Two months

Not much of an update. I am following the routine of washing every two weeks with diluted Bronner's Castile shampoo and latching once a month. My skills with the latch hook are improving and it only took probably an hour to complete his whole head.

I rub his hair daily with our vegan oil mentioned in the previous post, and wrap it in a stocking cap at night to minimize collecting lint and to keep the plaits laying flat. That's pretty much our routine.


The hair is not yet loc'd, but the ends have stopped unravelling, so hopefully we'll start to see buds soon.

One Month

We are one month of the loc'ing process and we are still both pretty excited about the process. I had thought that given my 7 year old's tendency to change his mind the way he changes channels on the tv that this journey would've ended about 3 weeks ago. But I've come to understand that this decision was not a whim for him. He has two people in mind that we have known awhile, both with locs. I had not realized the impression that was made on my son. He is looking forward to his hair growing as long as Mr. ____ and our teen friend, I'll call him Isaiah.

So, today, I washed his hair again. I diluted Bronner's Hemp Almond Castille soap with equal parts of water. It is all natural, no detergents, and provides a very gentle but thorough cleanse. I also covered his hair with a stocking cap and washed through the cap in order to avoid disturbing the little baby plaits.

Once the hair was clean, I lightly rubbed it with an oil that I found at Whole Foods Market. It's called Sensuous by Hugo Naturals. It is a vegan blend of sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, vitamin E, glycerin and essential oils of Patchouli and Sandlewood. His hair really loves this oil and it softens as well as provides a nice sheen.

Then, I latched his hair for the first time. He had a little more than 1/4 inch of new growth, but it was enough to allow the latching tool easy entry. I stumbled through the first couple and he complained that I was pulling "too hard", but I eventually figured it out and his whole head took less than an hour to do.

I'm proud of the results of the results of my research and of my first attempts at latching. And I'm really proud that it looks like I'll be able to maintain his hair myself without going to a salon. The prices that some shops charge should be criminal!!

Updates

We are approaching one month into this loc process. His hair is growing on and strong. I have washed it using a stocking cap so as to avoid messing up the little plaits. I re-plaited a couple of them; I think what I will let his hair grow a little more because I'm having trouble latching, both with the finger latching or with the hook. It's growing but because of it's length, hair is coming out of the plaits. I know a certain amount of fuzziness is to be expected especially in the beginning of the loc'ing process, but he was pulling the hair out of the plaits.

I am planning to re-do at least once more and then let nature take it course. Will be back with pictures.

Finger latching and palm rolling

Both of these videos demonstrate maintanence strategies for mature locs. We, of course are not here yet, but aren't these kids the cutest!!

Conversations with my boy

"So, how was school today?" I asked

"Fine."

"Did anyone say anything to you about your hair?" me inquiring further

"No. Well, no one said anything to me," he replied, "but I heard two kids talking about my hair."

"Really? What did they say?"

"They said I looked like a girl! I told them I was a boy and that my hair looked GOOD!"

That's my boy!!

Debunking Myths- washing pre-loc'd hair

Ooooo, Lawd!!

I started my research on loc'ing hair, and the width and breadth of information is kinda overwhelming. I went to the experts, my sistas and brothas of Nappturality, and as usual, they school a girl real good!

Rather than try to list and discuss all of the goofiness in one post, I think I will update this topic weekly. I will start with the one I had the biggest concerns about:

1. Don't wash your hair before the loc'ing process has begun.

That just struck me as foul! I wash or rinse my son's head daily (no-pooing) and the idea of going a month or more without soap and water struck me as just WRONG!!

The experts say:

I started my locs with braids and was able to wash my hair with little to
no unraveling from day one. I wash my locs with Alberto VO5 Tea Therapy
Clarifying Shampoo, Vanilla Mint Tea and moisturizing shampoo from Bath and Body Works (clear one). Can't seem to break that pattern...my hair loves it. I also
use coconut milk with a little coconut oil (warmed by microwave) for
conditioning.

if you are very active, work out a lot, swim or otherwise participate in activities that would have you washing/rinsing you hair quite often, you might want to consider starting you hair with braids, as they wouldn't unravel as easily with the frequent washings/rinsings.

about washing your hair: just wash your hair as you normally would, then put in the coils/braids/tst whatever to start the locs. as far as maintenance goes, most of the people on here will tell you to wash your hair when it needs to be washed, although you might have to wash it a little more gently than you're used to in the beginning so as to not overly manipulate the beginning loc formation. i would recommend using a diluted shampoo solution sprayed onto the scalp and directing your cleansing efforts more on the scalp--rinsing the shampoo thoroughly from your hair will cleanse the loc itself. conditioners in the early stages may be a little much for the new forming loc--i would probably stay away from creamy type conditioners until my locs have matured somewhat. i maintain my locs by palm-rolling them every two weeks after a wash and i use jojoba oil (sometimes mixed into a little clear loc gel) and a water/eo spritz. hope this info helps! hugs and peace, janel

Keep them clean and do not over twist them and you will be fine. Mother nature does the rest for you.

What is your current hair regimen? I shampoo about every 7-10 days. I always make sure to separate each loc (to prevent hugging) while they're still wet. Other than a dab of light oil after shampooing, I don't apply any products to my locs in between shampooing. When showering, I pull my hair up but leave it unprotected so that the steam can penetrate it. About every two months or so, I latch my roots for maintenance. Sometimes I like to twist/palmroll the roots for a change of pace.
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So, there you have it. I will wash his hair as usual. I will take the advice though to avoid conditioners. This actually makes sense to me, as the purpose of the conditioner is to give slip, and I don't want slip at this stage.

Introductions

I will be using this blog to document my son's journey to locdom! He's 7 years old and finally talked me into putting in starter locs Sunday Oct 19, 2008.

I have been natural since 2002 but I prefer to wear my hair in loose styles. I've always admired locs, especially on men and boys, but not for me . . . I like playing in my hair too much.

So, we'll be using this space to document his progress and my new found knowledge about how to start and maintain his locks.

Wish me luck, and feel free to jump in anytime with advice and feedback!