eventually mesh together . For me I just didnt like the feel of it so I switched

~3 pt Ive settled between the two. This rotation allows for the cylinder shape I want however after reading Kalia Dewdrops blog I had to agree with her that this one was probably the best (for me anyway)between the two. My locs became not to tight but not to loose either. I have kinky wavy hair and it unravels constantly. If you like the look of really thin locks then go up to the next rotation.

~4pt Probably the best if you want to maintain thinner looking locks. It's basically whatever your preference is. All provide a cylinder shaped lock except they differ in width and tightness

(click to enlarge)




Tightening up those babies

Another thing I also managed to do was tighten up the loose hairs all up and down my locks. I just use the same method that I used to interlock my roots, only I look for loose holes along the lock and work my way up or down. The only thing you have to watch out for is pulling the lock through the same whole twice. You'll always have to go back and pull those out which isnt much of a problem but if you leave them you will have great big holes in your locs (not cool as the lock will become weak) This allows the hair to dense up even quicker and you'll arrive at your destination much sooner (Ah victory lol) Anyway happy locking yall. :)


(click to enlarge)